Airfix 1/32 Ford Fiesta WRC

Developed from the standard Fiesta road car, the Ford Fiesta RS WRC is a bespoke rally car built by M-Sport for the works Ford Rally Team for use in the World Rally Championship. The new WRC regulations for 2011 required a turbocharged 1600cc, a reliable and powerful engine, keeping the flame-spitting character of the WRC cars intact.

A number of teams now drive the Fiesta RS WRC in the World Rally Championship and it has scored a number of victories and been competitive with both the works rally team and a number of privateer teams.

Kit Highlights

• Detailed curbside chassis with separate suspension elements and inner fenders.
• 2-seat racing cockpit with multi-part roll cage.
• Single-piece body shell, rear spoiler and fine exterior details (antennae, wipers and mirrors).
• Decals and color painting guide for (2) vehicles during the 2012 WRC – car No 3 (Latvala and Anttila) and car No 4 (Solberg and Patterson)
• Includes extensive racing trim livery, sponsor logos, badges and tire lettering.
• Paint Scheme – Ford Fiesta WRC
• MSRP: 12.99 USD
• Also available as Starter Set for $16.99 USD.

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Here is a nice representation of the Ford Fiesta WRC from Airfix in 1/32 scale. The model kit has various small parts that will be better removed with a scalpel rather than our regular sprue cutters. That’s because the attachment points are rather thick. There is little to no cleaning or fixing on the body much less on the chassis. Nice molding on the rather large parts but some cleaning is required on the smaller ones.

I’ve got carried away with other projects and lost track of this one for about a week. As a result, I did installed the front shocks on the back and vice versa. By the time I noticed the mistake, I didn’t know if this was a mistake of my own or the shocks are called by the wrong number on the instructions sheet.

The tires and wheels are a one piece deal. Before painting them, I placed pieces of 18mm Tamiya masking tape. I did burnish the tape with a tooth pick and with a fresh #11 blade I made the masks. I removed and place those masks on a clean surface and painted the wheels gloss white. Once the white paint dry, I placed the masks on the wheels and using Tamiya NATO black proceeded to paint the tires.

The day this model was finished, my son stopped by the studio. He suggested some weathering so I sprayed some Tamiya ”Buff” on the model. This 1/32 Ford Fiesta WRC is now on display next to a Tamiya F-16 Fighting Falcon on a shelf. I have worked with all kinds of decal sheets. Either those good to less good ones included with the model kits and good quality aftermarket decals. I honor to the truth, I wish model kit manufacturers would ask for the recipe on this decal sheet. The quality is amazing! Non ”bleedy” and no ‘see thru‘ colors over a dark blue base color. Honestly, I’m impressed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This review sample was courtesy of my wallet and my desire to build something different. Not to mention that I have a passion for compacts and the WRC.
Highly Recommended!