1/24 Revell BMW Williams FW23

Modeling Descriptions and Photos

BMW Williams FW23, Juan Pablo Montoya
I will come out and say this. I am a die hard BMW Williams fan. Ever since BMW returned to Formula One business, I have been putting my eyes on those blue machines. Before that, I followed Ferrari just like everyone else did.

Ralf Schumacher is a good driver, but Juan Pablo Montoya makes me quite exciting. He is the real deal. I saw him winning the Italian G.P. last year and I saw him passing Michael Schumacher wheel to wheel on several occasions. Mind you though, he is no rookie. Even though the year 2002 is only his second year at Formula One seat, he has already won the 2000 CART championship as well as the famous Indy 500 event in US before making his way into the big boy's club.

BMW Williams FW23, Juan Pablo Montoya
When I heard Revell was producing FW23 kit, I was thrilled. I already knew that Studio 27 offers the very same kit with better quality in 1/20th scale, I wanted to get my hands on the Revell kit just because I really wanted to try this out in 1/24 scale plastic.

The truth is that the kit is actually a big disappointment. It lacks parts and detail, and it builds horribly. I will put my official review in writing, "It's a horribly designed kit". The tires are the worst parts. They are totally wrong in scale, shape, and fit. I am already looking for a replacement.

Now having said that, I "like" the kit and I will do what I can to make this kit look the very best.

Horrible!
The picture on the left is from the Studio 27's kit. The one on the right is from the Revell-Germany. Let's just compare them. The Revell's tires are low profile tires! The groove is all wrong too! Horrible!

What is Wrong with These Tires?
1. Wrong proportional profile. 2. Rough edges. 3. Wrong groove thickness. 4. Uneven grooves.

I am not sure if I should use these tires or find a replacement. I know Tameo makes them in 1/24 scale and some of the 1/24 scale die-cast F1 cars come with better tires too. For now, I will try to make the best of these tires. I paid ~$20 for the kit, it doesn't make sense to spend another $20 to just replace the tires, right? We will see...

Heat and Shave
When I track my car, I used to run shaved tires which were treated with a heat cycle to gain extra seconds of lap time. TireRack (on-line tire distributor) used to provide this service for $15 per tire. The process is that they take a new tire and shave off 2/3rd of the treads to make the tire light and to prevent the deformity as the tire spins.

Then the tire is basically baked (cool/heat/cool/heat...) in an oven to break down the rubber compound so it can grip the surface better. At this point, the tires feel like gels. This is how I kill brand new tires by just running 20 laps.

Anyway, I thought this "shave and heat" process might work well with these Revell tires as well; I heated the tires in hot water and started shaving them carefully by using my trusty Dremel.

Before and After
This is how the original tire looked. After my "shave and heat" process, it is almost acceptable!

Can it be?
The tires now looked okay, but I didn't know what to do with the wrong side profile. This is going to throw off the car. This is a F1 car, not a GT car. Ultimately, I came to a decision to ditch these tires and find something else.

Replacement
I was continuously looking for a replacement and finally I found a die cast model from eBay that would satisfy my requirement. This is a 1/24 die-cast model from Hotwheels. I picked this up for a $10.00 bid. Not bad at all. The car is actually okay, it would be also fun to just re-do the painting and the decal work to make it better. This car came with a tool box and a fuel pump as a set.

Perfect!
Oh, this is beautiful! The tires on this car was so much better and so accurate in terms of its shape and size. Maybe Mattel and Revell can get together and come up with a deal! I detached the wheels from the car and started working on the conversion.

Big Difference!
I will work on the rear tires first. Check out the size between the Revell tire and Hotwheel tire. The difference is very obvious.

Removing Existing Wheel/Tire
I soaked the tire in warm water so I can easily take the wheel out. With some twisting effort, the wheel came out without any problem.

Test Fitting
The replacement wheels do fit correctly. At least I know that Revell had one thing going right.

Removing the Tire Marking
I thought the tire markings were printed, but the masking tape wouldn't lift them. I took 400 grade sand paper and lightly sanded down the markings.

Wheel Finish
First I used Alum. Metalizer and buffed it to bring out a bright shine. Then I painted smoke (Tamiya X-19) to tone down the shine. Finally, I wrap up the finish by coating a clear. These entire steps can be saved if you use Alcad II Dark Alum. paint...

Before and After
Check out the size with the Revell set and the replacement!

Comparison
The wheel finish came out satisfying although I could have used Alcad II paint to do the same thing better. The tires are treated with clear as well, but I will eliminate the shine by applying a flat coat later.

Smoked and Buffed!
Basically, all wheels are buffed and smoked. I have three other wheels to finish...

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