Audi Sport quattro mini review

[stevenoble]

Just received the Scale Production / Ken Rally joint effort of the Audi Sport Quattro from 1984/1985. This is a transkit to convert the Tamiya Audi Quattro kit (item no. 24036)

The kit is in a nice white box with colour artwork on the end





The body is crisp with minimal flash











White metal roll cage and extinguisher are included



Side windows are included with the black edge printed for you



Screens front and rear and the lights are vac formed



Small parts in white metal include gear levers, bonnet pins etc



Resin dash and seats are nicely molded





So too are the wheels with included rubber tyres



Decals for the seat backs are included as well



Main decal sheet is beautifully printed with options for Monte Carlo or Tour de Corse included





Photo etch is excellent









Grille and under guard are resin





Nice instructions







and full colour painting and decal plan, a nice touch



even ribbon for the seatbelts is included



All in all a very nice transkit and highly recommended if you want to make the Audi Sport Quattro.

[jla]

Very nice looking transkit. Sold out already at scale production too I might have to bite the bullet and get a base kit off evil bay before the reissue comes out.

[rallymaster]

Hello everyone,

I'd like, with Steve agreement, to add a few words here about the second issue of Scale Production's Audi Quattro Sport Transkit, as it depicts new versions of the HB livery, with some new option parts for one probably unexpected and very pleasing version.


the box, with great color pics allowing to clearly identify what's inside !!




and what's inside show Scale Production quality level at first sight.



It' only a transkit, but you'll find a very nice body, clear window parts, some resin parts - like mud underguard, seats, dashboard - , some metal parts, mainly the roll cage, and of course PE and even seat belts material.


I don't want to repeat Steve's conclusions about casting quality, but I really have to say once more how good the casting is, it's probably (if not surely) the best 1/24 resin casting of the whole world maket, and I've seen and had a lot of resin kits from various brands to judge that.
it's so good that you even have nothing to do on it before starting the build !!
the only flash I noticed are the three hood holes, kit seems to have already been prepared !!
I never saw that perfection in any other brands.
There is no air bubbles when most of other brands always have some.
And to be honnest, there must have had one in mine, but we clearly see it has been filled with putty, sanded and cleaned before packing !!
What a professional touch !!






so what are the new versions of the kit ?
as said above it's still the HB livery (not many choice on the Sport Quattro anyway), but this reissue offers to build either Röhrl's 85 Corsica car #5, or, and that's the good suprise, Mouton's 85 Pikes Peak Hill Climb winning car #1 with the special option wheels.








the PE sheet with the Corsica plates
(another small PE sheet with the - I supposed - correct radiator bending scheme is supplied but not visible on the pic)




Wheels parts with tarmac rims now in white metal and the PE option parts and their adpating rings for the PPHC version




The PPHC option wheels parts




Building instructions say you have to use the small ring base for PE and put the parts assembled above the Tarmac rim, spokes painted black before helping not to see them thrgough new rim external face.




Ring and PE perfectly fit together. Do you see under which PE part the ring is ?
(top right one)




then ring has to be place inside tarmac rims (I didn't attached PE face and ring and only placed the ring).
that's the only unperfect thing of the transkit, there is 0,5 millimeter missing to get a perfect fitment, but that's not really visible because you'll put it well centered (one again 0,5 mm only...) in a painted rim so at least it will fit !! It's probably better than a perfect dry fitment and some complications once painted...




Of course it's not the best solution possible, a complete rims would have been better, or a rim without spokes to fit ring and PE inside, but that stays an optional part and version, no one will build PPHC version, other rims would mean more cost in the TK and it's only a transkit.
I don't forget neither than most of the brands already have difficulties to supply correct wheels, or don't change them with versions options...
The most demanding builders will be able to cut the spokes from the tarmac rim, saving the hub and put everything thogether to get a complete PPHC option wheel.



A last picture to show how I already corrected the Tamiya chassis according to building instructions.





That's how my conclusion logicaly falls:

As you can see everything in this Transkit is made to give you the chance to build one of the most famous and impressive Group B car using a faublous high quality Transkit and a good donor kit form tamiya, with of course some work (chassis correction) but probably less than on a full kit from any other brand.
It's a really good compromission between kit and transkit whereas why a TK instead of a full kit was my first questionning when seeing SP release preview last year.

the really positive points of this reissue and new versions:

- great resin casting quality.
- number of parts to build an accurate and complete car
- decals offering two versions
- precisely, the PPHC version for the US fans or (as I am) Mouton's fan or those who simply want a different looking car.
- the look of the PPHC rims with the PE part

and the only negative (or to stay objective better saying less positive) point is also the last of the positive point, the PPHC rims composed with tarmac base and PE and rign instead of a full rim, but I already said above it's not so disturbing, and can't be convert into a full rim using cut tarmac one and it's hub.


To end this review (which normally should have been short and mostly an opinion ), I can only recommend to all Audi as Rally or PPHC fans to get one of this Transkit.
Keep in mind that you will build with it one of the most beautyfull and famous (and wildest !!) rally car ever seen in 1/24 scale model made of Ken's prototyping and SP realization (is there better association ??) offering moreover to build a quite rare version with the PPHC option.
I also think that the most confirmed modelers will find a way to even go further, adding for example the night stage lights (ask SP for its lights lenses, they are incredible and I will for sure add them on mine !!) or with some own made decals find other versions to build (JB car ran the Manx rally for example )
This is a Transkit, offering what a kit would or even more in terms of quality, and allowing to build a really nice model which is a must-have for any rally and Group B fan, but it also can be a start to your own Quattro Sport inspiration.
I will myself build Röhrl's 85 MC car to face in a kind of duet diorama the Peugeot 205 T16 which Walter fighted against all along the rally
(what made it saying one of his famous sentence: "I had once to learn what it makes to end a Monte Carlo at second place").

So guys, if you like Audi and/or rally cars, Tamiya Audi Quattro hunt is now opened !!!


Thanks for reading, hopping you enjoyed this review as much as I enjoyed to build my opinion of it these last few days while I was discovering and studying the Transkit and finally write it after 5/6 days of first emotions with it !!
And now (well, "next"), the build !!
Who's first ??

[stevenoble]

Great review and you are right about the quality of the resin parts. They are, put simply, some of the best I have seen. When I did my initial 'mini review' I was so impressed by what was in the box. If you are an Audi fan it is an absolute must buy item.
Now Scale production, get busy and produce me a proper Grp B Celica turbo. I would pay good money for that..!!!

[rallymaster]

Originally Posted by stevenoble

Great review and you are right about the quality of the resin parts. They are, put simply, some of the best I have seen. When I did my initial 'mini review' I was so impressed by what was in the box. If you are an Audi fan it is an absolute must buy item.
Now Scale production, get busy and produce me a proper Grp B Celica turbo. I would pay good money for that..!!!

Thanks Steve, was a hard task to make a good review after your excellent one, I'm happy we get same conclusions.
Who couldn't btw seeing such resin casting quality ??

I'm myself so fan of this car that I bought two !!
First for Röhrl's 85 MC car but the second one will probably become Mouton's 84 RAC car, where she got his best result with the Sport Quattro, even if I'm tempted by a UK event car when she entered there with a mixed HB/UK championship livery, but I lack some good references and even if I had everything needed I would have to print my own decals for some sponsors...
Will see if I can do it or not but RAC's version will satisfy me anyway.

Either would I appreciate a Celica Gr. B, of course, but a complete accurate 205 T16 Evo2 still is missing to fans...
And I would appreciate a Nissan 240 RS too !

Don't know if rally cars really are among next SP plans, but if someone, as Ken did, brings a good prototype...
With such quality standard I would highly prefer seeing rally car there at SP than at any other brand kit range !!

[Fangi0]

Originally Posted by rallymaster

Either would I appreciate a Celica Gr. B, of course, but a complete accurate 205 T16 Evo2 still is missing to fans...
And I would appreciate a Nissan 240 RS too !

If anyone's watching, you can consider this to be another vote for the Celica & 240RS (and any other Group B cars - complete or transkit - that you care to kit...)

David

[e90]

where can i buy this? money no object. this is fantastic.I mean i see the website of scaleproduction but it has nothing on it in terms of car selection, just lots of cool parts... what am i missing?

[Fangi0]

Originally Posted by e90

where can i buy this? money no object. this is fantastic.I mean i see the website of scaleproduction but it has nothing on it in terms of car selection, just lots of cool parts... what am i missing?

Try

http://www.scaleproduction.de/produc...uton-1985.html

or

http://shop.spotmodel.com/product_in...4b234ddab67a25

or

www.domino.be

[e90]

thanks, definately not really a toy any more.

btw, any idea how much well built model of this car might be worth? 300 euros? Or? ... I'm wondering if there is even a market for these kinda things. I guess not so much, since the whole point is to build one not admire it (or not as much). I'm really itching to place an order for one!

From what i gathered, buyying this is not enough, one must also secure an Audi model from Tamiya which could be very tricky i suppose in its own since they're not produced...

[stevenoble]

Originally Posted by e90

From what I gathered, buying this is not enough, one must also secure an Audi model from Tamiya which could be very tricky i suppose in its own since they're not produced...

e-Bay is your friend... Usually plenty for sale on there. It's not such a rare kit yet, still quite plentiful..

[e90]

Yup, i managed to find few - interestingly, the original nice long wheel base one.
Still, do you think there is a market for fully assembled cars and how much owners would be willing to part with them for? For those who don't want to build but want to just buy.

[rallymaster]

Originally Posted by e90

Yup, i managed to find few - interestingly, the original nice long wheel base one.
Still, do you think there is a market for fully assembled cars and how much owners would be willing to part with them for? For those who don't want to build but want to just buy.

Yes and no, there isn't really a market but some pro builders can build models for you, but this has a cost. And quality isn't so good, professional do build pro (pro paint, pro glue etc etc) but don't really care of accuracy and realism are you would, they don't involve passion in their builds so don't expect any further detail than what's in the kit.
I really often saw wrong models by professional, 1/43 scale have I to say, because most of them don't want to build 1/24 where is more complicated to hide such pro conceptions of builds (remember one famous french pro builders saying about PE "why would I loose so much time to something not visible" ??).
So believe me, if you can build it yourself, save money and put passion instead, you'll get a great model !!


I second Steve about the Tamiya donor kit, it's not so hard to find and most often prices stay reasonable.
Some store may still have some, I found one in a store I haven't been visited for years, and even didn't buy it cos I couldn't get the discount I tried to negociate...!!


I can only fully objectively encourage all fans of the brand or of this rally mythic cars to get one TK, tamiya donor kit will be found once or another, but you'll have it, and it really deserves its price far more than some complete kits sold two times more expensive which won't bring half of the result you can expect from such high quality model as SP transkit...