Model Kits
[ Written by: Qwertz9586 ] [ First Posted: July 15, 2005 ] [ Last Modified: February 17, 2010 ]Review
Have you ever wondered if there were any Taurus model kits that resemble the real car? You find yourself going to Wal-Mart or Toys 'R Us and just find an endless supply of NASCAR Taurus kits. Same goes for online. Well, there just so happens to be a Taurus model kit of a 1989 and 1991 SHO. But that's just it. There's no other models kits besides those and the NASCAR kits.
AMT/Ertl is the only company to make the Taurus SHO kit. They have two molds. One is the 1989 SHO and the other is the 1991 SHO. Both molds were used to make the police cars kits too so even the Taurus police car model kits were SHOs. They are all molded in a whitish-gray color, except for the windows, tail lights, wheels, tires, and some engine parts. The headlights, wheels, and some engine parts are chromed plated plastic. The 1989 SHO kit has Basketweaves and the '89 dashboard. The 1991 SHO kit has Slicers and the '90/'91 dashboard. The 1989 SHO kit rides kind of high while the 1991 SHO kit rides slightly lower, but still rather high for a SHO. The police car kits added a Jetsonic lightbar, bumper guards, flat dish hubcaps, computer, radio, antenna, guns, and a cage as well as the SHO and Enkei wheels. These models kits are discontinued, but they do occasionally show up on eBay. Just note, it's not a "rare" kit because AMT/Ertl made a lot of these kits in the early '90s just like any other car. It's just that there is a limited supply of these kits and AMT/Ertl doesn't make it anymore.
Pros:
This kit is very detailed! There are a lot of little pieces that are separate. These pieces include the oil filter, power steering pulley, alternator, valve covers, timing belt cover, fan belt and pulleys, transaxle, half-shafts, tie-rods, power brake booster, brake master cylinder, front MacPherson struts, rear Quadralink suspension, DIS module, battery, air box and intake hose, intake manifold, engine subframe, oil pan, and exhaust heat shields as well as the standard model kit parts. Also, the Ford and Taurus badges are molded into the plastic.
Cons:
This kit is very poor quality. A lot of work is needed to make it look and fit right. The casting marks must be sanded off in order to look nice. Also it requires a lot of sanding to make the parts fit. Painting is a must! You can get away with just gluing it together, but it'll look horrible and cheap. It's not for 10-year-olds like the box says. It's recommended for intermediate and expert model builders. Beginners will have trouble with painting and building this kit (I know first hand). A real steady hand will also help in painting. Masking tape helps some of the time if you don't slather the paint on there and make a watery mess. The tail lights are molded in clear red plastic so the reverse lights are also red. It will take a lot of work to correct that. Most people just leave it as-is since it's not a huge detail that detracts from the model. Also, the window piece is missing the rear side windows on the back doors. As any Taurus owner can tell you, the windows in the rear doors only go down half-way so you can't just give off the illusion that the windows are all the way down on the kit. The ride height is really high. You'll need to tweak the suspension parts to make it look more normal. There is no decal for the Ford and Taurus badges so they will require painting.
See Also:
Go back to the top of the page1988 Release
This is the 1988 release of the '89 Taurus SHO. Wheel choices are the stock Basketweaves or Enkei aftermarket rims. It's funny, the Basketweaves are solid like a hubcap, but the Enkei wheels have cutouts between the blades to view the disc brakes.
1990 Release
The Basketweaves have a solid center cap rather than having the lug nuts exposed. The dashboard and steering wheel appears to be the same as the '89 kit.
1990 Police Car
This kit was released in 1990. It's almost similar to the Taurus SHO kit released the same year. As with the police car kits, this kit includes a Jetsonic lightbar, bumper guards, flat dish hubcaps, computer, radio, antenna, guns, and a cage. It's interesting to note that it also contains the Basketweaves and the Enkei wheels. This is the only kit to have the real police package grille with the cooling slots. The downside is that the cooling slots are a decal.
1990 RoboCop
This kit was released in 1990. It's almost similar to the Taurus SHO kit released the same year. As with the police car kits, this kit includes a Jetsonic lightbar, bumper guards, flat dish hubcaps, computer, radio, antenna, guns, and a cage. It's interesting to note that it also contains the Basketweaves and the Enkei wheels.
1991 Release
The Basketweaves have been replaced by Slicers and the dashboard and steering wheel have been updated. Interesting to note, the Slicers are solid between the blades. The ride height also appears to be lower than previous models. This kit also adds a spoiler to the model (as a seperate piece).
1991 Rescue 911
This kit was released in 1991. It's almost similar to the Taurus SHO kit released the same year. As with the police car kits, this kit includes a Jetsonic lightbar, bumper guards, flat dish hubcaps, computer, radio, antenna, guns, and a cage. It's interesting to note that it also contains the Slicers and the Enkei wheels. This kit has been produced until the mid '90s and is often mistaken for a 1992-1995 police package because of the paint scheme on the box.
2003 RoboCop
The original kit was released in 1990. This is a 2003 rerelease of the kit. It was produced in limited numbers. The funny thing is, this uses the 1991 mold instead of the 1988 mold. This means the dashboard and steering wheel are different and there are Slicers instead of Basketweaves. It still includes the Enkei wheels. As with the police car kits, this kit includes a Jetsonic lightbar, bumper guards, flat dish hubcaps, computer, radio, antenna, guns, and a cage. Oddly enough, it also comes with the spoiler from the 1991 SHO kit.
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