A friend just bought on of these interstate burners, and of course I had to pick up one too as a gift. This kit is a curbside model, so there is no engine detail.
The kit and a little history:
This car is sold in the US as the Scion, a small subcompact car, powered by a 1.5 L engine with a whopping 103 HP. It is known in other parts of the world as Vitz. The name Vitz came from German word witz, meaning, "wit," “witticism," or “gag" in English.
The box
The box top for the U-5 or what is a 5-door hatchback model, is an attractive one. It’s all in Japanese except the using “warnings” small parts and sharp edges, and the need for addition paints and glue. The paint colors needed are listed on opposite side of the box. All parts arrive packed in a separate plastic bag for protection. There was also one loose turned brass part in box.
The body
The body is molded in a blemish free white plastic. Try as I might, I couldn’t spot mold parting lines, so a light coat of primer will probably be needed to make these show up (if there are any). Very faint ejection marks appear on the inside top of the roof, but these will be covered with the single piece clear part for the windows.
The glass
The clear parts are extremely clear where they are supposed to be clear. A slight haze or frost is added where they need to be blacked out. Very fine rear defroster lines are molded on rear window. Clear outside wind and rain deflectors are included.
The sprues
The interior and chassis parts are molded in a pale bluish color, the only visible ejection marks I noticed were very faint ones on the rear of the front seats. The one-piece tub sidewall details are a little shallow, as are most one-piece tubs. The chassis parts all appear cleanly molded, and well detailed.
The wheels
The wheels and tires are nicely detailed, and represent the 15-inch tires with alloy wheels. A brushed alloy finish is already on them, and the mold attachments will be hidden once removed from the sprue.
The chrome parts are bright, and are for the headlight bezels and mirror surfaces.
The poly caps for the wheels, when installed properly, will let you can vroom-vroom across the living room carpet!
The decals
The decal sheet allow you to make up your own license plate numbers, in Japanese.
The nice touch
Fujuimi add a nice touch, a turned brass radio antenna.
The instructions
The easy to follow instructions can be seen in the images, they speak for themselves.
SUMMARY
Here is a nice kit of a newer five door hatchback from Japan. Sold all over the world under different names. It will be a nice addition to your garage.
About Dave O'Meara (Grumpyoldman) FROM: FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
I'm rewriting this in a much more humoristic way, to help over inflate my ego, and place my self on a pedestal, because I don't have a life, and plastic models are the only thing I live for. I plead guilty as charged to excessive babble, light hearted humor, and continued encouragement to youngsters...
It's great to finaly see an automotive review.
Very nice review Dave. Thanks for taking the time to make this one.
A little useless info: Vitz (Although with an S) means joke (As in a joke) in Danish.
I am currently working on a review as well.
It's called Toyota Yaris in most of Europe.
In several European countries, there is/ was a Toyota Yaris racing class, and some have been brave enough to try to recreate such a racer.
A racing class of this sewing machine would be fun and probably easy to do.
Imagine watching that! It reminds me of the difference between go-carts and NASCAR. :-)
Racing Class, I guess they put the hamster on steroids. :-)
As soon as I clear a little off the work bench, I'm looking forward to building this. A nice simple easy out of the box curbside.
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