THE CAR

In 2012 Subaru and Toyota collaborated on a new project, a small, sporty rear wheel drive car. For Subaru to depart from their all-wheel drive vehicle lineup was somewhat shocking, but the end result was well received. Known as the BRZ (and Scion FR-S in the US, Toyota 86 in Japan and GT 86 in the UK and possibly the EU) the little car offers a 2.0 liter flat four cylinder engine that delivers 200 hp. The center of gravity is 18 inches high and the vehicle mass is very evenly distributed. With a zero to sixty speed of just over 6 seconds, it isn't a rocket, but both test drivers and consumers have reported that it is a very fun, sporty ride.

Aoshima has produced a model kit representing the Subaru BRZ, 2012 model year that should appeal to sports car enthusiasts. New in this kit is the complete engine.

THE KIT

The kit comes in a medium sized, top opening box with the subject vehicle depicted on the box top. A photograph of the FA20 type engine is included, as well as an indicator that left hand drive (LHD) parts are included in the kit. Inside the box the sprues are separately bagged for parts protection. The kit includes painting masks for the clear parts and a full decal sheet, although these are packaged with the clear parts.

Parts are molded in white (primarily body parts), black (chassis, engine and interior), clear and fortunately a small amount of chrome-bright for the head and tail light assembly and brushed for the alloy rims. I did not see any flash, broken parts or molding issues. It is very similar to the Toyota 86 reviewed here:
Toyota 86 review

The car body is molded with the doors in place. It is free from flash and very well formed, though I was able to see two very slight dimples on the two doors where an ejector point was located on the inside.

The clear parts were molded distortion free and are very clear. Defroster lines are molded into the rear window. The windshield and rear window are a single molding with roof interior detail molded in place.

The lower chassis features excellent detail although much of it will be hidden from view. The suspension and transmission are molded separately with the option of featuring the vehicle at production or lowered height. The brakes are molded with good detail, leaving the modeler to place only brake lines if desired.

The vehicle interior is again cleanly molded, with door details such as the speakers clearly defined, cup holders present and needing only a water bottle or soft drink container to complete the look. The front seats have separately molded seat backs. The center consoles, dash and wipers are provided on two different sprues for either right or left hand drive versions.

The engine compartment and hood (bonnet) are separate parts with right or left hand drive firewalls provided. The trunk (boot) lid is provided with separate outer and interior parts. Stowage space is very small, enough for a bag of groceries or some tennis shoes.

Separate pedals are included for either manual or automatic transmission.

New to the BRZ kit is the S sprue with the complete engine. It is again very well detailed and needs only some wiring and detail painting to bring it to life.

The tires are thin profile type with sidewall lettering legible. They are rubber and slip over the brushed chrome rims. Poly caps are used to secure the wheels to the axles, allowing them to be removed for painting or other work (or to push it across the desk while making engine revving noises).

The decal sheet includes markings for all labels and placards. Right and left hand drive instrument dials are included as well. I appreciate the inclusion of painting masks as it makes the task much easier.

The instructions come in booklet form, with line drawings showing assembly in 24 steps. Decal placement is shown either during construction or at the beginning of the booklet for those applied after completion of the build. Paints are also called out during assembly with colors provided for GSI Creos Aqueous hobby color and Mr Color lines. Both an interior and an exterior guide are provided, plus a guide for the various body color schemes, with instructions for mixing colors to get the desired shade.

CONCLUSION

Having limited experience with Aoshima auto kits, I have been very impressed. I really like the detail included and they assemble with few problems. I hate chromed parts, and fortunately for me this kit has few. The complete engine provided here is a bonus, and is very well detailed. I do wish some other paint options were provided as I can't get GSI paints locally. It should be a fun kit to build, and will be done as a build log in the forums.