Tamiya 1/24 Porsche Carrera GT
By Tommy VanNess
The Car
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The Carrera GT was Porsche’s first supercar of the new Millennium. The Carrera GT debuted at the 2000 Geneva Motor Sports Show and entered production between 2004 and 2006. This car represents half the competition for the Enzo Ferrari, the other half being the Mercedes SLR. However, this car is slightly more “affordable” than the $660,000 Enzo, with a price tag $220,000 cheaper (original MSRP). The Carrera GT is powered by a 5.7 liter, 605 horsepower V10 engine with a 6-speed transmission. Porsche originally stated that the Carrera GT would accelerate from 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds. However, road tests later confirmed that the car actually accelerated from 0-60mph in a mind-blowing 3.5 seconds. The top speed of the Carrera GT is 205mph. Porsche ceased production in 2006 with 1,270 cars produced. 604 were sold in the United States. Porsche claims that over 75 different patents were applied for during the design of this car.
The Kit
This is another phenomenal kit by Tamiya. There is amazing detail in every part. All of the parts fit together perfectly with no warping. The engine bay is very smooth and it looks great when assembled.
I am going to get the bad news out of the way at the beginning. You may have noticed some of the mold lines on the front of the car. This was my mistake and I really regret not going back and sanding them down. I think I was so excited to build this kit that I prepped the body right away before finding the mold lines. Not only that, but this was before I realized that a bath in DOT Grade 3 brake fluid would remove the paint down to the plastic.
So, after I painted the body, I just left it as is. Luckily, I received another kit for Christmas and will redeem myself on the second kit soon enough!
I used Tamiya TS-17 Aluminum (aerosol lacquer) on the body, followed by a TS-13 Clear coat. The kit instructions are clear and easy to read. There are a few options with this kit on final assembly.
The car can be assembled as a convertible, or with the hard top attached. I painted the top and I change the display every now and then on the display shelf. Another option is to have the rear wing extended, which on the real car rises when the car reaches 60mph to even air flow and lessen drag.
I chose to keep the rear wing down for this build. On the next Carrera GT, I will extend it.
The mid engine is viewable through clear parts over the engine bay. Decals are provided which resemble a mesh that envelops the valve covers. Tamiya also includes the rear nameplate of the car in a photo-etched version rather than a one-dimensional decal. This thoughtful addition is more realistic.
Conclusion
This was an amazing kit. As mentioned, I appreciate all the detail Tamiya put into the kit. The car itself is very sexy and sits pretty on the “Super Car Shelf” in the curio cabinet. I like the different assembly options included in this kit. You can build it as a showpiece, or build it as if it were riding 150mph down the Autobahn. I definitely recommend this kit to any builder and I can’t wait until I build it again.
Highly recommended!
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