Over the past 15 years, OttOmobile has been producing miniature model cars in 1:18 and 1:12 scales creating some unique models from various car brands. To date, they produced over 1000 model cars with no signs of slowing down. Their models position themselves in the affordable budget market of resin model cars. One of their new releases is this 2022 Toyota Corolla GR Morizo Edition finished in metallic matte dark grey colour – wow that was a mouthful.

For those who are unaware, Marizo is an important name to Toyota as it refers to Toyota’s CEO Mr. Akio Toyoda nickname. This special Marizo edition Corolla symbolizes sportiness, performance and innovation. Toyota removed the rear seats, rear door speakers, rear window regulators and rear wiper from the standard GR to reduce weight. Toyota applied this special paint colour and produced only 200 pieces making it a rare gem. Let’s now jump into the review and see how OttOmobile did in replicating this car in a 1:18th scale.

Let me start with packaging as this model came packaged a little differently from their norm. The model is screwed in with four screws holding it tight in place which is a little different from sitting freely inside the styrofoam shell. I do like this approach as no Styrofoam is flying around. The front side of the box has the usual photo of the model making it easier to identify which model the box belongs to.

Dark grey metallic matte paint is applied evenly on the resin body shell, with a special design on the roof showing quality too. There is no paint mismatch between bumpers, doors and main body shell, keeping consistency in check. I think OttOmobile has done very well with the bumper, hood, tailgate and door shut lines giving them just the right amount of depth. They are well defined with no paint seeping into the groves – well done. This is in line with more expensive resin models. Toyota badges look good, and it is worth mentioning that OttOmobile includes some extra ones in a little plastic bag. I wish every manufacturer would do that just in case you ever need one.

Side windows fit well into the doors, as do front and back windows in their respective areas. Back door windows are heavily tinted as is the window at the rear hatch door. As there are no back seats, there is not much to see at the back anyway. The window defogger is present and the rear window wiper is accurately missing – true to the original. The forged carbon roof is well done and again accurate.

Moving to the interior, it is mostly black and is indeed true to the original. My understanding is that the genuine car has red stitching on both front seats, but I do not see that replicated on the model. The GR designation decal on both headrests however was not forgotten. The gear shifter has a red ring on top which is correct, and the seatbelt buckles have a splash of red too. The dashboard has an adequate amount of colour and the infotainment system proudly displays a large Toyota logo. Overall, its interior finish is acceptable for a budget resin model, but red stitching on both seats would have been the ultimate icing on the cake.

At the front, the large grille is perforated, this allows the radiator to be visible behind it. I quite like that, as it adds to the overall detail of this 1:18th scale model. Lights are faithfully duplicated – everything looks well-proportioned and right in place. There is no shortage of vents starting from two on the outer sides of the lower bumper, two on top of the hood and one on each side of the fender behind the front wheel. I would like to note that those are not perforated. Toyota logo, GR emblem and GR Corolla license plate complete the look.

At the back, this model looks just as complete. Toyota and GR Corolla emblems look satisfactory, the rear lights and a red reflector on the bumper look on point, and all three exhaust tips have a nice shine (clearly this one has not been revved yet).

Moving onto the wheels and tires, I do like Toyota Gazoo Racing branding scripts on all four rims. Tires have tread patterns, however, there is no size or manufacturer branding present. The rotors look quite nice, red brake calipers have a visible GR marking and the center cups include a Toyota logo. Wheels do not steer, and this seems to be the in-line with other resin model manufacturers.

Overall, I think this is a winner for OttOmobile. Toyota has a large following around the globe and GR is known for its sporty side to its product portfolio. It is nice to see a budget resin replica in a very crowded market of expensive and frequently over-priced resin models, which will make this one a real bargain – and I think it is. OttOmobile sticks to what works for them – limited edition models of various attractive cars to choose from. They seem to fill the void of cars that other manufacturers would not even think about. With their quality constantly improving, I think their future looks very bright. Well done OttOmobile, this one will be parked in my collection!