Sun Star 1:18 MG Metro 6R4 Rothmans Rally Review
Sun Star 1:18 MG Metro 6R4 Rothmans Rally Review
Quick take: Sun Star's 1:18 MG Metro 6R4 is a compact Group B rally replica with the right visual attitude: a short three-door body, broad blue-and-white Rothmans graphics, a pronounced rear wing, and enough visible cockpit and engine-bay detail to make the model more than a simple exterior display piece.
When Group B comes up, the usual images are packed crowds and Lancias or Audis launching over a crest. The category was much broader than those familiar icons, though, and the MG Metro 6R4 remains one of its more capable yet less frequently discussed cars.
The MG Metro 6R4 in Group B
Leyland Motorsport developed the MG Metro 6R4 in the 1980s as a purpose-built Group B rally car. The Metro hatchback supplied the starting point, but the competition version added four-wheel drive, a rear-mid-engine layout and a 2.5-litre V6 derived by cutting down the 3.5-litre Rover V8.
Compared with an Audi Quattro, a legend born from the same Group B environment, the Metro's short-wheelbase three-door shape can look almost modest. From Leyland Motorsport's perspective, that compact combination was exactly the point: a small, purposeful shell wrapped around a dedicated rally layout.
The idea had early evidence behind it. At the MG Metro 6R4's 1984 York Rally debut, the car built an advantage of almost three minutes in only eight stages before an alternator fire forced it to retire.
From Prototype to Proven Rally Car
The 6R4 did encounter reliability problems as it entered competition, but its pace was difficult to dismiss. That performance helped the car find a place with private teams, and by February 1985 it had taken its first rally victory.
In the following seasons, the car received the Austin Rover V64V, an engine developed specifically for rally use. Output rose to 380 bhp, and the 1985 season ended with the MG Metro 6R4 taking third place in the annual standings.
Sun Star's 1:18 Rothmans Rally Reproduction
This Sun Star release is a new livery in the brand's 1:18 rally series. It recreates the number 1 car associated with the 1986 Donegal International Rally, finished in the familiar Rothmans blue-and-white scheme and driven by Billy Coleman and Ronan Morgan.
Sun Star 1:18 MG Metro 6R4 Rothmans Rally WRC Group B 1986
A display-scale reproduction of the compact Group B car, with the Rothmans graphics, competition number and opening sections presented in the supplied model photography.
View the model on Scale Metals
Sun Star keeps to its familiar level of finish here. The waterslide-style graphics are neatly applied, and the visible body details receive a clear, practical treatment rather than being left as blank surfaces.
Cockpit, Engine Bay and Visible Detail
Rothmans Rally
The smaller detail parts are predominantly plastic, and there is limited use of etched metal. That means the parts do not always have a strong metallic look, but the important visible elements are present. It is a straightforward, familiar Sun Star approach: solid coverage of the subject without overcomplicating the presentation.
Overall, this is a sturdy, measured Sun Star release. If Group B is your subject and compact, extreme rally cars are the reason you collect, the MG Metro 6R4 earns its place through its unusual proportions, unmistakable Rothmans identity and the amount of mechanical and cockpit detail visible at 1:18 scale.