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Tamiya Toyota Supra 3.0GT (A70)


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Background:
The A70 Supra would be my preference of all the Supras. Elegant and understated and entirely Japanese. I wanted to make it some colour that was not so common on my shelf, so orange-over-black-primer makes a nice depth of colour and a different shade to just over grey primer which gives a more reddy shade of orange, as on the Toyota 2000 GT I built in April 2020.

Pros:
Nice proportions, easy to assemble. Headlights open. Comes with two dashboards in case you want to put the steering on the wrong side. Box doesn't take up much room in a stash.

Cons:
It's a very simple kit with only 3 parts to the suspension and metal axles front and rear - so no steering. No brake discs/calipers are supplied with the kit either as they'd be entirely hidden by the stock wheels. Curbside so no engine either. The pop-up headlights don't like staying up. The interior door cards lack depth and detail. The seats have no backs and have to be filled. No pedals. No manual transmission option.

Verdict:
A good kit for beginners. It's an easy kit to build with an easily achievable good result, but long since outclassed by the Hasegawa version. Nicely moulded, well proportioned and therefore the expected Tamiya quality of it's time - but things have moved on since then, although that didn't stop Tamiya returning to the two-metal-axles idea many years later with the road-going Impreza, New Beetle and others.

Build notes:
I've changed the wheels (Aoshima BBS DTM - which make most cars look better), added brakes, textured the parcel shelf, added a front lip and lowered the car a little just by hooking the chassis above the usual mount points inside instead of within them. Aside from that it is as-supplied. Painted in Tamiya TS-92 metallic orange over Mr Hobby black primer, clearcoated with Mr Hobby Gloss. This is my 99th build.

 

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51 minutes ago, galaxyg said:

Comes with two dashboards in case you want to put the steering on the wrong side.

So you still won't admit that (pretty much) the rest of the world drives on the correct side of the road...?

 

Whatever, I love the Mk III Supra, it looks prettier into my eye than Mk IV. A friend from school had metallic green Mk III Supra with 1JZ-GTE and manual tuned to about 450hp/700Nm so I may be somewhat biased...

 

All in all I have to admit that rims are what define the car, in this case those BBS rims make the whole appearance with the colour. No need for lowering or body kits, just unforgiving appearance.

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Well done, great colour, lovely wheels. Anything special in mind for build #100? 

 

Or did you already start it and I've missed it?

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Got to agree with everyone above, this is a nice looking build and I do like the colour. You've also photographed it very well too. Just a shame about the lazy headlights, but I know from experience that retracting headlights can be a right PITA to get to work well.

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15 hours ago, JeroenS said:

Well done, great colour, lovely wheels. Anything special in mind for build #100? 

 

Or did you already start it and I've missed it?

It'll almost certainly be the Celica 2000GTR I'd started before this Supra, intending the Supra to be #100 instead. But for various (mostly colour related reasons) it's taken me a while to get that one ready for clearcoat.

So although that's not that special, instead build #101 will be something a bit more interesting/complex instead, appearing soonish in the WIP forum.

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