Background:

Much to my surprise I realised that despite having completed some 97 car model kits at this point, I'd never done a rally car. I'd certainly bought quite a few, but that's only almost the same thing. So what better place to start with rally cars than a Subaru Impreza, this kit having sat in my stash for some 8 years. I'd bought this particular Impreza as I do like the "bug eye" version, and the kit has driver/co-driver figures. There's a choice of car 10 - Mäkinen, or car 11, Solberg. Mäkinen in an Impreza? Weird. Also the Solberg/Mills pair have more interesting helmet designs, so car 11 it became.

Pros:

Everything you'd expect from a Tamiya kit. Great proportions, great fit, loads of details, clean moulding and a joy to put together. Not to mention window masks, a few sticky plated parts for the mirrors and driver/co-driver parts. The gold wheels are a good finish and require no painting beyond the centres/wheel nuts. The body fits on and off the chassis with ease

Cons:

The decals for the kevlar seat backs are bright yellow, the real thing is more like dark gold. The giant side decals are fiddly to line up and the swrt.com decals on the sills really don't want to stick. The front lip has only a tiny contact area to glue with. Also and typical for this kind of kit - no engine.

Verdict:

A great kit and I loved building it. Very recommended.

Build notes:

Built over the space of 5 weeks, Jan-Mar 2021. Painted in Tamiya TS-50, the only additions to the boxed kit are the PE bonnet pins, drivers seatbelts and some heat shielding and wiring on the interior. The mud is made from Pinnacle weathering powders mixed with Testors dullcote and applied with a toothbrush.

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