Impulse 1/20th scale model

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Chris
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Post by Chris »

Looks nice mate. Is that a proper paint job?
LESS SHOW, MORE GO!!

2009 | 1986 White Piazza 2.2L, Man, STi Turbo (SOLD)
2006 | 1986 Black Piazza Turbo Manual (SOLD)
2005 | 1986 White Piazza Turbo Auto (Pain in the ass)
2004 | 1986 White Piazza Manual Stock
2004 | 1986 Red Piazza Manual TO3, Haltech
2001 | 1986 Silver Piazza Manual Turbo
IZU069
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Post by IZU069 »

A REAL Piazza! (G200W)

And 1/10th - wow!

There are other models around and 1/20th were reasonably common.
But 1/10th!

BTW - if interested in value, do not modify/destroy an original, and keep all parts of you do. (That gos for the 1:1 scale models as well!)
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Piazza_man
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Post by Piazza_man »

Chris wrote:Looks nice mate. Is that a proper paint job?
Thanks Chris, paint is straight off the small modellers can that you buy at all good model shops. This was the only colour closest to my car at the time. I do recall hitting it car polish after finishing it, and that made a difference in shine.
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Post by Piazza_man »

IZU069 wrote:A REAL Piazza! (G200W)

And 1/10th - wow!

There are other models around and 1/20th were reasonably common.
But 1/10th!

BTW - if interested in value, do not modify/destroy an original, and keep all parts of you do. (That gos for the 1:1 scale models as well!)
Real Piazza eh? G200W? What the..
Nah seriously, after trolling countless model shops in Sydney & ACT I found this one and bolted off with it (after paying off course). I was like a pig in mud building it. It wasn't as if I was flush with choices. As far as I was concerned it was the last one in Oz & I wasn't letting it go. Now that I think about it I finished building it about 14 years ago. Holy crap Batman. Already.
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Post by IZU069 »

You'll find I'm a bit of a fan of the G200W (especially).

And in my typical naivety of post-1973 Isuzus, I thought all early Piazzas were G200W - I saw my first Piazza at the Melbourne Motor Show in 1980 (DOHC EFI and digital dash).

It took a long time for me to realise that essentially ALL twincam Isuzus were ONLY released in Japan. EG - I thought Kiwi (NZ) Piazzas were DOHC whereas by the time our local-losers GMH launched it in 1986, they had gone to SOHC-turbos.
Now I understand there were many G200Z Piazzas.

The G200W is great if you want an engine that costs very little to beat V8s etc using lowdown torque (eg, 400Nm@3k RPM), or just a great reliable torquy & possibly fuel efficient engine.
(If you want hi-RPM power, for Pete's sake, use a newer 16V engine!)


But great model - I'll keep it in mind for future searches. (Though I still have a unassembled virgin 1/20 Piazza XE DOHC.)
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Post by Piazza_man »

You're right on with the G200W version. I love torque myself. If I ever got another Piazza I would probably go that route or some thing newer tech. Which reminds me, my brother-in-law he saw a valiant Charger at an all-Chrysler motor show in Albury last year. The thing about this car was that it had everything from a 300c shoved into it. And I mean everything: entire driveline, suspension, motor, ECU, seats, dashboard. Bloody everything. So you now have a late-tech charger. I'm told it drew huge crowds. so I was thinking can something be done with these cars. What would be the donor late tech car? It would have to be something Isuzu wouldn't it?
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Post by IZU069 »

Wait for the alleged re-release models.
The Bellett GT-R is one, but there was a lot of spec about the other.

Some reckon the 117 - stylish, and Japan's first EFI.

I'd like to see the Piazza for its "fku GM" and as a car years ahead of its time.
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Post by wedgenut »

I thought Kiwi (NZ) Piazzas were DOHC whereas by the time our local-losers GMH launched i
The first Piazzas sold new in NZ by GM WERE DOHC, digi dash and 13" wheels, some had steel wheels with silly little hub caps and some had three piece mags and others had monobloc mags. They only sold for a year or maybe slightly longer before the SOHC's became the norm with 14" mags and that was the end of the digi dash as well thank god.
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Post by IZU069 »

Ah - then I misunderstood the correction to my historical misunderstanding...

So NZ DOHC Piazzas were not necessarily special or private imports as they are here.

And its break the rule that DOHCs were for Japanese consumption only (specials excepted).

Any idea how many DOHCs came in?
I assume circa 1981?
(My other old thought was that Piazzas were ONLY DOHC (G200W) - there were no G200Z versions...)

And hence maybe I was right when I said my Piazza G200W came from NZ (not that I recall why...).
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Post by wedgenut »

The first ones were late 1981 and I think the last were early 1983, I have no idea how amny of them were sold and it is not possible now to find out, the records don'tidentify variants, only models qand when I last checked the records there were only 3 cars still on the active list from pre 1984. That is sold new of course, later on we did get a lot of early used ones coming in from japan. They are impossible to analyse as there is insufficient data available
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Post by Piazza_man »

IZU069 wrote:A REAL Piazza! (G200W)

And 1/10th - wow!

There are other models around and 1/20th were reasonably common.
But 1/10th!

BTW - if interested in value, do not modify/destroy an original, and keep all parts of you do. (That gos for the 1:1 scale models as well!)
Really sorry ISU069, but I just checked and model is in fact a 1/20th scale. Your comments prompted me to check again, since I haven't touched it for so long. :prayer: I will amend the subject line now. I feel like such a dill now.
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Post by IZU069 »

Good - I need another dill. I've had a few too many myself lately.

Thanks for providing your good company!


So, howzabout we make a 1/10th then? But wait until I complete my 1/20. Maybe even after my 1:1 too...

Thanks too for saving me another item for my search list - I want less, not more.

& BTW - it's a damn nice model anyhow... the detail! (Sure that through-window dash view isn't from a 1:1 with a missing T-handle?)
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Post by Piazza_man »

Well picked up there re the T bar. I'm sure it's somewhere in the cabin, perhaps under the seat, who knows. I was meticulous with this one. All the body panels were primed and sanded before painting. The seats have glued on cotton an painted fabric for a more authentic look. The suspension was custom lowered. I got special fluro paint just to put some finishing touches on the instrument cluster. The headlights were also tinted to mimic the 1:1 version.

BTW were these models that common here? It took me a while to find one. Do you think they are still available?
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Post by IZU069 »

eBay might have them.
They certainly have heaps of Bellett models, but rarer ones like the 117, MX1600 & Piazza come up from time to time.

I think I got mine from a hobby shop in Sydney in the early 1990s (along with heaps of Bellett GT-R models for the local Bellett club).


Bingo! From the 2nd 1990 Bellettmania (March 1990):
"Those at the last meeting may have seen the 1/32 scale Bellett GTR models and 1/20 scale Piazza XE model which I brought along.
These were obtained through Sherriffs Mini Cars of Sydney (Shop 28, Parramall, Horwood Place, Parramatta 2150, ph 02-635 9551) for $12.95 (GTR) and $29.95 (Piazza) each.
"
(Ain't IT systems great!)
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Post by Piazza_man »

Here's a picture of the box that I built mine from. It's a Bandai product. Couldn't find any more available on the net though.
Image

From what I could see on the net there is also a 1/24 scale model from Fujimi, which appears still available
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