1:24 SUBARU 360 DELUXE w/ROOF CARRIER

Subaru 360 Deluxe with a roof carrier in 1:24 scale

This injection-molded plastic kit by the Japanese brand Hasegawa captures the small Subaru 360 passenger car in the Deluxe trim. A roof carrier is also included, so the model can be built in the outing guise that was popular at the time.

The real subject

The Subaru 360 was the first series-production passenger car of the Subaru brand and was built from 1958. It fell into the Japanese kei class, that is the category of cars with strictly limited dimensions and engine capacity. An air-cooled two-cylinder of 356 cc mounted at the rear worked on the two-stroke cycle and drove the rear wheels. The car was built around a very light structure and a small rounded body, which in Japan earned it the nickname of the ladybug. The Deluxe designation belongs to the more generously equipped forms; its exact extent changed over the course of production.

Building and painting tips

The model is small, so every excess of glue and every heavier coat of paint shows in the result. Use a liquid glue for plastic applied with a brush along the edge of a joint and spray the paint in thin coats. The pastel shades of the period come out well on a light filler primer. The chrome trim and window frames look convincing when thin metallic foil or a very fine brush is used instead of a silver paint. The roof carrier is a delicate part, so cut it off the sprue carefully and glue it on as one of the last steps, so that it does not break off while handling.

Who the model is for

• For collectors of Japanese cars and of the history of the kei class
• For modelers who like small and undemanding bodies
• For builders of dioramas with a period street scene
• For display collections in 1:24 scale

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.