To Quote from the Instructions:

"At the outset of the season, Team Movistar was immediately rated as one of the chief contenders for the 2004 World Championship titel. Team manager Gersini had re-signed S. Gibernaou, one of the best riders of 2003 and C. Edwards, returning to Honda after a period with Aprilia. Team Movistar lived up to expectations with Gibernaou engaging in unforgettable duels with V. Rossi and the other world championship racers. With 4 GP wind under his belt, this Spanish rider took second place in the final standings and, together with his American team-mate, put Telefonica Movistar in second place in team standings as well - ahead of the Honda factory Repsol team."

I've gotta tell you that if you like your models big, then this is one for your. The  kit is molded in several shades of plastic and includes metal bits for the suspension, fuel tank and the trailing arms. Pneumatic tires are included  and many of the sprues are painted in accurate brushed aluminum or molded in blue to help with painting. To show all the bits would take up an entire floor so I've left the bits in their bags for the sprues shot.

As you might imagine, much of the construction involves building the V-6 engine for this cycle. The instructions are top notch and provide detailed painting information as the assembly process moves along. In this scale, every bit can be easily seen so there are quite a few parts. Quite a few decals for the engine as well. The process then moves on to the chassis, assembly of the wheels, and then to the exhaust, which is somewhat complex. Of course, much of this will eventually be hidden by the fairings that are so common with racing motorcycles.

Those areas that need the greatest structural strength are held together by nuts and bolts. Tubing is also included for brake lines and engine plug wires and cooling lines, for these motorcycles are liquid cooled. A stand for the rear end is included to allow you to display the finished motorcycle.

The decal sheet for this is huge and fills much of what is a really large box. It is way too large for my scanner so I had to resort to laying it on the ground and photographing it. What isn't shown is an additional sheet of carbon fibre decals for use in various areas during construction. The decals are first rate and offer options for either of the two riders for the 2004 season.

I was impressed by the earlier 1/9th bike and this one is just that much more impressive. It will make into a superlative model when done and should cause a lot of interest when shown at events or just to friends.

Kit instructions.

May 2006

Thanks to   and DLV Company for the review kit. You can find Italeri kits at your favorite hobby shop or on-line at www.testors.com