Build it, display it, and enjoy it! 1/24th scale Dax is now available as a capsule toy!

Parts & Accessories
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Capsule toys may be the fastest growing modeling genre today. The "1/24 Honda Dax ST50" released by Platz Ltd., a company that handles authentic scale models, is an easy and authentic kit item that can be enjoyed as a plastic model.

1/24 Scale Daks by a Full-Scale Model Manufacturer

Platz Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer of plastic models in a wide range of genres, from car models to motorcycles, trains, and airplanes. In May, Platz released a capsule toy, the "1/24 Honda Daks ST50," made from a completely new mold. 2026 marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda Motor Co. The capsule toy is a completely new mold of Honda's famous motorcycle, the "DUCKS.

At 1/24th scale and approximately 65mm in length, it's just the right size for displaying on a desk.

The Honda Dax ST50 was a leisure bike released in 1969, and its descendant, the Dax 125, is still sold today. It has a unique pressed backbone-type frame, a Super Cub-type engine, and a low, long wheelbase design reminiscent of a dachshund. With its folding handlebars and a gas tank that prevented gasoline from leaking even when the bike was placed on its side and loaded into a car, it was popular during the leisure bike boom of the time. This time, Platz has modeled the "Daks Honda ST50 Export" with upswept fenders on the front and an upswept muffler. It comes in four colors: Sapphire Blue, Daisy Yellow, Hematite Gray, and Ruby Red, and is easily assembled as a kit. The main parts are painted, and the emblems and other details are represented by water-transfer decals for an authentic finish.

The features and balance of the Daks are perfectly reproduced, making this a very well-made kit.

The main parts are painted and finished, and emblems are reproduced with water-transfer decals.

The engine fins and other parts are omitted, but the muffler heat guard holes and other parts are well reproduced.

The front fenders are up-type and the muffler is also up-type so the export is reproduced.

After hearing about the release, I immediately went to a large capsule toy store in Shinjuku to spin the capsule. 4 times, I got a dubbed "Daisy Yellow" and was unable to get a "Ruby Red". I opened the capsule and was smitten by the contents, as expected of a plastic model manufacturer. I decided to assemble one of the dubbed "Daisy Yellow" models right away.

Four types of colors are available, making it highly collectible. The author was unable to obtain only the Ruby Red.

I actually tried to make it.

When the capsule is opened, the parts are divided into small pieces and placed in a plastic bag. The accompanying booklet contains only instructions on how to apply the decals, with no specific instructions on how to build the main body. However, looking at the number of parts, it seems that the model can be assembled without the instructions. The water-transfer type decals are very detailed, and it would be difficult to apply them after assembly, so I decided to apply them first. However, the blinkers are divided into front and side, which seemed to be very difficult, and the decal designated for the front part of the frame would be applied over the uneven surface, so I decided not to apply it and paint it later to finish it.

When the capsule is opened, the parts are placed separately in a plastic bag with dividers like this.

The frame, engine, rear tire, and seat are assembled. The frame, engine, swingarm, and other parts are split into two pieces and painted.

The fenders, steering wheel, and muffler are painted silver.

The wheels and steps are reproduced based on black parts, painted in silver.

The top bridge and stand are painted silver. The stand is fixed.

The decals are a full-fledged water-transfer type. The front fork and headlight are painted in detail. The kick pedal is a separate part.

Attaching the decals

The decals are very detailed and cannot be applied properly without tweezers. The author, who already has old eyes, had a hard time applying the decals, but managed to finish. The emblem on the right side of the car is available in full size or cut to fit the muffler hole, which is a point that impressed me as a model manufacturer. Incidentally, the author failed to apply the left side emblem and had to use the full-size one for the right side. After the decals were thoroughly dried, the main body was assembled.

First, the protective paper for the water transfer decals is removed. I was amazed at how detailed the decals are.

Separate the decals one by one. The numbers are also decals, so cut them out so they don't get soaked together.

Soak the decal in water for 10 seconds to lift it off the backing paper. Be careful not to soak too long or the decal will float.

Attach the decal to the body by sliding it off the base paper. Correct the position while it is still firmly wet. Be careful not to tear or fold.

The emblem decal on the right comes in two versions: a full-size version and one cut at the muffler mount. The author used the cut one.

The decals for the license plate and the seat are white based, so be careful not to lose them.

The decals for the meters are very small, so handle with care. Align them firmly and wait for them to dry.

Set the front fender on the front fork. It seems to come off a bit easily, so it would be better to use glue.

Open the front forks and set the front tire. Be careful not to open it too far and break it.

Front fork, fender, and wheel units complete.

The stem section is set into the frame. It was a little tight due to the paint film, so it was set after lightly sharpening it with a file.

Set the top bridge. The protrusions will be set on the frame section and the tops of the left and right forks, so be sure to align them properly.

Front forks set into frame unit.

Headlight set. The headlight is set on a protrusion from the frame.

The handle is set in the hole provided in the top bridge. It seems that the handle -> light was easier to work with.

Installing the muffler. Set the tip in the hole provided in the engine section, set the back side in the hole next to the body, and push it in firmly.

With the muffler in place. The design as a dachs is now complete.

Install the kick pedal. In the forward position, it was difficult to apply force to the insertion point, so it was first installed face down.

The kick pedal was rotated around the inserted shaft portion and re-set in the proper orientation.

When temporarily assembled, the steps seemed to come right off, so I decided to apply plastic model glue to the protrusions of the inserts.

After checking the position of the protrusions and holes, the step unit was installed and waited a little while for the adhesive to dry.

The stand also came off easily, so I decided to use glue to hold it in place.

Set the protrusions of the stand into the mounting holes and wait for the glue to dry. The stand is now complete.

When completed, I was satisfied with the very high degree of perfection, as expected from a scale model manufacturer. It took the author about 40 minutes to complete the model, including the time to dry the decals. Incidentally, the most time-consuming part of this production process was the process of attaching the decals. I put a 1/24 size figure that I had on hand over the decals, and it looks great. It would be fun to create a diorama with a 1/24-size car model. The Platz "1/24 Honda Dax ST50" is available at capsule toy stores nationwide for 500 yen each.

I put my 1/24 action figure on it. This is good stuff."

Build and display! 1/24th scale Dax is now available as a capsule toy (36)