Tyrrell P-34

Published: September 2, 2021
Company: Tamiya

Back in 1976 Ken Tyrrell ran a Formula One Race team. He employed an innovative car designer named Derek Gardner. Up to this point in Formula One or Grand Prix as it is called, many designers tried some pretty radical designs in the hopes of gaining an advantage over the other competitors. Mr. Gardner came up with one of the wildest designs and it worked. This was the Tyrrell Project 34 six wheeled car. He felt that by reducing the drag on the front end the car would have an advantage in front line speed. By doing this he put four small (10") wheels on the front thereby reducing the drag and still keeping the grip. This car ran for 30 races between 1976 and 1979 and achieved a win in the process at the Swedish Gran Prix.

Because the governing bodies in this form of racing felt… more

Ferrari 126C2 - Long Beach 1982 - Part 1

Published: January 1, 2009
Company: Fujimi

This kit is Fujimi's second 1:20 scale Formula One Grand Prix racer. Their first was also a Ferrari 126C2 but from a different race in 1982. This particular car ran at the U.S. Grand Prix held at Long Beach, CA. The thing that makes this car different is the rear wing.

The G.P. at Long Beach required a high down force wing for the street circuit. The rules at the time stated that any piece of bodywork (wings included) behind the rear axle could be a maximum of 110cm wide but did not specify that this be measured from the center of the car, so Ferrari fitted two individual wings, one slightly ahead of the other, each 110cm. In the race Gilles Villenueve finished 3rd on the road but the race stewards later declared that this wing was illegal and the results didn't stand.

At… more

Ferrari 126C2 - Long Beach 1982 - Part 2

Published: January 1, 2009
Company: Fujimi

When I wrote the first part of this review, I briefly outlined the story behind this unusual race car. In this part I'll actually build the kit.

Upon opening the box I found 144 parts. All molded very crisply with fine detail. I didn't follow the instructions step by step as I was anxious to build the engine. This consisted of 44 parts. Assembly went very quickly with a terrific fit on all parts. Basically no cleanup was needed. When completed I primed it with Duplicolor Automotive light grey primer and then airbrushed with Duplicolor Silver. When this was dry, I gave the engine dark washes and a light drybrushing with bright silver. This really popped out the detail.

I think the engine is a standout on its own. I airbrushed the sub assemblies for the chassis and… more