Kit: No. 24187
Scale: 1/24
Manufacturer: Tamiya, distributed by Tamiya America, 2 Orion, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4922, phone 800-826-4922
Price: $30
Comments: Injection molded, 75 parts (4 rubber, 4 vinyl), decals.
First appearing at the 1993 Detroit Motor Show, Porsche’s Boxster became a production car in 1997. Its lines are reminiscent of Porsche’s classic Spyder road racers, but it has an all-new 201-horsepower water-cooled six-cylinder engine, mounted amidships.
Tamiya’s Boxster is a typical curbside model; no full engine is provided, but the bottom of the engine is molded into the chassis. This seems appropriate for this model as most access to the engine on the real Boxster is from the bottom of the car!
The kit’s five-piece front suspension features posable steering — it’s delicate, however, and you may want to glue it in place. Ten pieces make up the complex Chapman-strut rear suspension. Vinyl caps, hidden in the brake discs, hold the front and rear wheels in place and allow them to rotate.
The five-piece body is beautifully molded in silver styrene. The nose and tail sections are separate pieces, as are the side-mounted engine-air intakes. Mold-parting lines are present, but easy to remove. The parts are thin and delicate, and fit together beautifully, especially the nose and tail, which join the main body along actual seam lines.
Parts are included to model the car with the soft top up or down, or with the optional hard top in place. Separate side windows are included.
I wanted a traditional “German silver” Boxster, so after polishing the body with Novus No. 2 polish, I airbrushed two light coats of Testor Metalizer non-buffing aluminum. Afterward I airbrushed on eight light coats of Future floor polish, then allowed everything to dry for two weeks.
The body has plenty of fine black trim to paint. I applied AeroMaster acrylic paint with my finest detail brush, and kept a water-dampened cotton swab handy to clean up mistakes.
All of the turn-signal and side-indicator lenses are molded in clear plastic. I used Testor turn-signal amber and stop-light red to color mine, and attached them to the body with Micro Kristal-Kleer.
Next was the interior. The dashboard details seem a little soft — especially the prominent air vents and radio controls. Although the inside door panels are separate pieces, the door handles are molded closed.
The Boxster’s decals went on nicely — especially the Porsche crest and middle brake light. German and Japanese license plates are included, but I left them off. I’ll probably add U.S. plates from my parts box later.
Despite the interior’s minor shortcomings, I’m pleased with my finished Boxster. I spent less than 30 hours on my kit, and I build slowly. The complex suspension and delicate multipiece body will require a little modeling experience.
– Matthew Usher