We tested the Ford Mondeo Saloon (2000-2003) by RIETZE (Ford merchandising model)
"Don’t find fault, find a remedy." This is a more or less famous quote by Henry Ford. Well,
when we were young, car manufacturer Ford was struggling with quality issues, and in German-speaking countries disappointed customers (and mockers) spread the phrase "Mit
Ford fort and zu Fuss zurueck." which means "Drive away in a Ford and you'll be
walking back." The quality of Ford cars has improved a lot since, and their
products are at least level with their competitors. But you will not find any
car reviews on tiny-world-big.com anyway, we only test 1/87
miniature model vehicles.
This time, the Ford Mondeo Saloon by German modelmaker Rietze is under close
scrutiny, and we are looking at the version which was built from 2000 until
2003. The miniature model was launched many moons ago, too, but does it make
sense at all to test a vehicle that has been pushed off most shop shelves by
more modern model cars? Well, we believe it does. Even on a contemporary model
railway layout you should see some older cars (just like in reality), and if
your layout is set just after the turn of the millennium, you might even want
to put the little Mondeo into the showroom of a Ford dealership...
So what has this miniature model got to offer? It was actually produced for
Ford dealers as merchandising model, and while you might still find some slow sellers on
their shelves it can be easily bought off the internet where you will have to
pay around 5 Euros (as of September 2014) to call it your own. Our Mondeo came
loose in one of those simple, flexible see-through plastic boxes with a
cardboard inlay - which seems fine because rolling about inside the package
wouldn’t do the car any harm anyway, there are no delicate items like e.g.
free-standing outer mirrors. Therefore, unpacking the silver vehicle took us only
a few seconds.
While
the cardboard inlay of model cars made for "ordinary" toy retailers usually does
not provide a lot of information, merchandising products have to promote a brand. So it does
not really surprise that this one comes with information on the (then) latest
technical features of the real car - alas, it is all in German! Only some safety
advice ("Not suitable for children under 10 years.") is printed in three
different languages... You will also find the manufacturer's address.
Even if the bold letters on the packaging did not tell you which car was
actually inside the box you would not struggle to identify the vehicle as a
Mondeo thanks to its distinctive, true-to-reality design. Our first impression
of the miniature model was good, although the rear view bears some resemblance
to Vauxhall's Vectra... While the body is well proportioned, we would have liked
to see the application of some paint to enhance a few details. Rietze really did
not waste any printing ink, to say the least; only some parts of the window frames
have been replicated by black prints on the side windows. Despite the light silver
body colour the transparent rear lights look too dark compared to the real
vehicle, and the same applies to the headlights (depending on the lighting
conditions). The wheels are detailed and seem to have the right size.
Having
a closer look at Rietze's Mondeo, you’ll spot all the important details of the real car,
even tiny items like e.g. the washer jets on the bonnet or the minute triangular
side indicators have been replicated.
Nevertheless, the latter definitely need a little drop of orange paint to become
more visible. We would recommend enhancing other parts like mirrors, Ford
badges, fog lamps, reversing lights etc. as well. The manufacturer has thought of all
these details, but in its out-of-the-box state the car does not really reveal
them.
All parts are well-assembled and fit together without any major gaps. The
visible "step" above the windscreen in our photo on the left is the result of an
awkward reflexion of light rather than an ill-fitting glazing...
In terms of harmony of colours the single-coloured, dark interior naturally matches the
bodywork well, but the quality of the varnish cannot quite compete with our
reference model so far, the
Mercedes CLK class convertible by Busch which is admittedly a bit
pricier. The paintwork of our Mondeo is less glossy, and the metallic particles
look pretty coarse.
While we can live with that, it
always makes us sad when a brand new model car has been damaged during assembly
- a very noticeable vertical scratch in the driver's side window is hardly
suitable to please the eye of the collector...
Measuring
the little Mondeo proves that its subjective true-to-scale appearance is the result of miniaturising
the real car exactly to H0 gauge, although it is a little bit higher than it
should be, but this is not really noticeable. The wing mirrors are too small
though and look a bit plumpish.
Rietze didn’t pay a lot of attention to the mirrors anyway: The interior mirror, nothing more than a see-through
rectangle, is actually part of the glazing. We have seen better solutions,
indeed.
As
mentioned above, some of the window frames are replicated by some black prints
on the glazing which is not really a convincing solution due to the missing door
crack. While you can't see much of the black interior, it
is sufficiently detailed - including gear stick and hand brake.
Finally, we had to have a closer look at the wheels: Rietze replicated the
16-inch five-star alloys of the real vehicle, but measuring reveals that they
are rather 17 inch wheels - maybe the reason why the car is a bit higher than it
should be? Apart from that, the rims look a bit too dark, but they are finely
detailed, you can even see the brake discs! However, you can't look through the
wholes as the rims rest on the rubber of the disc-shaped tyre imitations.
Depending on the lighting conditions (again!) that does not look very nice.
All in all, the Ford Mondeo Saloon by Rietze is a decent model car with average
qualities: no outstanding strenghths, but no particular weaknesses either. We
like the fact that it is true to scale, and for this reason alone, the model
offers a lot of potential to the ambitious modellist, true to the motto "don't
find fault, find a remedy". Railway modellers
who usually have to spend a fortune on their hobby will be pleased with its
reasonable price. Against this backdrop, the Rietze Mondeo cuts quite a dash on any modern
model railway layout.
| synopsis* | |
|---|---|
| Packaging (50) | 37 |
| Protection of the vehicle (25) | 19 |
| Unpacking the vehicle (10) | 6 |
| Information content (15) | 12 |
| Visual overall impression (350) | 280 |
| 'First impression' (50) | 38 |
| Proportions / recognisability of the real vehicle (50) | 43 |
| Closeness to scale, subjective impression (40) | 36 |
| Condition / intactness of the model (30) | 21 |
| Fitting accuracy / flawless assembly (30) | 28 |
| 'Look-and-feel' / subjective impression of the model quality (40) | 33 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (30) | 23 |
| Fineness of detail (30) | 23 |
| Lights (20) | 13 |
| Wheels and tyres (20) | 14 |
| Harmony of colours (10) | 8 |
| Vehicle body (200) | 153 |
| Closeness to scale (40) | 35 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (40) | 34 |
| Fineness of detail (30) | 25 |
| Colour quality of the plastic, if applicable: paintwork quality (35) | 25 |
| Quality of prints, colour and chrome applications (35) | 24 |
| Interior and exterior mirrors (20) | 10 |
| Lights (150) | 109 |
| Completeness / presence of all lights (50) | 36 |
| Attention to detail (50) | 40 |
| Closeness to reality in terms of colour (50) | 33 |
| Interior / Dashboard / Seats (100) | 81 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (40) | 34 |
| Fineness of detail (40) | 32 |
| Steering wheel / handle bars (20) | 15 |
| Wheels (150) | 129 |
| Closeness to scale (50) | 44 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (40) | 37 |
| Fineness of detail (40) | 33 |
| Colour quality of the rims (20) | 15 |
 |
789 (max. 1000) |
*Find out more about the test criteria for model vehicles
here.
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