Fujimi 1/24 Toyota Trueno AE-86 APEX Plastic Model Kit

The AE86 series of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter Trueno are small, front-engine/rear-drive models within the fifth generation Corolla range — marketed by Toyota from 1983 to 1987 in coupe and hatchback configurations.

Lending themselves to racing, the cars were light, affordable, easily modifiable and combined a five-speed manual transmission, optional limited slip differential, MacPherson strut front suspension, high revving (7800 rpm), twin-cam engine with oil cooler (e.g., in the US), near 50/50 front/rear weight balance, and importantly, a front-engine/rear-drive layout — at a time when this configuration was waning industry-wide.

The nameplate Trueno derives from the Spanish word for thunder, and Levin derives from the Middle English for lightning. In Japan, the Sprinter Trueno was exclusive to Toyota Japan dealerships called Toyota Auto Store, while the Corolla Levin was exclusive to Toyota Corolla Store.

While widely popular for Showroom Stock, Group A, and Group N, Rally and Club racing, the cars’ inherent qualities earned the AE86 an early and enduring international prominence in the motorsport discipline of drifting. The AE86 featured centrally in the popular, long-running Japanese manga and anime series titled Initial D (1995-2013) — as the main character’s drift and tofu delivery car. In 2015, Road & Track called the AE86 “a cult icon, inextricably interwoven with the earliest days of drifting.”

The AE86 was available with a fuel injected naturally aspirated 4A-GE Inline-four engine DOHC 4 valves per cylinder 1,587 cc (1.6 L; 96.8 cu in) in Japan and Europe, which was also used in the first-generation Toyota MR2 (AW11) and the facelift Toyota Celica GT-R and GT Carina (Japan only) with a compression ratio of 9.4:1, had a maximum SAE gross power output of 130 PS (128 bhp; 96 kW) @ 6,600 rpm and 110 lb⋅ft (149 N⋅m) @ 5,200 rpm of torque in standard form, though it was later down-rated to 120 PS (118 bhp; 88 kW) and 105 lb⋅ft (142 N⋅m) in net output. The AE86 came with a 5-speed manual gearbox and later came with the option of an automatic. The 4A-GE engines used in the AE86 and AW11 were equipped with Toyota Variable Intake System (T-VIS). The AE86 had an optional LSD.
[Source Wiki]

Fujimi ID-52 1/24 Scale Model Kit Toyota AE86 Trueno 1600 GT-Apex Hatchback

KIT HIGHLIGHTS

FUJ03440
Fujimi
1:24
Molded in White with clear parts
Price: $19.99 to $24.99
Note that this kit is currently out-of-production but can be found at the auction site.

Here’s to another finished build that started months ago along with several other model kits.
I present you the 1/24 Fujimi Toyota Trueno AE86 APEX. This is very much what we come to expect from many Fujimi model kits. This one is a curbside model. However as you can see in the picture below, Fujimi once again did an outstanding job recreating the underside of the car thus giving the impression that the model kit does indeed come with an engine. It would be very nice if the 1/24 Fujimi Trueno *did* come with the engine but it is what it is.

The kit is molded in white with very little cleaning required. The fit is superb for such an affordable kit. The clear parts, especially the small ones had very little flash to deal with. The rear glass and front windshield are well molded with no visible flow marks. In case you are wondering; Yes, the model can be depicted with the light beams up. If you have a little knowledge on wiring electronics, it is not really hard to add a couple of Micro Litz.

I did use Tamiya TS-8 Italian Red for the base color. Then I masked to spray Tamiya TS-14 Gloss Black. To protect the finish I used Tamiya TS-13 Clear Gloss.

For the interiors, I airbrushed XF-59 Dessert Yellow from Tamiya and details on the seat and dashboard with a regular brush using XF-60 Dark Yellow. The headrests on the seats and other details were painted with Flat Earth XF-52.

As a side note, back in the 80’s the Toyota Trueno AE86 available in Puerto Rico as Toyota Corolla, sold in big numbers. This hatchback along with the 2 door version was so popular, that they gained the nickname of ”el ombligo”. That’s Spanish for ”the bellybutton.” Contrary to the popular belief, not all models featured on this site are supplied by vendors or distributors and this is one of them. As someone who paid his hard earned money for this kit, I would have no hesitation to recommend the Fujimi 1/24 Toyota Trueno to a fellow model builder.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Note that the car has no plates. That’s because I will be making my own custom plates in Photoshop. Let that aircraft or artillery model aside for a while and try something different for your next build. We will be also checking why the extreme software compression on reds. Some of the pictures look like they were taken on a 2005 cellphone. Our apologies in advance. I will be personally checking why is this happening.