Yamaha XS-1100 Midnight Special Tamiya # 16034 1:6 scale
I've alway had an affinity to Black and Gold color scheme, such as Chapman's Johnny Player Special Lotus F-1 cars. So When I saw the Yamaha Midnight Special I had to have it. I had 12 motorcycle builds under my belt by this time, both 1/6 and 1/12.
The kit was crazy expensive and I stumbled on one that had a damaged box and the seller sold rather inexpensively so I snatched it up.
The following data was found on the net from “How Stuff Works”
“The Midnight Special was based on the company's big XS1100 sport-tourer introduced in the late 1970s, the 1981 Yamaha 1100 Midnight Special motorcycle differed from most of its ilk in having a traditional Japanese inline four-cylinder engine rather than the trendy V-twin.
It also featured shaft drive, likewise carried over from the XS.
While an extended fork, teardrop tank, and stepped saddle made it clear this was a cruiser, the double-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine gave it powerful performance unmatched by contemporary V-twins.
Parts that would normally be chromed were covered in "black chrome," such as the exhaust pipes and handlebars, or "gold chrome," as were the air-cleaner cover and rear grab rail.
But while the cruiser trend continued, Yamaha's various Midnight Specials had a fairly short run. And in the case of the 1100, it was also a small run.
With just 250 built for 1980 and another 250 in 1981, they are rare commodities today.” [end]
It was a great build, I liked the shaft drive because I didn't have to deal with painting the chain. The rake of the front fork also appealed to me.
The kit called for the tire lettering to be painted and that was a challenge to me as I had never done it before. Also the gold lettering on the side panels was done with a gold paint sharpie, came out a bit sloppy but I like it anyway.
The outdoor photos were shot with an iPad Pro gen 4 and they have fooled many people who thought it was the real thing. I built this kit in July of 2022. Enjoy the photos. Of the 11, 1/6th bikes i have built in the last 16 months this is one of my favs 😉 ……Cricket
@bikequeen - Fantastic work Cricket. The black and gold really looks great... it's huge!
@brithebuilder thank Brian! I LOVE these 1/6 bikes
Very nice, Cricket (@bikequeen). The black and gold is really a standout. Well done!
That is a fantastic model you've built! As always, I love your attention to all the little details, partially because it demonstrates how much you must enjoy these kits, and partially because it just looks phenomenal. I particularly like the outside shots you've included, because it tones down some of the unnatural reflections of the workbench and makes it look even more like the real thing. Cheers!
Absolutely gorgeous Cricket. At first I thought I it was a photo of the real bike. Looks like the perfect scale.
This is fantastic, Cricket!
@fiveten @eb801 @pb_legend @gblair @brithebuilder. Thank all of you for your comments! I’m glad all pf you liked it as much as i did 🙂
Looks like the real thing Cricket. Thanks for sharing the final result.
All I can say is WOW. Very nicely done.
You can't kid me, Cricket @bikequeen - that's real!
Terrific, Cricket, just terrific, I think it’s your best bike yet. The tyre markings are perfect and really make a difference to the overall look of this wonderful machine.
Nicely done, Cricket. Damn near looks real
Excellent result, Cricket @bikequeen
The black/gold combination looks amazing on this bike.
I can imagine you wanted to have this one added to your collection, you did an outstanding job.
Wauw ein sehr schöne Arbeit sieht gut aus. Gratuliere
OH yeah the golden days of the Cruiser. Japanese outfits would come out with a big bore pavement ripper, then convert them into "choppers" for the "custom" crowd. I know, I had me one, a 1980 Honda CB650 "Custom'.
Yamaha had some great ones, the 650 twin being one, and of course, this beauty.
Your model is superb, hard to tell from looking at a pic of a real one. That battery is amazing, like a shrunken original. Perfect.
Great work Cricket, and as all the comments above, your outdoor photography makes it hard to believe it isn't the real thing. Well done!
I can’t thank all of enough for the kudos and accolades! From around the world no less! This bike was the first 1/6th that I started to pay attention to the tiny details like the fuse box and bolt heads. I would build another if they weren’t over 400 b jacks!
Wow Cricket @bikequeen, exceptional work, you made it look amazing and the details are brilliant.
Really nice work Cricket and that's from a A/C guy who knows nothing about bikes. But I do appreciate good work and attention to detail when I see it.