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George Williams
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Tamiya 1/12th Yamaha YZR-M1 50th Anniversary U.S. Inter-colouring Edition

June 12, 2015 · in Automotive · · 24 · 3.4K

For some reason when I logged on this morning I discovered that I could post pictures and articles again, so here goes! 2005 was 's 50th anniversary, and they were determined to win as many world championships as they could. 2005 was also the year that the first US GP for eleven years was held at Laguna Seca. To celebrate, the team's bikes were finished in a one off colour scheme reminiscent of the great Kenny Robert's machines in the 1970s and 1980s. No 46, ridden by Valentino Rossi, finished in 3rd place, with his team mate, Colin Edwards, achieving 2nd. Valentino Rossi went on to win the riders' championship, and Yamaha also took the manufacturers' and teams' trophies. have released a number of Yamahas from different years and various liveries, and I think this one is possibly the most attractive. It's a typical Tamiya kit, no real problems, and is supplied with decals by Cartograph. The only real modification I made was to drill out the ventilation holes in the rear brake disc. Thanks for looking. George.

Reader reactions:
8  Awesome

7 additional images. Click to enlarge.


24 responses

  1. Good to see your dilemma is solved, George. And a stunning "first" post it is...beautiful build and accompanying photography as well.

  2. Greetings :
    That is an eye catcher George, very nice. The photography helps it stand out and is also fitting.

  3. YES ! great colors for this bike !
    Good job...congratulations

  4. said on June 13, 2015

    An exquisite rendition of arguably the nicest thing on two wheels! Well done!

  5. I'm always amazed at the wealth of detail in these Tamiya bike kits. One or two others here have previously posted builds, including a WIP or two, and the delicacy of the parts is noteworthy.

    A smart looking project, George.

  6. Good to see you back George, nice posting, takes me back all those years to the days of either the Yamaha RD or the Suzuki GT`s plus the Kawasaki KH to.
    Great kits those Tamiya ones.

  7. Another beauty George……just out of curiosity, how many bike models have you built? It would be great to see a group shot.

  8. Super job on this bike. I look forward to a Harley-Davidson "hog" built by you.

  9. Awesome George! It looks like the real one! Have you built all the Tamiya M1's now?
    I nearly bought an R1 with these graphics. The mileage was a bit high though so I bought my white and red one in the end.
    I've just got back from the IOM TT. I used to think I was fairly fast till I stood at the bottom of Bray Hill for the super bike race! I've never seen anything like it!

  10. Hi Richard, I know you are a fan of these Yamahas. I've got seven M1s now, and could build plenty more using after market decal sets, but I think that's enough for now. Next up is the Panigale, I've got the same tricolour decal set as you, which I really like, but I'm quite tempted to do a white one, what do you think?

  11. Its always great to see your perfect and flawless racing machines, George !
    Stunning build, great result, well presented 🙂

  12. Fantastic build! And the photography really brings out the detail, making this look real if I didn't already know it was a model. Top work!

  13. George, that is a beauty! First rate!

  14. Ah George another beautiful and Inspiring bike build - I love the yellow you've used, amazing work.

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