SMS Enzo super detail set

G'day all,

I was just wondering if anyone had heard if the SMS Enzo super detail sets are going to make it back into production?

I've browsed the magnificent new site and cant find any reference to it, so I'm a shattered man!

Any hope would be appreciated

Smokey

G'day all,

I was just wondering if anyone had heard if the SMS Enzo super detail sets are going to make it back into production?

I've browsed the magnificent new site and cant find any reference to it, so I'm a shattered man!

Any hope would be appreciated

Smokey

Last I heard was that it is finito!!!!

You can still find them scattered around on e-bay. Just keep checking.

I want this kit,too.

a couple of retailers have them... i've seen them around (strada sports? island collectibles? i don't remember exactly where, as i'm not interested in buying one) so they're there if you hunt for them.

i'm not interested in buying one What!?!? That has to be a "first"
I can't believe my ears!! :lol: ;)

What!?!? That has to be a "first"
I can't believe my ears!! :lol: ;)

i know. i'm looking at the pile and thinking, "stop buying kits."

of course, Thunder Valley F1 is working on a super detail kit for the Lotus 99T... :wink:

I have built an Enzo with SMS kit, and I think it not worht the $$. The P/E parts were good, some turned parts were useful, but all the rest is... well, you'll be better of making it yourself. PE is still available for around $30 from various retailers.

I have built an Enzo with SMS kit, and I think it not worht the $$. The P/E parts were good, some turned parts were useful, but all the rest is... well, you'll be better of making it yourself. PE is still available for around $30 from various retailers.

That's right Alex! You said the carbon fiber templates were too big and none provided for the monocuque.

I like Crazy Modeler's PE set. It has some nice parts, including firewall detail.

I have built an Enzo with SMS kit, and I think it not worht the $$. The P/E parts were good, some turned parts were useful, but all the rest is... well, you'll be better of making it yourself. PE is still available for around $30 from various retailers.
I agree with Alex. I am building one right now (see my WIP in the street section) When I got the set I was a bit disappointed. The photoetching is very nice and the templated decals are ok but seem to be missing the most important visible parts. The resin calipers and turned aluminum parts are nice and add to the realism but could be easily made using other stuff.

Mike.

I'm interested (but not terribly surprised) to hear these opinions on the SMS kit. I guess I've long thought that a builder that has the skill level that the SMS kit requires also has the skills to many of the same mods as well or better by scratchbuilding their own suppliments. This however is the first I've heard it said by people who have seen/built the SMS kit. I'm sure of course that the PE is lovely, but while the turned and resin parts are nice there are other ways of going about it that are in no way inferior.

I still haven't built my Enzo, but when I look at it my reaction is that the kit is still easily the best 1/24 kit I've ever seen (I haven't seent he FXX yet). It needs so little in addition to build up into a truely magnificent model. Which is maybe why I haven't built one yet- theres just so little else in that kit for me to do....

Incidentally, the photo reference CD that SMS put out for the Enzo is excellent, and is easily the most usefull addition that could have been put out for the Tamiya kit. I very much hope that SMS continues to release CD's like it for other cars.

I still haven't built my Enzo, but when I look at it my reaction is that the kit is still easily the best 1/24 kit I've ever seen

great. now i'm gonna want one.



:p

An alternative point of view.

I have the set but haven't used it yet. I would agree that it is/was quite expensive and I do remember someone saying that his resin hood was too small and that some of the c/f templates were badly sized. I also myself pointed out to Matt a (minor) mistake in the instructions.

However, I think I would be far from calling this set useless or a complete waste of money. There is a lot of graet stuff in there: terrific p/e parts, 5(?) sheets of CF, turned dampers, turned filler caps and IIRC some oil coolers, wires and hoses. All in a nice box with a CD.

Yes it is expensive. Yes, there maybe less than perfect aspects (as with most kits). Yes, there are other alternatives available. None the less, I think the set has/had it's place in the market and if you add up the cost of buying all those parts seperately you are going to be getting fairly close in price I guess?

Also it's worth putting this set in it's historical context. IIRC when it was first released a couple of years ago, there weren't many (if any) alternatives availble.

As I mentioned, I'm not saying the set is perfect but let's not get carried away with criticism either.

Also, let's not expect suppliers of the aftermarket parts that we all crave to spend a lot of time and money in developing (in an labour expensive country like the USA) a complex set like that, get it all 100% right and then sell it for 2$. After all, MFH kits are darn expensive too and apparently they also make mistakes ;)

Hi,

Well, the enzo will be my next major project. i have the detailed kit too and i find its really magnificent especially the turned parts even though its expensive. But what i can say is that its not perfect, due to only the decals, wich i tink the size n patterns are not good enough for the kit. But this prob can be solved easily. In the past sakatsu did came out some turned parts too, but tink they are out of production too.. Now with the out-production tag to the detailed kit, i tink its really worth the money already... in my opinion at least.. haha :)

Anyway, is there anyone here who knows where to get the turned oil coolers from sakatsu or wat? Im really need these parts.. hopefully someone can help mi out in this.. thanks..

Ro

Yes the resin hood is too small. Yes there are no decals for the monocoque. Yes the braided hose is not the best. Yes the etch on the little rubber sheet basically sucks. Yes it was expensive. But for people who are not lucky enough to have a lathe/mill/engineering degree or a ton of money, the SMS Enzo set is a great deal. The reference CD is perfect for the whole model, and with a little ingenuity you can make your own monocoque decals and additional wiring. For the beginner to the "advanced" building accessories, it is worth every penny.

Ya know, I don't think anyone is really saying that the SMS Enzo superdetail set isn't worth having. It is however being suggested that it is not the only way to go to get a fabulous build from the Tamiya kit. If you have it, great- you will more than likely enjoy building it. If you don't have it, that's fine too. I doubt there is anything in the SMS kit that can't be gotten in some other set, or done in some other way just as well.

1. The SMS Enzo detail CD is still availible for $15. Get it now, it is the best $15 you can spend on aftermarket stuff for the Enzo. It will not be availible forever, and these things are a pain in the arse to get when they're OOP. But even if you miss it, there is lots of other refernce material availible on the Enzo.

2. Photoetch- availible for the Enzo from multiple sources. The SMS PE is still availible from HLJ. And there are other sets as well. If you feel like your Enzo must have PE, pick your favorite set and order it.

3. CF decal templates- nothing a decent modeler can't do him/herself as well or better with Tamiya tape and a bit of patience. The vast majority of CF work we see on AF is done without preprinted templates. Prepainted templates may be lazier, but they're not better.

4. Turned parts- sure they're nice, but hardly necessary. I do have a machine shop, and thoroughly enjoy using it to add detail to builds- but there are definately other ways of doing it! Before I had a lathe, I replaced kit dampers with ones I had made from pieces of telescoping brass and aluminum tubing. Dampers done this way can look every bit as good as turned components- and are cheap and easy to do! Lathe or no, I still make my exhaust tips out of aluminum tubing. I happen to use my lathe to cut them, but for me it's simply the laziest of a number of easy options.

5. Resin calipers- The stock brakes in the Enzo kit are terrific. They need replacement in no way- paint them up and they will look beautifull. Even with the wheels off, the wheel arches make the rotor edges and calipers nearly impossible to see except from below. OK, anyone who's read my 360 thread can point out that I may not have alot of room to talk- I did replace a perfectly lovely set of kit brakes with machined and cast parts. But I also showed how to make and cast your own detailed calipers from the kit parts.Yes, I used a mill to carve out the calipers (simply because I could). But I did exactly the same thing on my Mythos without the use of a mill. And if you really don't want to go through the effort yourself, maybe Tang will sell you a set cast from his masters.

So is the SMS kit the ultimate way to build the ultimate model? No. It may be a good way to build a good model. But the inclusion of the SMS parts in your Enzo build in no way guarantees a great build of the Tamiya kit. Just as the lack of the SMS parts absolutely doesn't preclude making a magnificent model.

Is it overpriced/worth the effort and expense to find? Is it a good value for detail/cost or fun/cost? That can only be answered by each individual buyer/builder, considering their own skills, finances, and effort they want to put into their build. But if you haven't got one, no worries- it's no reason that your Enzo build can't be just as good as if you did have one.

Well said Andy, I agree 100%. /\ /\

Mike.

hmm since we are discussing about enzo parts then may i ask has anyone got the acu-stion super detailed enzo set before, if so do you know where its still avaliable??

In specific im looking for the acu-stion suspension set, they look spectacular.... i know its possible to machine your own and theres other altnernatives but the acu-stion have a PE-set that comes with it so it makes it even more detailed.

Thanks for all the replies everyone,

I may have sourced a kit from a retailer (I say may have, because I won't believe it till its in my hot little hands) - I put off this purchase over 2 years and 3 Enzos, so hopefully I'm going to be lucky.

It was interesting to hear your opinions on the set, and if anyone has any advice on getting the best out of it, I'm all ears!


Thanks again,

Smokey