Scale modeling

As kids, my cousins and I spent a lot of time building models, and now, after quite a few years, the thrill of building something out of small plastic parts has come back to me.

I always looked at the mirrors of modern day cars with envy as they gracefully glided to a full fold in parking lots. To be honest, I didn’t know that JDM Imprezas had electrically folding mirrors, but as soon as I found out, I immediately started plotting.

The Switch.

The recipe is simple:

  • New side trim (94266FE2300E),
  • Switch, preferably with its plastic housing, so it will be easier to fit. No need to look for JDM ones; the exact same switch has been used across a wide range of vehicles, including the Toyota Rav4 and Prius:
  • Dremel,
  • Tamiya putty (and super glue),
  • Sandpaper (I used various grits, but for the final sanding, it was 500 grit),
  • Paint.

Instead of drilling additional holes for the mirror folding button, I decided to combine the plastic housing of the Toyota switch with the Subaru side trim:

The advantage of this solution is that we keep the “ridge” between the two switches (L/R and fold) intact. A keen eye will notice the moment I heard: “You left the sunroof open and it’s starting to rain”.

First fitting.

I glued the housing from the bottom with epoxy glue, mainly because I had it on hand, but the fact that it has a consistency similar to modeling clay helps keeping the piece in place. After that, it’s getting easier — it just needs patience: putty, wait, sandpaper, and repeat a few times.

I coated the final layer of putty with super glue to harden it (which required additional sanding); without the glue, the putty tends to crack. Then, just add paint, and wait for the container from Japan to arrive, with the mirrors in it.

I think it turned out pretty well. The main difference is the texture of the plastic. Originally, it had an orange peel-like texture, but after sanding, it became completely smooth. The color is also one shade darker, but you only notice it when you look closely. In the car, especially in the dim light of the door, it looks great.

At this point, I would, very kindly, like to ask Tomek to take back everything he said. I told him I planned to install this switch in the panel, and he replied: “Don’t do it, leave it. It will never look good”.