I just got in my grubby mitts the new Fujumi Spinner! As previously known, the kit is molded in white plastic, not blue and black like the test shots. No matter, everything is going to get primered anyway. I wonder why white was chosen instead of grey. The tires are hard plastic, not vinyl. The tinted clear parts look a little thin on color, but a swab of Tamiya clear colors should make this right. Three little “Spinner” PE badges are included, which is nice. The front wheels and covers can be built up or down. I might try to fit rare earth magnets so that they can be switched after assembly. No figures are included, so you will have to either wait for the aftermarket guys or scratch/modify your own. The box sides show photos of a built-up model, but with no markings. I wonder if this kit was rushed to market? Like a Star Trek kit, the Spinner begs for lighting. I might have to consult my electronics-savvy friends. I can’t wait to tear into this model, as it was near the top of my Holy Grail kit list.
I’ll take some photos tonight and post them in the morning.
Anyone else get the kit? Impressions? Flying car group build?
I couldn’t wait - I went back home and shot some quick, cruddy photos. I’m so excited over getting this kit!
Obligatory box shot. I’ll have to scan this later on for a better, distortion-free image.
The one-piece body. 8-1/2 inches of sci-fi coolness!
Here’s the teeny PE badgework.
And finally the colored lights. Due to their thinness, the small flat panes don’t seem to have a lot of color density. I’ll find out how well they hold their color when the kit is built.
Last night I had a chance to pop the flavor saver bags and fondle the plastic. [H] I noticed a couple of things that tempered my enthusiasm. The biggest thing was that the upper rear and floor windows had no detail behind them - all you will see is the inside of the empty body shell. I suppose one could paint the insides flat black and call it a day, but I would like to try to put something representative behind these large transparencies. Anyone have information on what lurks in these areas? (I haven’t visited our friend, Google yet.)
On the left you can see the two upper windows behind the cockpit. What you see is what you get - a nice unobstructed view of the floor of the chassis pan. Note the open footwell on the passenger’s side. This is not repeated on the driver’s side, probably due to molding limitations caused by the dashboard mount. Also note the minimal space under the dash for the driver’s legs! The separate dashboard and seats have been dry fitted in place for the photo.
On the underside, more empty space will be visible under large clear parts. The passenger’s footwell is visible on the upper right. I will make a matching one for the driver. Any experts out there who can chime in on what details there are? Also note the two scoops on the left. Again empty space behind them, although a simple blanking plate and flat black paint will be sufficient here.
Perusing through the instructions, I noticed that they mention painting the spare lamps on the clear sprue with clear orange, to be used in lieu of the red ones. I guess they didn’t want the additional expense of molding another sprue dedicated to clear orange parts.
The tires are molded in left/right halves, have no tread detail, and are molded integral with the rims. My guess is that the full size prop used car tires, so a trip to the spares box or to an aftermarket supplier is in order. Or I might just paint the darn things scale black and call it a day. I sure would love to stick a set of low profile Pirellis on the kit though.
So, initial impressions are that Fujimi skimped on this kit. The little details show a lot of shortcuts, the box looks like it was done half way, and the product feels rushed. At 4,800 Yen retail, the kit is expensive, although my guess is that licensing fees are responsible for this. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still really, really happy to have an injected plastic Spinner. I don’t mind scratching up some detail inserts to go under the windows, and can’t wait to start on the kit!
Well, things sure happen fast in the 4G world of today. (Forget Ozzie, bring in Bieber. Beeber? Wha th 'ell is a Beeber?!) Over at Cult TV Man, someone is already working on aftermarket/correction stuff:
Okay, so that answers my question about what goes behind the windows. Not gonna wait for the aftermarket, as it is simple enough to cut down the cockpit bulkhead and make blanking plates. Lighting might also get sidelined to expedite the build, at least for this one. When I built the Bandai TMP USS Enterprise, I must have turned on the built-in lighting system maybe half a dozen times. The batteries were then removed, and the model has sat unlit since then. But the Spinner would make a charming lit Christmas ornament…
Digging for more trouble, I noticed that there is supposed to be a cluster of small overhead monitors between the driver and passenger. I’d better go get the DVDand see what else needs adding.
Wow, actually looking forward to the weekend for a change.
Thanks for posting this! Always loved the spinner and I’ll have to pick one up though the price of the kit and then if you add the aftermarket kit you’ll have a hefty investment in her. I’d be tempted to scratchbuild the interior parts since I don’t think much of it was visible in the movie.
Wonder if anyone will do figures of Harrison Ford and Sean Young since I’d love to do the scene from the ending of the theatical version (I love happy endings and much prefer it to the downer ending of the director’s cut).
Real G - would love to see a WIP if not too much trouble. [:D]
I plan on working on the kit over Christmas, so I will be posting WIPs. I agree the cost is a little on the insanely high side (I ended up paying around $62 from HLJ, including postage). I think for the most part, the interior is acceptable, it’s just missing some stuff like the footwells, rear window blanking plates, and the stalk mounted video cluster on the windscreen. Not too much trouble to fix. I am still waffling on what to do with the tires. If I can find some regular car tires that will fit the Spinner’s rims, I’ll use them. If not, I want to at least scribe some tread detail into the kit parts.
I think the only aftermarket I would consider would be figures for the interior, as it will look kind of strange to have the car in flying mode without any operator. We’ll see what turns up.
You might want to check with Monster In Motion to see if a lighting kit will be issued for this kit. The ones they sell for the Jupiter 2 kits are excellent
I just watched Blade Runner again a few nights ago, and noticed that the majority of the lights that Fujimi provided in red are in fact yellow or orange. [:S] If they had been all molded in clear, you could just paint them the correct color, but the clear red plastic will be impossible to change. The lamps also have open bottoms, so I am seriously considering heat forming new ones.
You see, this is what happens when you start doing research for a model. Contrary to the scale-only crowd’s oft heard comment “it’s fantasy, so you can build/paint it any way you want”, it is simply not true. But this is also why my builds get bogged down, so maybe if I drink enough spiked eggnog, I’ll forget about the kit’s problems and just build the darned thing. Maybe.
BashMonkey, if someone does a lighting kit, I hope they include the lamps in the correct colors. I noticed that aftermarket lighting kits are kind of pricey, so I might consult my electronic-savvy friends to see what it would cost to put one together. One more thing to consider is where to conceal and have access to the batteries.
i’ve got one and can’t wait to start, but i might wait and see what the price of the aftermarket correction kit is going for.
it’s a pity it costs so much, if it’d been cheap, there would have been a few kitbash and alternative types that people could have come up with. (taxi, sports, beater versions?)
And the set is ready and shipping. I’ve included the overhead monitors in the set as well.