Toyota Celica English

Cars

Toyota Celica GT4

Hasegawa 1/24

by Guy Golsteyn

The car is the Toyota Celica GT4 that entered the 1992 Tour de Corse rally. Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya tried to keep the Lancia's from winning it, without success. Ariol won the rally in a Lancia Delta Integrale. Sainz came in fourth.

The model is a Hasegawa 1/24 car, which I had to alter and improve on some points.

The model

First I had to replace the missing cigarette advertising like Marlboro and Gitanes. I also added decals to the wheels. (O.Z. racing). Then I had to remove the Toyota-emblem both at front and rear sides, I took off the blinkers at the left and right sides, and I removed the rear water sprinkler.

Furthermore I had to fill the hole where the rear wiper had been, and I had to fill up the lines from the area where the saloon-car gets filled up with gas. Then I started to saw out the left door both from the outside hull and the inside one. I glued both the doors (outside and inside panel) together and filled up the holes, as I did with the door opening from the car itself. I added handles, window openers and a window because the plastic of the kit is way too thick, which becomes visible when you open a door.

I also added some extra details such as brake, clutch and gas pedals, some inside wiring, race notes for the co-pilot, an intercom-system, foot mats, and I added some fiberglass-looking decals at the rear of the seats. The seat belts come with the kit! I drilled out the holes from the front left wheel, and I added a more detailed braking disc. I also scratchbuilt a jack. Last but not least I altered some Racing Mechanics from Hasegawa to fit the scene.

Diorama

With this small diorama, I won a modeling contest a few years ago. Most of the other competitors made large diorama's with lots of cars, but I kept it simple and concentrated on one car. It paid off and I'm still proud of it...