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Let’s take a closer look at Tamiya’s Tyrrell 003 1971 Monaco GP edition at 1/12 scale and see for ourselves what this exciting re-release has in store for us.
Summary
- The History of the Tyrrell 003 1971 Monaco Grand Prix Racer
- What is Inside Tamiya: 1/12 Tyrrell 003 1971 Monaco Grand Prix Edition
- Watch The Unboxing and Full Build Review
Background on the Tyrrell 003 1971 Monaco GP Racer
The Tyrrell 003 1971 Monaco Grand Prix Racer is one of the earlier Tyrrell models that raced in the Formula 1 Series. It was designed by Derek Gardner and is still the most successful of the Tyrrell cars to date. It shares a lot of similarities to the 001 that was created in 1970 except for some slight differences; it had an arrow on the front, a narrower chassis, and a different rear design.
This special car has since gone on to be immortalized as a model from Tamiya's collection - an inspiring reminder of its championship legacy. Let’s celebrate the historic Monaco Grand Prix victory achieved by Jackie Stewart in 1971!
What Do You Get?
The stunning box lets you take a peek at everything the kit has in store. It includes all the original parts along with a few additions specially crafted for this re-release. Now, let’s explore what’s inside the box, shall we?
Blue Sprues
Sprue A
The upper cowling is one of the original parts from the early kit, and the tooling is from that period as well. There are certain areas where you can see a reflection and some flaws here and there, but if you sand it down and add some primer, it's not hard to get a flawless finish.
Sprue B
With this special package, you can assemble a car right from scratch! You'll get all the body pieces to craft it including front and rear wings, panels for its sides plus engine heads so your little beauty is off to a good start.
Sprue C
The base of the chassis has clean, crisp details. There are some sink marks from the space frame that are molded in, but since they are towards the base of the chassis, you can leave them alone. If you really want to be meticulous, filling them in wouldn’t be too much trouble.
Sprue D
The inner part of the chassis has a whole lot of details and some rivets; you will see the cockpit with a neat cutout for the driver's arms and some other parts that are cleanly molded, not to mention that the monocoque is quite appealing as well.
Black Parts
Sprue A
The front and rear wheels, exhaust, intake, driver seat, bulkhead, and a few struts are really clean, even with the lines, so you don’t need to polish them much. As for the softer PVC bits, the molded seat and the headrest are quite flexible and rubbery, and there’s a nice leather texture to them too.
Sprue B
This sprue houses the suspension components and the steering wheel, along with some parts of the axle.
Tires
Then we have the tires, screws, nuts, and fine wires. For the tires, the mold line at its center is noticeable but can be easily removed through sanding. Sanding the tire’s surface can also make it more realistic and give it that scrubbed look.
Bag of bits
This bag's got a little bit of everything! Inside there is vinyl tubing, springs, steering shafts and pinion gears - all you need to get your suspension system up and running.
Engine Components
In typical Tamiya fashion, the engine components are silvery gray in color with crisp detailing. The gearbox and diff radiators each have their own photoetch that adds to their mesh detail, making them that much more realistic.
Chrome Parts
Sprue A
The ventilated discs, rear trailing arms, front arms, rear arms, sway bar, sway links, calipers, and shock absorbers are all chrome. These parts have minimal mold lines that are no trouble to get rid of.
Sprue B
On this sprue, you can find the hoses, the front radiator, the rear engine, various plumbing for the engine, the rollover hoop for the driver, and the original mirror supports.
Clear Parts
This clear sprue includes a simple-looking windscreen and a remnant of the driver figure that you won’t be able to find in kits today: a visor.
Photoetch
The covers for the discs and all the concentric lines give the impression of a worn disc surface. The hold-downs for the engine, the engine mount, radiator covers, radiator mesh, and rear wing end plates, on the other hand, are finely engraved, which makes them really nice to look at.
Decals
Upgrade your car's look with this exciting decal set! These fabric seatbelts feature amazing textures and even a printed-in stitch detail, plus they stick on easily - no more tedious gluing involved. Jazz up your ride today!
Instruction Manual
The manual for this re-release uses Tamiya’s old layout. You can find the car’s history on the front page, along with the box art. The original manual did not have as much detail as the re-release. It includes the new parts introduced in the kit as well as tips for model building. There are 36 steps in building the car itself, and the manual finishes off with the decal instructions.
Final Thoughts
The newly re-released Tyrrell 003 1971 Monaco Grand Prix Edition is a classic Tamiya kit with a modern spin. For a 50-year-old kit, the fine machining and clean mold lines are a welcome surprise that go beyond what most kits from that time period offered. In addition to that, this re-release also has a lot of interesting surprises lying in wait that are sure to excite model enthusiasts out there, so grab yourself one of these bad boys while you still have a chance.
Watch the Unboxing and Full Build Review
Watch as BJ unbox and show you everything inside the Tamiya: 1/12 Tyrrell 003 1971 Monaco Grand Prix Edition
What do you want us to unbox next? Feel free to message us with your ideas!
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