Tamiya Honda CB750F 1:12 – step by step build guide

Feature Article with Geoff Coughlin

Initial thoughts

One of my objectives for 2026 is to try and have a go at a few models that are well outside my comfort zone and this build, a Honda CB 750F motorcycle definitely falls into that category – I’ve never built a bike before!

Why do it? Well, why not? I have always loved looking at models of motorbikes, real or models and back in the day those built by Andy Hoare from the Barnet IPMS group were fantastic. That was my local club then, although I moved away many years ago now.

Obviously I owe an apology to any of you ‘bike’ modellers out there, I’m bound to refer to parts in the kit and on real bikes by incorrect names and that won’t be the worst of it. Okay, that’s the apology out of the way and I’m not going to apologise again! The fact that I call this kit a ‘bike’ is that even correct? I’ve no idea, I have no knowledge of motor bikes at all and that’s bound to bite me in the bum during this project but one thing is for sure, I want to have some fun and end up with a motorcycle model that won’t look too shabby on the SMN stand in the future. If it goes okay, I’d love to build more – there really is a huge choice for modellers from what I can see.

(Photo: Honda CB750 Special (2007 Tokyo Motor Show). This motorcycle is similar (and different of course) to the model depicted in the kit – what a great looking motorcycle this is. Courtesy PekePON)

VIDEO DEMO

What’s the plan?

Apart from having some fun and completing a motorcycle model, I want to try and learn some new skills and I can see plenty of scope for challenge and learning new skills in this project – here are a few questions and thoughts that immediately spring to mind from someone who’s never built a kit like this before:

• How am I going to tackle all that chrome?
• How can I get rid of the join lines (especially on the chrome parts like the exhausts) and still end up with a convincing chrome finish on those parts?
• What’s the assembly sequence? I can already see that I’m going to have to build and paint this project in smaller sub-assemblies and bring them together slowly
• What colour scheme shall I pick – what’s shown on the box or go rogue? Undecided at the moment.

I definitely plan to build this one out of the box, no plans at all at this stage to try and research and add or change anything – I want to get to grips with an assembly and painting sequence – the basics of motorcycle modelling.

Definitely no weathering either on this project – that can wait for another motorcycle down the line, assuming this one doesn’t put me off for life!

I chose this model at my local model shop, Access Models in Newark on Trent and mainly because I recognised the bike from my youth and it was quite a bit cheaper than many of the newer offerings from Tamiya and others on the shelves.

Getting underway…