I have just received Norev's Peugeot 905 LM 1992 winner.
Being my first Norev ever, I was curious about the model's general accuracy and detail level.
If the overall body shape and decoration seem to be correct (my only terms of comparison being a 1:43 made by Altaya and some photos from the web) - more correct by the way than the Altaya's which is no surprise -, when we start looking at details disappointments begin to rise one after the other.
I'm not even counting the fact that this is a sealed model - I was expecting that. And somehow I was prepared to face the non -directional front wheels - I hate it in a 1:18, but after all this is the only 905 in this scale out there for these next few years.
What I mean are those other omissions that could have been solved so easily. For example, there are no hollow intakes round the body, except for those big ones for the side water radiators - but don't look for any texture inside - you'll face two plain black walls!
The NACA near the windshield's base didn't deserve a mere flat black decal to simulate an opening. The same, thought less evident, goes to the rear brake and roof 'periscopes'.
Where are the exhaust pipes? They should come out on both sides, just ahead of the rear wheels; instead, there's only a smooth, 'C'-shaped relief which means that Norev knew that the exhausts should go there, but just didn't bother to add them.
If the headlights are so-so (I've seen much worse eelsewhere), the rear lights are fake - made of simple decals!
And don't look for any carbon fibre texture anywhere - there isn't the slightest trace of it. Just like the two roof antennas. Rien de rien.
After all I said, does this model have anything positive at all? Hmmm well yes - the wheels and tires look okay (red nuts on both sides???), discs have their calipers (but they're both fixed). The rear wing strut look realistic, as do both front and rear hooks. As far as can be seen, the cockpit, albeit on the poor side, at least has a dashboard with one or two displays, the driver's seat has safety belts (just molded and scarcely painted), the door opening latches and the refueling caps are well represented - but that's about all.
Maybe I'm sounding too harsh; I know that this is a budget model, so I wouldn't expect this Peugeot to match an AUTOart or an Minichamps 1:18 diecast. But even in the budget class Maisto would for sure have made it so much better…
This is just a quick first impression - I'll try and post some pics as soon as I get the time to take them - possibly after having worked on the model a little bit!
Being my first Norev ever, I was curious about the model's general accuracy and detail level.
If the overall body shape and decoration seem to be correct (my only terms of comparison being a 1:43 made by Altaya and some photos from the web) - more correct by the way than the Altaya's which is no surprise -, when we start looking at details disappointments begin to rise one after the other.
I'm not even counting the fact that this is a sealed model - I was expecting that. And somehow I was prepared to face the non -directional front wheels - I hate it in a 1:18, but after all this is the only 905 in this scale out there for these next few years.
What I mean are those other omissions that could have been solved so easily. For example, there are no hollow intakes round the body, except for those big ones for the side water radiators - but don't look for any texture inside - you'll face two plain black walls!
The NACA near the windshield's base didn't deserve a mere flat black decal to simulate an opening. The same, thought less evident, goes to the rear brake and roof 'periscopes'.
Where are the exhaust pipes? They should come out on both sides, just ahead of the rear wheels; instead, there's only a smooth, 'C'-shaped relief which means that Norev knew that the exhausts should go there, but just didn't bother to add them.
If the headlights are so-so (I've seen much worse eelsewhere), the rear lights are fake - made of simple decals!
And don't look for any carbon fibre texture anywhere - there isn't the slightest trace of it. Just like the two roof antennas. Rien de rien.
After all I said, does this model have anything positive at all? Hmmm well yes - the wheels and tires look okay (red nuts on both sides???), discs have their calipers (but they're both fixed). The rear wing strut look realistic, as do both front and rear hooks. As far as can be seen, the cockpit, albeit on the poor side, at least has a dashboard with one or two displays, the driver's seat has safety belts (just molded and scarcely painted), the door opening latches and the refueling caps are well represented - but that's about all.
Maybe I'm sounding too harsh; I know that this is a budget model, so I wouldn't expect this Peugeot to match an AUTOart or an Minichamps 1:18 diecast. But even in the budget class Maisto would for sure have made it so much better…
This is just a quick first impression - I'll try and post some pics as soon as I get the time to take them - possibly after having worked on the model a little bit!