Let's review ADVAN's 1/20 Toleman TG-280 Hart420R

"F...Fujimi??"

This was something interesting that I came across at an auction; a 1/20 scale kit for the champion car of the 1980 Formula 2 season, Toleman TG-280 Hart420R. When I saw this, I did not hesitate to bid, and I was lucky enough to get it at a fairly reasonable 2750 Japanese Yen (about 24 maple dollars). I guess you have to be a racing enthusiast to be attracted to such a rare topic and a crappy box like this...

Yep, not an ideal box I would like to add to my collection, but not the worst one I have ever bought, either. The picture of the car seems like it was from a photo, and the resolution is minimal.

It is, however, extremely similar to this photo I found on Auto Messe Web.

Before we get into what the heck this car is and the driver that was behind the wheels, let's talk about the brand first...Advan? Huh? 

From the logo on the bottom right of the box, this is definitely the Advan tire from the Japanese Rubber Company Yokohama. There is no other manufacturer information on the box or the instructions whatsoever...So, Advan was a plastic model company?

I could only find limited information on the internet about this particular kit. And really - I've checked everything, including the box, instructions, sprues, and even big parts where manufacturer information is usually engraved, such as the cowl or upper bodywork - there is just no information on who produced this kit! How strange!

A Japanese blogger, GON, posted on May 1, 2013 about the same kit. In his post, GON (2013) explained that

"このキットはYOKOHAMA　ADVAN　が、タイヤのキャンペーンか何かでの 

販促グッズだったと思うのですが、指定のタイヤを購入した方に配っていた？ 

ものと思われます。" 

Basically this kit is a promotional item that was given to customers as a gift when purchasing certain tires. Gon did not buy the tire; instead, he went to the tire company directly to purchase the kit. He also attached a receipt dated August 20, 1981. While this doesn't really explain who made this kit, it does bring some great context as to why this thing exists. Fun to know!

On the side of the box, there is a cut-away sketch of the car, adding a nice touch. I wonder how good it would be if this sketch was on the top of the box! 

Attention to the exhaust pipes, please! They look like...intestines, tell me not! They are arranged in such an attractive way that I just can't move my eyes when I see them. A huge point for me to buy this kit in the first place. 

Huh...the instructions are typical Japanese style and are very nicely printed. I checked the '80s instructions from major Japanese manufacturers on Scalemates, yet I failed to figure out who produced this kit for Advan! Ugh!

Sprue A includes most of the bodywork. On the left side, we have the same 1/20 scale MCS 8 from Modeler's. See the size difference here? Crazy!

Sprue B. You will find the monocoque and most of the engine detail parts.

The monocoque is fairly detailed to my eyes; gotta love all the rivets. The front brake fluid reservoirs...hmm...they are there. Then again, this is a kit from 1980, so this is understandable and expected.

In addition, I am very happy with all the engine parts. The details look sharp and crispy! That is a beautiful depiction of the Hart 420R engine. I must say that due to its age, I tend to ignore the accuracy of the representation. Let's just appreciate the existence of this kit, reproducing a machine that is pretty much impossible to find elsewhere and easily sinks in the ocean of racing history.

The next sprue, C, consists mostly of the structural parts. 

Not bad! Here's a reference I found on motorsportsmarket where they rebuilt the car.

The car features a unique-looking engine air intake. Sprue C, part # 9, is the cover of that intake. I wonder if I could use this instead of the C9 part that comes from the kit:

Yep, it is a bit bigger as these DFV funnel meshes come in 1/12 scale. With trimming here and there, I am sure one piece will fit nicely on the TG280...

Awwww, come on! It could take some effort to reproduce the detail here.

Sprue D presents the two clear parts. A lot of 1/20 kits would just omit the rear braking light, but this one offers it. Nice!

Here is the last sprue, labelled with the letter E. Pasts here are covered with my least favourite type of chrome plating, and they will be washed off with no mercy. LOL!

Not too shabby! Again, this website features a photo of the actual brake here.

Oh NO! The decal has some cracks here and there. It might still be usable, though. Surprisingly, after many years, the white sections have not become yellowish. Huh?

Here's a close-up. I tried to find any after-market decals (particularly because I'm not really interested in this ADVAN livery, no offence), but no results showed up. Such a shame! I was hoping Indycal would have something since this was also the F2 car that competed in many different liveries during the 1980 European F2 season... 

Lastly, allow me to present you with the most important thing inside this box! The ADVAN tires, haha! The Advan letters on the side wall are really crispy. The tire has no moulding seam on the surface. It's a bit soft and dirty, but I trust that it can still be used after cleanup.

I have not talked about the driver sitting behind the steering wheel of the No. 25 Advan TG280. His name was Kunimitsu Takahashi 高橋 国光, a legendary Japanese racer who unfortunately passed away in 2022. I also recently possessed a Fujimi 1/12 GT-R Taisan STP 1992, which was also driven by Takahashi (We will talk bout that kit one day). He also won the 1995 Le Mans GT2 class in a Honda NSX GT2. Let me finish this section by citing Wikipedia here (hey, not a formal essay, this is fine): Nicknamed "Kuni-san," he is known as the "father of drifting." 

From what I could find online, Takahashi did not achieve any race wins in this TG280. Thanks to ADVAN; otherwise, I would not expect to see this kit exist. And the kit itself, to me personally, screams Fujimi (I can't be sure, but it really doesn't matter that much anyway).

Photo Credit: History of Kunimitsu Takahashi, Chronology of Kunimitsu. 

https://stanley-ms.jp/history/1980.html

Reference

GON. (2013). プラモ日記 97 ADVAN Toleman TG-280 Hart420R. https://skytimegon.jugem.jp/?eid=389

Let's review Modeler's 1/20 MCS8 /March 88 GC Mugen

"Wait...is that a DFV? Well, they all have 8 cylinders!"

Before introducing the actual kit, I'd like to share some history lessons I learned from researching this car's story. To start, let's talk about the brand: Modeler's. For a long time, I had the impression that Modeler belonged to Tamiya or it was a sub-branch of Tamiya (similar to the Toyota-Lexus relationship), probably due to their various collaboration products (e.g., the Kenwood Kremer 962C, which was basically a Tamiya 956). Modeler's also released several more advanced resin kits, which can be found frequently at auctions and are worth quite a bit of pennies. Not until today did I find a blog written by a Japanese scale model enthusiast, "RC200t," who wrote extensively in one of his blogs about Modeler's. 

According to RC200t (2009), the brand Modeler's belonged to the once-popular Mr. Craft of Japan, once located at:

Aha! This is a stamp I found in Advan's (or Fujimi?) 1/20 Toleman TG-280 Hart 420R, and it has the exact address of the already-gone Mr. Craft store on the top. Such a shame that I did not know this store existed when I visited Japan in 2015. This store had five levels, and each level was filled with goodies, ultimately making the entire building a paradise for die-hard car fans. As they say, good things usually don't last forever; Mr. Craft closed its doors in September 2008 and later declared bankruptcy in early 2009. Well, this makes me feel much better! It was long closed before my 2015 trip.

Modeler's is an original brand of Mr. Craft (RC200t, 2009). If you do a quick search on Scalemates, you'll find that it is nowadays part of a hobby company called InterAllied. It is a pleasure to see that the brand has found its new home, although it seems that they only make small-scale finished models now. Well, at least it did not die...

The main reference article - モデラーズ～恵比寿の残光（伊太利屋マーチ８８ＧＣ無限）by RC200t - answered two questions for me. The first one was about the downfall of Modeler's, which we have already discussed above; the second question was about our actual topic of the day: MCS8.

Gotta say first: I love the squarish box! The box is also fairly tall:

Box art is straightforward at its best. The theme colour, pink, matches the actual livery of Team Le Mans. Two other versions of Modeler's offers - the red Cabin #19 and the aquamarine blue Leyton House #16 - all have similar box designs, forming a series of machines that raced for the 1988 Fuji Grand Champion Series. #25, the Team Le Mans MCS 8, driven by the British Geoff Lees, won three out of six races and became the series champion. Hey, another champion's vehicle!

But the question is...not much information is available online about MCS (Mooncraft Special 8). During its participation in the 1988 races, the car was marked March 88GC. It is here where RC200t's (2009) post answered my second question, as he wrote:

"グランチャン崩壊の前年１９８８年のチャンピオンマシン、マーチ８８ＧＣ無限。商品名は「ＭＣＳ８無限」でそれはそれで間違いじゃないんだろうけど、ここはエントリー名を優先することとする。ちなみにＭＣＳはムーンクラフトスペシャルの略であり、この時代のグランチャンマシンはオープンホイールフォーミュラであるＦ３０００のシャシーに、これをすっぽりと覆い隠すスポーツカータイプのカウルを被せてあり、そのカウル部分を主に作っていたのがムーンクラフト。"

Basically, MCS, or MoonCraft, was the manufacturer who produced the cowling of the car that covers the F3000 Chassis made by March underneath. Hence, this car can be either referred to as MCS 8, MoonCraft Special 8, or March 88 GC Mugen. For unknown reasons, there is no information about this car on MoonCraft's website at the moment (Maybe it is because the car entered the race as March 88 GC?). Kudos to Modeler's, who highlighted the efforts of the Japanese manufacturer MoonCraft.

Out of the box, I was shocked by how big the cowling is! Take a look:

Here's a comparison of the cowling to Tamiya's 1/20 Lotus 102D. So wide!

Probably will remove all the rivets and plant after-market ones after polishing. 

Sprue B. The size of the nose looks much more like a 1/20 model that I am more familiar with. It will be hidden underneath the large cowling. 

Some details here: with some aftermarket parts this should look interesting. Lots of potential here and there! Just very little references available, though. 

Sprue C covers a lot of mechanical parts. Just my 2 cents, the design of parts here looks fairly "Tamiya" (I have nothing against it).

This C-15 part looks very detailed! I swear I've seen similar parts moulded like this in many Tamiya kits. Then again, how can it be designed differently, eh? Of course, you can have those rods moulded separately, but this looks good enough for me; plus, you can always use some aftermarket rivets here.

Wheels look good. They have such a muscular look... like something you would find on a Dodge challenge, quite nice!

The heart of MCS 8, or the March 88 GC, is a Mugen MF308. All three teams here, Cabin, Team Le Mans, and Leyton House used this engine in 1988. No wonder you see the Honda emblems here and the Mugen Kanji decal on the box art...but...

But you eventually find a sprue of Tamiya's classic 1/20 DFV in the box. This is the exact same sprue you would find in a Tamiya 1/20 1976/1977 P34. Haha!

No kidding at all! To be fair, the two engines have some close specifications, and they look similar. In addition, the Mugen MF308 did compete with the DFV F3000 engine in the actual race. So...not too bad? Yeah, you might have already found out that the DFV cam covers are also included in the kit. :D 

The tires are in great condition, very, very hard rubber, I must say.

I think I'll paint the white part instead of using the decal that comes with the kit. The difficulty is one thing, and the other is that the white decal on the front of the body already has some mouldy spots on it. It is, however, surprisingly still white, considering the age of the kit.

Overall, a rather interesting racer that would be easily forgotten if Modeler's had not released these three variants. The kit itself looks very promising and presentable, again, it is up to the modeler who will be making it to decide what to add to the kit's offer. An out-of-box build? Not a problem at all! I just can't wait to recreate the beautiful streamlined design of the MoonCraft-made cowling!

Photo Credit: Hiro [8gatsuno HIKARI] 8月のひかり(as indicated on racingsportscars.com, although this photo is from Pinterest)

Reference

RC200t. (2009). モデラーズ～恵比寿の残光（伊太利屋マーチ８８ＧＣ無限）. https://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/pinesquare/diary/200909190000/