Subaru is finished.

To imagine and make fantasy liveries for this Subaru, it was not only the hardest and most difficult works in this project but also the most enjoyable part.

It was a fictitious set-up that is one of PR activities of Robin, general purpose engine which comes from Fuji Heavy Industries as mother company of Subaru.

I made a cockpit and  twin-turbo exhaust in parallel.

The Subaru is completed by assembled all parts into one.

Subaru updated 2

To use a "slot-it" motor pod from a junk yard, I designed a sub-chassis shown as a picture below by cutting an ABS cardboard t=2.5mm.

I designed and made a minimal chassis by using the sub-chassis and the motor pod.

The steel pressed wheels in the plastic model kit are nice looking as it looks like a real light vehicle with 360cc, I use wheels and tires from the kit for front. For rear wheels, I made insertions scraping pressed wheels from the kit and make them together with "slot-it" 312PB insertions which are scraped the center area and become like doughnuts.

Subaru updated

After I am satisfied with the car way it’s looked, spray primer-surfacer to the body for getting ready to paint job.

I pick up an image of a “Japanese Crane” which is a symbolic of “Japanese traditional married couple”.

Japanese Nation Bird is Pheasant not Japanese Crane, but Japanese Cranes mostly take action in a pair and it seems so strikingly, it is the symbol of married couple in a very good relationship in Japan and we have a history that it often becomes a motif of Japanese traditional art crafts and arts.

So, I made this tiny Subaru for my wife and wish it that we keep enjoying slot car together for a long time. 

And I’m still thinking of a good looking livery which goes with an old Subaru. While I am thinking of it, I design a chassis.

The cheap and ugly

Subaru has only recently become famous in the WRC as Subaru WRX .

But Fuji heavy industry had exported 360 mini-car to the United States in 1969 already.

I started a small project to convert an ARII kit into a slot car. In the first place, I would build it straight without hesitating. Even I attached wide fenders from the kit, I wondered something missing.

It seemed to be not enough volume under the waistline, I fixed side sills and front lower balance.

There were some finishing images, so I didn’t make rear lower balance at this point.

Fling a pair of dice

In my childhood, every boy was large-influenced by TAMIYA’s fine model kits. I certainly was the one of them.

Those days, if you said “Porsche 934 “, it was no doubt that it meant “orange Jagermeister car” and “green Vaillant car” for most of all Japanese boys.

Since then, they still have been my favorite pairs of porsche racing liveries.

Time flies...


As I am grown up a middle aged man, I’ve met a wonderland of slot car racing, and sometimes want to re-paint my “Porsche 356s” which it of course comes to my mind the orange and green cars even though the liveries don’t match the time for 934 and 356.

Here is an original ninco porsche 356 in my stock.

Orange one is mine, 

and green one is my wife's car.

They look happy together.

Not just any treasure

When I was a newbie to slot car, I used to watch foreign websites one after another every night.
One day I hit the Mark Gussin’s page, I fell in love with his collections, especially this racing transporter.

I was searching for it for 4 years or so, finally I got this in March 2009.

I've been so lucky to have it since then and still feel happy.

A joy of little reworking

Scalextric released Ferrari 330 P4 a few years ago.
That was a very good runner even in straight condition OTB and non magnet,
also cheaper than RACER’s resin car and appropriate scale size.

At first, I sanded down tyres to make their shoulders round.

Rounded shouldered tyres showed more old fashioned appearance
and gave mild handling to cars.

Scaly P4 has one piece chassis and no rolling movement, I cut out the chassis
to let it move freely between the chassis and the body, and a little lowering down.

At last, I created headlight covers from plastic bottle.