Tamiya 1/12 scale
Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon

by Steve Pritchard

Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon

Kit

Tamiya 1/12 Kawasaki Ninja H2 Carbon (item 14136)

Aftermarket Accessories:

• Hobby Design 1/12 Kawasaki H2R (HD02-0351)

• Braided lines from Top Studio in .6,.8 and 1mm thickness

Paints Used:

• Tamiya Lacquers for the main colours, mostly matt black, semi-gloss black, aluminium and gunmetal Tamiya enamel clear colours for the green framework (over a silver basecoat) and heat treatment on the exhaust pipes.

The kit, my first motorcycle model, was a pleasure to construct.

It did appear a little daunting initially, a lot of sub-assemblies must come together and fit precisely after being painted, but everything virtually clicked into place.

I complicated the construction by adding a lot of parts from the incredible Hobby Design upgrade set (designed for the Tamiya H2R kit, rather than this street bike version).

The metal parts look superb, the highlight being the chain with separate links.

A bit fiddly to assemble, but you do get some spare parts just in case any roll into the carpet.

The paint scheme was quite simple, different sheens of black, and various metallic shades, and the odd splash of colour.

One interesting aspect was that some parts of the real bike have an almost mirror finish, notably the fuel tank and some of the smaller panels. I used Uschi Metal Polishing Powder Chrome Type applied with a very soft brush over a Tamiya gloss black undercoat. I was amazed at the result – it has a deep gloss, is very reflective and seems quite resilient to being handled.

A little light weathering was carried out, mainly an oil wash on the engine parts and chain. I wasn’t too happy with the chrome muffler – it looked a bit toy like so I toned it down with some semi-gloss varnish.

The decals were quite tricky to apply, especially the carbon fibre ones – after some gloss varnish I was happy with their appearance. The Hobby Design set includes some nice Kawasaki logos and Ninja markings in 3D chrome finish.

In summary, a very enjoyable build – certainly I would be tempted to try another Tamiya motorcycle kit, especially if Hobby Design have a set available for it. The finished model looks great in the cabinet, alongside mostly aircraft builds.

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Steve Pritchard

Christchurch

New Zealand

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2023 by Steve Pritchard
Page Created 22 January, 2023
Last Updated 22 January, 2023

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