1:24 Lexus SC430 - Grade Up Parts Set (for Tamiya Kits)

Lexus SC430 1:24 – a Studio27 photo-etched set (for Tamiya kits)

This is not a kit and you will not get any car model in it. It is an additional parts set, a grade up set, from the Japanese maker Studio27, intended to improve the Lexus SC430 1:24 plastic kit from Tamiya, which you have to have separately. The core of the set is photo-etched metal sheet replacing details that injection-molded plastic cannot render faithfully.

The real subject – from a luxury convertible to a brutal racer

This is one of the finest contrasts in the automotive world. In civilian life the Lexus SC430 was a luxury convertible with a folding hardtop – a comfortable, expensive car for wealthy customers. In Japan, however, it raced in the SUPER GT series, in the GT500 class – in the most closely followed Japanese circuit series, where the works teams of Toyota and Lexus, Nissan and Honda fight for prestige.

And SUPER GT cars are visually extreme: huge rear wings, wide fenders, aggressive aerodynamics and colorful sponsor liveries. A luxury convertible for a quiet drive along the coast thus became a brutal racing car. It is precisely that contradiction that makes a model of the SC430 such a rewarding subject for the cabinet.

Why a photo-etched set is worth it

Plastic cannot do a truly thin edge or a real mesh – a molded grille is only a suggested engraving. And on a racing GT car the grilles and meshes are everywhere: in the front bumper, on the sides, in the hood, at the brake ducts. That is where plastic fails most, because a real mesh is thin and see-through, whereas the plastic one is a solid pancake. Photo-etched parts solve that and it is immediately visible. The same goes for the seat belts: in a stripped racing interior they are in plain sight and plastic belts kill the whole impression – a photo-etched belt with buckles looks like a real belt. Photo-etched sheet is as thin as real sheet metal in scale, and that is the difference that decides things at an exhibition.

How it is worked with – honestly

• Photo-etched sheet has to be bent – you need an etch bender, or at least a razor blade and tweezers.
• It is glued with cyanoacrylate glue, not with plastic cement.
• The original plastic detail often has to be sanded away – an irreversible step.
• It calls for tweezers, a magnifier and patience – work for more experienced modelers.

A set of parts, not a model. The basic kit, the glue, the paints and the tools are not included in the package.