BMW 635 CSI J.M. Ponce, El Corte Ingles Rally 1985, 1:24 scale Reji Model

[Smiffy]

BMW 635 CSI J.M. Ponce, El Corte Ingles Rally 1985

1:24 scale Reji Model

Jose Maria Ponce has become a familiar face among fans of the Spanish Rally Championship. Born in 1955, he entered his first event, the Rally El Corte Ingles in 1977, driving a Toyota Levin and finished in a respectable 8th position. He would become a regular attendee of this event. In 1985, piloting his BMW 635 CSI, he won the Rally Isla de Gran Canaria. The following event, was the El Corte Ingles, which he entered alongside his co-driver, Isabel Fernandez, once again in the 635. Unfortunately, their rally was ended prematurely when engine trouble forced them to retire.

Over the years he has driven a wide variety of machinery, from the likes of Toyota (Corolla Coupe and Celica GT4), Ford (Escort Cosworth), Volkswagen (Golf Gti , Golf IV Kit Car and Polo S1600) and Peugeot (P306 Maxi and P206 WRC).He his best known for his long association with BMW, though. Driving a number of different models, from the old 2002, several 323i and 325i’s, M3’s and of course, his 635 CSI.

He has competed in national Spanish national events each year, since 1977, as well as a number of WRC and ERC rounds. In 2013, he was once again at the wheel of his trusty E30 M3 and finished 3rd in the Rally Villa de Santa Brigida. It would appear that for Jose Maria, rallying really is in the blood.

The decals

The lovely people at Reji have once again supplied us with a review sample of one of their latest decal sets. Sheet no 193 provides us the opportunity to replicate the BMW 635 CSI, as driven by Jose Maria Ponce and co-driver Isabel Fernandez at the 1985 Rally El Corte Ingles. Inside the clear zip-lock bag, we find one colour printed, 4-view paint and decal guide and 2 sheets of decals. The markings are for use with either the Tamiya BMW 635 (kit nos 24061 & 24322), or Fujimi’s version ( kit nos 082455 & 082608).

The paint work on this one couldn’t be much simpler. The body shell is gloss white overall, except for the bonnet, which is finished in black. I found some old footage online, which appears to show this black as being either glossy or semi gloss, but there is a definite sheen apparent. Aside from the trim, the only other pieces which are going to need some careful masking, are the wheels. These are the distinctive BMW cross-wire alloys and they have a chrome outer rim, with the centre lattice work painted gold.

With paintwork complete, decaling can begin. Reji Model supply all the main sponsor logos, entry numbers, licence plates and placards on the larger sheet. The smaller decal sheet contains things such as the sunshade sponsor strip, competitor names, some smaller sponsor markings and the BMW Motorsport stripes, which appear at the forward end of the shark nose. Quality is on par with the other sets that I have seen from Reji and that, is excellent. The printing is very sharp and registry is very accurate. The bonnet Texaco star emblem with the fine white surround, being a good example of this. Colours are nice and bold and each marking is printed on extremely fine carrier film, with the absolute minimum of excess film around the edges. They look like they will be a pleasure to use.

Conclusion

Another superb quality release from Reji Model. This is a great choice of subject, being a little out of the ordinary, with an older car from surely one of the sport’s longest serving pilots. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Review sample from