AMT/Ertl Lexus LS 400- Review

When is an AMT/Ertl kit.... not an AMT/Ertl kit? When it's an Aoshima kit, with Aoshima decals, and an AMT/Ertl instruction sheet all swaddled up in an AMT/Ertl box.

First, let's discuss the car. By 1989, Toyota had established themselves by building solid, reliable vehicles that were sort of dull and plebian in nature. In a bold move, Toyota chose to take on the well-established luxury brands with a luxury brand of their own, Lexus. And every flagship brand needs a flagship product.

Enter the V8-powered, full-sized, rear-wheel-drive LS 400, based on the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) Toyota Celsior. Many scoffed at this new entry, but it's simple, understated design, coupled with Toyota's established engineering acumen, all but ensured that Lexus would become a major player in the luxury segment. And that Lexus did, quickly outselling many of the established luxury makes within its first few years. Cadillac procured one for R&D purposes disassembling and dissecting every inch of the new luxury interloper, and came to the determination that they could not even build a similar car using the manufacturing methods they had in place at the time. The LS became the new standard for other manufacturers- it was the benchmark for interior noise levels, panel fit, and overall workmanship. Not only did this car help to launch Lexus as a serious contender in the luxury car segment, it also helped to "bump" the already stellar reputation of it's parent company.

Now, back to the kit. As was stated, the "hard parts" are Aoshima. That is, the plastic and vinyl parts, as well as the decal sheet. There's also a small sheet of photoetch. The instruction sheet is pure AMT/Ertl, and the box art bears the typical AMT logos and cues of the era, but this is an Aoshima kit through and through. It's much like the American SATCO boxing of Aoshima's Nissan Pathfinder, which came a few years later... pure Aoshima kit, with a unique box and an instruction sheet that bore an uncanny resemblence to an AMT/Ertl sheet. (The latter being understandable, as the founder of American SATCO was a former Ertl executive.)

Box art is just a tad fancier than the typical AMT/Ertl box of the era... and look closely. 1:24 scale, and the photo etched parts are clearly called out. The customary Ertl retouching is also present, and just as painfully obvious as it ever was.

The instruction sheet is pure '90's era Ertl, complete with a short history of the 1:1 subject... about all that's missing is the obligatory sketch of the car by Kirk Bell.

The one-piece body shell is well molded. Mold seam lines are present but faint- the problem is they run through some of the engraved detail on the front and rear bumper covers, so you'll need to take care when removing them so you don't distort any details.

The underside parts. This is where the Aoshima lineage really shows through. Though this is a curbside kit with a sealed hood, underside detail is a bit sharper on this kit than in the full-detail Tamiya kits of the Celsior/LS 400.

The interior is well-done, and depicts a proper North American LHD configuration. Two steering wheels are provided- one stock LS, and another one which looks like an aftermarket LeCarra wheel, but it actually a JDM Celsior wheel. You can also see the optional "boomerang" cell phone antenna.

The wheels and tires are well done, and these attach to the suspension via polycaps. The exhaust tips are also on the satin chrome tree. Note that the hucaps are blank- you can use the Lexus logo decals, or the photoetch units supplied.

The glass unit has frosted areas to be painted black, and the taillamp lenses are nicely segmented to aid in appling the required red and amber sections. All glass is relatively thin and free of distortion.

Here's the small photoetch fret, which includes a Lexus script for the trunklid, two large Lexus logos for the grille and trunk lid, and four smaller logos for the hubcaps.

Or, you can use the decals instead, which also includes the gauge panel and two pairs of plates.

I remember building one of these when I was a kid. I don't know, but I must have been a good kid that week, because this kit sold for about three times the price of a regular Ertl release from the period. I think this cost more than the Kenworth T600a, which seemed to be on every store shelf at about the same time! I remember throwing it together, and I don't recall the finished kit being too horrifying to look at, but I have no idea what ever became of it.

Today, you can find these kits for sale with shocking frequency- I've got a couple in the stash and I paid no more than $20 for either one. I think I've run across more of the AMT/Ertl boxing than the original Aoshima kit. I just need to get around to finishing one and taking a few pictures. It's a pleasant kit to build, and it doesn't take much more than clean, careful assembly and detailing to make a really nice model.