1:20 Lotus Type 79 - Wing Parts Set 1978 (for Tamiya Kits)

1:20 Lotus Type 79 – Wing Parts Set 1978 (for Tamiya Kits), Studio27

A set of wing parts for a Lotus Type 79 model in 1:20 scale, in the specification of the 1978 season. Let it be clear right away: this is not a kit and it is not a model. It is a set of additional parts that replace or supplement parts in the Lotus Type 79 kit from Tamiya – and you have to have that already. The detail parts are cut exactly for one particular kit; they will not fit another. If you have the Lotus 79 from Hasegawa, this set will not help you – for the Hasegawa kit there is a different, separate Studio27 upgrade set. Before you order, look in the box and see whose model you are actually building.

The real subject: the car that rewrote the rules

The Lotus 79 was the first truly workable wing car – a car able to exploit ground effect. The underbody was shaped like an inverted wing: the air flowing beneath the car created low pressure that sucked the car to the ground, and movable side skirts sealed that low pressure in. Thanks to this the car went through corners at a speed nobody had seen before – and, crucially, it did not have to carry the huge wings that slow a car down. Mario Andretti won the world championship with it in 1978 and Lotus dominated the season. The black and gold John Player Special livery earned it the nickname Black Beauty.

Why change the wings

A molded plastic wing is thick. A real racing wing is a thin section – and on a model that difference is immediately visible in profile, the moment you look at the car from the side. Plastic cannot do a truly thin edge; more accurate parts can. And 1978 is not decoration here: the car changed during the season and a collector wants to build exactly the version they have in the photograph. On a Formula 1 car that matters all the more because it is completely exposed – there is no bodywork to hide mistakes.

Before you start

• Photo-etched parts have to be bent – an etch bender serves well, a razor blade and tweezers at a pinch.
• They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue; plastic cement does not work here.
• The original plastic detail often has to be sanded away – irreversibly. Think it through in advance.
• It calls for tweezers, a magnifier and calm. The set is for more experienced modelers.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the Lotus Type 79 from Tamiya in 1:20 who are bothered by the thickness of the plastic wings.
• Collectors who want the car exactly in the specification of the 1978 season.
• Exhibition modelers – black and gold paint shows every mistake, so anyone who takes on a Lotus 79 wants it perfect.

The set holds additional parts only. The basic kit, the glue, the paints and the tools are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.