The next kit to build was selected from the stash simply because it was sitting on top of all the others! Tamiya’s 1:20 scale Lola Indycar in road course configuration.
This was (mostly) built straight from the box to be Nigel Mansell’s Championship winner. I was almost going to do Mario Andretti’s car (simply because he’s a Legend) but Nige got the nod because the Pom had a pretty remarkable rookie year in the CART series.
This is a ‘Snap-Loc’ kit that required no cement. At first I thought this could be a good thing (no waiting for glue to dry!), but it was actually a pain to deal with – when trying to test-fit parts, they want to stay attached…
Unboxed – all the parts that come in Tamiya kit #20040. My tyre decals were somewhat discoloured… 🙁Major components clean up.Major components of the bodywork test fit – being careful not to allow parts that clip in to actually clip in!Smoothening out some mold lines on the tub, plus initial engine block and floortray work in the background. I’m not that impressed with some of the engine detail, so considered doing this as a curbside.Not sure if this is a good idea or not… decided to cut the sidepods off the engine cover so the cover can be removed whilst leaving the sidepods intact (as there will be almost no detail under the pods)Engine/gearbox/rear suspension assembly is done. Seat, steering wheel/dash and various other pieces are painted and ready for assembly once the body and floor are complete.Parts drying in my new spray booth 🙂Floor tray masking for the engine bayMonocoque after mask-spraying the top and side sections in semi-gloss black. Inside of the cockpit was brush painted.Engine/gearbox/rear suspension assembly, plus the radiators, clipped into the floor tray.Assembly was fairly straight forward (though the engine has been removed here because I thought the tub had not fixed into position properly). Front suspension is installed when the monocoque is attached to the floor tray. Front wing and nose cone then press into position. Unfortunately, because of the way Tamiya has produced this kit, there is a separation line running the length of the lower tub.Rear view of the tub (I used bare metal foil for the heat shield) after attachment to the floor.All the main parts are now together. Just needs brakes, wheels, rear wing, windscreen, mirrors and the rest of the decals.The re-fueling side. The kit allows the re-filling nozzle to be fitted either side (with a blank plug for the opposing side) so the modeler can build the car for a specific race if they wish.After applying the decals, there were a number of these weird watermark type blotches and adhesive mess which took a while to clean up.
Once cleaned up, the stock decals are reasonably glossy (no clear coat on this model). I was impressed with the fit of the shock/monocoque cover and nose cone compared with other areas of the model.Left-side exhaust and wastegate exits between the suspension armsCurved underside shows the ground-effect venturis. Also shows the holes where parts are clipped into the floor tray, such as the radiators and engine.Engine bay with the cover off. Accuracy of the turbos, bell-housing etc is not that flash when compared to photos of the real car. If this was not a Snap-Loc kit, I’m sure it would have been a better model. I refrained from doing this kit as a curbside, but glad I cut the sidepods off the engine cover so they can stay in place.Debris mesh for the turbo intake is cast in clear, which requires masking and painting. It also involves careful application of the big engine cover decal (yep, Energizer, Gillette, BASF and Dirt Devil is all one decal – most of it goes under the cover, but some is on the outside).Bare-metal foil is used for the rear view mirror surfaces. Digital dash and chassis IDs are kit decalsHand painting of Ford and Cosworth on the rocker covers was poorly done. Must have been a bit shakey that day!
Some cockpit detail. I remember watching Mansell on TV buzzing up the engine doing waaay early downshifts on the road courses.In hindsight, it probably would have been better to remove the bodywork positioning tabs at the rear of the tubOops, didn’t fit the engine cover down properly for this photo. There is a bit of a gap due to the cut I made, but it’s not *that* big!My completed model Vs the Tamiya box art.
10 thoughts on “1993 Lola T93/00 Ford Indycar, Mansell (Tamiya 1:20)”
Hi
Would you sell a built one of these models and ship to the UK?
Hello,
Nice job!
Just bought the same and I will mount it next weekend.
What are the references of the paint you used ? TS14 from Tamiya ? White also ?
Thanks a lot.
Yes for the cockpit and floortray. Engine area is silver (TS, cant remember the number), plus I used bare metal foil on the back of the fuel tank bulkhead. If you are building this kit, there is a mistake in the instructions – the bit at the top rear of the fuel tank that gets covered by the engine cover should be semi-gloss black, not white (see third last pic).
Hi
Would you sell a built one of these models and ship to the UK?
Regards
Possibly. I’ll contact you privately.
Hello,
Nice job!
Just bought the same and I will mount it next weekend.
What are the references of the paint you used ? TS14 from Tamiya ? White also ?
Thanks a lot.
Yes, all Tamiya TS paints, TS14 for black, TS26 Pure white and TS29 semi-gloss black.
Thanks a lot !
TS29 for the cockpit and engine bay ?
Yes for the cockpit and floortray. Engine area is silver (TS, cant remember the number), plus I used bare metal foil on the back of the fuel tank bulkhead. If you are building this kit, there is a mistake in the instructions – the bit at the top rear of the fuel tank that gets covered by the engine cover should be semi-gloss black, not white (see third last pic).
It is nice clean build model!
I lose the instruction paper for this kit, do you think you can scan and send it over to me?
Thankyou! Yes i can send a copy of the instructions. Give me 24 hours and I’ll email to you. Cheers, Mark.
Hi, I lost the instruction manual and cannot find one on the internet. Can you send me a soft copy? Thanks.
Hi Roger. I’ve just emailed them to you 🙂