Two years ago, when I visited the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, I was utterly captivated at first sight by its strikingly blue and beautiful bodywork. This is the transporter carrying Mercedes’ historic sports car, the 300SLR. It was built incorporating the very best of the technology of its time, and astonishingly, in 1955, it was a high-speed transporter capable of reaching 170 km/h. Its name? The “Blue Wonder” (Blaues Wunder in German). Its body wasn’t divided into the usual cabin and front/rear trailer sections seen on standard vehicle transporters; it was a single, integrated structure. It was even equipped with air brakes for stopping from high speeds. But honestly, mechanical performance aside, this elegant style and beautiful finish deserve eternal admiration, transcending time.
Seeing a beautiful car makes one naturally want a miniature version. Upon checking, unsurprisingly for such a famous model, several companies offer them. The 1/18 scale ones are undoubtedly the best quality, but budget and my collection’s space constraints meant settling for the usual 1/43. The familiar IXO and Schuco versions are available, but they all seem rather similar in quality. Is there nothing else? Searching further, I found Altaya also offers a cheaper option. Cheap, yes, but… hmm? Isn’t this one actually better made? Altaya, right? That’s the lot that makes De Agostini’s miniatures, isn’t it? I was sceptical, but for this car specifically, I judged that overall, the best 1/43 scale model was this one, so I ordered it. I looked at the one that arrived, and… isn’t this rather good!? You can really feel the beauty of the body’s curves!
Here’s the rear view of the actual vehicle. The intricate detailing on the silver frame carrying the vehicle is too fine for a 1/43 scale model to fully capture, though I believe Altaya’s version is better finished than others. The proud lettering ‘Max Speed 105 m.p.h’ is also crisp and clear.
The 300SLR mounted is also an Altaya model. Truth be told, the 300SLR is an immensely popular car, and other manufacturers seem to produce excellent versions. However, when searching specifically for the open-top version featuring the three-pointed star emblem within the front air intake… I couldn’t find one that matched perfectly. So, for the time being, I bought the one available for around ten euros (that very De Agostini one). I intend to spend a bit more time in the future searching for a miniature car that perfectly matches the image of the one I saw in the museum. Once I find it, I’ll even recreate the wheel retaining wire.
This is the interior, and it’s beautifully done in pale colours, isn’t it? Faithfully reproducing that detail is one of Altaya’s selling points, I suppose. For a 1/43 scale budget mini car, this level of finish is perfectly adequate, wouldn’t you say?
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