Richard,
2 for 2 with perfect daughters inside and out. I’d say that you and your wife scored a perfect 100.
the RC 166 is beyond words. I can’t tell whether it’s your build or the real bike, your work is just that good. Of course credit to Tamiya for design and perfect execution.
As for that bike picture, just what engine/trans did he or they stuff into the frame. It’s got 3 SU side draft carbs but 6 exhaust headers. The intake trumpets look great, but for the street it’s a fairly quick death sentence for the engine as it sucks in dust, sand, and who knows what else. Trust me on this one as I tried that with a MG Midget as I loved the sound and did super major damage to the engine that required a full engine rebuild including the two SU carbs, so I replaced them with a single 2 barrel side draft Webber and low restriction air cleaner. Lets just say that the car was way faster then in it’s original configuration.
Richard,
OMG!!! Your modeling skills, especially at detail painting, coupled with Tamiya’s engineering and molding, is modeling at a whole different level.
Calling this one done folks and while I am very pleased with the results I am somewhat sorry to see it end . This was a real fun build with all sorts of new stuff to try . Couple that with the fact that it is another of Tamiya’s wonder kits and happens to be my all time favorite motorcycle made it all the better .
In the interest of full disclosure there are a couple of glitches. Most troubling is the photo etch chain needs one more link - it is too tight and has pulled the rear wheel out of alignment and painfully evident in a couple of photos.
If I had it in me to disassemble ( which I don’t) I would disconnect the master link in the chain and glue the ends to the gearbox sprocket leaving a gap of one tooth . This would be hidden by the outer shell around the sprocket but at this point I will live with it.
My other boo boo was not reading the aftermarket rivet set instructions thoroughly. All the rivets required shaving of the molded on rivets and drilling holes to accept the the aftermarket ones . This is obviously better done before paint . I didn’t realize that included the panels under the fairing and the two outer panels flanking the oil coolers which were painted and clear coated . I did retro fit said rivets but I nicked the paint here and there shaving of the rivets - my bad .
So here it is …
Thanks all for following along and complimenting and commenting. Now on to the Tamiya 1/12 Lotus - I’m sure I will enjoy it but it may pale by comparison with this kit .
Cheers- Richard
Beautiful build Richard, very well done! Unique display base as well, really adds to the story of the bike. Unfortunate about the chain link issue, but it’s really only evident from the rear shots.
Thanks for sharing so much information during your build, the thoughts and processes you have posted around the build make for a valuable reference thread for anybody working on this kit, or any motorcycle kit for that matter.
Richard,
As I said throughout the build, you did one amazing job on the Tamiya kit, improving it with both a detail set and your outstanding building skills. The finished bike looks perfect and one would have a hard time trying to figure out if it’s real or a model.
As for the chain issue, well, you just can’t see it, so i don’t really consider it an issue. Same for those rivets.
I enjoyed every update and actually for an old timer, learned quite a lot.
Now on to the Tamiya 1/12 scale Lotus 49 that’s sure to be another epic build.
Great build Richard! I think you did the little screamer proud and I would not have noticed your “faults” and I am not sure I can even see them now.
I am surprised that Tamiya provided no spare links to allow for some leeway for less than perfect building.
Thanks Michael - the sad part is there are spare links but I was unaware that it was too short until I went to install it after joining the ends . I may still try to fix it as it is eating away at me …
Good question - there were two included in the set and I wondered why . If indeed I used an incorrect one that is too big that would explain the tension issue . I’ll he k that out and report back .
Wow, thank you for sharing one awesome build! I built a Ducati NCR racer some time back, and did a bit of super detailing, but this was on another level.
The chain jig was something special, I almost lost the will to live when I did the chain for the Ducati.
I have searched high and low for the rivet screws to replace the evil decals and I finally happened upon a guy online, “Mac” of Macsmodeling.com in Phoenix Arizona.
Bish, bosh, bash. good price and decent postage and they have finally arrived!
