Revell 1985(ish) VW Golf GTi Mk2 1/24 scale

[polybius]

This build was recently finished up after marinating for a while on the shelf of stalled projects.  The thought of the extensive masking that was needed for all the trim was daunting, but in the end it wasn't as troublesome as feared.  The kit is an older tooling from Revell that dates back to the early 80s and has a pretty interesting history of branding and boxing.  The only other Mk2 Golf/GTi that I'm familiar with is the Fujimi tooling, and it's definitely different than this Revell tooling.  

It went together surprisingly easily for the most part.  The trickiest part seemed to be the front subframe and engine attachment process.  The kit's wheels are base Golf style steelies, and are more fitting on a Mk1 Rabbit diesel than a GTi.  I sourced some appropriate GTi wheels from a Fujimi kit, since my plans for the Fujimi kit include an upgrade to some era-spec BBS rims.  The Fujimi wheels fit directly on the Revell axle nubs, and required no adjustment at all to get the proper stance and fit.  

The paint is DupliColor VW Tornado Red followed by Rustoleum clear lacquer.  Most of the trim is either MrColor black surfacer or Tamiya semi-gloss black.  The interior is basic and the tooling lacks detail, so I didn't detail it much aside from the dash cluster and switchgear.  I'm a fan of 80s "pocket rockets" like the GTi, and had owned an '86 GTi 8v for a short while.  My '86 was Mars Red, so it was a bit more orange than this darker Tornado Red that I prefer.  It brought back memories, and I'm glad it's off the bench and onto the shelf.  Thanks for looking! 

Edited June 10, 2023 by polybius

[Jim B]

Great looking Golf. Well done. 

[rrb124@sbcglobal.net]

Very good! There are several early GTI's in my unbuilt stash. Big fan. I am on my second real GTI. The early ones like yours are king.

[Spottedlaurel]

Nicely done. The black trim is very much part of the look these have and you did a good job of capturing it.

[ChrisR]

Very nice.

[ncbuckeye67]

Beautifully done! It reminds me of my high school buddy's Rabbit. I still love hatchbacks (owned 3 in the last 10 years). Sometimes we need a basic build from time to time, to get a break from the super-detailing nightmares we create for ourselves. 

[Rattlecan Dan]

Pretty realistic. Nice that whenever you give it a look it will bring back a good memory. Thanks for posting.

[espo]

Great looking Golf and the color is what comes to mind when this car is mentioned. Like the bigger, wider tires and the cleanly done body trim. 

[slusher]

Beautiful looking Golf!

[Russell C]

Nice! Got that same kit many years back. The weakness I have for these is my current daily driver '86 GTI with its 300k+ miles. I was thinking I'd one day do a replica of it, but with my preferences of upgrades such as the larger side windows / mirrors placed further forward on '87s & up. Also 5-spoke aftermarket wheels. And maybe syncro AWD.  (would do the same on my 1:1 if I could afford it - taking donations, just be sure to make the checks out to "Cash" ?)

[PappyD340]

Very nice!

[kelson]

Good looking build!!.

[jaymcminn]

Great, super clean build of an underrated classic. I love it!

[ATHU]

Nice work, looks great!!