Model Factory Hiro 1976 Tyrrell 007 using Tamiya P34 parts 1/12 scale
By Alex Nahooy
The Derek Gardner designed Tyrrell 007 made his marks true the ’74 and ’75 seasons.In expectation of there new P34 challenger the first 3 races of 1976 were raced by the final and revised version of the 007.
I would liked for MFH to have made the ’75 version,but by making the ’76 version MFH could use more parts of the Tamiya P34…resulting in this beautifull transkit ;correct rear wing and support,rear radiators ect.Most of the rear end parts of the 007 indeed come from the Tamiya donor ( Engine,gearbox,suspension and rear wheels).
The main bodyparts are newly casted in fine white resin.The fit of the body parts is very good but also very tight! Care must be taken by adding various nuts and bolts to the front suspension or the nose section does not fit well.As with all MM kits dryfit of the parts is essential.
The high airbox is made up of 3 parts and come together well..same story for the seat section and front cowling..although the front cowling needs some putty and sandpaper so the rear view mirror housing will blend in nicely.. The tub is casted in white metal and heavy.
All the holes can be drilled and rivetted,although the provided casted rivettes are a bit on the large side wich can cause fitment problems again when adding more components later on.The new rollbar is well designed and casted as are those beautifull front wheels.What makes this car special is that unique front suspension.. Again,not many fit problems but study of the manual is a must as in combination with the Tamiya manual it is not always clear wich part to use or what goes where..
As the perfect kit does not exists this one is not perfect either.Many white metal parts are bended and I replaced a lot of rods with alu tubing.I also used a lot of goodies from RBM ( fuel injectors,rod ends,ball bearings etc..) expensive stuff but very rewarding in the end…they can really make the difference.
Another big bummer for me are the tyres..the fronts are HUGE if you compare them with the Tamiya ones from ’75-’77.The Tamiya fronts can sadly enough not be used due to the design of the MFH rims. My only option was to put them in a rotary tool and re-shape them a bit.A good compromise needs to be found because making them to flat lowers the front of the car to much..
Yes,this is a kit of compromises. Another example is that when the Tamiya “spaghetti” exhausts are correctly glued together they lean to much outwards and the side radiators can not be fixed into position. The side radiators need to be assembeled “hollow” to give more space for the exhausts.. A major error is made by MFH here.For some reason the “mesh” that protect the radiators from debris and stones is way too large and needs to be cut to size.
I painted my Tyrrell with Tamiya TS15 over a black base coat,decaled and finished off with zero 2K clear..I could go on for a few pages but will end with 3 points to remember.
1 : Compromise
2 : Dryfit over and over
3 : calculate and study the manual
My conclusion: A very fine transkit of a “classic” Tyrrell and worth every penny..Take your time and enjoy the build as much as I did
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