Big, beautiful, and highly detailed... this is a 1/6 scale plastic model kit from Tamiya, who have been producing models for generations. They have both a 1/12 and a 1/6 motorcycle line, and this is one of the few (the Katana) that they have in both scales. The 1/12 scale version is 7" long (17.78 cm), and is highly realistic, with wheels that turn, front forks that steer, and vinyl tubing to represent brake lines, throttle, clutch, spark plug wires and whatever else. The 1/6 scale version is the next step up... not only the same things that the 1/12 version has, but also real metal springs in the front and rear suspension, meaning that they actually work. The 1/6 version is 14.5" inches long (36.83 cm) long, and in addition to real springs for the suspension, it also has real springs for the kickstand and the main stand, which also work. Very detailed, including metal parts, including small screws and threaded shafts that hold the wheels, swing arm and various other parts in place - the seat and gas tank are held in place by screws rather than being glued, and other parts, such as the cowling and the side panels, snap into place, so they can be removed at any time so the 'interior' of the bike can be checked out, including a battery, ignition and air cleaner. There are detailed painting instructions included, and while most of the paints are what you can find anywhere, some are specific to Tamiya, such as Gun Metal, Flat Aluminum, and Semi-Gloss Black - they can be picked up from a reseller here on Amazon, or directly from Tamiya USA. The body color is Gloss Aluminum, and for that, I'd recommend the Tamiya spray paint. For instances where you need to touch up any chrome parts, I'd recommend Testor's Metallic Silver paint marker. Numerous decals, including three different ones for the choke, and as with the 1/12 version, there's a lot of vinyl tubing to represent all of the cables. You do need a certain level of skill to build this, but in the end it is very much worth it.
