1/24 Ferrari Testarossa, year of production?

[marshall]

Probably it's quite unusual to ask about a car model on this forum but some of you may know the answer.



So I have this 1/24 scale Ferrari Testarossa made by Tamiya (number 24059) and I would like to know when this model kit was produced, in what year? On the box and in the assembly instruction I can only find year 1986, is that the year of production of my model? Or is it the year of the start of production and the model kit is made to this day?

[Wurger]

The model was introduced in late 80's as memo serves. So the year in the kit instruction and on the box can indicate the year of starting the kit production generally. However the date might be the year when the moulds were finished as well.Also the date can be found either on main model parts ( like carbodies for instance) or on moulds sprues.If these are the same it can be the year of the model production.

[marshall]

Thank you for the answer.

I looked for the year on the main parts and moulds sprues and all I have found are some 7-digit serial numbers and in one place again 1986 year but the 1986 date is always with this c in circle (copyrights mark).

So I still don't know the year of production, though it's not that important.

But I have another question, for how long usually a model kit is produced? Is it short time when a manufacturer is making a lot of kits and sell them for a long time or are model kits produced for a long time in small amounts?

[Wurger]

So the year seems to be the date of making these moulds..Of course the production process might have lasted a year and then the kit sale was started by shops.

How long a kit can be produced..... humm...this is quite difficult to say.It depends on the reliability of the kit moulds. There are models that are still produced.And these have been producing for 20-30 years. Airfix, KoPro kits for instance. So there is no regularity of that. Also moulds are re-sold to another manufacturer and re-fresh.Then the new boxes, decals etc... are added. How long a kit is produced you can find out looking at the state of parts.Overflows, rough surfaces of parts, many cavities and movings of the mould halves indicate the mould life ending.
Also there are limited series of models.But these can be re-issued ever and again. The life of these moulds is longer of course.

Just of curiosity...why do you want to know when the model was produced.?

[marshall]

Once again thanks.

Why I want to know? I have this model kit for some time now, about 10 years, and I thought that's about time to assembly it, and the model was lying on my desk and my cousin came to me, saw the model and asked how long I have it and it's not done yet? And he asked how old this model is. So I looked on the box and found the 1986 year, and then he said, 'so you want to tell me that this model kit is older than me?' And I didn't know what to answer and that's why I ask. Just curiosity.

[Wurger]

I see now. You can tell him that yes, undoubtedly the kit is older than him..Even if the kit was produced in 1990, am I right?

Personally I can tell you that there is a few old Revell kits in my stash. I suspect they are older than dirt.

[marshall]

He's from 1987 so the kit has to be from 1986 or some early months of 1987.

[Wurger]

So no problem. The kit was bon in 1986....who knows.