Post by indycals on Jun 8, 2010 13:40:57 GMT -5
Now that I have both kits, I can offer a comparison.
Both of them are VERY nice kits. There are some similarities in construction and some rather divergent approaches. I don't think either one is better than the other. Probably the biggest difference in appearance is that the Tamiya kit has slightly larger frontwings and the Hasegwa is about 1/8" longer in the engine cover area. Both kits have excellent cockpit detail with Tamiya going so far as to have an actual steering rack. Both kits have pedals and the Tamiya has two steering wheels. The seat detail in the Tamiya kit is a little nicer with some fabric ripples molded in.
Here's some itemized thoughts as to who is better in what category:
Undertray: Hasegawa. A complete undertray that nicely encloses the Cosworth. To get the part of the tray that goes around the bottom of the Cosworth in the Tamiya kit, you have to buy the separate photo etch set.
Tires: Draw. Both kits have the nicest F1 tires I've ever seen in a 70's era kit. The Hasegawa rear tires are slightly larger in diameter and width. The Hasegawa front tires are slightly smaller.
Decals: Hasegawa - the Tamiya sheet does not have the tire maker logos. Neither have JPS decals so I highly recommend a set of Indycals decals to do it right
Wings: Hasegawa - both front and rear wings have rivet detail and the rear wing has a really nice Gurneyflap.
Bodywork: Tamiya - but only if you prefer more separate pieces. The biggest advantage to Tamiya is the radiator exits, for which you have options for. The Hasegawa kit has dual radiator vents molded in to the sidepod covers, but the instructions say the number 6 car had a single outlet on the left side. The Hasegawa body actually requires less prep than the Tamiya, so a point in it's favor.
Painting instructions: Tamiya, by a landslide. This is still a major weakpoint with Hasegawa. I do not trust their accuracy.
Radiators: Tamiya - more detailed than the Hasegawa
Engine: Hasegawa - but only because of the clutch detail and the fact that they include a throttle linkage... but then I noticed that Tamiya included a throttle linkage too - nice new detail for an old engine. The fact that the Hasegawa does not have spark plug wire is a minus, but can be easily added. The spark plug wire in the Tamiya seems a bit thinner (and thus more accurate) than what they used to supply.
Wheels: Hasegawa - they include 4 and 6 spoke wheels. Tamiya only has 6 spoke.
Trumpet mesh covers: Tamiya - metal preformed, vs clear plastic
Chrome: Tamiya - there is none in the Hasegawa kit.
Misc: Hasegawa - includes a full color page of reference photos!
There are enough differences in the kits that it necessitated my making separate Tamiya and Hasegawa sets of decals. The front wings were the biggest problem necessitating the different sets, but some of the stripes - that were designed for Hasegawa - need a little encouragement to fit right on the Tamiya. I did not make changes to these for the Tamiya sheet as it was quite easy to get them to fit. Only the front wing and front wingplate decals are different. If you order my decals the choices in the pull down menu are: Andretti Hasegawa, Andretti Tamiya, Peterson Hasegawa, Peterson Tamiya
Conclusion: get one or the other or get them both, you won't be disappointed! My personal preference is slightly toward the Hasegawa, but I'll probably do some mixing - ie, I'll probably use the Tamiya mesh trumpet covers on the Hasegawa as that is the one being built as the JPS car - and thus has more meaning to me than the 1979 Martini version, which I'm making from the Tamiya kit.
I'll post more as I come upon other noteworthy points. Feel free to add your own.
Both of them are VERY nice kits. There are some similarities in construction and some rather divergent approaches. I don't think either one is better than the other. Probably the biggest difference in appearance is that the Tamiya kit has slightly larger frontwings and the Hasegwa is about 1/8" longer in the engine cover area. Both kits have excellent cockpit detail with Tamiya going so far as to have an actual steering rack. Both kits have pedals and the Tamiya has two steering wheels. The seat detail in the Tamiya kit is a little nicer with some fabric ripples molded in.
Here's some itemized thoughts as to who is better in what category:
Undertray: Hasegawa. A complete undertray that nicely encloses the Cosworth. To get the part of the tray that goes around the bottom of the Cosworth in the Tamiya kit, you have to buy the separate photo etch set.
Tires: Draw. Both kits have the nicest F1 tires I've ever seen in a 70's era kit. The Hasegawa rear tires are slightly larger in diameter and width. The Hasegawa front tires are slightly smaller.
Decals: Hasegawa - the Tamiya sheet does not have the tire maker logos. Neither have JPS decals so I highly recommend a set of Indycals decals to do it right
Wings: Hasegawa - both front and rear wings have rivet detail and the rear wing has a really nice Gurneyflap.
Bodywork: Tamiya - but only if you prefer more separate pieces. The biggest advantage to Tamiya is the radiator exits, for which you have options for. The Hasegawa kit has dual radiator vents molded in to the sidepod covers, but the instructions say the number 6 car had a single outlet on the left side. The Hasegawa body actually requires less prep than the Tamiya, so a point in it's favor.
Painting instructions: Tamiya, by a landslide. This is still a major weakpoint with Hasegawa. I do not trust their accuracy.
Radiators: Tamiya - more detailed than the Hasegawa
Engine: Hasegawa - but only because of the clutch detail and the fact that they include a throttle linkage... but then I noticed that Tamiya included a throttle linkage too - nice new detail for an old engine. The fact that the Hasegawa does not have spark plug wire is a minus, but can be easily added. The spark plug wire in the Tamiya seems a bit thinner (and thus more accurate) than what they used to supply.
Wheels: Hasegawa - they include 4 and 6 spoke wheels. Tamiya only has 6 spoke.
Trumpet mesh covers: Tamiya - metal preformed, vs clear plastic
Chrome: Tamiya - there is none in the Hasegawa kit.
Misc: Hasegawa - includes a full color page of reference photos!
There are enough differences in the kits that it necessitated my making separate Tamiya and Hasegawa sets of decals. The front wings were the biggest problem necessitating the different sets, but some of the stripes - that were designed for Hasegawa - need a little encouragement to fit right on the Tamiya. I did not make changes to these for the Tamiya sheet as it was quite easy to get them to fit. Only the front wing and front wingplate decals are different. If you order my decals the choices in the pull down menu are: Andretti Hasegawa, Andretti Tamiya, Peterson Hasegawa, Peterson Tamiya
Conclusion: get one or the other or get them both, you won't be disappointed! My personal preference is slightly toward the Hasegawa, but I'll probably do some mixing - ie, I'll probably use the Tamiya mesh trumpet covers on the Hasegawa as that is the one being built as the JPS car - and thus has more meaning to me than the 1979 Martini version, which I'm making from the Tamiya kit.
I'll post more as I come upon other noteworthy points. Feel free to add your own.
They are the most accurate sheets out there, some of other decal makers screwed up and made the lines, letters and numbers gold which is totally wrong for the 78 JPS! Its biscuit color! Not gold.
