Subaru Imprezza Gr.A. Tecnitoys, colección Carlos Sainz Altaya
The two seasons Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya were in the Subaru rally team left a bittersweet taste. The year 1994 was the return to the triumphs of the spanish driver after his black year at Lancia rally team, but was runner-up after a controversial decision of his team. The year 1995 was a similar year with multiple victories in different races of the season but again was runner-up in the final round. However, the balance of the two years can be said was positive, because along with the team managed to make the Subaru Imprezza a winning car, and remained so in later years.
One of the most controversial victories in 1995 was in the Catalonia rally (to which belongs the photo above), winning the race after team orders that slowed his partner Colin McRae. The Subaru Imprezza has been reproduced by Tecnitoys at 1/32 scale, specifically the decoration of that rally appeared on Carlos Sainz Altaya collection. The scale car was developed by Tyco, and is a accurate reproduction but has some details and I do not like and other ones I´m going to try to correct this next workb. This is the slot car to modify.
For my taste, the car has several shortcomings, especially when you consider that this is a decoration of a tarmac rally car. Basically the flaws I see are:
- It is a tarmac rally car so it should be a little lower. The ground clearance on asphalt rallies is shorter than in dirt rallies.
- The car wheels (five spoke) doesn´t fit to the original car, a 6-spoke Speedline rims
- The reproduction of the details of the body, such the frontal air intake, for example, are not very accurate.
- The interior is too simple.
Therefore, the steps to do this work will be divide into three:
- Simple mechanical modifications.
- Interior decoration.
- Body decoration.
The mechanical changes are few but very evident.
a.) Retouch the chassis. The body is attached to the chassis by three screws (two front and one rear) and a flange at the front.
This tab has no function other than to held the car registration plate. Body and chassis are perfectly linked by three screws. Therefore remove the tab.
b.) Change the original tires for a more adequate ones. The tires fitted resemble the original car only in the color, and they are too small. In Catalonia rally the wheels the car mounted were a 6-spoke Speedline. Ninco had in his spare parts catalog a 6 spoke Speedline wheels with a measurement of 15 mm. diameter, corresponding at a 1/32 scale with 19 inch wheels.
c.) Lowering the ride height. As I mentioned, the car´s height seems to be excessive for a tarmac rally, where cars are lower than on a gravel rally. To lower the height of the car we must file the support bolts approximately one millimeter. The change is evident.
d.) As in the vast majority of cars slot, the width of the tire is excessive. I´ll narrow tires and rims a little bit, to leave them 8 millimeters width. Aesthetically the car makes a lot.
e.) To end the mechanics slightly modify the guide support supplementing it with a piece of plastic to left the guide properly fitted.
The second block of modifications will be focused in the interior of the scale model. Originally is a very simple interior, easy to improve with a rollcage, seat belts, and another minor details. First of all, closed the hole in the center of the drivers tray with a piece of plastic. I made the holes to attach the rollcage too.
The seats don´t look like the originals at all, so I cut it to fit a more accurate ones. Once closed the holes, applied a coat of primer.
The rollcage is built from a 1,6 mm. of diameter evergreen plastic rod. For to bend the rod and avoid the breadown it was previously heated by an soldering iron. The heat shoft the rod make it easy to bend, once cold the rod stay in the desired position.
When the tray and the rollcage where finished I pait them in metalized blue, very similar to the bodyshell.
For the seat, I used a Fly Car Model seat mould I cloned time ago. The seat was a complete bucket seat but I olny need the upper half slightly modified to past it to the tray.
And with a few details more, such seat bets made with insulation tape, a extinguisher, a battery and other pieces I left finalized the interior. The drivers where painted so not need to work with.
Here is a photograph of the interior from another angle to show the details added.
And at last, the third block of modifications where focused on the body. To improve it a little I opened the air intakes, because all them were closed, such the front grill:
..hole were later placed a poliurethane resin made grill.
Who looks like this once painted and fitted:
I did the same process with the bonnet air intakes,...
...and with the roof air intakes. To do this, I used a minidrill with a thin drill, and adjusted with a file.
To finish, a coat of gold acrilyc paint to the rims (Tamiya X12) to highlight its beauty.
And this is the car once assembled.
The car don´t go down in history by its beauty, but with few changes has improve enormously. From my point of view, thanks to the front grill and the lowered ride height, but to be sincere, the interior brings its bit to the ensemble.
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