I think that this (or the McLaren M23) was the first kit that started the 1/20 F1 genre. Mind you, Tamiya didn't invent the 1/20 scale. Other Japanese manufacturers were making 1/20 road car kits in the 1970s and '80s (which you can sometimes find in second hand shops here), but only Formula One kits have lasted. This kit came with a geared axle, and electric contacts if you wanted to install an electric motor in an extra, laughably oversized DFV engine to hold it. (Tamiya wasn't the only manufacturer that made kits to hold electric motors and batteries back then, either.) This is another build with no clear coat - just the recommended Tamiya (rattle can spray) paint, and lots of hand polishing. There was no "super fine" polish back then, so tiny surface scratches are visible, up close - or maybe I didn't have the cleanest polishing rag. I remember I had to order an extra set of decals, to double up all the yellow and white ones so they wouldn't show through / be semi-transparent.
