Hi Everyone!
I would like to present to you one of Ottomobile's most recently released rally car the Toyota Celica TA64 Rally Group B in 1/18 scale.
I recently received this wonderful model from Otto (now belongs to Tofu), and it brings back memories of the 1/12 scale R/C kit that was produced by Tamiya back in 1987. A very expensive Tamiya R/C kit that was very realistic. This kit is very sought after R/C car these days.
A little history (taken from Tamiya Club site)
The Toyota Celica Twin-Cam Turbo was the product of one of the most exciting phases of rallying, when the World Rally Championship adopted its Group B regulations between 1983 and 1986. It proved a powerful contender and its dominance of the Safari and Ivory Coast Rallies earned it the nick-name 'King of Africa'.
The rules required car manufacturers to produce and sell 200 units of a model in order for it to achieve homologation for the new formula. Working in conjunction with Toyota Team Europe, Toyota devised a plan to build 200 road cars, 20 'evolutionary' versions for rallying and a powerful new engine.
Some rival manufacturers opted for four-wheel drive, but the Celica Twin-Cam Turbo retained a rear-wheel drive powertrain. The 2.1-litre engine could produce up to 380bhp, making the TA64 one of the most powerful two-wheel drive rally cars ever built.
About the Model:
The model is not packed in the typical crappy foam clam shell like most Otto cars are packed in. Instead, the model is screwed securely like the way GT Spirit packs their models. The car's antenna along with some Marlboro decals are securely place in a cavity between the model and the foam packaging.
In my opinion, this has to be one of best rally car that Ottomobile have produced. The shape of the car has been faithfully reproduced by Otto. From the lights and front roll bar, there are lots of details that Otto has placed.
The interior features PE racing harness for driver and navigator seats, and the dashboard is nicely painted and decorated.
A few things that I was disappointed in are the side windows (Printed on), hood pins are flat decals, and you can see the red underneath the white decals on the driver side and passenger doors.
Overall, Ottomobile did a great job reproducing one of legendary cars from Toyota's racing heritage. Otto produce only 1500 samples of this model and they are completely sold out. I wonder if Tofu will add some weathering to make it even more real????
I hope you enjoy the pictures and comments are welcomed.
Happy Collecting
William