1/12 Tamiya Texaco Marlboro McLaren M23 Collectors Guide (Original Sealed c.1975 Kit)

 This kit is the latest in my Collectors Series of guides, created to assist collectors and hobbyists of "Big Scale" Automotive and Motorcycle kits. As past guides will show, emphasis in this review will be upon Identification, Kit History, and Features. Less information is provided for actual construction of this kit due to rarity. All kits in these guides are from my personal collection, and none of the information contained here is available in any other forum (that I am aware of). All previous guides have displayed photos of kit contents, and in one case, a vintage sealed kit was opened for review. The vintage sealed Marlboro kit in this guide will unfortunately not be opened for this guide. My appologies, but it is the only sealed example of an original 1975 kit that I know of (anywhere). Fell free to email with comments and corrections.

** The Original c.1975 Tamiya 1/12th Big Scale Kit #14, Texaco Marlboro M23 **

IDENTIFICATION; An original release of this kit is very rare, and due to changing public attitudes concerning Tobacco Advertising, has/had limited the re-issue of this kit. That being said, This kit is the most difficult of all early Tamiya 1/12th scale kits to obtain. To identify an original kit, look to the endpanel of the box and it will have a small black label with the kit number BS1216. This number is not followed by the typical 4 digit number that would have been the kit price in (Japanese) Yen. See box photos below;

You will notice that the front of the box states this is Big Scale Kit #14, but the kit number is out of sequence as BS1216. This was due to a re-alignment of kit numbers in 1973, that resulted from several early kits being re-issued/re-numbered. This kit originally came from Tamiya with celophane shrink wrap sealing the box. If you find a kit without a celophane wrapper, it has been opened. Also of note, The text on the outside of the box is in both English and Japanese and there will be no bar code. All kits specifications on the side panel of the box are in Japanese. This appears to be the standard packaging used by Tamiya after the company moved to their new address of 628 Oshika, Shizuoka City, Japan, in 1973. Internal parts trees are bagged and stapled shut. Parts are molded in White, Black, Gray, and clear plastic. The instructions are written in English and on the lower left front corner will carry a date code of 7509 (September 1975). Original decals will be printed on White paper. Later decals will be on blue paper. All indications are that this kit was only re-issued once in 1979, and I believe the re-issued kit carries kit # BS-12016. Indications are that the re-issue from 1979 also made minor revisions to the engine also. There was a later special edition issued in Japan (special Tamiya event) that came in a plain white box. This special re-issue is usually referred to as a "White Box" kit. I've only seen two of these special editions and believe them to be very rare. Do not confuse this kit with the later "Yardley McLaren" kit. There are several differences in addition to the decal sheet. The Marlboro & Yardley kits have different Air Box, Rear Wing, and small detail items. They are very similar, but some parts trees are specific to each kit. Unopened Marlboro kits are rarely seen. Typically, Opened kits with unopened parts can be found. Beware of deteriorated decals. Replacements can be found (check with seller bestbalsakits here on Ebay) in the aftermarket but are pricey. Also, beware of "Yardley" kits being sold as "Marlboro" kits with addition of Marlboro decals. Prices will always be high, and going higher for this kit. It will never be re-issued.

** 1/12th Scale Texaco Marlboro McLaren M23 Kit History **

When Tamiya released this kit in 1975, they had just moved into a new address and were rapidly expanding several of their model kit lines. The mid 1970's saw Formula One cars moving rapidly into the Aerodynamic Rolling Billboard age, and Tamiya had the 1/12th scale market for these cars pretty much to themselves. The Tamiya McLaren M23 kit represented the F-1 car that had just come off of a very successful 1974 Season in Formula 1 and Indy Car racing. More specifically, the kit represents the McLaren M23B from the first 4 races of 1974. Due to ongoing development during the 1974 F-1 season, the chassis that ran in the 1st race of the season, was very different from the one that ran the last. Historically, the M23 was probably the last single chassis design that  was successful on both sides of the Atlantic (F-1 and Indy). *Keep in mind that the M23's raced in Indy had Alcohol fueled Turbo's with a low cowl over the engines. Definately a challenging scratchbuild. To F-1 fans, this McLaren was one of many cars that ran the Ford Cosworth V-8, and most of these cars are referred to as "The Cosworth Kit Cars". All these teams built their own chassis', but purchased their engines from Ford. The M23 chassis was designed in 1973 by Gordon Coppuck, and McLaren won 3 races with the car that year. For 1974, a few developmental changes were made, and that chassis was known as the M23B. Emerson Fittipaldi won 3 races that year and McLaren won both the Constructors Title, and Fittipaldi won the Drivers Championship. Stateside, the Indy based M23B chassis won the Indianapolis 500 with Johnny Rutherford driving. I think that says it all about this McLaren. With the successful race history of this car, and the Marlboro sponsorship, this was a very popular kit when new. Most were built, and few remain. Tamiya was restricted from re-issuing he kit due to tobacco sponsorship, and this has further restricted supply. Prices will always remain high, and they will eventually make this kit unaffordable. If you have a kit, hold on to it. If you are looking to obtain one, break open the piggy bank......

** Kit Features **

** Fully Detailed Ford DFV Ford/Cosworth V-8 Engine

** Steerable Front Wheels

** Semi Pneumatic Rubber Like Goodyear Racing Tires

** Fully Spung and Functioning Suspension System

** Removable Wheels And Tires

** Removable Engine Cowl And Nose Section

** Kit Pros And Cons **

Pros: A great Formula One kit when released in 1975 and is a classic today. With the race history of the M23B chassis, and Marlboro sponsorship, the kit is highly desirable today. Kit is molded in multiple colors and has plenty of detail expected of 1/12th scale Tamiya kits. Options included for two versions depending on driver and race. A high quality kit and a must-have for the collection.

Cons: Very limited availability due to restrictions on tobacco sponsorship. Kit also has one of the more difficult two-tone paint jobs. Decals do not age well and replacements are not cheap. With rapidly escallating kit values, it is hard to justify building a minty kit. Using this kit to build Johnny Rutherfords 1974 Indy car requires master modeling/scratchbuilding skills. 

Hope you have found this guide helpful. Keep an eye open for more rare kit reviews and guides in the works now. I have some extremely rare kits to add. Any comments and corrections are very welcome. If you have found this guide to be helpful, take a moment to vote. Enjoy!