The Lamborghini Miura is an icon in automotive history, a car considered by some to be the sexiest ever made.  Kyosho’s latest effort with the Lamborghini badge is the Miura Jota SVJ.  Based on past Kyosho efforts with the Lamborghini brand, one would assume we have another work of art, which is unfortunately not the case here.  The model lacks the refinement and passion that previous releases gave us.  The Jota SVR, for example, maybe Kyosho’s best effort to date, but for some reason, the execution and passion behind the Miura Jota SVJ is nowhere as good…

The exterior of the Miura Jota SVJ does capture the essence and beauty, but on closer inspection, the cracks do appear on the surface – not small ones either!  Panel gaps and shutlines are horrible on all fronts; friends, the photos don’t lie here.  The model feels cheap and lifeless; better quality control can be found on a $25 Maisto.  Some of the major flaws include the window to a-pillar, door to the front hood and rear hood to upper cock-pit gaps, which are all extremely poor.  The rivet work throughout is poor at best, with the silver paint adhering to certain areas in inconsistent patches.

I compared the model to an older Miura SV and found a considerable weight difference.  It seems metal was replaced with plastic.  Now, I’m okay with that to an extent but at least have the plastic bits show the realism and definition.  Even the perforated grilles (whichever that were not replaced with poor decals) look cheap and out of place.  Come on, Kyosho, it’s 2014, get with the program or move away from the diecast hobby!  We deserve better than this…  The only saving grace here is the beauty of the Miura’s body lines, but that can only take you so far.

The wheels are simple at best.  A lot of inconsistent rubber line through.  It seems a 5th grader put the specimen together.  Though there is depth behind the outer wheels, the materials used look cheap and unrefined.

The engines on past Kyosho Miuras were a work of art. At first glance, the Miura Jota SVJ does seem to show some promise, but on further inspection, the material and overall execution lack the brilliance of past efforts.  It looks too generic, and everything feels way too fragile.  The front section does have a lot of detail as did the older releases but lacks the refinement we are accustomed to.

The interior seems to capture all the elements of the 1:1, though carpeting is shoddy, and again, quality control raises its hand here too.  The chrome grab handles just to the left of the driver seat is missing in action.  The two holes are present in the lining though, LOL.

What can I say without sounding too harsh?  The photos don’t lie here folks, as they say, the proof is in the pudding…  The model is bad, very bad.  I don’t recommend it, especially at the $115-$125 price point this piece is selling for today.  Unless you’re a Lamborghini fanatic I would say a BIG pass here!  Kyosho has been suffering from many setbacks over the last few years.  I understand shit happens and I’m willing to forgive, BUT this has been a common theme lately and for too long.  Instead of striving for improvement, Kyosho seems to be taking a few steps back.  I’d be ashamed to release something like this to the market that bears the Kyosho stamp.  Kyosho, maybe it’s time you dropped the anchor on diecast and focused on your radio control business…  A lacklustre “enjoy the pics”.