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 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.

The Mercedes-Benz GLS63 AMG, by GT Spirit (1/18)

Once called the GL-Klasse, the new GLS has fallen victim to yet another case of model-naming shenanigans (don't even get me started on what's going on over there with Infiniti). It's supposed to make it easier for non-car folks to identify a manufacturer's various offerings, and it works here. The S-Klasse is Mercedes's largest sedan; thus, the GLS is their largest SUV. Apply the same formula to the C- and E-Klasses and it all makes sense.

What we have here is another AMG variant of a Mercedes-Benz product, the GLS63 AMG. For the time being, I only collect the high-performance editions of the German brands, so this one fits right in with the rest of the cars even though it's a giant, hulking SUV amidst a sea of bona fide sports cars and sports cars disguised as family sedans.

It seems pointless to have so much power in a vehicle designed to haul the entire extended family from Point A to Point B. But the other day, I saw one of these barreling around town, weaving in and out of traffic and making hard right turns, and I couldn't help but tip my hat to the man who is at least attempting to utilize the AMG's full potential. 

About the model itself, it's superb as has become the norm from GT Spirit. It's one of their latest releases and comes after they put out a white colorway of the same model, exclusive to dealerships, months prior. This general-release black one is limited to 1500 pieces, and I was surprised to see how quickly it sold out at many online model shops, given that most collectors do not bother with SUV's and the like. The GLS is certainly an intriguing subject matter, and this model rewards those who take the plunge.

It's solid as a brick and makes all other eighteenth-scale models feel like featherweights. Black is my favorite color choice for this car, and it looks rather grand here. I also love the choice of the cream colored interior, which I believe may be the first that has come across my hands. There's no skimping on the details. GT Spirit has one-upped their previous M-B models by giving the GLS the full mesh grille treatment up front. Everything else is standard fare, in the best way possible. That means proportions, wheels, badges, and interior are all punching above its class. Even if SUV's aren't your thing, don't be quick to write this one off.