Aoshima 1/12 Honda NSR 250R/SP

The NSR250 series of two stroke motorcycles were manufactured between 1985 and 1996. The engine is a 249cc 90° V-twin liquid cooled 2-stroke with crankcase reed valve induction via twin naturally aspirated carburetors. The bike was used extensively in racing in the very competitive 250cc class.

Bore and Stroke: 54mm × 54.5mm The gearbox is a 6 speed constant mesh cassette type with multi-plate wet clutch. The MC18 crankshaft was sold as a complete assembly by Honda. Hence, individual crankshaft components were not readily available making it very difficult to rebuild the crankshafts. This crankshaft part is no longer an available part from Honda, which can make restoration of these machines difficult. However, these types of parts can often be found in the aftermarket.

If you have seen or built any Aoshima motorcycle kits, then you know that they are superbly done and very detailed. This one is no exception and contains so many sprues that the box is nearly bulging with them.

The two cylinder 250cc water cooled engine is superbly done with enough detail to please most modelers. This is trapped between a very nicely done frame. The kit includes a spring for the rear suspension. Vinyl or rubber tires are provided for the kit. The kit also includes a very complete exhaust and a well done front fork assembly. Thanks to the large scale, there is detail galore everywhere you look. The kit also provides vinyl tubing for the brake lines and there are several diagrams in the instructions to show how these are to be place.

These sorts of bikes are generally enclosed in a fairing and this one is no different. It is almost a shame to hide all of that work under a cowling, though it does seem as if these parts can be made to be removable if the builder so chooses. A nice touch for those who want to show off their work and have the fairings in place is that these are also provided in clear plastic. The only other option on the kit is to have the kickstand up or down. As it does not come with a rider, I would assume most would have it down to help display the bike.

Instructions are very well done with nicely drawn construction steps. Gunze paint reference numbers are used throughout and the majority of what you find in the instructions is in Japanese. The decal sheet is very nicely printed and provides all the logos and stripes for the box art bike, which is mostly in white. Also included are masks for the light cover and windscreen.

So there you have it. Another superb and very detailed large scale bike kit from Aoshima. If this sort of thing is your penchant, then you will be quite pleased with this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_NSR250R

May 2012