Tamiya first released its 1/24 scale 962C plastic model kit nearly 40 years ago. Since then, Tamiya has offered the kit in many liveries, and the latest re-release is my favorite: Jägermeister. Cartograf decals provide markings for the Brun Motorsport No. 3 that finished second at Norisring in 1987.
The kit contains 51 injection-molded plastic parts, and the body is molded in Jägermeister orange. The windshield, windows, and headlight glass are all integrated into the body instead of separate clear parts. I’m personally not a fan of this technique. The 40-year-old molds are quite thick and, as a result, so are the clear parts. A sheet of pre-cut masks is included, which is welcome. They line up perfectly, but the orange plastic can be seen along the edges where the clear parts are molded in. After painting the body with Tamiya Pure Orange (No. TS-98), the original plastic color doesn’t look right.
A black sprue consists of the under tray, suspension, and cockpit, while a silver sprue provides headlight interiors and various other parts. A clear option for the headlight interiors would have been nice. Of course, four vinyl tires and metal pins for attaching the rear wheels are also included.
The fire extinguisher is molded into the main cockpit tub. You may want to remove and replace it for better detail. Instead of using the black decals provided to detail the vent holes on the door windows, I drilled them out for more realism.
Four plastic pins are inserted into the body while attaching it to the chassis. Tamiya has three decals to hide them. I affixed the pins prior to priming and painting the body. That meant I had to spread the body open quite a bit to get the pins to fit into the securing points, but it worked out well. A sizable mold seam runs across the rear body under the wing. I removed the wing and supports to get at the seam, which would have been almost impossible with the wing in place. If you do this, you might consider replacing wing supports with something that looks a little more authentic.
I followed the instructions when painting my 962C, and the callouts looked accurate, according to my references. I can’t say enough about the decal quality, but they are, in a word, exquisite. The decals settle nicely into panel lines and vents with a little help from Micro Set and Micro Sol.
For how old the molds for the Tamiya 1/24 scale Porsche 962C Jägermeister plastic model kit are, it holds up well with age, maybe like a fine wine. All the parts fit well and needed no adjustments. Although the kit is curbside (no engine detail), it still looks great when finished. For beginner model builders, with all the parts molded in color, you technically don’t have to paint the kit and it would still look great. Plus, if you’re into it, there are plenty of aftermarket details for this kit that would help make it even better.