Let's review Tamiya's 1/12 Caterham Super Seven BDR

On September 10, 2023, My wife and I went to a local hobby store to pick up Tamiya's newly released Walking and Swimming Duck. Such a fun little kit! 

When we got out of the store, we found a little toy car parked right next to us...

You can tell from the photo! It was such a tiny car compared with my wife's Lexus, and the Lexus was already a compact-sized car. A Caterham Super Seven, how rare! I immediately thought of Tamiya's 1/12 Super 7, a kit I have known forever. 

In addition, I did find this exact car while researching the Super 7!

(Photo Credit: Bring A Trailer)

This car was on auction and was sold on October 12, 2018, for 27,001 US dollars. Allow me to quote its original description on the auction website:

"This 1992 Caterham Super 7 is a right-hand drive example powered by a 1.7-liter Ford Kent Crossflow inline-four paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. Engine equipment is said to include a ported cylinder head with high-strength valve springs, dual Weber carburetors, and more. This example is finished in green and yellow over a black leather interior featuring adjustable seats, and a MOMO steering wheel. The car was purchased and imported from the UK to the US by the seller three months ago, and shows 30k miles."

I've never really wanted to add the Super 7 to my collection. I am a huge car guy, and I have a passion for race cars, like those Group C monsters and Formula 1 cars. But they are very, very far away for me to reach. The Super7, for me, was just not attracting enough. Probably partially due to its vintage look as well. My attitude changed very recently after I switched my wife's Lexus to a Toyota GR86.  

I realized that the world needs affordable performance cars, fun-to-drive cars for us, the wanna-be racers. At age 31, I have lost all the qualities needed for being a race car driver, and I know that I probably will forever live the dream of owning a Ferrari, yet I can still have fun in a 228-hp two-door coupé. I bet the Super 7 is fun to drive as well! 

At that moment, I knew I needed to get, at least, a model of the Super 7.

About the car...

(Photo Credit: Hargety)

(Photo Credit: Unknown)

These two posters pretty much explained everything you need to know about the Super 7. Lotus was the original designer and manufacturer before the production rights were transferred to Caterham Cars in 1973. Their founder, Colin Chapman, designed this road-legal car in 1957, quickly becoming a sought-after ride. Thanks to Caterham, this affordable racer gets to carry on and is still offered today in the form of a kit car, just like a model kit that requires assembly. 

Do it yourself! It is not only an extremely satisfying, fun, and challenging way to build a car, but it also extends all the possibilities one can have with their own money. Want to use a different Engine? Sure! Don't like the seats? Swap them out! It is mutually beneficial for the owner and the manufacturer, as a kit car is easier to produce in mass and cheaper to maintain. 

You may want to read the assembly instructions of Caterham 7s.    

About the model...

Thanks to the fact that the real car is delivered in kit form, Tamiya replicated a series of faithful model kits on the 1/12 scale. 10201, 10202, and 10203, the three versions are all slightly different. 10201 features the Cosworth BDR engine Super7; 10202 features different fenders and carburettors; and finally, 10203 features the JPE (Jonathan Palmer) special edition, with prepainted metal body parts, different engine parts, grill, wheels, etc. 

All of these kits offer authentic manufacturing methods and a large number of metal and multi-material parts, making it one of, if not the best, Tamiya scale model car kits of all time. Just like its real-life reference, this kit has since become a sought-after item on auction websites.

The model itself wasn't cheap either. 

 

Worth the price tag, though; An impressive one-piece space frame is also included. 

This might be inspirational for modellers: place all the painted parts nicely in a shadow box and hang them on the wall for presentation.

Get that box open!

Instruction manual, decals, and belts. Belts will be replaced with MFH belt sets.

Despite its minimal size, the emblem cleanly resembles all the details.

Ah, blister packing. Beautiful to present but a hassle to open. 

More content can be found in the inner box.

The inner box is a bit mouldy due to age, so let's move all the items out.

Let's simply dump all the metal parts on the cutting mat. You get a total of 48 metal parts, not including all the little metal hinges, springs, and screws. This is an incredibly luxurious kit!

Before you start, make sure to check the manual and learn how to polish the metal parts. This will bring your work to a new level! At the same time, weathering these parts will add more artisticness and authenticity to your model.

The big one-piece aluminum hood is a definite eye-catcher. Beautifully crafted.

The floor and body panels feature highly realistic rivets.

Same for the large side body panels.

The windshield frame also features rivet details. 

More metal parts, some are pre-bent for easier installation. 

A one-piece, soldered-together front grill. Excellent craftsmanship!

Rear bulkhead. 

Such an appealing one-piece metal-cast centre tunnel. 

Metal exhaust pipes, muffler, and muffler cover.

I was today-year-old when I learned the name of this part - De Dion tube - a suspension system that was once popular among many early race cars. Its simple design (in my very non-engineering eyes, a metal stick with the two rear suspension springs attached on the two ends) helps make harsh cornering more stable. Nowadays, De Dion tubes have been replaced by independent suspension systems.  

These black metal parts are pre-painted, and they have a very realistic surface finish.

K&N carburettor air filter cap. 

A big highlight of this kit comes with a one-piece moulded space frame made out of ABS resin.

(Photo Credit: SimpleSevens.org)

This is a reference photo I found on SimpleSevens.org. Note that because this frame is basically tubes welded together, it is not particularly hard to build. Again, the simplicity of the car makes it possible to be built in one's garage.

This beautifully moulded frame needs some cleanup before the next step. 

Start with removing all the runners.

(Photo Credit: SimpleSevens.org)

As previously mentioned, you will then need to install the body panels just like how they do on the actual car. 

(Photo Credit: SimpleSevens.org)

Except all the holes have been drilled already. 

  

Bags of brackets and other small metal parts.

Springs. 

(Photo Credit: Bonhams Cars)

Bonnet Straps (behind the wishbones in the above photo) are perfectly recreated!

Two screw bags. A small screwdriver is also included.

Accessory bag. All the cables and tubes will be replaced by aftermarket ones.

Metal foil is not pre-cut, but templates are provided.

Very fine filter element.

One of the materials this kit uses is the self-adhesive cloth carpet. 

The material looks and touches nice, although I do think the texture is a bit too grainy, which makes the carpet feel slightly out of scale.

The installation is fairly easy; just peel and stick on the surface according to the instruction manual.

Okay, after reviewing all the accessories, we can finally take a look at all the sprues.

Let's start with Sprue A.

Undergate technology can be found here, but unfortunately, it is only for the two rear wings. I am not sure why, as the side on which the gates are located will be hidden after assembly.

One-piece moulded nose cone.

Sprue B.

The core of this kit is really the use of different materials to ensure the maximum replication of the actual car. 

This also guarantees an enjoyable build.

Sprue B.

The inner panels come with a nice and delicate surface texture.

Same for the dashboard. I just can't resist all the buttons and switches. Vintage and classy. Why bother to put a huge screen in cars? 

(Photo Credit: Bring A Trailer)

Here's a reference photo of the car I saw last September. Some of the toggle switches can be replaced by MFH/Top Studio's metal toggle switches. Unfortunately, the labels on each switch are not provided. Some additional designing and printing should get the job done.

This looks comfy already on the sprue. And I'm glad the seats are provided in plastic parts rather than rubber parts. I plan to paint them red. CLASSY!

This interior looks mouth-watering!

The car battery. 

Flywheels.

Tamiya's clean and crispy details can be found everywhere.

Wipers are really detailed, although it still looks slightly out of scale. There are no aftermarket wipers specifically designed for this car, so I might just use the kit-provided parts.

It is, after all, a display model. Sigh...

Distributor cap for the 4-cylinder engine.

Finally, the stunning engine and mechanical parts on the gray, metallic D sprue.

Tamiya's Super Seven was based on a 1690cc Ford-Cosworth BDR engine, more than enough to power this little English bunny that only weighs 600kg.

(Photo Credit: The Healey Factory)

Quite a charming engine bay.

(Photo Credit: Bonhams Cars)

This car has a similar engine bay to the Tamiya kit. I guess I can colour the cam cover whatever colour I like? lol!

Details are crispy, clean, and simply amazing!

The instruction manual says to paint the fan X-7 red. Still haven't found a reference photo to support this... Not like it matters whatsoever; just wondering. like sometimes you just be like, why is it red????

I will probably paint it flat black, which is the most common colour that I found in all the internet searches.

Differential housing cover plate.

(Photo Credit: Gingerbread Man, PistonHeads)

Differential housing.

Individual brake callipers. Adding brake lines will be a must!

D5 and D48 make the Weber carburettor. 

(Photo Credit: Anderson Racing Engines)

Quite accurate, eh? Some masking is required to airbrush all the gold parts.

And, of course, don't forget the K&N air filter!

Patience is the key to removing the seamline here. Imagine how good it would be if this part and the other liquid tanks in the kit were moulder in the half-transparent plastic Tamiya used for 1/12 934/935. 

(Photo Credit: Tamiya USA)

Nothing is perfect, eh?

The engine and gearbox are on the separate E sprue.

Even the tiny Ford emblem here is crispy clear. Typical Tamiya quality that I expected.

Gearbox.

Sprue F is pre-painted in, I believe, Tamiya's TS-17 Glossy Aluminum. 

I gave it some scratches, and the result proved my hypothesis. 

The paint itself is not too bad, but I will nonetheless wash it off and airbrush the wheels with AK's extreme metal paint for the best finish.

Next, Sprue G is chrome-plated. Where is my oven cleaner?

The chrome plating is horrifyingly thick... Lynne! Where did you put the oven cleaner??

Soft rubber Spure H.

Timing belt! What a nice surprise that it is not moulded as part of a flywheel+belt combination, as it was usually the way to mould. The standard of this kit is really top!

This rubber trunk cover looks realistic.

Sprue J, K, L, clear and coloured transparent parts for lights and dashboard glass. The windshield glass is provided separately in the accessory bag.

Finally, the kit comes with five beautiful tires.

Typical Tamiya quality tires; you just can't beat their quality.

That's all you get from Tamiya's 1/12 Caterham Super Seven BDR. What a kit! Authenticity is really the core of this offer. You get the opportunity to build it like you are building the actual car, leaving you with a remarkable modelling experience. The generosity in using different materials to recreate the production methods of the car makes the kit one of, if not the best, Tamiya scale model cars of all time! 

This is a kit that you will want to build even if you are not interested in the car...