New 1/64 Norev - without the quality issues

I did say to myself that I would not get another 1/64 Norev after the QC issues that I faced with the last batch that I bought and blogged about the last time.

I did say to myself that I would not get another 1/64 Norev after the QC issues that I faced with the last batch that I bought and blogged about the last time.

However, this little lot was far too tempting now that I have finally a set of wheels and able to drive freely into France. These four models were picked up in TRU, near Mulhouse.

I really do like the 205 GTi 1.9 which now sits with some other 1/64 on my desk at work. The last 1/64 205 that I bought was MB15 which was the Turbo 16 as part of the 1-75 range. The detail on this model is excellent with what looks like a scaled down version of my Minichamps 1/43 version. It is very good to see the GTi 1.9 make an appearance at this scale, and with the Vanguards 1/43 versions of the Style and GTi coming soon (well, if Hornby can get their arse into gear with the distribution) the marque seems to be making inroads in terms of castings being produced.

The other models were more nice to haves rather than essential purchases. They are quite splendid on terms of detail, and seem not to have suffered from any QC issue from the modern day range that I recently bought. I think that I prefer the Peugeot 404, but the others are nice models to have within a collection. I haven't seen a Mehari or Gordini 8 for a very long while in 1/43 so 1/64 will do for now.

Overall I am quite pleased these four. 205 is the favourite. And for once these 1/64 Norev efforts seem to command some respect in terms of QC. I await future releases.

1/43 Minichamps Ford Focus RS500

The Focus RS500 is a hark back to the days of the outrageous Ford’s, such as the Escort Cossie, RS Turbo, and one can even say the X-Pack Capri. The Focus RS500 was launched in April 2010. A limited production run of 500 units (101 of them for Britain) will be produced. It will have a turbocharged 2.5 L5 petrol engine which produces 345 bhp (257 kW; 350 PS) and can do 0-62 mph in 5.4 seconds, with a top speed of 165 mph (266 km/h) making it the fastest Focus to date.

Minichamps have re-created this bad bwoy in 1/43 scale here, and was an instant addition to the 1/43 garage. In real life, all Focus RS500 vehicles are painted in a standard Panther Black metallic colour, before being shipped to a dedicated 3M facility near Frankfurt, Germany, where a special film will be applied to the bodywork to create the matte black effect.

This is well re-produced, but one thing that has actually annoyed me is the roof mounted aerial as can be seen from the pictures – it has a bit of a nasty glue smudge there, which from a certain angle can make the car look ghastly from the roof view. I suppose that this can be touched up with a little matt black paint, but at £35 a throw you would expect the model to be flawless.

I do like this model, and it does take residence within the display cabinet, but this wee QC issue still bugs me. Unless you remove the car from all the packaging for inspection before purchase, you could end up with more or less the same problem. “Schade” as they say in Germany.