Carisma Audi Quattro Rallye 1/10th Scale 190mm Body Shell Review

I’d been contemplating building a Rally car for quite some time and had been gradually gathering parts for over a year now, but I’d been struggling to find a body shell I really liked other than maybe a Mk 1 Ford Escort by Retro racing when they’re available or a vintage Tamiya Audi shell, again, when you can find one at a reasonable price. Then over the Christmas holiday I stumbled across the new 190mm Audi Quattro Rallye body shell from Carisma. Now Carisma used to make toy grade RC cars, but over the past couple of years, they’ve started to produce some decent, Hobby grade buggies and touring cars, and this is one of their first 1/10th scale shells to become available separately, and at first glance it looks very nice indeed.

The shell is designed to fit most 190mm touring car or rally car chassis and should look quite at home on any Tamiya 190mm chassis such as the TL-01, TT-01, any of the TA range. I initially though about mounting it on a TA-01 but the chassis I had was missing the body posts that that idea went straight out the window.

The polycarbonate shell comes pre-painted and with decals pre-applied to, meaning all you need to do is mount it up. The shell has already been drilled at the factory to fit their own M40S chassis and if you’re lucky, the mounts on the chassis you’re using will line up. Sod’s law dictated that mine didn’t as I was using a recently rebuilt TL-01 chassis from Tamiya, which meant drilling new mounting holes.

Something I’ve been meaning to invest in for sometime is a set of the new LED body post markers which make lining up body shells quick and easy, but I haven’t taken the plunge yet, so I had to do it manually. Not difficult, but you have to be 100% sure you’ve lined it up before you drill it!

The polycarbonate used for the shell is fairly soft, flexible material that should withstand a good amount of on and off road use, but as with all polycarbonate shells, they do crack with repeated collisions, so I took the extra precaution as I do now with all new body shells and lined the whole thing (except the clear windows) with duct tape. This thickens the shell and improved durability a lot!

The clear windows on the shell I think is a nice touch, and it leaves plenty of scope for creating an interior for the car using a separately available interior moulding from Pro-Line racing for example.

The paintwork on the shell is done to a good standard but did seem to be a little fragile around the edges of the shell and scuffs quite easily if you catch it by mistake with anything sharp. Hopefully lining it with tape will help reduce this risk a little.

The factory decal application saves a lot of time, but it’s not as accurate as you could maybe do yourself, but for a model that you’re going to thrash, it’s not bad at all.

Once mounted and coupled with a set of Kyosho wheels and Rally Block tyres, the Audi Quattro Rallye really does look the part. In fact I was very loathed to run it as I didn’t want to get it dirty! I mounted the shell on this chassis a little higher than I would a touring car so it sat more like a true vintage Rally car and also gave me a little extra clearance all-round for when I run it on grass or dirt tracks.

It’s a bit cliched now but I can’t resist it… “Grab your coat Bolly-Knickers, it’s time to Fire Up The Quattro!”

Is It Worth The Money?

Yes, very much so. If you’re wanting to create your own Retro Rally Basher, then there’s not a lot to choose from in terms of ready finished body shells, but for around £38 you can’t really go wrong. The moulding isn’t as detailed as one from Tamiya would be, but it does tick most boxes and even the wing mirrors and rear spoiler are factory fitted.

For
Looks, pre-painted & decals factory applied. Pre-mounted spoiler & wing-mirrors.

Against
Not as detailed as shells from other manufacturers. Paintwork seems a little fragile. Decals.

After its first run the shell seems to have stood up well to a couple of relatively quick barrel rolls on gravel, and a couple of minor scuffs with a fence post. I would highly recommend lining any Lexan shell with Duct tape if you’re not too concerned with the few extra grams of weight that it adds, as it really does work wonders. The only ot other comment I need to make really about this shell is… What the heck is the extra moulded piece for that comes in the package? There’s no instructions and it’s not obvious as to what it is. I’ve asked Modelsport UK, the original supplier and I’ve asked the distributor, and neither of them have a clue! If you work it out, let me know.

Where Can I Get One?

• Modelsport UK – The UK’s largest RC Car retailer.

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