World Rally Championship Focus

I plucked this colorful kit off the clearance rack for $5.00 in 2004, and it's among my favorite models I've completed. I've assembled several diecast kits over the years but this Burago kit was a little better designed than most in its (pre-clearance) price point, with excellent fit and finish and nice good assortment of detail touches. My main gripe is the visibly exposed brake rotors without calipers, which seem to be a glaring oversight. But that was a minor complaint compared to the decals, which left a quite bit to be desired. They simply did not always seem sized to fit properly, and I had to make some careful cuts and splices to align everything. Even so, careful paint matching was required to fill in the gaps.

The interior was extensively paint-detailed with simulated roll-bar padding, carbon-fiber seats, and all molded-in detail receiving appropriate colors and relief. I did some photo research and ultimately decided to embellish the exterior slightly by coloring the headlight assemblies' oversized reflective design elements amber, touching up the paint in the panel-seam areas, and creating an additional decal set to personalize the model. I changed the car number to 76 (naturally), added the STC as a sponsor, and listed myself and Anna as Driver/Co-driver of course. Finally, a bit of weathering to the front and wheels gives the car a more authentic, recently-raced appearance.

Oh yeah, the driver/co-driver team is definitely a bit of a in-joke! In WRC Racing the co-driver is largely responsible for navigation, spotting, and suggesting proper maneuvers for certain sections of the course. As anyone who has braved our road-trips knows, Anna and I usually threaten to kill each other when she attempts to navigate. A WRC race would certainly prove an interesting endeavor for both of us...!

It's always nice to have a finished product that looks better than the box art, no?