When Peter asked me if I would like to build and comment on a Racing 43 kit I was quite keen until I discovered it was a Fiat Punto rally car. A rally car?

You see, I am more used to building what I am interested in, sports racing cars and Ferraris. Don't get me wrong; I think rallying is a great sport and the drivers amongst the best in the motor sport world.

When the decals were good and dry I gave the whole lot a couple of coats of acrylic lacquer. This procedure is up to debate, but I like to seal the decals with lacquer and if you are one of the builders who do not like a very glossy model, you can always give the end result another rub down with metal polish. This will provide a good natural finish.

The same preparation procedure was used for the chassis. After painting I fitted the small interior components. The photo-etched bits supplied are really excellent. Very fine and detailed. The gear lever assembly was exceptionally good.

The vac formed windows were clear and fitted well. The tyres were well made and look the part on the rims.

To sum up I can recommend this particular kit to any rally fan and if my previous experience of Racing 43 is anything to go by I would imagine their range to be easily made and pleasing to own.

I think also it is worth a mention that I had reason to ask Racing 43 to supply me with a replacement decal set for another kit (my fault not theirs), and it arrived in a couple of weeks with their latest product information. Not bad eh? Perhaps some other kit makers might learn that for us builder/collectors a good replacement parts service is a must. We all make mistakes from time to time as well as finding parts missing.