Let's try making an Italeri 1/6 GP Bike!
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A large-scale kit, easy enough for beginners! Italeri 1/6-scale multi-media kit Regularly 16,000 yen, now on special sale for 6,400 yen (60 percent off)! |
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About the NSR500 WGP Racer
The Honda NSR500 is a motorcycle developed by Honda Racing (HRC) for the express purpose of racing. This road racer is equipped with a 2-stroke, 500 cc V-type 4-cylinder engine.
The NSR bikes (short for "New Sprint-Racer of Research") were entered in the WGP for 19 seasons, from 1984 to 2002.
In 10 of those 19 seasons, the NSR bikes took the championships, and in 2002, rookie Italian rider Valentino Rossi won 11 races.
The first-generation NSR had a 140hp engine, while that of the 2001 model exceeded 200hp.
This is a large kit in 1/6 scale. The box measures 56 x 34 x 14 cm, and weighs over 2.5 kg. Compare it to the size of the Model Cars magazine next to it.
This is what you see when you first open the box. The frame is painted diecast metal; the other parts are plastic. The plastic parts are pre-colored, so you won’t need to paint the finished kit.
The frame and the suspension arm are diecast metal. The tires are rubber, and everything else is plastic. There is a bag of screws and nuts, and as a special surprise, the kit includes a CD-ROM containing Honda's 50 Year Anniversary Photo Library.
The assembly instruction manual is 18 A4-size pages. If you exclude the parts explanation, there are 11 pages of instructions for putting the kit together. There is no text; numbers are used to show how to fit the parts together and to illustrate color coordination.
The diecast metal frame and suspension arm. They are pre-painted. I photographed them on top of a DVD to give you an idea of their true size.
The plastic wheels and rubber tires. Sandpaper is included to remove the center line created when the tire is molded. They were photographed on top of a DVD for size comparison.
These are the tools you'll need: pliers, files, screwdrivers, adhesive, etc. A small screwdriver is included in the kit. This kit doesn't need painting, so you won't need any paints this time. The adhesive used is an instant bonding superglue, and so that I could finish in one 4-hour push, I also used an instant-hardening spray.
The marking seals. These are not waterslide decals; they are self-adhesive seals. Most can be applied as they are, but a few will have to be cut out. Add a sharp pair of scissors to your list of needed tools.
The beginning of assembly. First lay out the frame, the engine, and the tires. The frame can be put together with screws alone, but for the sake of caution, also use superglue and an accelerant spray. The engine mold is slightly loose, so use long-nosed pliers to insert it.
The frame with the suspension arm, engine, rear fender, tires, and other parts attached. The seals are applied before combining the parts. Just follow the instructions exactly as shown in the manual, and you'll end up with something that looks like this. The two parts laid out in the foreground are the front fork brake parts; they're made of metal and are pre-painted.
This is the exhaust chamber. There are only 5 parts to this. Just applying the seals to the plated parts provides a really amazing effect. The slightly burnt effect is also provided by seals. This is truly a nicely done kit!
The various parts before they are joined together. The seals are affixed, and the parts are ready to be combined. Up to this point, it took me a little over 2 hours. Applying the seals takes more time than putting the parts together. The color of the fuel tank looks a little odd. Maybe I should have painted it--but it's too late now!
The cowling was put together in the same way using adhesive. I haven't applied the seals to the undercowling yet. The front fork has been put together as well. The suspension was put together using a spring to provide realistic movement.
The undercowl and its seals for two large sponsors, Nastro Azzurro and Repsol. The thinness and excellent color reproduction of the seals made me change my mind about them.
This is the finished model. All I had to do was fit together the molded parts and apply seals. The result was unexpectedly fine. The whole process took only about 4 hours, and I didn't experience any particular problems. Perhaps the piping was a bit difficult to apply, but I'm the kind of guy who just shuts out any problems and barrels through to the end of a project.
Finally, I'm holding the finished bike so you can get an idea of its size. Because of the large scale and the number of metal parts, it weighs in at over 2 kg. The plastic stand is flexible. Now that I think about it, I did paint one part, the chain--but I was lazy and used a color marker. This kit review has been brought to you by someone you'd never think was a veteran modeler just from reading it!
Try it yourself with these Italeri 1/6 GP bike kits, each 60% off!
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