As Mercedes-Benz puts it, the Maybach G 650 Landaulet is the definition of unique luxury. I must agree! This is an oddball people hauler, but in the same sentence, it is so cool! The vehicle is designed to go anywhere one could imagine, but it does it with so much moxie. The blend of military and luxury are very appealing. And it’s not just for the driver. Rear passengers are treated to a king’s ransom goodies with the utmost attention to materials and tech options. The team at GT Spirit decided to put their foot in the test waters and offer collectors a first in 1:18 scale, a replica of this beast. It is a limited edition of 999 pieces with a suggested retail of 119 Euro or $179CND.
I didn’t realize how big the footprint of the vehicle is. Out of the box, the model stretches greater than 11 inches and sits 5 inches tall at its highest point. HUGE! What is more striking than the size is the exterior paint. One word BEAUTIFUL. It is defined as Designo Sea Blue Metallic – I would describe it as a Bluish Green in appearance. The Blue colour intensifies as the light does. This is something I’ve never experienced in person or in scale, and so fitting for the Maybach G 650 Landaulet.
The paint application is flawless on our example. Chrome elements are on par with the painted exterior. Overall lines of the Maybach G 650 Landaulet are executed well when comparing to photos of the 1:1. This includes all panel gaps and shut-lines.
GT Spirit went with a top-down version of the model. I would say they captured the elements of the roof in the closed position well. There are creases and textures within the material, but it does look somewhat generic to the eye.
Side dual exhaust tips and captured nicely on both sides too. Carbon fibre work on the exterior fenders is completed well with its semi-gloss finish.
The front of Maybach G 650 Landaulet is aggressive and elegant at the same time. Fully perforated grilles are found at the lower section. Centre grille features chrome grille on top of the black plastic. The effect works well. Notable mention to brilliant chrome work here too. Headlight, lower LEDs, and upper turn signals are again quality bits. Seems GT Spirit elevated their game with this one!
The rear of the Maybach G 650 Landaulet isn’t a defined as the front, though the quality elements continue. Taillights are quality pieces, as well as the third brake that springs out from behind the spare tire. Other than not having the ability to swing out the spare and access the rear storage GT Spirit captured the design well.
The Maybach G 650 Landaulet features massive rollers, 22″ to be exact. Wheels are completed in Silver finish and feature Red calipers in front and rear. Cross-drilled rotors complete the package. An overall decent effort, but I will say the centres should be a little deeper and inward pointing design. Tires do feature added detail to the side wall, but no scripting.
Inside the front of the interior is nicely appointed. Full carpeting is installed and this translates to the rear section too. All areas of the cockpit feature very good detail. This includes door cards, dash and centre console. The definition of colour, texture and good carbon fibre works well and elevate the interior on a whole. Well done!
This luxury continues to the rear section of the interior. Seat-belts are found (front too), nice two-tone interior, and monitors round out the package. Small details in the rear centre console and doors sides add to the realism.
There is no access to motor bits due to the sealed nature of the model. Underneath I wanted to show the breadth of detail from GT Spirit. Front and rear feature full metal plates. The exhaust system is defined from motor to side escape. There is even some definition of the drive train. Well done guys!
Wow, the Maybach G 650 Landaulet was a blast to review. The team pushes their creative skills to the limits on this one, which equates to possibly one of GT Spirit’s best replicas to date. I haven’t been this excited about an off-road vehicle since the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6.
Fans of SUV’s and trucks, in general, should definitely consider adding one. What a makes this a winner is the unique exterior colour, which is one so fitting for a grand 4×4 off-road vehicle. Beautifully executed interior completes the package. There isn’t much wrong with the Maybach G 650 Landaulet, in my opinion, just a whole lot of good. One could ask for a fully opening representative, but it would definitely arrive at three times the cost. Well done GT Spirit. Enjoy the pics!
Looking at the wheels of this model, and look back at those of my G500 4×42 from Almost Real, despite using the same wheels and rims, it’s (almost) like comparing AUTOart to CMC. I don’t know how they look with your naked eyes, but through the photos, they look hilarious.
Oh, and 1 more thing, Almost Real made the wheels on their models with spot-on scale and accuracy. If you took the measurements of the wheels (width, sidewall, diameter…) on the Almost Real G500 4×42 and multiply them by 18, they equates to almost exactly the size of the real thing. Impressive to say the least. I know where my hard-earned money is going to go from now on, as long as they keep making quality models like that, paying some serious money to take one home isn’t really a problem once in a while. Ain’t we truly glad they showed up at just the right time to bring this hobby back to the good old days, along with a long-time player named CMC. I don’t know who came up with the brand’s name, but I can definitely tell their products stay true to their namesake.
And for your information, the wheels on the G650 Landaulet are (almost) the same ones used on the G500 4×42. The tires are Pirelli Scorpion ATR, sized at 325/55R22, and the rims are sized at 9.5Jx22 ET58. The only difference between the G650’s rims and the G500 4×42’s rims are their slightly different style, other than that, they are identical.
GT Spirit isn’t perfect but darn close. The brand serves a purpose. Exposing more collectors to a lower cost alternative with good to excellent detail. As for the wheels in this particular piece, likely the weakest link. Based on our observations they aren’t that far off from the photos we studied. Again opinions do differ from one to another.
Well, no model is perfect, and like I mentioned, I judged the wheels BY THE PHOTOS, since I haven’t actually seen this model (or actually any GTSpirit models) with my naked eyes (or the G63 6×6 from GTSpirit). And usually, when you directly admire a model with your naked eyes, the results are much better than through any photos. Regarding the accuracy of the wheels, I never said the wheels were off from the real thing, haven’t I? My apologies if I’m not being specific in my statement. What I meant was that through the photos, the wheels just don’t look as sharp as Almost Real G500 4×42’s wheels. And I believe that it looks much better in person than in the photos, since that’s always the case for me.
Heck, I’m even intending to take a look at the G63 6×6 from GTSpirit to see how it fairs, because if the wheels look good enough, I want to take those wheels and attach it onto my G500 4×42. Provided that I have added all die-cast models which are currently on the wishlist to my collection, I intend to buy 1 or 2 GTSpirit or OttoMobile models to add to my collection, because those guys make some cars that are just right up my alley. The only thing that’s bugging me is the how those resin models hold up in the long term.
By the way, I’m generally familiar with GTSpirit’s quality and levels of detail, thanks to DiecastSociety.com and some other forums, but what’s your opinion on OttoMobile? Is it on par with GTSpirit in terms of execution and quality? Thank you very much in advance.
Thanks for the great review. I was on the fence about this one. After reading your review, I ordered one.
Thank you.