Building a Tiny F1 Car in 36 Minutes Is Satisfying To Watch

Over the past two years, I've received a Ferrari 488 GTE kit from Lego (1/10 scale with 1,677 pieces) and a Mazda RX-7 FC from Aoshima (1/24 scale and a lot fewer parts). I'm ashamed to say that I wouldn't have completed any of them without the help of my skilled cousin. I've admired custom diecast artists for their results, but I haven't seen any enthusiasts build model cars.

When I came across this Japanese hobbyist, I was glued to the screen for almost 30 minutes straight. That rarely happens, as I usually skip from one video to another. But I'm a big fan of old F1 cars and am always willing to pay attention to a true artisan at work. The vehicle he's building is a replica of the 1991 Team 7UP Jordan 191, specifically the one that Andrea de Cesaris drove for the British Grand Prix.

The Italian driver didn't finish the race but still took P9 in the championship by the end of the year. The company that developed this model car is Tameo Kits from Italy. Browsing through their website will take plenty of time, as their portfolio includes over 400 models. I'm sure at least one collector has all of them under the same roof. And I'd love to interview him and see the display upfront. I've found the Jordan 191 for about $50 on various platforms, so you can imagine how much a complete collection would cost.

The artist you see here has split the building process into 20 phases. But I've found the instruction book for the kit, and it's more of a 50-step process. Although this is a 1/43rd-scale replica, all the parts are still relatively tiny. And there's no way you can finish working on it without the correct set of tools. Building the suspension arm feels like the trickiest part, but working on the seatbelts looks equally daunting. This kit is not meant for novices, as it's more complex than my Aoshima model at home.

And it should be, as it's more than twice as expensive. I tried to find some alternatives online, and you'll see products from Ixo, Minichamps, and Spark. At first glance, some will cost more than $200, even more expensive than buying Hot Wheels. At the end of it all, seeing the finished build reminds me of something my grandmother used to say: Dinner tastes much better when you have to prepare it yourself.