Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 15: Citroen BX Prototype

Day 15 brings the Citroen BX 4x4 prototype. #250, driven in the 1984 Dakar by Michel Mokrycki, who was also an engineer on the Jules sponsored Rolls Royce from the 1981 Dakar. Unfortunately #250 didn't make the finish in Dakar, the car has a rollover some 12 km(7.5 miles) before that day's stage finish line.

In the case of the model, you can reach the finish by completing one of two versions, easy or complex.




Monday, December 13, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 14: Volvo C303

Day 14 begets the Volvo C303 #331, finished in 20th place overall in the 1983 Dakar, and won the Truck category for Trucks under 10 tons. and finished 2nd in the general Truck classification. 

Unlike previous Truck models, you actually get 2 versions, easy and complex.





Sunday, December 12, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 13: Rover 3500

Day 13 brings us a Rover 3500, #149 from the 1983 Dakar.  Unfortunately Franco De Paoli, even using the running gear from a Range Rover, failed to reach finish line.

If you score, cut, and glue carefully, you will be able to reach the finish of this Rover, with either of the presented options, easy and complex


Minimodel.sk Advent 2021 Halfway Point

So we are at the halfway point of Advent, time to summarize what we have been gifted. Usually at the halfway point in the Dakar, there is a rest day, but not this time.
We have race finishers, we have those who had to abandon the race, we have custom built vehicles, and we have vehicles which look like they just drove them off the car dealer's lot.

Day 1: DAF 2800 NTT "De Neus"

Day 2: Renault 21 Nevada

Day 3: Mercedes Benz 450 SLC

Day 4: ARO 242

Day 5: MAN KAT 8x8

Day 6: Jeep Cherokee

Day 7: Volkswagen T3 Syncro

Day 8: Renault Alpine A310

Day 9: FIAT Campagnola

Day 10: Renault/Saviem SM8

Day 11: VAZ/Lada Samara T3

Day 12: Lamborghini LM002

If you might have missed any of them, they are still all available, at https://www.minimodel.sk/en/catalog/fds-model/advent-calendar.html

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 12: Lamborghini LM002

Dakar 1988, #519, an all red 4x4 truck appears at the starting line, you spot a familiar logo, a gold bucking bull on a black ground, Lamborghini?!? 

What are they doing here? 

Well, they are going to race in the Dakar, at least attempt to race the Dakar. Depending on the accounts you read, they either finished 10th, or they dropped out, based on one report stating that despite lightening efforts, the truck was just too heavy, coupled with the monster Pirelli tires that the truck had, the team went through 24 sets of shock absorbers, and due to a lack of parts, abandoned the quest to Lac Rose, I am more apt to believe the fact they ran out of parts, because the Rambo Lambo was, and still is a heavy vehicle, just shy of 6000 pounds.

Fear not, it will only take a single sheet of your favorite paper/card stock to build this offered version of the LM002, in this case, unlike previous small vehicle sheets, the easy and complex versions are their own separate file. Download either one or both, and have fun building.




Friday, December 10, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 11: VAZ/LADA Samara T3

From the 1990 Dakar for day 11, we have the VAZ/Lada Samara T3. In the 1990 Dakar, the Samara finished in 7th place, and in 1991, piloted by the legendary Jacky Ickx finished in 5th place.  The racing version of the Samara didn't share much with its road going cousins, it used a 3.6 liter engine flat six and the running gear of a 959 Porsche.

In the case of the model, you won't have to borrow some bits from Stuttgart's best, a single sheet of paper will do you just fine. both the easy and complex versions are available for you to cut out, fold and glue together.




Thursday, December 09, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 10: Renault/Saviem SM8

On the 10th day of Advent, he gave to me, a Renault Saviem SM8, #225, 5th place finisher of the 1980 Dakar.

The SM8, a 4x4 platform medium duty truck produced for about 22 years by Saviem, and Renault.

In this case, you have to do the building, but on the bright side, you have less parts to contend with than with the original, 2 sheets, with instruction diagrams.





Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 9: FIAT Campagnola

On Day 9, we are treated with the FIAT Campagnola off roader, #174, which finished 19th in the 1982 Dakar. The Campagnola was inspired by the Willys Jeep, both in civilian and military version.

As for the model, at 1:100, you also get two versions, easy and complex.




Wednesday, December 08, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 8: Renault Alpine A310

Day 8 brings the Renault Alpine A310 #139 which had to abandon the 1981 Dakar.  This version of the Alpine A310 was the next version of the Alpine based on the original A110, and was a popular sports car in the early 1980s in Europe.

In the early years of the Dakar, many teams competed in standard road going cars, maybe some suspension upgrades or a roll cage, but for the most part, they pretty much looked like their siblings on the dealers' lot. Not surprisingly a lot of the teams had to drop out as their cars would either break down or be damaged beyond repair, and some even going up in flames.

Hopefully nothing untoward will happen to your version, either easy or complex.





Tuesday, December 07, 2021

Minimodel.sk Advent 2021, Day 7: Volkswagen T3 Syncro

František has thrown a curve ball to me, I am having a hard time finding any information on this entry, #254, it was in either the 1987 or 1988 Dakar, beyond that I am coming up empty.

The model sheet contains both versions as usual, the easy and complex versions.



**Update** František confirmed for me the year, 1987.