Hyundai i20 WRC rally car is back as a mini car.

Any man in his 30s who has spent his youth in the 90s would remember playing with a mini car at least once. Now the kids who played with those mini cars are all grown up, and the kids these days have no interest in mini cars. Here’s a great news for the grown-ups who are missing the mini cars back in the day. Hyundai i20 WRC rally car, the 2019 WRC manufacturer champion, has launched a mini car version. You don’t have to wait no more. We have to get started. Shall we start building the i20 WRC mini car and jump into memories?

The components are quite simple. There are the car body cowl (exterior shell), 2 plastic parts to construct the lower part, chassis for frame, wheels and tires, motor and gear for operation, etc.

You also need some tools for assembly. A knife and a driver will get you through the process, but to make a proper car, it will help to have nipper, spray, brush, etc.

Let’s start with the car body. We cut out the components from the plastic parts. You can use scissors or a knife, but if you want a cleaner finish, it’s best to use the designated nipper. Finely finish the cut-out side with cutters or sandpaper for a neater exterior. It will also be easier to put on a sticker later on.

Some parts, like the front bumper and rear spoiler, will need coloring. You can still put them together without coloring, but to make it look like the original, coloring would help. Use spray and enamel paint to thoroughly color and dry the necessary parts.

Then it’s time to put on the Livery (color and design applied onto the race car body, racing team attires, etc.) onto the car body. There are 42 stickers, which is quite a lot, but it’s really fun to see how everything comes along as you stick on one by one and see how the whole design gets completed.

Stickers are very thin, easy to rip, and you have to stick them on while adjusting the position very carefully, so it’s not an easy job. Using a pair of tweezers helps a lot.

Now let’s get on with the chassis with driving system, shall we? First, we assemble the wheels and the tires. Especially the tires, you have to neatly cut them off, or they will trigger bumpy rides or resistance when driving, so try to cut them as neatly as possible.

After assembling the wheels and tires, we then put in the washer, bushing, gear, and assemble the wheels and shaft onto the chassis. It’s starting to look like a proper car, right?

When you put on the battery, you also assemble the terminal where the power is connected (battery connecting point). If you don’t do this part right, the terminal may bend or power may not get turned on, so it’s important to carefully follow the instructions and assemble according to the right direction.

Now let’s assemble the motor, which will act like the engine. You fix the motor mount component onto the motor then put it in the car body which the terminal is connected to. Then, insert the Pinion gear which delivers power to the car axis onto the motor drive shaft.

Once you have fixed the assembled engine mount onto the chassis, you then connect the gear onto the motor to operate the wheels. It’s a simple job, but if you don’t get it right, the wheels will not move at all. So, make sure that you really put them in, so the gear is in place.

Between gears, thoroughly apply grease (lubricant) to make sure gears work smoothly.

You’re nearly done. We now assemble the roller, which protects the car body and chassis if the car collides with a wall while driving. Assemble the washer, roller, and screw in every chassis corner in order and put them in the chassis.

Lastly, put in the battery and turn on the switch to see if the wheels roll properly. If the power doesn’t come in or if it does, but the gear doesn’t work well and the wheels don’t roll, you will have to reassemble the parts that haven’t been put together properly.

Once you’ve checked the power and it works well, you’re nearly done. Now you have to assemble the car body we finished earlier on with the chassis.

Done! When you were young, the mini car was the size of a kid’s hand, but now it’s much smaller than an adult’s hand. It’s so tiny and adorable.

Let’s take a closer look. Not only is it equipped with the main coloring and detailed decoration stickers, but the color of wheels is also on point. The realistic aspect is quite impressive; it looks very similar to the actual i20 rally car.

The back part also shows a great realistic reproduction. It even has the grill duct on the back fender with a sticker. The rear spoiler colored in black was a bit of a nuisance when coloring, but after it’s done, it feels worth the trouble; it goes perfectly well with the rest of the car.

This is how the actual i20 rally car looks when on the road. Look around many parts of the car, and you will feel ‘the stickers are all in place!’ because so many parts of the actual car resemble the mini car.

It’s small, but it’s quite fast. If you turn on the switch and put it down, you can see how fast it goes; it’s even hard for an adult to catch up.

If you are a dad looking for a Christmas toy for your kid, maybe this on the shelf will catch your eye. You may even see a dad make a fun excuse, saying “it’s for my kid~” to buy this mini car.

Anyone with a memory of mini cars and anyone who is a fan of Hyundai motorsports team which is doing great at WRC would love to give this to him/herself as a Christmas present this winter.