One would guess that when Georgia Marketing first announced their
decision to toss a hat into the 1/24 scale die-cast arena, that many
collectors looked at this with mixed emotion’s I know I did! To
understand these feelings one must know that over the years GMP has
been deeply involved with the 1/18 scale Muscle Car market first as
Peachstate Motorsports and in recent years as Georgia Marketing and
Promotions.
It should come at no surprise then that many
collectors were wondering if GMP could be serious about tooling up new
molds in this smaller scale. I am here to tell you that the answer is
yes and their latest offering lends positive proof to this claim.
The
second series release from GMP in the 1/24 scale lineup is their Dan
Gurney and Cale Yarborough Special 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler ll.
First lets supply a little history of these two cars before taking a
look at some of the special detail that GMP has provided with there new
release.
History
Spoiler
ll was the factory designation for Cyclone Spoilers with extended sheet
metal on the nose. This version is a direct result of Mercury’s
involvement in NASCAR Racing. It was believed by many to be the same as
the Talladega, but in fact is not. The only shared components between
these cousins are their bumpers, grills, and turn signal units.
Cyclone
Spoiler lls were 63A body code with extended front nose sheet metal.
These extensions were 4 inch’s longer and also had a 35-degree angle
compared to the 30 degree on the Talladega.
Two trim packages were offered. Cale Yarborough and Dan Gurney editions.
The
Yarborough cars were painted Candy Apple Red (Code MT) and Wimbledon
White, where as the Gurney Cars were Presidential Blue (Code MX) and
Wimbledon White. Cars had twin blacked out hood stripes, color keyed
side stripes, raised white lettered tires and color keyed interiors.
All
Spoiler ll models had bench seats, laced on vinyl steering wheel covers
in black and unique to the Spoilers an interior hood release. Both
versions had non-adjustable rear spoilers. A Choice of AM radio or
radio delete, bright pedal trim, locking glove box and wood grain
accents.
The Model
To clarify, we will be using the Cale Yarborough replica for our review!
The
first thing that caught my eye after opening my new model was the
quality of the chrome trim around the front, rear and side window
areas. Without a doubt this has to be some of the finest replication of
chrome I have seen to date on any die cast offering. Further inspection
of my model revealed the same amount of detail in other areas as well.
Over
all fit and finish I would consider above average however I did notice
a very slight color miss-match on the trunk lid. This was so slight
that one would not notice under normal display and only is mentioned
here as it is noticeable under the lighting used for our photo layout.
The interior of this model is where GMP really hit a home run with its
crisp detail to the dash as well as other areas of the interior. They
even included a scale ignition key that hangs from the dashboard
ignition. Color keyed to match the outside trim the overall paint
effect for the interior is that of a real to life car with no plastic
appearance that is so often the case on many scale model interiors.
Front
seats that fold when pushed forward, authentically replicated seat
belts, sun visors that pivot up and down, simulated woodgrain accents,
detailed headliner and chrome pedal trim are just some of the other
detailed features that are present. I caught myself wishing I could
replicate myself in 1/18 scale just to get behind the wheel. Gosh it's
great to be a kid.
My first impression when opening the hood on
my new model was "How did they get all this stuff in this little area".
Complete with hoses, spark plug wiring, battery cables and more, one
has to wonder how they can get so much detail in so small a space. Now
I know I wish I could turn that little key hanging from the dash.
Moving
to the rear of the car one will find a very nicely appointed trunk area
complete with spare tire, jack and trunk mat. A nicely detailed area
that only adds to the overall appeal of this model.
The one area besides the interior where I felt GMP really excelled on
this particular model is the under carriage. Complete with emergency
brake cables, detailed exhaust and functional rear springs that are
made from real metal, this added detail truly make this a model with
that something extra special.
Although not functional the front
suspension has posable wheels that when turned rotate the steering
wheel. Another very nice touch!
As a collector I have to wonder
how much success GMP can have in this smaller scale arena considering
that companies such as Danbury and Franklin Mint are much more
established and recognized by current collectors of this scale.
However, I have to give credit to Tom Long and company for their effort
and execution on this latest 1/24 scale release. Package GMP's
outstanding customer service with the quality that is shown in this
latest offering, someone may want to let the mint boys know to make
some room "Cause there's a new kid in town"
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