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1/20 Ebbro Tyrrell 002 – British Grand Prix 1971

1/20 Ebbro Tyrrell 002 – British Grand Prix 1971 available from HobbyLink Japan

Sporting legendary names such as Jackie Stewart and Francois Cevert, Tyrrell is a marque in Formula One that won’t be forgotten any time soon. The typical ‘Tyrrell blue’ race machines adorned with their french ELF fuel company markings are iconic for motorsport fans the world over. The Tyrrell 002 which was let loose on racetracks across Europe in 1971 was mated to a Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0l V8 engine capable of pumping out 450bhp and more than left its mark on Formula One.

The 002 chassis proved to be dominant throughout the 1971 season, taking Tyrrell’s #1 driver Jackie Stewart to the drivers championship, and its #2 driver Francois Cevert to third place overall. With such a strong string of results, Tyrrell would also clinch the constructors championship making it a clean sweep for the team. Ebbro has lovingly recreated the 002 chassis from the 1971 British Grand Prix in superb form, showcasing one of the 70s’ best-looking race machines.

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In this modern age of motorsport with straight edges and function trumping form, beautiful race cars are seemingly a thing of the past, although with the classic F1 series Ebbro has brought beautiful back into motorsport. Features of the kit are factory-stencilled tires, high-quality engine reproduction, decals for both Stewart & Cevert, and metal-sprue wing mirror brackets. In true Ebbro fashion, upon receiving the kitset, the presentation was second to none.

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Chassis & suspension

Classic Formula One machines were built around the tub or monocoque, and this is true to form with the Tyrrell 002. With fuel tanks resting against your kidneys, it is no wonder the drivers were nervous driving these cars at ten tenths. The 002 with its hammerhead nose had the front radiators encased and hidden out of view, as with some of the front suspension. The monocoque goes together via two main pieces, with the top cowling sitting on top. This area required lots of dry-fitting to ensure it had perfect fitment prior to painting, and with minimal sanding here and there, I attained a flush fit between all three main pieces of the monocoque.

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Engine and rear suspension

One dilemma many classic F1 modellers have is the engine. On these classic cars, the engine was fully exposed, as was the rear suspension, and on the actual car these are incredibly intricate feats of engineering and recreating that in 1/20 scale is no easy task. Ebbro has achieved what many other companies haven’t. They have produced a classic F1 engine with the ‘spaghetti exhausts’ which is easy to build, yet doesn’t compromise on visible detail.

Fitment of the rear end is superb as is the casting, and each exhaust — despite consisting of six pieces — was easy to put together, and I didn’t end up with my fingers stuck together. Over and above the details that come standard in the box, I simply added the plug wire cords to the distributor for a little extra detail. The rear suspension was a little more fiddly to put together, although the final result I was very happy with. Lots of chrome plated components, and a lot of the rear suspension is connected without cement. It is a hook and pin system so the majority clicks together as cement never bonds well to chrome plated parts, anyway.

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Connecting the engine & monocoque

The two main components of the car fit together seamlessly, a big relief for anyone building a classic F1 car. The front tab visible in the previous photo slots into the rear of the monocoque and is held in place with a screw for rigidity.  After this the suspension has trailing arms added that extend from the rear of the bodywork to the hubs of the car. These are also attached via hooks, meaning no cement and a super clean finish is the end result.

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Decals

The best thing about the Tyrrell 002 except the classic livery is that the white decals are thick, resulting in zero color bleed from the blue base color underneath. There is one small setback, though: due to their thickness, extra decal softener is required for the side roundel stickers that adorn the side of the chassis so they conform. One other fantastic aspect of the decals is that there is no clear edging on them. For the rear wing, in between the wing-stays the Goodyear and ELF decals consist of three individual pieces, yet once applied to the upper surface of the wing they join up superbly.

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Finished product

This particular model is the second Ebbro classic F1 kitset that I have built and I am very impressed with the overall quality. Superb fitment, great detail, ease of construction, and perfect proportions are all key areas that any modeller appreciates. It is the little details such as pre-stencilled tyres, and the metal-sprue wing mirror brackets that really make the model stand out.

I would rate this model a 9/10 purely because it gave me next to no issues at all while building it. Ebbro has filled a place in the 1/20 F1 marketplace which many other manufacturers have long ignored. They have brought back the cars from the era of Formula One when it was truly glamorous, and the cars really were as beautiful as they were dangerous.

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2 Comments

  1. That tire weathering is remarkable. what compounds were you using?

    Additionally, how did you achieve that body finish, gloss paints, or a decent varnish.

    Simple question, but the finish is so uniform, it looks magnificent.

    Reply
    • Hi Robodaz! Sorry for the delay in replying 🙂
      You are going to laugh at how I did the tyres, I actually have a slightly roughed up concrete on my patio and this is what I used to achieve the effect. I scuffed them along the concrete to eliminate the shine, and create the markings that appear as if they have been raced on.
      For the paint, I only used a Tamiya TS spray can, no clear coat, no real prep. My key to the finish is heating the spray can up in warm-hot water so when the paint is shot, it glides on smooth and has next to no orange peel. I didn’t want a super glossy finish to the bodywork, as in the 70’s the cars weren’t as well presented as they are today and this was one key thing I want to replicate on all my classic F1 models. 🙂

      Reply

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