1980 Ferrari 512 BB/LM #47
Pilots: J-C. Andruet, C. Ballot-Léna, H. Regout
Team: Charles Pozzi S.A.
Race: 5th overall (1st in IMSA GTX class) at Le Mans in 1981
Ixo - LMC 078 (diecast)
Review HERE
model reiview
1980 Ferrari 512 BB/LM #47
Pilots: J-C. Andruet, C. Ballot-Léna, H. Regout
Team: Charles Pozzi S.A.
Race: 5th overall (1st in IMSA GTX class) at Le Mans in 1981
Ixo - LMC 078 (diecast)
Review HERE
2023 Porsche 911 RSR-19 #56 “Rexy”
Pilots: M. Cairoli, P. J. Hyett, G. Jeannettey
Team: Project 1 - AO
Race: 35th overall (7th in the LMGTE-Am class) at Le Mans in 2023
Spark - S8762 (resin)
Review HERE
1979 TOJ SC206 #32
Pilots: A. Cudini, H. Striebig, H. Kirschoffer
Team: BP Racing / Hubert Striebig
Race: DNF (S 2.0 class) at Le Mans in 1979
Spark - S4770 (resin)
Review HERE
1954 Porsche 550 #47
Pilots: Z. Arkus-Duntov, G. Olivier
Team: Porsche KG
Race: 14th overall (1st in S 1.1 class) at Le Mans in 1954
Spark - S9707 (resin)
Review HERE
1991 Cougar C26S #12
Pilots: F. Migault, L. Robert, J-D. Raulet
Team: Courage Compétition
Race: 11th overall (C2 class) at Le Mans in 1991
Spark - S3535 (resin)
Review HERE
Back in August of 2020 I posted an article about zamac rot. In a nutshell, what happens is that the model’s metal body starts to bubble underneath the paint. That occurs when the zamac alloy contains impurities, mainly lead, that react with the other metals. That reaction produces an intercrystalline corrosion process, with corrosion bubbles appearing inside the metal. Ambient temperature and humidity play a roll in the process, speeding up or delaying the reaction. The problem is that if the zamac alloy is contaminated with lead, the process will eventually occur, sooner or later.
Usually, you don’t see zamac rot with higher end brands, yet some manufactures are notorious for this. Franklin Mint is perhaps the most famous. And until now, I never heard of this happening to Kyosho. However, as you can see from the photos, my beloved M3 GTR has fallen victim to the problem 😭. I took it out of the cabinet a few days ago for a shoot of another model and there it was, zamac rot. So, what am I going to do about it? Nothing. There’s nothing to be done, the process will get worse and the model eventually may crumble to pieces 💀.
The only solution would be to replace it. However, a proper silver M3 GTR is really hard to come by. Minichamps offers the model in a few colors, and they’re very easy to find. Nonetheless, since BMW produced the real car only in silver, Minichamps’ models are all wrong. So unless I find a new Kyosho in good condition (very rare), or some other brand issues the car in 1:43, I’m stuck with this one bubbling up.
Boogers 😖.
1954 Porsche 550 #39
Pilots: J. Claes, P. Stasse
Team: Porsche KG
Race: 12th overall (1st in S 1.5 class) at Le Mans in 1954
Spark - S9706 (resin)
Review HERE
2004 Citroën Xsara WRC #3
Pilots: S. Loeb / D. Elena
Team: Citroën Total WRT
Race: 1st overall (WRC1 class) at the Monte Carlo Rally 2004
AUTOart - 60438 (diecast)
Review HERE
1978 Chevron B36 #31
Pilots: M. Pignard, L. Roussiaud, L. Ferrier
Team: ROC La Pierre du Nord
Race: 11th overall (1st in S 2.0 class) at Le Mans in 1978
Spark - S9412 (resin)
Review HERE