As some of you may know I have a hobby - I collect 1:18 scale models of cars. I tend only to collect models of the cars I would actually purchase if I had the cash – I have loads of old Fords (Mk2 escorts etc) and over 20 Porsches. Since my wee daughter is now just about at the crawling stage most of the models are now in our loft, back in their original boxes. And there they shall remain until Neve is old enough to appreciate them!
Anyway – I digress. About 2 years ago I started looking around on the model forums to see if there was anyone interested in making me a 1:18 scale model of my Impreza, since I knew I didn’t have the skill to do it myself.
I got in contact with a guy from Edinburgh - he seemed keen, and after sending him some money he started emailing me pictures of his progress. Unfortunately after a few months he lost his job and split up with his partner, so he lost all interest in my model.
Disheartened, I left it for a nearly a year before I tried again, and this time a guy called Firoz from the Netherlands was interested. I sent him the money to purchase the model to be used as the base – an AutoArt 1:18 white STI, which only comes in the JDM guise with the rear wash-wiper.
This model was chosen as the base because it already has the front bumper STI sideskirts that my car has, along with the high-level rear bootlid spoiler that matches my road car.
I sent Firoz pictures of my car and we discussed via email what could & couldn’t be done – some mods on my road car would be easy to transfer into 1:18 scale and others he wasn’t confident about. We kept in touch via email for 10 months and he sent me regular updates of his progress, and at the start of this week I received the model below!
Ok, close up the detail isn’t quite perfect (nor did I expect it to be for the price I paid for Firozs’ time & materials) but it’s probably as close a representation of my road car as I could ever expect. The only thing I would add to it (if I knew how) was the tinted windows, which Firoz didn’t do.
Although Firoz did 95% of the work (spraying the entire shell 22G Subaru red, adding the front lip spoiler & the roof spoiler, mudflaps, white wheels etc) I added the sunstrip, the reg. Plates and the front mesh grille.
Some pics of the base model
Adding the front lip spoiler
Moulding the spoiler on the roof
Some before and after interior shots
Painting the wheels white
Painting the shell and assembly started