Fujimi's new brake engineering = FAIL

In assembling Fujimi's F430 Scuderia I've decided I don't like their way of separating the calipers from the rotors.

You can see on the instruction pic how there is a back half of the caliper made onto a hanger/hub part. Next the rotor is installed then the outer half of the caliper. Firstly there is a razor thin surface in which to glue the two caliper halves together; secondly there's almost no tolerance between the caliper and rotor. The rear ones seem to be worse than the front.

It's designed so the rotor wheel turn with the wheel just like a real car. I never build my models so that they roll...even so the assembly is fiddly and barely adequate.

Once the wheel is on it hides the potentially messy caliper joint so it looks fine once all in place.

On one hand it makes painting easier with all the parts separate but I never had a problem with the one piece previous design and in the end the one piece units take less time to paint/assemble.

http://www.1999.co.jp/dbimages/user/hobby/itbig/10070254z.jpg
http://www.1999.co.jp/dbimages/user/hobby/itbig/10070254z2.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9435/epicfail1zy6.png

All my models are static, so that seems unnessecarily fiddly to me.

Thanks for the info!

Yeah yeah yeah...at least it's a visible part, not something that gets covered up. It's kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of deal. I think it plays to the guys that want more detail, but if it's fiddly it's gonna PO the people who like it simpler. I like it because I can paint the caliper separately; no PE disc needed, I could care less if the wheels rotate.

It's actually a terrific feature for anyone who wants to put in a set of PE sandwich rotors. (I'm sure Crazy Modeler has or will make a set for this kit). It saves the nasty surgery of having to cut off the caliper and hollow it out. But for an out of the box design it's overcomplicated.

Should kits be designed to make it easier to accomodate aftermarket parts...? There's a bit of a philosophical question.

Hmm. Seems like something that should have been utilized on a larger scale model. Or at least offered as a option, so if you want to use the traditional style you can.

i thought this thread was about a car rolling off a shelf :runaround:

Ship modelers always deal with small bonding surface, so I don't see why car modelers can't.

BTW, Fujimi just announced the release of its own Scuderia PE set for a whopping price tag of 2520 yen! (along with the one for 250 GTO for the same price). Looks like no DX version this time.

Well, the DX versions were a steal. I got my DX Lexus LS600hL for a lot cheaper than buying the kit and the same KA set separately. Fujimi might have realized this.

I like separate calipers. So much easier to paint now.

I think it was a great idea from Fujimi to make the separate calipers along with the rotating brake discs.

Sure, it can be improved, and I think it will be improved.

Just discovered something else about the Scud kit.

Fujimi supplies window masks but the mask sheet is not pre-cut it's just lines printed on the material...both my kits are this way. I'm hoping Fuji intended to cut them but the process never happened due to a mistake.

If you don't cut the masks precisely on the lines the fit will not be good.

Ohhhh Fujimi....making much better kits, but still making stupid mistakes. Take the LS600hL, for example, a highly detailed kit, but there's no front footwell room! Fujimi cut it short!

Many kits have front footwell rooms cut short. Normally the front feet space should go up to 1/4 or 1/3 of the wheel. Consider everything underneath the seats in every model is invisible, I think it's fine for them to cut off the footwell space.

Just discovered something else about the Scud kit.

Fujimi supplies window masks but the mask sheet is not pre-cut it's just lines printed on the material...both my kits are this way. I'm hoping Fuji intended to cut them but the process never happened due to a mistake.

If you don't cut the masks precisely on the lines the fit will not be good.


The Tamiya SC430's I built were the same way, had to cut the window masks myself... Oh well... better than not having them at all.

Just checked my Fujimi Scuderia kit that arrived on Friday from HLJ and the window masks are the same as in yours.They look quite a tricky shape to cut as well so it'll take a steady hand to cut them precisely.Seems a shame they aren't pre cut.I wonder if it was a mistake or Fujimi intended it that way?