My grandfather was from Sweden, I've been there with my mom to visit her family, and I've seen how their car (and truck) culture really revolves around Volvo. I understand that, especially historically, they've been some of the safest, most reliable, most well built cars on the planet. But they're usually not as rare/exotic/strange as cars that I want models of, but there are a few - especially the P1900 and P1800s - that I absolutely love. I bought the sky blue Minichamps P1800 ES last year, and it became one of my favorite models right away, and not only that, soon after that I almost bought a 1:1 project car in the exact same spec. But earlier this year, Norev released their own P1800 ES in some very appealing colors. I found a good deal recently and couldn't resist, here is a comparison.
There are some key differences in the shape. The Norev has a higher waistline, and the back axle is wider, the wheels on the Minichamps are too far in. I noticed this in pictures and it was what made me consider the Norev in the first place, and the difference is noticeable in person too. Overall, the Norev looks more like a very well maintained 1:1 to me. The Minichamps looks like it has a blown rear suspension. The Norev also has more accurate mirrors.
Inside and out, the Minichamps is much more detailed. This was made in the mid 2000s, by far their best era. The headlights, brakes, and interior are all noticeably better than the Norev. The Minichamps has off white seats and door panels, which helps, the Norev's interior is all black and not much is visible behind the sealed doors.
The Minichamps has full openings, only the hatchback on the Norev opens. They're both pretty fragile mechanisms, one of the hinges on the Minichamps came off when I opened it, and the struts came undone on the Norev.
The spec comes down to personal preference, but for me, the Norev is the clear winner. The light blue and brown colors that Minichamps offered both fit the car well, but the Norev's rims are way nicer. The Norev comes in both US and European spec and the colors include this dark blue, bright yellow, and some others. Really good choices, and even better, this metallic sparking deep dark blue is the best paint that I've ever seen on a Norev. And maybe just because it's newer, but the chrome is much shinier as well. The Norev more than makes up for its lack of detailing by looking significantly better on display, it's a gorgeous model.
Overall, they're both great models, but I recommend the Norev. It's not the most detailed, but they've captured the P1800 ES' beauty perfectly, better than the Minichamps, it just feels like a more tasteful representation of the 1:1. Unless you really want the opening doors and hood - and to be fair, the interior and engine on the Minichamps are excellent - but there's no longer the need to spend probably a lot of extra money and time trying to track down the Minichamps. In fact, if I had known that Norev was planning this, I never would've overpaid for the Minichamps. I'm very encouraged to get Norev's P1800 S now.
There are some key differences in the shape. The Norev has a higher waistline, and the back axle is wider, the wheels on the Minichamps are too far in. I noticed this in pictures and it was what made me consider the Norev in the first place, and the difference is noticeable in person too. Overall, the Norev looks more like a very well maintained 1:1 to me. The Minichamps looks like it has a blown rear suspension. The Norev also has more accurate mirrors.
Inside and out, the Minichamps is much more detailed. This was made in the mid 2000s, by far their best era. The headlights, brakes, and interior are all noticeably better than the Norev. The Minichamps has off white seats and door panels, which helps, the Norev's interior is all black and not much is visible behind the sealed doors.
The Minichamps has full openings, only the hatchback on the Norev opens. They're both pretty fragile mechanisms, one of the hinges on the Minichamps came off when I opened it, and the struts came undone on the Norev.
The spec comes down to personal preference, but for me, the Norev is the clear winner. The light blue and brown colors that Minichamps offered both fit the car well, but the Norev's rims are way nicer. The Norev comes in both US and European spec and the colors include this dark blue, bright yellow, and some others. Really good choices, and even better, this metallic sparking deep dark blue is the best paint that I've ever seen on a Norev. And maybe just because it's newer, but the chrome is much shinier as well. The Norev more than makes up for its lack of detailing by looking significantly better on display, it's a gorgeous model.
Overall, they're both great models, but I recommend the Norev. It's not the most detailed, but they've captured the P1800 ES' beauty perfectly, better than the Minichamps, it just feels like a more tasteful representation of the 1:1. Unless you really want the opening doors and hood - and to be fair, the interior and engine on the Minichamps are excellent - but there's no longer the need to spend probably a lot of extra money and time trying to track down the Minichamps. In fact, if I had known that Norev was planning this, I never would've overpaid for the Minichamps. I'm very encouraged to get Norev's P1800 S now.
