@Sureascanbe
Renton CH-160
Stock
Overall, this is an amazing design, with good and realistic proportions, a “rally for the streets” theme with good detailing work, especially on the front bumper and headlight area, both in terms of creativity and level of execution, with great execution of the bumper vent to front fender transition. At the rear, the rear diffuser/lower vent area is visibly too high up when compared to the rest of the low area detailing on the sides and front, but the look of the element itself is good and fits the rest of the design. The custom rear flares are really well-done, but the transition towards the rear bumper is a bit blocky, and the protrusions end somewhat abruptly. Still, the essence of the design in that area is great despite its flaws. The rear lightbar looks good and modern, but the tailgate seems somewhat flat. Lastly, for its only weak point, besides the fender flares and the side skirts, there is basically no detailing on the side of the car.
Rally
Design features from the stock car translate incredibly well into the rally kit, especially the fender flares and the bumper vent areas. As for detail, what was absent in moulding and surfacing is compensated by a basically complete and up to spec rally kit, including aero and body protection work, the aforementioned fender flares and even some details that were not mandated but make it feel like a proper rally-ready machine, like external battery cutoff and fire extinguisher switches, tow hooks, a detailed suspension system and even brake cooling ducts. Where this entry particularly shines is its great variety of specifications, all of which are realistic to what those rally conditions would entail, like the snorkel and brush guard on the safari spec or the extra lighting on the night rally spec. The only weak point for the rally variants is the livery, which, while incredibly detailed, defeats the purpose of showing off the car with a camouflage pattern which is meant to do the exact opposite, which made it genuinely difficult to see some of the rally modifications at first.
@Capri78
Veloux M12
Stock
The design of this entry is somewhat of a mixed bag – with some genuinely good ideas, like the triangular intrusions on the rear window which give it an undeniably French vibe – but middling execution, with a greenhouse that feels too tall, blocky side moulding and messy quarter windows that leak onto the rear. The rear lightbar feels simplistic and outdated, not to mention, it’s mounted very low, adding to the top-heavy feel from the lowered beltline. Lastly for the back end, the lower rear bumper is very simple in its design, but the execution is clean. Up front, it does have a somewhat endearing quirky vibe, with decently clean finishings, especially on the lower front bumper/grille/side vent area. The hood indent, however, brings the whole thing down a notch, with messy and somewhat careless application of moulding pieces. Lastly, the headlights are somewhat large and the inward-angled outer edge doesn’t help its case.
Rally
Changes from the street version are limited, with shoddily built fender flares that clip into the rear wheels, a blocky front lip and side skirts, and a basic wing with very weird end-plates that try to connect it to the tailgate. It does have some nice details, like a small rear towing eye, roof antennas and mud flaps, it lacks in depth and in build quality. As for the livery, that ends up being its strongest point, with decently separated colour areas that tie into the sponsor stickers, though besides the main sponsor and its colour themed stripes all around, it is mostly a smattering of sponsor stickers, with some areas like the tailgate feeling cluttered with others feeling bare. Curiously, the bonnet has custom-made stickers for the battery cutoff and the extinguisher, but said switches are not present. Lastly, while I do give props for doing a somewhat detailed interior, maybe that effort would have been better spent on the exterior.
@DoctorNarfy @titleguy1
Shromet Appalachian PRO
Stock
Kudos need to be given for being the only non-hatchback entry, being a tall-ish crossover SUV. The overall look feels very modern, but in a way, it looks more like a concept car or a design study rather than a production vehicle. The proportions are great and very fitting for the CUV segment, and the detailing and surfacing are great all-around, but it lacks that last 10% of small details that is present on some of the other entries, like cutouts for panel gaps or fillers for some of the cut-off moulding pieces. To further nitpick, the downward angle of the headlights makes the front end look somewhat dopey, but the overall detriment is small, considering just how detailed the rest of the front is. While the rear is a bit simpler than the front, all the elements are well detailed and fitting for the segment.
Rally
While body modifications are simpler than the most complex entries, they are harmonious not to mention detailed and realistic, and incredibly well executed, working with the original lines and proportions. The base car being so, well, base, means the transition from stock to rally body elements isn’t as clean as other entries, but that still keeps within the realm of realism and isn’t that big of a detriment, ultimately. However, just like the street car, it lacks that last 10% of detail, repeating some of the faults of the previous entry, like the lack of switches that are clearly marked in the livery. I will say, this is not a poorly detailed “rallyfication”, but other entries like the Renton placed the bar incredibly high. As for the livery, an incredible amount of custom work has been done here, with custom textures used for colour gradients on specific fixtures, which work well to show off the lines and surfaces of the body. It is also not smattered with sponsors, which is great.
With nine entries, I will be doing three rounds of reviews with three cars each, with scores and leaderboard on the last round. Because of the complexity of some of the builds that makes my PC struggle, the only self-taken pictures will be game cover pictures of the winning car on the last round.
