Words and photos courtesy of Wes Shakirov / StratosWRC

 

When I think of the 300SL, I picture it in this colour combination – silver exterior with red interior. For some reason, PC decided to offer this combination only as a limited Dealer Edition (limited to 500 pieces, but I could be wrong), which made it rather hard to find. Thankfully I was given a heads up and quickly snapped it up at a decent price, and locally as well. The model isn’t very heavy, and there is a considerable amount of plastic. This is expected, however, and doesn’t detract from the charm that much. After all, Premium ClassiXXs 1/12 scale models are meant to give good value for the money, so let’s see just how good.

The exterior looks excellent, and the paint is mostly great. There are places with extreme curvatures, like the space between the grille and the headlights, where it starts to look a little funny, but no harm done. I’m no expert on things like stance, but nothing looks obviously off, so the authenticity of the original is communicated well. The famous gullwing doors will stay open for as long as you desire. In fact, I display the car this way.

The suspension is fully functional, which is always nice.

I’m happy to report that the front grille is perforated! The details such as badges and lights are well executed, but the photo-etch pieces are very fragile. For some reason PC decided to put protective stickers over all the photo-etch details, so when you’re pulling them off, the adhesive is so strong that it pulls the badges along as well, which, needless to say, is an undesired effect. There is also a conspicuous mold line on the front bumper, but it’s no big deal.

The rims are knock-offs, that sadly don’t knock off, but look great and I prefer these to the other style that some contemporary 300SLs came with. The tires are extremely well-detailed, with all the markings and tread pattern found on the original tire.

The engine is very well detailed, with all the little warning labels and print faithfully reproduced. The throttle cable/spring is a detail that stands out. The hood comes with two props, a small one that folds on the left side, and a large one that can be removed. You’ll notice a rather large gob of glue residue there – tisk tisk!

The hood cover received proper hinges, so you must be thinking ‘but why does the trunk have dog-legs?’ But wait, it’s alright, because the real car also has dog-legs in the trunk, so all is well here. There is even a trunk prop for good measure. The trunk is mostly taken up by a spare. Not very visible in the picture are a hammer for the knock-offs (hence the ‘knock’) and a jack. Very well done, overall. The interior is a real treat, as it is red and pretty as hell. Before I get to that, however, note that PC even included functional flappy windows! Lovely detail.

The steering wheel folds, like on the real car, the gauges are legible, and the facia/dashboard is shiny. In other words, an extremely satisfying interior. The low point would be that great monster of a suitcase resting behind the seats. It is very plastic and very fixed. The seats are plastic as well. The gear shifter stands at attention and sports legible detail on the knob.

The under-body is not very eventful, but I’ll include a picture so you can see for yourself.

So there you have it! Is the model good value for the money, as PC intended? Absolutely. Should you get one if you collect 1/12 scale? Yes! Even better if you can find it in this colour combination, but then again that is up to you. It also comes in red, white, and black, if memory serves. The photo-etch badges coming off could be due to the safety stickers having been applied for too long. The glue ages and becomes less flexible, so the stickers have to be pulled off ASAP. That’s my theory anyway. I’m very happy to have this model and I highly recommend it if you’re on the fence about getting one.