This isn’t the car I wanted. But this is the car I wanted. Whaaaa??? I was going to buy the AUTOart Lancia Fulvia but it sold out. So after a little more perusing on American Excellence, I came upon a company called Rastar that made a 1/18 Bentley Mulsanne for a mere $43. The outside looks decent and goes with the other Bentley I’m getting. Lo and behold, it also has carpet! After checking pics and reviews, I bought this as an experiment of sorts.
Accuracy: 8/10
For $43 this car has a surprising amount of detail. Look at those head lights. No peg, very detailed. The bumper even has the parking sensors and other gizmos. The grille is actually perforated and the badges are badges, not stickers. The reason I take two points off is that I think the tires are too knobby for this car and the engine is a bit of a let down, but that may just be me...
Fit and Finish: 6/10
Two words: Panel gap. However, I do grant some leniency to Rastar, as this is only their second attempt at 1/18 diecast (their first is a Bugatti Veyron and previous to that they made RC cars). Panel fitment is good however. There is also a little glue smear on one of the windows.
Features: 10/10
Perforated grille. Opening hood with a pin for easier release. Opening trunk. Carpet. All 4 doors open. Complex spring suspension. Full steering lock. Need I say more? I will. This car is HUGE. It has all (and I mean ALL) of the presence of the real car. That’s something that’s hard to come by with models.
Value: 9/10
It was only $43 ($53 shipped). I’d say with all those features its a darn good value. Loses 1 point because of some small quality issues. It does make you wonder why the Minichamps is $200 more...
Rarity: 7/10
As of this writing, there are 64 on eBay. Kinda rare, but easy enough to get one.
Total: 40/50
Should you get one? Yes, if you like BIG cars, Bentleys, luxury, detail on budget, and/or don’t like Minichamps (the other maker of a 1/18 Mulsanne). Just don’t spend more than $60 on it. Here’s some pics for scale:
