Frank Ocean photographs life-size toy BMW racecar in “Scale 1:1”

Scale one to one life size BMW M3 E30 Sport Evo, Tamiya Item 35832 8090 TT-01 chassis RC RWD, remote control toy sports race car driving out of a large toy box, into a field with yellow flowers and trees. The car features logos from different brands.

“Scale 1:1,” Boys Don’t Cry, pp. 280–281.

In his new magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, Frank Ocean published a photographic series titled “Scale 1:1,” featuring a remote-control toy and “life-size” model sports car. He captured the images within a flowery meadow of Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, England.

The photographed car is a late-1980s BMW E30 M3 Sport Evolution. It sports a touring-inspired livery with logos from various unnamed sponsors. The photoshoot juxtaposes children playing with a small RC car (made by the Japanese toy company Tamiya) and an adult driving a full-size version out of a large toy box.

Ocean is a well-known car aficionado and fan of the German manufacturer BMW. The album cover for his 2011 debut project, Nostalgia Ultra, featured an orange BMW E30 M3. He spoke about the car in a 2011 interview with Complex, saying:

That’s my dream car. It’s been my dream car for a minute, that E30 M3. That’s been my shit. I was the kid who had a bunch of car posters and girls in bikinis, all over my wall in middle school.

In his 2016 magazine’s opening letter, Ocean described his experience producing “Scale 1:1” and other articles in Boys Don’t Cry, writing:

I found it romantic, sometimes, editing this project. The whole time, I felt as though I was in the presence of a $16m McLaren F1 armed with a disposable camera. My memories are in these pages, places close by and long, ass-numbing flights away. […] Throwing parties around England and mobbing freeways in four project M3s that I built with some friends. […] Commissioning life-size toy boxes for the fuck of it.

Magazine scans, behind-the-scenes photos, and a transcript of the car’s build sheet are available below.

Scans:

Select a photo above or below to view it fullscreen.

pp. 282–285 (animated)

pp. 286–287 (photo)

YouTube channel banner (@blonded, 2017)

Behind the Scenes:

Transcript:

ENGINE
Type … S52 DOHC
Displacement … 3,152 cc
Bore and Stroke … 86.4 x 89.6 mm
Compression Ratio … 10.5 : 1
Maximum Torque … 524.2 ft-lbs @ 6,500 rpm
Maximum Power … 552 HP

CHASSIS
Wheelbase … 2,562 mm (100.9 in)
Overall Length … 4,345 mm (171.1 in)
Overall Width … 1,680 mm (66.1 in)
Steering … Rack and Pinion
Dry Weight … 2,645 lbs

BRAKES
Front … Wilwood 310 mm, 6 Piston
Rear … Wilwood 310 mm, 4 Piston

SUSPENSION
Front and Rear … H&R RSS Clubsport
Swaybar Front and Rear … 22 mm Front, 19 mm Rear

TIRES
Front … Nitto NT05 235/35/17
Rear … Nitto NT05 255/35/17

Transmission … ZF 5 Speed

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articles, photosOdysseusMilton Keynes, EnglandBoys Don't Cry, magazines, Boys Don't Cry magazine articles, photography, BMW, BMW M3 E30, childhood, Odysseus