About the car...
Lola's T70 was the only and strongest private competitor to giants such as Ford, Ferrari, and Porsche in the late '60s and early '70s endurance racing world. This bold statement was from a newsletter Lola published on their official website in 2005 when they announced the return of the legendary T70 MK3B.
The T70 family tree starts with the Spyder Mk1 and Mk2, followed by the Coupe Mk3 and upgraded Mk3B. Several engines were employed as the heart of the T70s, including the American-made 5.0-litre/6.0-litre small block V8s from Chevrolet and 4.2-litre/4.8-litre V8s from Ford. Additionally, a 5.0-litre V8 from Aston Martin was selected to form the all-British team line-up—Lola, Aston Martin, and the English man John Surtees—aimed at winning the Manufacturers' Championship of the year.
Lola was not exaggerating in their press release; not only has the T70 earned an exceptionally successful career, winning numerous times since its birth, including a glorified 1-2 finish at the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours (I am sure you want to read this), but also because of its design and versatility, which ultimately made the beloved car under high demand in the world of historic racing.
About the kit...
Tamiya first released this kit in 1970, a year after the T70s' major victory at Daytona 24. The often overlooked gem of this kit is the instruction manuals, which were provided in both English and Japanese copies, illustrating in detail the most up-to-date (back then) and accurate building and racing history of the T70 family. Unlike the re-released Porsche 910, in which only an updated multi-language instruction manual was provided, the 2011 re-issued T70 Mk3 includes its two original manuals from 1970. Moreover, abundant photo-etched parts and metal air funnels added additional value to this 2011 re-release, making it a sought-after item for many model car enthusiasts.
As one of the early 12000 (12006) models, it is not surprising that a fully motorized version exists. The motorized version provides a motor and a gearbox to transfer the already sophisticated kit into a large-scale MINI 4WD. Oops, I mean 2WD. I bet it would be fun to build one, and by installing a servo and some other electronics, one can turn this car into a complete RC car if desired. That...will not be my concern. Enough writing; let us take a look inside the box of Tamiya's 1/12 Lola T70 Mk3.
Standard Tamiya box art. My all-time favourite. Simple yet classy.
Typical re-release box arrangement. Probably to save cost?
Blister-packed metal air funnels. NICE!
Here they are, the two English and Japanese instruction manuals. A huge decal piece is included to fulfill three different race markings.
#25 and #26 were from the famous Japanese Taki Racing Organization. Here's an excellent post to learn more about Taki as a racer and his racing team, written by
Historic Japanese Racing Cars.
Top quality decal by Italian manufacturer Cartograf. Never again decal yellowing!
You also get a separate instruction sheet for the photo-etched parts.
Seatbelt stickers are included, too; however, I will replace them with MFH ones.
The instruction sheet covers all three markings.
The car's body is moulded into three pieces. The front cowl, the two doors, and the engine cowl can all be opened for presentation. This...was, unfortunately, not a feature for the 1/12 Porsche 910.
Front cowl.
The little Lola emblem is crispy clear. It might have to be removed to apply decals, though.
This is the front face of a Lola T70 Mk3. Mk3B features a different front setup.
Taki Team's Lola T70 Mk3. I assume they were Tamiya's modelling references.
A big rear engine cowl piece.
Compared with this photo taken at the Lola Factory, it looks accurate to me!
The windscreen pillar is protected by a supporting runner.
A big chassis piece. Lots of ejection pin marks to be filled!
I honestly prefer to have all the pin marks on this side! Easier to clean up, with lots of flat surfaces.
Details are crispy.
A small confusion here because the original number code of the T70 Mk3 should be 12006. I assume 12015 was supposed to be the 1974 re-release code? The content remained the same, though.
Just wondering, eh?
Sprue A. Body parts and accessories.
Note the two headlight bases here. It is extremely PLEASANT for painting.
The one-piece extinguisher is fairly detailed. Get your finest brush ready!
Openable doors! Not a very common Tamiya model feature...
Gorgeous!
Sprue B is chrome-plated.
The surface of some parts can be pretty rough.
Chevrolet engine emblem. This powerful engine makes about 460 horsepower. American V8! Quite a lot of days, I woke up and missed my old Tundra with a naturally aspirated 5.7-litre i-Force V8 heart.
One of the best V8s ever made.
Carburettors were used with the small-block Chevy engine. Kit carburettors are very detailed.
These parts will be cleaned up first to remove chrome.
Very, very small knock pins. Might use more detailed 3D-printed aftermarket parts as well.
Master cylinder caps. Says "Brake Use" on it.
Sprue C is also Chrome-plated. Darker, duller chrome. Note Sprue D shares the same sprue on the left.
Air valves are included! Nice touch on this detail.
Wheel spinner.
Fuel pump with crispy Lola letters.
Lower wishbones.
Sprue E.
I'd rather have leather seats that add a classy touch to this beautiful car, but still, you can find the kit-supplied seats with neat textures. Very simple indeed.
A good start to add all the amazing aftermarket detail upgrades!
Looks okay, should be better after applying the gauge decals! Only the main gauge's glass is provided in this kit. Time to either cut some transparent plastic sheets or make glass using Micro Kristal Klear!
Here's an incredible video tutorial from
Jim Sliva on how to use Micro Kristal Klear to make glass.
Fairly minimal steering wheel. Can be replaced with fancy ones.
Okay pedals. After all, we are talking about a grandpa model kit.
Door panels.
Sprue F.
A close look at the six-spoke wheel.
Brake discs. Very barebone discs.
However, the brakes are probably the biggest downside of this kit. No, the photo-etched parts here do not help.
Yep, the front brakes are even worse. There are just two pieces of brake discs provided.
It is such a shame that the brakes were not recreated in this kit. This is the same situation that can be found in the 1/12 Porsche 910. Typical early model simplicity.
Oil pan.
Ronco distributor. The details here are so clean and crispy. The company, though, has ceased to exist.
Starter. Maybe use some aftermarket screws to replace the detail here.
Sprue G. V8, meaning you will get 8 exhaust pipes!
They are arranged in a way that looks like a rib cage. Kinda scary, lol!
Flywheel detail. Cannot be seen after installation. :(
Beautiful textures. Also, really nice raised screw heads!
Sprue H.
Transmission cap.
Transmission part. A pre-1970 Hewland 5-speed.
The engine is fairly detailed for a 54-year-old scale model.
Not bad!
The front calliper is pure sadness. Provided only in half (half calliper).
Funny that Tamiya even placed a photo reference there.
:(
The rear callipers are integrated into the rear upright. At least the rear ones are somewhat complete.
The top cover of the engine chamber. The hexagon nuts look great.
Sprue J and K contain some of the structural parts.
Sprue K.
These parts don't look too bad at all. They need to be airbrushed with AK extreme metal paints.
Not to mention, the kit includes a free jack!
Sprue L, the clear parts. Here, we have the unique little triangle side windows.
Headlight unit glass.
Separated packed windshield. Unlike the re-release Porsche 910, the T70 does not come with a pre-cut masking sheet. Tamiya's masking tape for curves can be used here. Not challenging at all if you have the right tools!
Accessories bag. The corrugated radiator pipes are included, nice! Most of the other cables will be replaced with more detailed aftermarket materials.
The rear lights are faithfully recreated.
Rubber carburettor covers are included.
A total of 5 tires are provided, 2 front, 2 rear, and a spare tire.
The sidewall markings are incredibly crispy, typical Tamiya quality. The box art car features Firestone tires, so the Bridgestone ones should be used for Japanese domestically raced cars.
Overall, this is a super kit for scale model car enthusiasts. No doubt the kit has problems, particularly the brakes. Yet, openable front/rear cowls, openable doors, highly-detailed interiors and engine, and an impressive 1/12 size make this kit a mouth-watering potential piece of art. Speaking of the alternative version of the car, the Mk3B Daytona 24 winning resin transkit and the Aston Martin V8 transkit all seem long gone. While these upgrade kits add significantly more authenticity to this British racer, Tamiya's offer holds every potential to become, like I wrote above, a piece of art if under proper craftsmanship. Don't forget to test fit all the body parts!
John Surtees and David Hobbs racing at the 1967 Nuburgring 1000km. The pair retired only after a disappointing 6 laps. Do you not want to know which
car won the race on that day? Yep!
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