Being a builder of dioramas that do not fit the status quo found in the world of plastic modelling where military themes mostly prevail, and somewhat limited in terms of creative thinking, I often scour the internet for sources of inspiration. I stumbled across articles about Dubai’s epidemic of luxury cars that are simply left abandoned at airports, parking lots, and even at building sites. This was right up my alley, but at the time I was mostly into building rust buckets. Then someone challenged me to make a “shiny car”. I decided to show the sceptics that I could indeed build a decent-quality “shiny car”, but (secretly) decided to leave it abandoned in Dubai.
I had a 1/24 scale Revell la Ferrari kit in my stash that I decided to use. What follows, is a picture story of the build process. It was not an easy kit to build because the instructions were a bit muddled, but I nonetheless had fun building it..
I started with the engine.....
For those who want to know more about WHY cars are abandoned in Dubai, please read on. (Disclaimer: this is based on what I have read on the internet, so please no threats of jihad, bodily harm or law suits, etc)
So why are so many cars abandoned in Dubai? The answer is simple: under Sharia law, which is observed across the majority of the Middle East, non-payment of debt is a criminal offence.
The bulk of cars abandoned (and now impounded) in Dubai are there because foreigners (apparently usually Brits) who went to work in Dubai, suffered and could not maintain their high-flying lifestyles when the UAE was hit by hard times due to the recent global financial crisis. Some people not only abandoned their cars, but often also their houses. Simply to avoid going to prison. The same could apply to a local, who simply wanted to “keep up with the Jones’”, but the end result is the same – park and skip town so as to avoid going to prison! Sometimes accumulated fines outweigh the value of the car, so the owner simply parks it and skip town!
What exacerbates the problem is that it is easy to incur debt in Dubai.
After a while (a long while!!), the cars are removed and impounded. If, after another LONG while, they are still there, then they are put up for auction. These are usually bought up by car dealers and the cars are resold.
Sources:
https://gulfnews.com/news/uae/general/thousands-of-abandoned-cars-seized-in-dubai-sharjah-1.1383960
https://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/the-story-behind-dubais-abandoned-supercars
https://www.quora.com/What-happens-to-all-the-abandoned-cars-in-Dubai-Can-I-import-those-into-the-USA
and of course..... google
Tamiya TS 45 - Pearl White
There. I stepped up to the challenge and made a shiny car.
Then the owner left Dubai and returned home.
And months later….
Completed in April 2018