Union 1/24 Brabham F.3

The Brabham BT15 is a mid-engined open-wheel Formula 3 racing car, designed, developed, and built by Brabham between 1965 and 1966. 26 cars were built (though the records say 32 extra cars were built; this may be an error). It was powered by a naturally aspirated, 997 cc (60.8 cu in), Ford straight-four engine (the same type of engine used in the Ford Anglia).

This was a kit that I bought from a Facebook seller. It was started and I was assured that everything was there. Getting the kit I looked through it and the seller was mostly correct. Missing was one of the small engine intake trumpets. Finding a direct replacement shouldn't be too difficult as one should be able to be cobbled together using some plastic or brass tubing. The chassis had been built and several other parts like the tires and wheels had been removed from the sprues.

The kit does have some very nice molding and most of the sprues are chromed. Of course, the chrome parts are generally actually aluminum so will need to be stripped and repainted. A nicely detailed suspension is included that provides metal springs to add that extra authenticity to the project. The engine cover can be removed to show engine detail as the kit provides vinyl tubing for the brake lines. A vinyl sprue includes the tires, and interestingly, the exhaust along with the driver's seat.

Instructions are well done and while they are mostly in Japanese, color information is in English. Decals are provided for either the one run by a Japanese driver or one driven by Chris Irwin. Extra numbers are provided so if you have a photo, you can do other cars. Decals are old school Japanese where the whites are actually off-white. Still, they should be viable even after all these years.

An interesting kit by a company that did some very nice ones. Most of their catalogue was reissued by Heller and can still be found from time to time. Well worth picking up if you are into racing cars.

January 2024