| Within the review pages we try to
give a balanced 'first view'of new kits, hand-built models, books
and videos. Our aim is not to set the world to rights but to give
collectors who cannot visit GPM an idea of whether the models on offer
are accurate and of good value. We also try to give a little background
to the cars. Our aim above all is to try to ensure that when you receive
a model or book or video through the post from GPM - that you know
in advance whether it has any 'hidden' snags or problems |
Click on a link
to order a model or the logo to see the complete range from that manufacturer |
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| ARE234
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Lancia Stratos IRC 1973 #9 Fonti Baceno
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£37.50
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| ARE236
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Lancia Stratos IRC 1981 #4 CBG
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£37.50
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| ARE243
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Lancia Stratos TF 1975 #44 Jolly Club
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£37.50
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| ARE254
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Fiat 131 Abarth Lana 1980 #2 Icarus
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£37.50
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| ARE257
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Fiat 131 Abarth Elba 1978 #2 Tony
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£37.50
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| ARE257B
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Fiat 131 Abarth Sanremo 1978 #18 Tony
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£37.50
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| ARE259
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Gianini 700 Hillclimb 1973 #179
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£37.50
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| ARE260
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Abarth 595SS Hillclimb 1973 #174
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£37.50
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| ARE220
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Lancia Integrale Safari 1992 #1 Martini
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£84.85
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| ARE253
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Lancia 037 1st Appenino 84 #2 Blue Mirror
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£40.05
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We
showed some of these very colourful subjects to you in the last issue,
with the balance elsewhere in this one, and all will make great models.
That is providing you can work out where all of the parts go.
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Arena’s instructions
consist of generic assembly diagrams for car types and then just a
simple colour sheet for decoration. One of our Stratos kits was missing
the assembly drawing so it would have been very difficult for anyone
to put all of the well cast resin and metal main components and beautiful
etched pieces together. We photocopied one of the other sheets to
complete the kit and we have a master copy, so if your kit has no
instruction sheet let us know.
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The Fiat 131 bodyshells are
cast in brittle BBR style resin so care will be needed when preparing
them, but they do build well. The little Gianini and Abarth hillclimbers
have stand-off engine covers revealing detailed engines and will look
very cute when completed.
There is also an engine in the Integrale, but that’s only the
start of it! We have seen a similar set of parts from Arena before
and it is a true superkit. Unfortunately the instructions are again
less than super, but with time and a little head-scratching it should
all become obvious. |
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The engine and other
internal components are well detailed, both in the kit and on the
instructions, but the basic assembly leaves a little to be desired.
For example we couldn’t work out whether the rear spoiler was
supposed to be a resin, metal or etched part and couldn’t find
anything that looked right for this piece. On the plus side there
is a full A4 coloured sheet in this kit which shows both the built
model and many close ups of the real car for reference.
Finally the 037 kit is based on a Racing 43 kit with Arena decals.
The instructions are those from the base kit and are one of R43’s
better efforts though this time there is a simple decal placement
drawing in place of the colour photo. In all of the other kits main
body colours are quoted as either a Fiat or Ford reference on the
colour sheet. |
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| GAF2207 |
Mitsubishi Pajero T2 Dakar 2002 #232 |
£33.30 |
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| The latest in Gaffe¯s excellent
range of Rally-Raid machines offers a very colourful version of the
Mitsubishi Pajero. The kit parts are basically the same as those found
in the factory cars reviewed in FSW01/2003 and a small amount of modification
is needed to the body shell. |
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| This particular
diesel-engined vehicle was not fitted with a rear spoiler, unlike
the faster factory machines, and it is this which must be cut away
before paint preparation. The written instructions describe what to
do and include a proper colour reference for the red body and a multi
view colour page sorts out the interior painting and placement of
the well printed decals. |
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Click on a link to order a model
or the logo to see the complete range from that manufacturer |
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| RLBP006MA |
Vanwall Short Nose Monaco 1957 Brooks
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£88.15
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| RLBP006MB |
Vanwall Short Nose Monaco 1958 Moss
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£88.15
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| RLBP006MC |
Vanwall Portugal 1958 Moss
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£88.15
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| RLBP006MD |
Vanwall Italy 1958 Brooks
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£88.15
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Looking at the kit for these
models it was fairly obvious that the main body was rather portly
and this was borne out when we got the ruler and calculator out. Once
built the extra width is less obvious even if it is still there. The
overall standard of build is pretty good with even paint and well
detailed cockpits but there are some silly details which niggle.
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| When fitting tyres
there really is no excuse for leaving large feed tags on and if these
tags are present it doesn't take a genius to work out that they can
be hidden at the bottom of the tyre rather than on top. Also on one
or two of these builts some of the p/e knock-offs weren't central
on the wheels. Both of these problems can easily be fixed but shouldn't
be necessary. |
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| MRC125M
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Porsche 959 Gr B Silver
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£125.35
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| MRC137MB
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Ferrari Nembo Spyder Hard Top Met.Red
also available MRC137MA
- red
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£125.35
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| Occasionally we get a built
model from MRC that doesn’t quite live up to expectations and
unfortunately this Porsche is one of those. In general the build is
very good but the paint finish is rather uneven, with paint gathering
in the corners and vents. This is a problem we often see on silver
cars even by the best builders and which we have mentioned frequently
in the past. |
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| It is possible to
do metallics well and MRC usually do. If you need proof of this just
take a look at the Ferrari. It is absolutely gorgeous, with a very
fine even finish and carefully applied p/e detailing. The colour is
a hard one to pin down being a very dark red, that could almost be
described as purple, and the silver roof contrasts perfectly. When
they do it well, they do it very well indeed. This very nearly made
Model of the Month. |
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| RRM013
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Citroen ZX Baja Portugal 1994
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£33.90
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This kit is something of a mixed
bag, literally! The base plate and main decal sheet are ex-Provence
Moulage, the body is cast in Gaffe/Tenariv style polyester resin,
there are some finely cast resin and metal ancillaries and a p/e sheet
which includes a detailed dashboard.
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| The small instruction
sheet indicates where the p/e parts should all go and includes a Citroen
colour reference as well as built model photos for either Lartigue’s
Baja Portugal winner or Salonen’s sister car. What the instructions
don’t tell us is which of the two vac-forms to use, the clear
or the heavily tinted. |
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