Friday, June 16

Two new-tooled WRC Celica's in 24th scale by D.Model

The famous & controversial Toyota Celica GT-FOUR ST205 in 1/24th scale is the subject of D.Model Kits newly tooled release. We look at both kits, & the WRC winner in our preview...
Two new-tooled WRC Celica's in 24th scale by D.Model

Developed for the WRC (World Rally Championship) by Toyota, and introduced it from mid-1994, D.Models have made two new tooled versions of the famous Celica GT-FOUR (ST205).

The Subject: 1994 to 1999 Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205
The GT-Four was created primarily to compete in the World Rally Championship and address the FIA homologation rules. The ST205 became Toyota’s official rally car in mid-1994, then a full season in 1995 with one WRC victory, and also won the 1996 European Rally Championship. 

Auriol’s ST205 GT-Four takes flight during a special stage in the 1995 Rally of Portugal.
The ST205 GT-Four made its WRC debut late in 1994 with Kankkunen finishing second in Britain’s final round. The new car had the latest generation of the 3S-GTE engine, with an improved twin-entry turbocharger incorporating a clever innovation to improve throttle response called ALS (Anti-Lag System). There was also an aluminium bonnet to save weight, four-channel ABS and what Toyota called ‘Super Strut Suspension’.
Auriol duly delivered the ST205’s first WRC victory in France’s Tour de Corse. Sadly, that would also be its only victory and the last WRC win for a Celica GT-Four, as it fell victim to a scandal that caused major embarrassment for Toyota later in the season.

The impressive night time driving lights on the ST205
The FIA’s pin-sharp technical inspectors discovered that the turbo inlet restrictor, fitted to all WRC cars to cap power outputs at 300bhp, had been illegally modified by TTE to allow more air to enter the engine (hence more power) yet was also designed to be (hopefully) undetectable when disassembled for inspection.

The Monte Carlo Rally Celicas stole the show in 1995
The FIA, although clearly impressed with the ingenuity of the illegal device, came down hard on TTE  and to a lesser extent Toyota, which was cleared of any blame given that the tampering occurred at team level.

Auriol’s Celica GT-Four ST205 at 1995 Rallye Monte-Carlo
Toyota and its star drivers, including Kankkunen who had been in contention for his fifth drivers’ title, were stripped of all points earned in 1995 and the works team was banned from competing in the 1996 WRC. It was a sad end to the GT-Four’s incredible career, but its legacy as a multiple world rally champion will never be forgotten.

The Kits:
The two kits from D.Model Kits have many of the same features, but different special equipment here shown in CAD form, and different decals - We go through them now for you...

Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 1995 Portugal Rally
From D.Model Kits
Kit No: DMK-004
1/24th scale
Length 183 mm/ Width 76 mm
Completely new engineering and moulds.
Release in Sept. 2023
-A plastic model assembly kit that recreates the Toyota Celica GT-FOUR WRC that participated in the Portuguese Rally in the third round of the WRC in March 1995.
-Not only does it fully reproduce the body style based on the 6th generation Celica on a 1/24 scale, but it also models the lower chassis and interior in detail.
-It provides a realistic representation of stage details & set-ups, gravel tire tread patterns, mud flaps, etc.
-In addition, auxiliary lights for night stages equipped on the front are also provided.
-The interior is well-modelled with roll cages, bucket seats and various equipment.
-The headsets for the crew are reproduced for the driver and the co-driver to communicate, and the spartan atmosphere of the interior is represented.
-A set of photo-etched parts for detailing on the kit are included.

-Marking choices in the box:1, 2 and 3 that participated in the 1995 Portuguese Rally with decals for:
-Nº1 Driver - Didier Auriol 🇫🇷  + Co-Driver - Bernard Occelli   🇫🇷 License Plate : K-AM 6215 
-Nº2 Driver - Juha Kankkunen 🇫🇮  + Co-Driver - Nicky Grist   🇬🇧 Licence Plate: K-AM 7291
-Nº3 Armin Schwarz 🇩🇪 + Co-Driver Klaus Wicha 🇩🇪 Licence Plate: K-AM 806


Toyota Celica GT-FOUR ST205 1995 Monte Carlo Rally
From D.Model Kits
Kit No: DMK-004
1/24th scale
Length 183 mm/ Width 76 mm
Completely new engineering and moulds.
Release in Sept. 2023
-A plastic model assembly kit that recreates the Toyota Celica GT-FOUR WRC that participated in the Monte Carlo Rally in the third round of the WRC in March 1995.
-Not only does it fully reproduce the body style based on the 6th generation Celica on a 1/24 scale, but it also models the lower chassis and interior in detail.
-It provides a realistic representation of stage details & set-ups, gravel tire tread patterns, mud flaps, etc.
-In addition, auxiliary lights for night stages equipped on the front are also provided.
-The headsets for the crew are reproduced for the driver and the co-driver to communicate, and the spartan atmosphere of the interior is represented.
-A set of photo-etched parts for detailing on the kit are included.
-The interior is well-modelled with roll cages, bucket seats and various equipment. Interiors of the doors are also modelled.

-Marking choices in the box:1, 2 and 3 that participated in the 1995 Monte Carlo Rally with decals for:
-Nº1 Driver - Didier Auriol 🇫🇷  + Co-Driver - Bernard Occelli  🇫🇷 - License Plate : K-AM 7182 
-Nº2 Driver - Juha Kankkunen 🇫🇮  + Co-Driver - Nicky Grist  🇬🇧 Licence Plate: K-AM 4993
-Nº3 Driver - Armin Schwarz 🇩🇪 + Co-Driver - Klaus Wicha 🇩🇪 Licence Plate : K-AM 5038

You can find out more about these kits on the D,Model Kit Website