The latest issue from the Corgi Model Club is here and it is yet another superb reproduction.
It arrives with two pieces of hard foam plastic to prevent movement in the box (one piece I only realised was there after taking the photos) and some thin paper protecting the chrome at each end and the transfer on the bonnet. Unfortunately, the chunk of plastic has pushed the aerial to stand at an unnatural angle and, unlike the original, you can't twiddle it around.
This is otherwise a stunning model and I cannot fault its paintwork, wonderful chrome and the accuracy of every casting detail. They will have had the #480 to work from, of course, so the Club will have made a little more profit from this one.
I look at these images and I'm taken back to that feeling when I first took original models out of the box. I can seldom afford to have such 'new' and shiny original models these days so the Club do us collectors a great service.
My own #482 is a cast wheel edition which is rather more common, this and the Police version being around for quite a while. I do have a shaped wheel edition somewhere but in my recent move it has taken a long time to find anything so I used the first one I came across! They're both identical in all other respects so it serves its purpose here just as well.
You will notice that there is a small difference in the font used for the bonnet text, the Club edition being just a little too fat. The only other differences that I see are the lack of a silver ring around the base of the beacon on the roof and the original Impala rear lights have a sort of sheen which the people in China have been unable to replicate on this, as also for the earlier #480.
Nice review and I enjoy your blog so much!! One thing I would like to know and maybe you can answer. The silver ring around the side stickers that the Model Club model has. Never seems to last over the years and I don't believe I have ever seen a vintage model that retains it. Was it truly silver?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the very late reply but I don't seem to get a notification about comments people make and only see them later. I know what you mean about the silver disappearing but I am sure it is just the type of ink used which is more likely to be eroded over time, especially as much handling will take place there. There were also several types of the sticker, one having no silver ring.
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