Italeri 4720 - 1:12 Lancia Delta HF Safari Integrale 16V 1991

Plastic model kit of the Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V Safari 1991 rally car in 1:12 scale

Italeri 4720 is a model kit of the Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V in the specific configuration prepared for the 1991 Safari Rally - the toughest round of the World Rally Championship, run across Kenyan gravel and open country. To survive thousands of kilometres in extreme conditions, the Martini Lancia team cars received raised and reinforced suspension, widened arches for larger tyres, a front bull bar to guard against animal strikes and a roof-mounted air intake snorkel.

The large 1:12 scale kit offers a very high level of detail: a fully detailed engine and engine bay, opening bonnet and boot lid, opening front doors, working suspension and working steering. Rubber tyres on off-road wheels, chromed parts, a photo-etched fret and a set of assembly accessories - cables, screws and springs - complete the kit.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprues with body, interior and chassis parts
• New Safari parts: widened arches, front bull bar, air intake snorkel, off-road wheels
• Rubber tyres
• Chromed parts
• Photo-etched fret (including intake meshes)
• Black acetate splash guards
• Assembly accessories: cables, screws, springs
• Two Super Decal sheets for exterior markings plus a separate sheet for the interior (seats, instruments, number plates)
• Colour instructions

Kit specifications:

• Scale: 1:12
• Catalogue number: 4720
• Manufacturer: Italeri
• Assembled model length: approx. 326 mm
• Skill level: intermediate/advanced

Marking options (1991 Safari Rally, Martini Lancia team):

• No. 6 - Juha Kankkunen / Juha Piironen, rally winners
• No. 1 - Jorge Recalde / Martin Christie, third place
• No. 7 - Miki Biasion / Tiziano Siviero

Note: Glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. This kit requires assembly.

Building the model:

This is an elaborate kit for experienced modellers. Breaking the work into sub-assemblies is recommended: engine and engine bay, interior with roll cage and seats, chassis with suspension, and finally the body. Photo-etched parts are attached with cyanoacrylate glue, and precision tweezers and a modelling screwdriver come in handy for the cables and screws.

The Martini Lancia livery is white with the distinctive navy, light blue and red stripes - one of the most recognisable schemes in rallying history. Airbrushing the paint in thin coats works best, with a gloss clear coat sealing the finish once the decals are down. Applying decals over a gloss coat reduces the risk of silvering.

Chromed parts can be left in their factory finish - simply cut them carefully from the sprue and clean up the gate marks. Experienced modellers often strip the factory chrome and airbrush these parts with dedicated chrome-effect paints for a more realistic result. Both approaches are valid.

An appealing extra with this subject is reproducing the Safari's dirt - layers of dust and dried mud on the lower body and wheel arches. Pigments and washes work well here.

Tools you will need:

• Sprue cutters
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and fine sanding paper
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Cyanoacrylate glue for photo-etched and metal parts
• Precision modelling tweezers and a small screwdriver
• Airbrush and model paints
• Gloss clear coat for the bodywork
• Washes and pigments for dust and mud effects

About the car - Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V:

The Lancia Delta HF Integrale is the most successful car in World Rally Championship history. It grew out of an apparently ordinary compact hatchback, progressively transformed into a rally machine: four-wheel drive, a two-litre turbocharged and intercooled engine, a widened body and ever more capable suspension. The 16V version, introduced in 1989, gained a sixteen-valve head that boosted power and flexibility.

In Martini Lancia colours the Delta dominated rallying at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, taking a run of manufacturers' titles. It was driven by the best of the era: Miki Biasion, Juha Kankkunen, Didier Auriol and Jorge Recalde.

The Safari Rally, however, was a different challenge from the European rounds. Instead of short special stages, it meant hundreds of kilometres of gravel roads open to traffic, river crossings, wild animals on the route and temperatures reaching forty degrees. Cars entered in Kenya needed thorough preparation: raised suspension, reinforced structure, underbody protection and a snorkel to keep dust out of the engine. In 1991 Juha Kankkunen won the Safari Rally at the wheel of a Delta HF Integrale 16V.

Original car specifications (Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V, Group A rally specification):

• Engine: two-litre inline-four, sixteen valves, turbocharged with intercooler
• Drivetrain: four-wheel drive
• Body: widened five-door hatchback
• Rally class: Group A
• Safari modifications: reinforced and raised suspension, widened arches, front bull bar, roof-mounted air intake snorkel
• Achievements: a run of WRC manufacturers' titles for Lancia between 1987 and 1992
• 1991 Safari Rally winners: Juha Kankkunen / Juha Piironen

About the manufacturer - Italeri:

Italeri is an Italian model company based in Calderara di Reno near Bologna, founded in the early 1960s by Giuliano Malservisi and Gian Pietro Parmeggiani. Over time it acquired the moulds of Supermodel, Protar and ESCI, greatly expanding its catalogue. Today Italeri offers aircraft, helicopters, military vehicles, ships, trucks, cars and motorcycles. Large-scale 1:12 historic and rally cars hold a special place in the range - the Lancia Delta Integrale, Lancia Stratos, Bugatti T35 and Alfa Romeo 8C Monza - combining plastic parts with photo-etched, rubber and metal components. The company designs and manufactures in Italy.