Debuting on the rally circuit and tuned by the Italian performance brand Abarth in 1976, the Fiat Abarth took home rally championships in 1977, 1978, and 1980. Italeri has re-released its 1/24 scale Fiat 131 Abarth Rally plastic model kit, this time with new decals for the Olio Fiat 1976 and 1977 Olio Fiat livery.
Based on an Esci kit dating back to the late 1970s, you’ll notice all parts of this model build from the main floorboard chassis, which simplifies things. The nine-piece engine, although simplified, represents the 1995cc DOHC powerplant well and benefits from paint details. You’ll have to trim the exhaust manifold, as per instructions, to fit it squarely in the chassis. The engine bay has a separate radiator, brake master cylinder, water bottle, and upper radiator hose. You’ll also install pedals for the driver compartment.
Seventeen parts make up the cockpit. I painted and detailed the dashboard before applying a full array of realistic decal gauges. As small as they are you can read them! Decal seat belts are also provided, and Italeri suggests two ways to install them: the usual way, wetting and sliding them in place or leaving them with the backing intact for a more realistic sag. The harness hardware comes as styrene parts rather than photo-etched metal and is quite close to scale.
Underneath, I found the two-piece exhaust system mounts perfectly to the chassis pan via locator pins. The rear suspension goes together well and looks every bit the part of the 1/1 vehicle.
Two parts comprise each wheel assembly: an unbranded rubber tire and a four-spoke wheel. The instructions have you attach the front strut assembly to the wheels before installing the whole assembly to the chassis. You’ll assemble the roll bar from four parts, but no worries here — everything aligns just fine.
The simple, one-piece greenhouse glass fits well to the body, as do the grille, headlights, and the marker and driving lights located on the front facia. You’ll have to paint the taillights their respective colors to match the real car because they come as a single, clear part.
The crisply printed decals lay down beautifully with little or no setting solution. They have almost no clear film around the edges, and they were a pleasure to place.
Overall, the Italeri 1/24 scale Fiat 131 Abarth Rally Olio Fiat plastic model kit was very enjoyable, with no major hangups or issues. Painting the car takes a little patience, but with this, you can achieve a very nice-looking replica of the Olio Fiat that could and did.