WIP: 1/24 Fabia WRC reji model

[rallymaster]

hello!

this is my first thread, so let me introduce myself in a few words:
I am a rally and rally raid fan, living in easthern France, near Strasbourg and german bordery.
I am part of a pilots association, racing in rally and hill climb.
I build 1/43 and 1/24 kits about rally and Paris to Dakar, resin, metal and plastic of course.
I share this passion and hobby with my brother, that build only WRC 1/24 models (with a few other cars exceptions but only 1/24).
so I will be able to give mix of photos from his building WIP or mine, according to the progress of our models.
we use to make a maximum of photos on rallies, testings or meetings where we go along the season, especially planing to be able to put a lot of realistic details in the kits.
well, I guess that's enough for a start !
if you want to know something else, please ask !

Today I will let you see photos of my WIP on the reji model Fabia WRC shared with my brother's one.

I've chosen this kit cos' I could see the model running in German rally 2003 and 2004, and co's I've already bought some Reji model especially the excellent Hyundai WRC.
then I decided not to miss this very nice WRC car.
moreover, I had the chance to be on skoda's first road testind on april 2003.
I would like to build Gardemeister version, but in Germany he didn't use the gearbox system on stearing wheel, which is an interesting detail to use.
2004 version has different dashboard, not impossible to do but I consider I have no pics enough to be sure to make it correct.
handbrake is different too.
than I decided to forget gearbox system on stearing wheels to keep Gardemeister solution (I have a big nice photo from shakedown to put near the kit in my collection !

well, lets' make place to photos !
enjoy it, and don't mind to put feedback, good or not !

photo 1 & 2:
after having passed some sandpaper to clean the kit, I had to put some sintofer resin (mastic? is it correct in English?) on too weak window frames.





photo 3:
I had to rebuild the left air intake of the spoiler, too.



after that I could start painting the model.

photo 4:
first step, Citadel Primer, then polyurethan Carlux primer and finally Tamiya TS 26.



Photo5:
a lot of masking tape to be able to paint metallic green, usind a polyurethan Carlux painting (ref. 225345)



photo 6:
same job for red part, using tamiya TS49.



photo 7:
and finally once again for metallic grey, using polyurethan painting from Carlux (one of delta mix brand in car center) ref. 225825



to be continued...

[Technoman]

Very nice start. Looks like the window frames were a common problem on this model. I'll be wathcing this one keenly..

[rallymaster]

Originally Posted by Technoman

Very nice start. Looks like the window frames were a common problem on this model. I'll be wathcing this one keenly..

Thank you !
yes it is, but I must confess that i probably used sandpaper a little bit too stronger ! oops !

here is the next picture:

after having had some problems during some modellers shows, I decided to put each of my model in its box!
that makes me plan fix systems between inside painting and building phasis.
for plastic models I put a nut under each seat, but in resin model I have to put it on the front and on the rear area, paying attention not to face it with wheel axis.




to be continued...

[rallymaster]

hello, I go on !

this picture shows the bolts as they will be to hold the model in place in its box afer building.

you can also see that I reduce the seats basis size, aiming to be able to place the seats more correctly.
seats basis would have been too longer if I didn't have cut them.



next pictures will probably be those about inside work.

Phil

[rallymaster]

well, before giving photos of work done on the inside, let me give some of the photos which I refer to, hoping scanning quality would be good enough...

photo 1: inside, pilot side, during testing in april 2003; gear command system wasn't yet the definitive system, here is a system behind the stearing wheel like subaru or citroen's one, but in Germany Auriol had a similar to Peugeot system incorporated in the stearing wheel and both drivers had this one from Finland till now.
we can see here how exactly pedals are set and what correction is necessary to the original reji pieces.



Photo 2: inside, codriver side during testing in april 2003; Problem is to know what exactly is part of a test car and won't be in the race car !
we can see under the dashboard, and find what has to be scratch-built to complete reji kit (except electrical wires specialy present in test car)

[SteveK2003]

Darn it: You and sjelic are gonna cost me about $130 making me look at these Fabias. Thanks a pant-load. LOL

Do they make the Red Bull decal set for them?

[sportracer02]

Originally Posted by SteveK2003

Do they make the Red Bull decal set for them?

Yes, I heard the Red Bull Version is planned. No idea when it is available.

[RallyRaider]

Welcome to AF Phil!
Thank you for showing us your work. I particularly like the bolt down idea. Exactly which driver and event have you settled on building?

[rallymaster]

Originally Posted by RallyRaider

Welcome to AF Phil!
Thank you for showing us your work. I particularly like the bolt down idea. Exactly which driver and event have you settled on building?

Hi Phil, thanks for your words and your interest to my thread.

When I chose to build this kit, that was clear in my mind that I would prefer Toni Gardemeister to Didier Auriol (whereas I am French!) because I still didn't have any Gardemeister model in my collection.
a quick look at videos and photos allowed me to see that the 2004 version would suppose some big modifications inside the model for the ones I didn't have enough photos...
that's why I first chose a 2003 event.
I could see too that even in Corsica 2003 car had changed inside, then I had to forget another tarmac version than Germany.
Although I tought a moment to do the finish version, aiming to have a more exclusive model, and to be able to use every details supplied in the box as gearbox system on the stearing wheel (unused by Gardemeister in Germany 2003), I finally chose to keep my first idea, Gardemeister at german rally 2003, version that remind me good memories because I was there and paid a particular attention to this model running for the first time on this event, after having been present for its first road tests in april.
you can see here one of the photo I took, this one is from the shakedown, a few hundred meters before the end of the stage.



that must be what my built model will look like !
hopefully it will !

to be continued...

[sjelic]

Nice, nice, nice, good thing with fixing bolts, I decided for that to late so I had to go with holes only, and then fixed with screws for tin (don't know how it is called in English).
I am folowing the progress carefully

[rallymaster]

Originally Posted by sjelic

Nice, nice, nice, good thing with fixing bolts, I decided for that to late so I had to go with holes only, and then fixed with screws for tin (don't know how it is called in English).
I am folowing the progress carefully

Thank you Sasa, these words from you, I cannot hear better ones !

Well, it's high time to talk about the serious things, the most serious !
the inside !
I will start here with some modifications to be done, according to me, about the roll cage place in the kit.

I noticed when putting parts together before working on it that rollcage did not seem to be at the right place, not enough to the middle of the rear window when looking at it from the ouside.
(what was the most surprising thing for me when I first noticed that on the real car, I used to see central part of the rollcage in the middle of the car, just in front of the door separation!).

then I had to take a decision: keeping rollcage at the right place inside but uncorrect when seen from the ouside, or to accept to place it not exactly as it should be inside, aiming to make it seem more realist from the ouside.
(I hope that what I said is correct English and that you could understand what I mean...!)

I didn't take too longer to decide, I prefer cut a hole in the main rear part on which is the spare wheel to get a correct rollcage because that is what will be seen from the outside !
moreover I cannot be sure that parts supplied by Reji (as the rear part on which in which I made the holes for example) are 100 % at the right size...
then I started to modify the part.

Here are the photos showing this.

Photo 1: I cut a hole on each side of the rear main part to receive the rollcage (red wire to show the hole)



photo 2:the rollcage will now be at the right place when looking from the outisde, although I had to do something I know is wrong to get this result.
but nothing is perfect in modelling !?



next pictures to come about front of the inside with pedals, rollcage under dashborad, dashboard...
thanks for looking
Phil

[sjelic]

I think you decided right, You avoided few things that would interfier with roll cage in folowing steps and those are seats and those beams that connect rear wheel wels with that center part of roll cage, I have put this middle part on place Reji wanted but I cuted the lower part and glued it under different angle to make it go further back, that saved position of seats but did not solve those beams so I also adjusted those and cuted groves in that panel on the chasis to make some space for the beams. One more thing to take care if you are not carefull (constantly trying to fit the body on the chasis with every new step) you will have problem to fit the body at the end, so be carefull.
I am with you , I am sure it will come out far better then mine.

[rallymaster]

Originally Posted by sjelic

I think you decided right, You avoided few things that would interfier with roll cage in folowing steps and those are seats and those beams that connect rear wheel wels with that center part of roll cage, I have put this middle part on place Reji wanted but I cuted the lower part and glued it under different angle to make it go further back, that saved position of seats but did not solve those beams so I also adjusted those and cuted groves in that panel on the chasis to make some space for the beams. One more thing to take care if you are not carefull (constantly trying to fit the body on the chasis with every new step) you will have problem to fit the body at the end, so be carefull.
I am with you , I am sure it will come out far better then mine.

Thank you Sasa for your wise advices.
yes, that's right there is a litlle problem to fit body, I noticed it too, but I think I've found where the problem comes from:
It seems that the rear panel part supporting spare wheel comes to high on its side and blocks the door panel...
I have to verify this but I think this is the fitting problem key.
I never used to glue my body model, but I am wondering if I wouldn't do it for this one...

[rallymaster]

Hello,
A quick post to continue the fabia story !

I started to modify the dashboard on its right side, because it was too narrow to receive properly the tripmaster decal.
I first primed in black the part.
then I cut the right side at the good size and put the sintofer resin under the part to make less narrow.
I have to wait 24 hours beforer trimming it again, hoping I won't trim too much and have to start a new resin operation !

photo is not very good to see this step, but the grey part under the dashborad is the sintofer resin to be cutted and trimmed at the right size and form, the light part is the original part primed I trimmed a first time to prepare the part, and all the black is the dashboard original part !



I hope to finish the dashboard this evening.

While I am going on on mine, my brother finished the inside of his model !
here it is:



a photo to come.

[rallymaster]

Well, here is my today update !

I couldn't finish the dashboard, I had to sand the resin and put a second coat before doing final sanding (perhaps tomorrow) to get size and form I am expecting to.

I took a better photo.



As I couldn't work more on dashboard, I decided to continue rear panel.
I put the red matic extinguishers on which I applied decals taken in Mitsubishi evo 5 or 6 Tamiya kits (cos' reji didn't supply them !).



on this Photo you can see the holes in the part done for rollcage central part better fitting.
But I started wonderring by looking the part and fitting it several times between work session if there wouldn't be another solution to improve fitting...
I noticed too that the rear panel part and then the spare wheel would come to high regarding reality...
That's why I begin to think about lowering this rear part by sanding its bottom.
that would give me more place to fit well the rollcage and put all rear parts in a more realistic position... that's what I suppose more and more.
But I will probably have to close the holes or reduce them if I replace the rear part...
I am wonderring, I don't really know if I shall do that or not...
your opinion is welcome !

perhaps I will give the answer tomorrow!

bye
Thanks for looking.
Phil