Fiat 131 Abarth Rally Build Thread

[Poor Boys RC]

I still find it unusual that not many folks are covering this new release from Tamiya. I think this kit has an awesome look, and the MF-01x chassis is a ton of very capable fun that really helps bring this kit to life. I'll do my best to relay all the quirks I came across during this build, and as always, I'm happy to answer any questions the group may have, so feel free to ask away! 

I've already put together an unboxing video, which you can find here: 

 

[Poor Boys RC]

I was very eager to get started on the body, so that's where my build started, and this is exactly where I came across my first quirk in the build. I'll let the pictures do some of the talking:

First pic: Choose whether to paint the body in "dark blue" (more on that later) or black

[Poor Boys RC]

As you see in this next picture here, the instruction manual clearly states you can paint the body in either PS -- Dark Blue, or PS-5 Black.

But why isn't there a # associated with the PS? It's the first time in my many years of building Tamiya kits that I've come across this... A PS color with no number associated with it... So I did some digging...

[Poor Boys RC]

Here's a clearer photo from the instruction manual where you can see that the PS Dark Blue does not have a number associated with it. Pretty interesting, it's the first time I've seen this before, so I called my local hobby shop. They were in the dark completely, with no idea about how/why there's a PS paint with no number. So I started Googling and found out that Tamiya made a special Dark Blue color, specifically for this body. From what research I was able to do, it appears as that the 1:1 Fiat 131 Abarth Rally was indeed, blue, and Tamiya has a static model in which they suggest you use a paint that isn't available in spray paint form, hence the mystery behind this PS Dark Blue, which is also known as PS 69944 - If you want to buy one, here's a link to save you some time: https://ca.super-hobby.com/products/PS-Dark-Blue-Spray.html

[Poor Boys RC]

I found it interesting that the kit comes with decals for the Camel Yellow lower body portions, yet the manual has paint instructions for the roof which is also Camel Yellow (PS-19). I felt it was a no-brainer to forego the decals, and mask the body off to paint the lower yellow portion as opposed to using the decals:

[Poor Boys RC]

Masking the body for paint:

[Poor Boys RC]

I chose to paint mine black, as I didn't want to wait around for the PS Dark Blue to arrive, and honestly, the black/camel yellow combo looks really good to me, and it was an easy choice to go this route:

[BuggyDad]

I have this shell on order for my M-08. I think it's an absolute cracker. Apparently they're not sending the dark blue to the UK because they don't expect to sell enough. 🙄 Fingers crossed I can get it shipped from elsewhere in Europe. 

I think it's a good call to mask and paint the lower camel yellow sections rather than paint part and sticker part. 

[Poor Boys RC]

My luck with painting is pretty much non-existent, no matter how many bodies I paint, I'm destined to get some bleed-through. It's OK, I'll fix it before I spray the camel yellow. 

[Poor Boys RC]

2 minutes ago, BuggyDad said:

I have this shell on order for my M-08. I think it's an absolute cracker. Apparently they're not sending the dark blue to the UK because they don't expect to sell enough. 🙄 Fingers crossed I can get it shipped from elsewhere in Europe. 

I think it's a good call to mask and paint the lower camel yellow sections rather than paint part and sticker part. 

You're gonna love the body, BuggyDad. I've seen some complaints about it online, but in my opinion, it's beautiful. The details aren't exactly 100%, but if you're into making it perfect, AMPro is working on a new front grille where he gets the scale of the headlights absolutely 100%, where Tamiya missed the mark a little. This doesn't bother me at all, I think it's great as-is. 

Too bad they're not shipping the PS Dark Blue to the UK. I figured the UK would be the first place they'd ship it to. Tamiya seems to be a lot more popular out there than it is here in North America.

[alvinlwh]

.

 

[bavee]

12 hours ago, Poor Boys RC said:

 From what research I was able to do, it appears as that the 1:1 Fiat 131 Abarth Rally was indeed, blue, and Tamiya has a static model in which they suggest you use a paint that isn't available in spray paint form, hence the mystery behind this PS Dark Blue, which is also known as PS 69944.

It is blue indeed:

Image first posted by @Yoshimitsu.

[Poor Boys RC]

Paint work is done. Just letting it cure up fully before I unmask it and start applying decals. I'm happy with how the black/camel yellow turned out. The camel yellow was a little bit on the transparent side, so I decided to back it with white to give it a little more pop, and increase the opacity. I then backed the entire inner body in black to mute it, as I plan on installing LED lights up front and out back.

[Poor Boys RC]

[JimBear]

As an aside, at tamico.de, this dark blue mystery colour is named "PS-XX" (TA 69944).

I am slowly warming up to the shape of the Fiat 131. Looks good in the photos.

[Poor Boys RC]

I finished up with the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally today, and I completely forgot to take photos during the build. I was focused on the time-lapse video I'm working on for YouTube, and just completely gapped, my apologies, I intended to have more of a write up here with regards to the chassis build. All in all, it's a Tamiya, it went super smooth, and the instructions were fantastic. The only advice I could give to someone looking to build this kit is to keep in mind that this chassis comes in three different wheelbase configurations, and two different ride height configurations. So make sure you're building according to the proper wheelbase and intended ride height, or you might find yourself doing a few steps twice. 

The kit comes with friction shocks and plastic bushings, so it'd be wise to have a set of bearings ready before you start building, and a set of oil filled shocks are a must-have upgrade. I happened to have an extra set of 3-Racing Oil Filled shocks kicking around from my old M-05, so I installed them instead of the friction dampers. This body also comes with light buckets, so if you're looking to light up your ride, grab a set of 5mm LED's, there's provisions for 4 headlights, and 2 red/2 amber lights in the rear. 

Here's some pics of the finished product. I made a few mistakes with the paint, this always happens when I'm rushing to get a build done. Ah well, it's not too terrible, and I'm going to be running this body anyway, so it's going to get some war wounds sooner than later anyway. 

 

[Poor Boys RC]

It looks so good, from all angles! 

A hair dryer is your friend for some of these decals. The round shapes (headlights/fog lights) are particularly prone to having the decals lift. A little heat from the hair dryer, and the decals lay flat, the adhesive kicks up a notch, and they seat nicely.

[Poor Boys RC]

Definitely going to need a little heat for the tail lamp decals. 

[Poor Boys RC]

Epic bleed-thru with the black paint bleeding under the camel yellow on the left rear corner. I'm not sure how I missed this, but I did. I could have put the kit supplied decal over it to hide it, but I figured I'd leave it as is. The body will get scratched up soon enough, and that paint imperfection will look cool soon. I hope... Lol!

[Kowalski86]

Looks like it sits higher than the real thing, did the instructions say to keep the body raised slightly?

[BuggyDad]

6 hours ago, Poor Boys RC said:

It looks so good, from all angles! 

A hair dryer is your friend for some of these decals. The round shapes (headlights/fog lights) are particularly prone to having the decals lift. A little heat from the hair dryer, and the decals lay flat, the adhesive kicks up a notch, and they seat nicely.

Nice!

I'm of the view now that a hair dryer is your friend for all stickers even if you don't need to bend them.

5 hours ago, Poor Boys RC said:

Epic bleed-thru with the black paint bleeding under the camel yellow on the left rear corner. I'm not sure how I missed this, but I did. I could have put the kit supplied decal over it to hide it, but I figured I'd leave it as is. The body will get scratched up soon enough, and that paint imperfection will look cool soon. I hope... Lol!

Yeah my experience with Camel Yellow was of terrible coverage (but a GREAT colour), needed a lot of paint. I'm really looking forward to getting one of these bodies. 

[Yoshimitsu]

Looks great.😎

[Poor Boys RC]

On 11/25/2023 at 1:24 AM, Yoshimitsu said:

Looks great.😎

Thanks! 

[Poor Boys RC]

On 11/23/2023 at 8:05 PM, Kowalski86 said:

Looks like it sits higher than the real thing, did the instructions say to keep the body raised slightly?

The instructions are very vague when it comes to body height positioning. I opted to keep it a little higher, as I might fit some slightly taller tires down the line. 

[Poor Boys RC]

Next phase in the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally is the chassis build up and decal application. I put together a video where we talk about some of the notable moments during the build, ensuring the builder selects the correct wheelbase and ride height, as the MF-01x comes in several configurations. I hope you enjoy the video, if you do, please take a moment to drop a thumbs up, and consider subscribing if you like the content. 

I'll have a running video set to air later this week, too!