6 replies to this topic

[vnvslot]

I finally got a BMW 507 made by Tokyo Plamo.



It is not a hard to find car. Every year eight or nine units appear in mint condition in eBay. Most of them come from the same Japanese seller (santav6).

The one I got came from Germany so I can avoid the customs fees for packets sent from non-European countries. It is curious that if we try to find images of this car in Google it used to appear in mint state and not ready to run.





I had no doubt, as soon as I receive the car I would assemble it. I enjoy assembling kits and this one I was sure would make me enjoy like no one. I finally could meet the target for what it was created, to be assembled!

So I took the last photos of the mint kit... and let's go!!



Just with a sharpened cutter and Micro Kristal Clear I began the process.



Shell released!!



Come on! No mercy, no remorse!



Everything is out of the box!! The first thing is assembling the chassis. These kits made by Tokyo Plamo use to lack the motor because they were for Japanese national use. The ones made for export use to have it. So I find in my motors drawer a new Mabuchi 16D... it will be assembled as in instructions suggest.





Now I have to remove the plastic bits from the mould.







Here the first surprise arrives... damn!! the driver doesn't fit on the cockpit!! It is logic, they have used a 1/24 driver for their 1/32 range. I check the instructions and the solution is simply. I only have to stick the head in the cockpit pan. So the BMW 507 will be driven by a bobblehead.





Now just the final assembling! And that's all!

[Gary Bluestone]

Excellent decision to build it. It looks like the instruction show a one-piece glass for both front and back but it appears there were two pieces. Is that what was there?

I had to make a windshield for a used one I found a while ago. With good tires like EJ's or Strombeckers, it competes nicely with the Revell class.

[TSR]

Nice! 

[SlotStox#53]

Very nice mint kit & now constructed car I'd be the same with an original kit ,yeah for a collecting point of view the mint in box under blister kit is king but it's just wrong not to put em together!

[don.siegel]

Ah yes, the eternal question, buy or make? whoops, that's in industry... 

 

Very nice car and good assembly; I theoretically agree with you on building these, but in fact, I've assembled almost none of the MIB kits I have... Did a couple of the Tokyo Plamo, but they already had blisters opened, and/or parts missing, etc. (Same with a Yamada Lotus 30 that had all its tires melted!). 

 

Now, the $64,000 question (and that'll show you how old I am...): were you tempted to paint it? Even tho it wouldn't be stock, I think it would look even better with a nice paint job.... And I figure, once it's out of the box, and assembled, might as well go all the way! 

 

Don 

[vnvslot]

Thank you for the comments. Let's go by parts:

 

Gary, yes, although in the instructions the windshield appears made of one piece, the kit contained two separated pieces. Just for the front and rear windows. The side windows doesn't have windshield. I don't know if these kits could contain the one piece windshield. The main problem is that there aren't too many RTR cars in internet to compare. I have to tell you too that these two small windshields doesn't fit very well in the body, specially the front one, it seems it should be a bit longer.

Another curiosity: if you check the instructions you can see the driver in the right side of the cockpit. Then it is in the left side of the piece.

 

Don... hahaha! Your question break my mind!! In my collection I have not MIB kits, but I try to have the cars that I like in a pure RTR condition, at least one unit. When I say pure I mean just assembled but not painted, just the car that a 60s child had assembled and played with. Once I get a pure one, then I have no remorse to get a second one and then paint it or scratch it. I don't look for these second units but if I find a bargain, or a graveyard or a car that need a restoration process I would get it just for the pleasure of painting it. In this way I have nice pairs like:

 

 

 

Don, if I find another BMW 507 of Tokyo Plamo or Sanwa I am sure I would paint it.

[skeeterbuck]

What about the decals/stickers?

 

Doesn't look like a race car without them. Just looks like a grocery getter, plain Jane now. 

 

Just my 1 1/2 cents. (adjusted for inflation)