1:24 TOM’S COROLLA LEVIN AE92 “1991 JTC”

TOM'S Corolla Levin AE92, Japanese touring car championship 1991, 1:24 scale

This injection-molded plastic kit by the Japanese brand Hasegawa captures the racing form of the Toyota Corolla Levin with the factory code AE92 in the colors of the TOM'S team for the 1991 season.

The real subject

The AE92-generation Corolla Levin was built from 1987 and was a sportily tuned coupe derived from the Corolla of the day, with a transverse front engine and front-wheel drive. Under the hood worked sixteen-valve four-cylinder engines of 1.6 liters, supercharged in the hottest versions. TOM'S is a Japanese racing team and tuner long associated with Toyota. The AE92 cars started in the Japanese touring car championship under Group A rules, in the least powerful capacity division up to 1600 cc, where light supercharged and naturally aspirated hatchbacks and coupes raced against each other. The divisional structure of the championship differed from season to season.

Building and painting tips

A racing body rests on a clean glossy finish, because a large number of decals with sponsor markings are laid onto it. Sand the surface, therefore, and varnish it with a glossy paint, soften the decals with a product so that they settle onto the edges and the pressings, and finally seal them with varnish. Divide the work so that the large surfaces dry without being handled. The interior of a circuit car tends to be spare, so matte shades and three-dimensional emphasis on the roll cage pay off. Leave the tires matte, while a metallic paint sprayed onto a smooth surface handles the wheels well.

Who the model is for

• For fans of Japanese circuit racing and Group A
• For collectors of models of Toyotas and of cars of the TOM'S team
• For modelers who are up for more demanding decal work
• For display collections of racing cars in 1:24 scale

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.