Background:

I decided to model something that'd remind me of being on holiday in Asia and also - this HiAce is the second oldest kit in my stash, having been there some 9 years. This model of the Hiace, the H200 - is pretty ubiquitous all over Asia - especially Japan, Thailand and Malaysia amongst others. It is to Asia what the Ford Transit was to the UK during the 70s/80s - Everywhere for everything. This one is inspired by a Japan Rail version I saw online, but I've made this one with the custom parts rather than some bog-standard steel-wheels-and-black-plastic-bumper version of the HiAce.

Pros:

Very well moulded, little cleanup required and nearly everything fits together well. Nice decals, although no number plates. Entire chassis and interior is great.

Cons:

"Fits together" is not the same as "joins together". As is typical with many other Aoshima kits I've built, the overlapping areas they give you to glue parts together are often very small. For example the chrome lights, front bumper and body have a lot of pieces of plasticard overlapping and reinforcing the joints on the inside. And as will be obvious from the photos, the rear hatchback cover does not fit very well at all. I think Aoshima were more interested in the opening feature (a gimmick to my mind) than how well the door sat when closed. Also the entire body sides were a little bowed - since corrected during the build.

Verdict:

It's OK. Very well done in parts and not so in others. I have built better Aoshima kits.

Build notes:

Built over the course of 3 weeks in June/July 2022. Tamiya Pearl White, Racing Green and Gloss Aluminium, with custom decals, including the number plates which are the year of my birth. I've also changed the wheels as the boxed versions were much too bling.

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