Tamiya's 1985(?) BMW M635CSi coupe in 1/24th scale. This one was built for my dear friend Mike and the color scheme is his request. Testors' Arctic Blue metallic enamel with Duplicolor 1K clear. Box stock Tamiya kit from the mid-80's - boy, has their engineering and kit deisgn improved since almost 40 years ago! This thing had vague attachment points, a slightly warped hood, and all four wheels don't quite sit squarely on the surface. The black trim around the side windows is kind of a nightmare to mask and paint, plus there is a fine chrome trim that runs around the entire window perimeter on each side that's really tough to make shiny and is the roughest looking part of this build. The BBS wiremesh wheels are gorgeous as are the rubber Michelins but Tamiya didn't give any decals to go in the centers so I stole some from my Z8 kit. I added light grey flocking for carpeting and also had to scratchbuild the inner door handles as they didn't engrave any in the inner door panels even though they illustrate them in the instructions. The engine and chassis are very well detailed but attaching some accessories in the engine bay is not a fun task either. Fortunately, I was able to use the kit decals but I brushed on some clear liquid decal film to keep them from disintegrating, just in case. I just happen to have Fujimi's kit of this car and while theirs was produced at the same time it exceeds Tamiya's effort in just about all areas. More parts, much greater detail and amazing disc brake assemblies with lugs that go into holes molded open in the wheels with separate center caps and decals to go in them! Ok, no ranting. Lol I need to finish the Fujimi kit and do a comparo of the completed models. Thanks for looking and enjoy your evening!

Bob Kremer