Several months ago, in my Norev 1/18 F90 M5 review, I expressed hope that someone would soon make a G15 8-Series scale model. My time has come.
They certainly nailed the shape and presence of the car much better than I expected. It truly does look like an M850i has been shrunk down and placed in my home.
Norev is the first company to make the G15 in any scale, but it just happens to also be a 1/18 dealer edition. This one retails for about $100 at your local BMW dealership, but I managed to get it for just under $70 because I buy my models from my local dealerships.
The G15 8-Series is the long-awaited replacement for the 6-Series. Although previously unimaginable, the venerable 8-Series name returned to die another day. This is one of the launch press models, a Barcelona Blue over Tartufo/Black M850i sporting the 4.4 twin-turbo N63 V8.
The detailing on the model is absolutely exquisite. It truly feels far more expensive than the price suggests. The one downside, however, is that the trunk is sealed shut. Even then, I’m in love with it. It certainly has earned its place as my favorite 1/18 thus far. I can’t wait for the 330i, Z4, X5, and X7 coming soon.
As for the M850i, I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes good 1/18s at a reasonable price. I was talking to DaftRyosuke earlier and came to the conclusion that although his LC is really nice, this M850i is basically just as nice for half the price. They’d both make great additions to any collection, but if I had to choose one, I’d be sure to keep the M850i at the forefront of the collection.
As an aside, I noticed a fun little easter egg. The color is called Barcelona Blue Metallic. If you look at the iDrive screen, it shows the current weather of a city. What city could that be?
Barcelona, of course.