Little Edsel, Lots of Detail

Little Edsel, Lots of Detail

Serial(ized) Killer

Minichamps Model 40 Special Speedster

1:43 | $95.00

Too much is never enough, especially when the matter at hand is cars from the fringe. For a lot of die-hard car folks, Edsel Ford’s one-off “Model 40 Special Speedster” might never have been a topic of conversation – never mind the subject of collectors’ lust – had it not been for Minichamps’ replicating the car in 1:18 resin, and now, in a hugely entertaining 1:43 in the same material.

This is a great little piece that grabs the eye with clean lines, precision scaling, and flawless assembly. Edsel’s V8-powered rocket – designed by Bob Gregorie at Edsel’s behest – wears readable gauges on its dash, scale-thin twin windscreens (maybe our favorite single detail – and that’s saying a lot), perfect photo-etched grillework, and real lensing in all of its head and taillight bezels. Remarkable detail bits – some truly tiny – make up the handles and hardware all around; the only painted bits we see, trim-wise, are the bolt heads on the license plate bracket. There’s a strapped-in spare behind the seats, and the balance of the road rubber is done with perfect, beautifully bright whitewalls wrapped around “steelies” that are painted just as well as the car’s body and slick cycle fenders. There’s even a deeply engraved “V8” symbol at the center of each chromed hub cap. All of this begs the question: is Minichamps single-handedly redefining top-tier quality collectibles at everyman prices? If this serialized piece (604 of 999 made) is any indication, the answer is a resounding “yes”. – Joe Kelly, Jr.

carvillemodelshop.com

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