Cars and Candy: Norev's Mercedes AMG GT3, in Haribo Livery (1/18)

There are times when a livery makes you love a car so much that you have to go out and get it even though you never liked racecars to begin with. Then there are times when a livery lights the bulb in your head and urges you to buy a bunch of other junk just for the sake of complementing your new toy in your photos. This Haribo-liveried Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3, produced by Norev, is both of those things.

What's better than a cute, happy teddy bear plastered all over an otherwise menacing, evil, angry racecar? Not much, except a Skyline perhaps (just kidding, but not really). Anyways, the livery prompted the purchase of both car and candy, and it was only fitting to put the two together. The aftermath was a smeary, smudgy, sticky Mercedes. The bears didn't seem to appreciate being in the photoshoot either. One threatened to rip the stripe decal off the hood. Another group of bears took its anger out on the windshield, creating a couple long hairline cracks down the middle.

Totally worth it.

...and so is the model itself.

I must have not done my research, because I hadn't realized that this is a completely sealed model. Despite that, ultimately it does not matter. They display just as well, and half my models nowadays are the closed-body, resin type anyways. What I like is that Norev kept the steering, which is the one feature that makes diecast models superior, in my opinion. It's actually useful and adds much more posability to the model, creating more style, drama, and flair for both photos and display. As you can see, I made good use of it here.

It's just a great-looking car in general and 100% photogenic. I consider Norev to be middle-tier models, meaning they slot in between the budget stuff and the expensive stuff, but they certainly look and feel more pricey than they actually are. The Mercedes "nose" comes complete with red tow hook and some very convincing mesh behind the vertical chrome strips - I can't even tell if its solid or not. The front dive planes are well-crafted and are securely attached to the body, as is the massive wing in the back. The overall wheel package looks great, and I'm a big fan of the colorful decals on the tires. Though the doors don't open, there's enough detail in there to make you believe Norev didn't take any shortcuts with its sealed-body design.

One exception: the side-mounted exhaust piping is actually just some silver paint with a plastic chrome tip for effect. That gets a pass because this is a sub-$100 model if you know where to look. This is easily the most attractive of the handful of AMG GT3 liveries that Norev offers. You buy this model because you love Haribo candy and the cute bear, and you keep it forever because this AMG is totally wicked.

The Nissan Silvia S14, by Ottomobile (1/18)

Here's a first. Finally, someone decides to make an eighteenth-scale model of every aspiring-drifter-teen's favorite FWD sports car line, and it's by none other than our favorite resin brand. This is Otto's rendition of the S14-generation Nissan Silvia.

First off, the color - wow! Perfect choice. Thinking back at some of the famed Midnight Purple Skylines, it's pretty clear that purple is the ideal color for Nissan sports cars. I've already fallen in love; there's really no need to continue the discussion. But anyways, one of the things you'll also notice about this S14 is that it's bone stock, like it's straight from a 1993 showroom. Good luck finding an example this clean on the streets today. But that's also what makes this model all the sweeter. The beige-ness of it is admirable. The simplicity of 90's-era Japanese automotive design is well-captured here, from the economy-car wheels to the dull finish on the exhaust. 100% nostalgic.

The Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series, by Ottomobile (1/18)

Hardly a month goes by without me having to place a pre-order with these guys - they just keep churning out the good stuff. Part of Otto's May selection of new models, this is the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series.

Keeping in tradition with producing models that have not yet been done at this scale, at least not to my knowledge, Ottomobile continues to fill the voids for the obsessed model car collectors. While other companies have largely focused on the flashy, instant-appeal exotics such as the SLS and the AMG GT, the best resin model company today has been giving us everything else Mercedes, from vintage machines like the AMG Hammer to modern classics like the Black Series shown here. As an avid AMG fanatic, I'm game to pretty much anything from the Affalterbach tuner's wild creations, so here is yet another one.

Dressed up with massively flared fenders, an aggressive rear diffuser, decklid spoiler, and stylish 16-spoke wheels - amongst a host of performance tweaks - the Black Series is clearly the evil child of Mercedes' CLK lineup. It looks pretty wicked here in miniature form too. Sure, the ride height in the back might need a little work, but everything else looks accurate at first glance.

When viewed up close, the model starts to break down a bit, if only because Otto has set such high standards for itself with its consistently high-quality, high-detail products. Solid grilles up front - you know the drill. What I didn't like the most were how side gills and rear spoiler were done; they're molded directly into the casting and then coated with black paint. The effect comes out fake and unrealistic, not to mention that they should be carbon-fiber patterned as well. If this had been branded as a more upscale GT Spirit, I imagine we would have gotten individualized plastic parts with carbon fiber decals instead.

At the end of the day, this is a 60 Euro model that easily beats out most anything in its price range. It's also a Black Series, which means it should be a welcome addition for anyone who is even remotely a fan of cars. This one shall sit nicely next to my C63 and SL65.