introduction

The Tamiya LaFerrari is an impressive kit on its own, although to make it even better Tamiya offers two upgrade sets in the form of a photoetch set (reviewed here) and carbon fiber decals, which will be looked at here. Both of these detail-up sets are easy to use with very clear instructions, along with a reasonable price tag.

the decals

A single sheet of decals are included measuring roughly 10.75” x 5” which holds about 120 separate pieces. Two distinct carbon fiber patterns are represented. A good portion of these are used for the cockpit area including the dashboard and inner door panels, which is great since the doors can be opened offering a good view of the interior. Other highly visible areas that these decals cover are the rear wheel wells, the air box, mirror stalks, sections of the undercarriage, front spoiler and rear.

The clear instructions correspond to the main kit instruction steps and are very easy to follow. The decals themselves are very thin and react almost immediately to Solvaset, so a bit of care should be taken or use a weaker decal solution. So far with the decals I’ve used, the fit is excellent and they conform very well to all the intricate shapes. The reverse side of the decals are NOT white as found in other brands which makes a big difference in the end result. Tamiya provides a good amount of extra decal material in both patterns in case something needs to be replaced or to be used in other areas.

conclusion

Not really very much to say about decals…they either make the kit look better or are difficult to work with and make it look worse. These carbon fiber pattern decals are easy to work with and definitely enhance the model, a very worthwhile investment for the LaFerrari kit. A good amount of the kit areas that are called out to be painted semi-gloss black are carbon fiber parts on the real car, and this decal sheet handles much of the visible areas to add that bit of realism to the finished product.

Related Items:
LaFerrari Review

Photo Etch Detail Set