We tested the Range Rover Sport by SCHUCO (art.no. 45 269 1800)
What have Tetley, second largest tea producer in the world, and Range Rover
in common? Well, do a survey on the continent and this is the answer you will
probably get: Both are typically English! This, of course, is not the case
anymore - both brands have been owned by the Indian TATA Group for years. And
while here in the UK many tears have been shed over the sellout of ailing
British businesses to financially strong companies overseas, their phenomenal
success under new ownership is often hard to ignore: Jaguar Land Rover Group,
for example, have just proudly announced a record-breaking 19% increase in car
sales. And as Germany has become one of their most important markets, we are not
surprised to see some of their iconic vehicles being produced in 1/87
scale, Germany's (as well as the world's) favourite model railway scale.
Today, we will take a closer look at the Range Rover Sport made by Schuco, a
German toy and model manufacturer with an almost 100-year history full of
vicissitudes. Nowadays, Schuco belongs to the SIMBA DICKIE GROUP which has only
recently acquired the renowned model railway manufacturer Märklin.
Interestingly, the production of the tested car miniature has already been
discontinued while the little Range Rover kann still be found in some modelling
shops.
It
was actually the unusual packaging that struck our eye first. The model car is
'parked' on a metal plate with a printed picture of an original Range Rover
Sport. The plaque also shows some tech specs of the real car, and the model is
protected by a sturdy clear plastic cover. Removing the packaging could hardly
be any easier: The metal plate can be pulled out to one side thus releasing the
car into its owner's palm. We are not so happy though with the sharp edges of
the plate which can easily cut your fingers if you are not very careful. A
sticker on the back of the plaque consequently advises in German and English
language to 'remove the [...] metal plate [...] before giving the article to a child'.
Bore holes in all four corners are obviously meant to enable you to screw the
plate to any kind of presentation board - the model car virtually comes with a 'decorative
plaque'. Nice idea! Unfortunately, the metal plate shows some pretty visible
scratch marks, despite being well protected by the plastic packaging - and that
might spoil the exhibition plans of some pernickety collectors.
The printed information on the plate contains the technical data of the TDV8
engine which was available from 2007 - 2010 and refers to the model car as 'Land
Rover Sport' which is at least misleading: While the real car was indeed based
on the Land Rover Discovery platform, it was actually sold under the more
prestigious Range Rover label, and this can be found at the front and the rear
of the Schuco model.
The
first impression of the rather heavy metal miniature is so-so: While we do like
the realistically large-dimensioned wheels which even show some kind of tread
pattern we would be struggling at the same time to recognise the vehicle, seen
from the front, as a Range Rover if the lettering above the grille was missing.
On the other hand, the eye of the connoisseur will spot quite a few
characteristic details like e.g. the typical 'gills' beside the front wings
(highlighted by Schuco with some silver paint) or the multicoloured
(!) tiny little 'Land Rover' badges which give proof of the manufacturer's undeniable
desire to create an accurate replica of the original vehicle. The model car
neither looks too big nor too small; thorough measuring will show later if it
is really true to scale.
A few visible scratch marks in the windows must be the result of careless
handling during the assembly process as the packaging should have sufficiently
protected the car on its way to the collector. Luckily, these are the only
damages, and apart from the headlight inserts and the glazing
which is a bit too thick where it sits under the metal roof, all parts fit into
one another well. There's no accounting for taste regarding the colour of the
car, but the quality of the metallic paintwork with its fine particles is good
and so is the overall 'look-and-feel' of the Schuco model. Subtle body contours
and narrow door cracks show that metal construction and fineness of detail do
not necessarily exclude each other - although the lock sits a bit too deep in the
boot door and thus reminds us somehow of a belly button...
Unfortunately, the first impression of the lights is not very good - to put it
mildly. Whoever at
Schuco's came up with the idea of using two ill-fitting see-through plastic chips
to replicate headlamps should at least be transferred to a different department.
We would have expected to see those body-coloured headlights with black 'pupils' in a
Disney cartoon rather than on a collectors' model. And did the manufacturer
acually run out of the elsewhere lavishly applied silver paint or did they
simply forget to colour the fog lamps in the front bumper?
While
the rust-brown colour of the car might not be everybody's cup of tea, it goes
together well with the black interior and the silver parts. According to our
measurements the bodywork is almost exactly 1/87 scale. Therefore, the little
Range Rover should fit perfectly well into a H0 scale model railway layout or
diorama, as long as the other accessories used in those miniature environments
are true to scale, too. As we have already mentioned above, the Schuco 4x4 can
also score in terms of wealth and fineness of detail: We have not seen the
replication of the tiny headlamp washer nozzles in many other model cars -
really impressive! Well, obviously you can't have everything though: The wing
mirrors look pretty plump, some parts of the car should rather be black than
brown metallic and the rear doors lack the typical triangular windows - they
haven't been reproduced at all.
The
worst blunders can be found at the rear of the model car: While the trademark
lettering 'RANGE ROVER' should actually sit on the bottom edge of the tailgate, it is -
probably for printing-technical reasons - situated above the number plate
holder. Apart from that, the Schuco vehicle is equipped with silver tail lamps -
similar to the ones of the superior Range Rover MkIII 'VOGUE' (which did have the trademark lettering
above the number plate holder but otherwise looked completely different).
Artistic freedom? Well, there is no such thing when it comes to making a true-to-scale
replica.
To make things worse, the German manufacturer has put a spoke in the wheel of
those hobbyists keen to modify and improve the miniature model with their
skilled hands: In some decades-old Matchbox car fashion the bottom is fixed to
the bodywork with two resilient rivets and therefore cannot be dismantled
without the application of some kind of force (we would be thinking of drilling out
the rivets).
There is nothing to moan about the quality of the metallic paint and the
plastic, only the silver applications should be a bit more precise. The interior mirror is missing completely and the
plump wing mirrors lack
their silver faces.
We have mentioned the poor replication of the lights already; at least the side
indicator lights in the front doors have been modelled but should be highlighted
with a little bit of orange paint. This and the absence of the characteristic
front light projectors as well as other important light elements at the front and the
rear of the car lead to further points deduction in all three disciplines
'completeness / presence of all lights', 'attention to detail' and 'closeness to
reality in terms of colour'.
While the interior is unimposingly black, it still bears witness of some loving attention to detail. Especially the fine, typically Range-Rover-style steering wheel which even shows the brand logo deserves nothing less than the compliment 'outstanding'. Rims and tyres look realistic, too, and are true to scale. At least, the little Range Rover does not disappoint on the last metres of our test track.
Especially the poor replication of the front and rear lights prevent the
Range Rover Sport by Schuco from achieving a better test result. Faulty
reproduction of important details is an absolute no-go for collectors and other
high-quality modelling enthusiasts. Therefore, the overall verdict 'in need
of improvement' does not really surprise - despite a few impressive
highlights in some chapters of this product test. To crown it all, the Schuco
vehicle has taken over the bottom spot of our ranking list from Bub's BMW 2002
Convertible, interestingly a metal miniature, too. Further tests will reveal if
this - plastic beats diecast - marks a general trend in the 1/87 scale model
market.
| synopsis* | |
|---|---|
| Packaging (50) | 45 |
| Protection of the vehicle (25) | 24 |
| Unpacking the vehicle (10) | 8 |
| Information content (15) | 13 |
| Visual overall impression (350) | 263 |
| 'First impression' (50) | 31 |
| Proportions / recognisability of the real vehicle (50) | 37 |
| Closeness to scale, subjective impression (40) | 34 |
| Condition / intactness of the model (30) | 25 |
| Fitting accuracy / flawless assembly (30) | 26 |
| 'Look-and-feel' / subjective impression of the model quality (40) | 33 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (30) | 21 |
| Fineness of detail (30) | 24 |
| Lights (20) | 8 |
| Wheels and tyres (20) | 16 |
| Harmony of colours (10) | 8 |
| Vehicle body (200) | 157 |
| Closeness to scale (40) | 36 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (40) | 30 |
| Fineness of detail (30) | 24 |
| Colour quality of the plastic, if applicable: paintwork quality (35) | 33 |
| Quality of prints, colour and chrome applications (35) | 26 |
| Interior and exterior mirrors (20) | 8 |
| Lights (150) | 53 |
| Completeness / presence of all lights (50) | 38 |
| Attention to detail (50) | 10 |
| Closeness to reality in terms of colour (50) | 5 |
| Interior / Dashboard / Seats (100) | 87 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (40) | 35 |
| Fineness of detail (40) | 33 |
| Steering wheel / handle bars (20) | 19 |
| Wheels (150) | 132 |
| Closeness to scale (50) | 45 |
| Wealth of detail / attention to detail (40) | 35 |
| Fineness of detail (40) | 34 |
| Colour quality of the rims (20) | 18 |
 |
737 (max. 1000) |
*Find out more about the test criteria for model vehicles
here.
© Volker Labitzke - www.tiny-world-BIG.com - please visit our
main page