1:12 Yamaha RZ250 (4L3) Y.A.C. Limited (1982)

The most sought-after rendition of the RZ range

The RZ250 twin arrived in 1980 and managed something that seemed impossible at the time: it brought the two-stroke quarter-liter back into the game at a point when everyone was writing it off. The liquid-cooled engine with an exhaust system with variable timing offered output that had previously been seen only on machines of twice the displacement, and in Europe the same motorcycle became famous under a different letter designation. The 1982 version with the code 4L3 was given the accessories and the color scheme of a special series, thanks to which it stands above the ordinary renditions at collectors' markets today.

The make-up of the set

Molded plastic sprues in 1:12 scale carry the frame, the engine, the tank, the fairing elements and the wheels; with them belong a plated molding for the bright parts, clear parts and soft tires with the tread pattern marked. The decal sheet is the key to the whole variant, because it is precisely the graphics that set the limited series apart from the base rendition. The instructions lead the build from the powerplant through the frame to the finish.

Outside the box

Neither a compressor, a nozzle nor a degreaser is included, and nor is any paint. Anyone who wants the exhausts in the exact shade of heat-tinted metal reaches for metallic shades and pigments, which are applied only after assembly. The wiring and the control cables are added at this size from wire of one's own; they are not in the set. The mirrors and the turn signals also have a solid plastic stem on the sprue, which a more demanding builder usually replaces with thin tubing. None of that is a condition, though: the model is designed so that it can be finished without a single outside part.