Review
This offering from Meng Models arrives in a card tray, with a separate card lid. Inside the sprues are individually packaged for the most part and even the instruction booklet is sealed in a bag along with the decals and masks. Part access is good, gates are of a reasonable size and of a reasonable number.
The interior of this model, I have checked against on-line reference and I have to say that detail wise the model is very impressive. One thing I would have liked to have seen Meng include is Kevlar decals for the interior as that appears to have been a very popular choice in the cockpit. The yoke style steering wheel has been faithfully reproduced, right down to the Audi logo across the centre of the steering wheel. The angled display panel to the right side of the driver, does look to me as if it would benefit from an after market panel - But I have seen some modellers do remarkable things with paint alone. The cockpit itself is a full sub-assembly and so can be safely worked on until closed up within the body of the model. The seat of this model is a pleasing aspect, as harness detail is exceptionally high right down to the adjusters and clasps being individually provided.
Moving to the axls - these appear to have been omitted, but I am pleased to see that the front wheels remain functional and you can set the angle as desired at any time. The disc brakes have good surface detail and it is good to see Meng pointing out detail painting as you progress. The power pack is covered in very few parts, which do appear to be crisply moulded and due to the limited parts count leaves me to wonder if the detail could have been improved, with that said the roll cage is very nicely detailed and I would be pushed to fault it but be very careful during assembly so that you don’t have an issue of it not fitting in the body of the model.
Something that I would suspect that many modellers would appreciate is that masks have been provided for the glazing areas which makes painting so much easier. The tyres for the model are vinyl rubber and this is an area of conflict on the armour side of the hobby and I do not know how they are felt about in the car model side of the hobby.
The bodywork of this model consists of the main body of the vehicle, the 2 doors and the rear hatch. The lines of the model appear to match on-line photographs, so I have no concerns in that regard. The doors have interior and exterior detail and can be shown open or closed. I have been rather impressed with the detail inside of the model, and so would consider leaving the doors open, or at least the driver’s door. The rear hatch does not have the option of being shown open, but I will be honest and say that this does not bother me. Once done the upper body is applied to the rest of the model, and I believe that this is one time when you will need to be very careful not to knock anything to cause damage. Once fully assembled and painted I believe this model has the potential to be a very pleasing addition to anyone’s collection. The red, white and black livery does make for quite an eye catching combo.
Conclusion
Car models are not something that I tend to swoon over, but other than my concern that the engine detail could possibly be better I cannot critique any other aspect of the model. The livery is particularly pleasing to me and I feel that this is definitely a case of Meng having supplied the canvas and tools with you in control of the journey.