Maisto Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

I did not think I would be buying another Mercedes model soon but when I saw how beautiful this Mercedes SLR McLaren was I could not resist buying it. It's 1:18 scale out of Maisto's Premier collection of die cast models. It makes me think of a Great White shark, big and powerful ready to annihilate anything in it's path. Compared to my other 1:18 cars it's quite a large vehicle. The detail is also very nice and I love the blue color. With only about 3500 'real' SLR's made I'm sure one day this will a very collectible car.

What I love about this car: The loooong nose, side intakes and of course the wheels.

Everything that opens and closes

The SLR got a very long nose.

I like the tail lights

The model  has a very detailed interior

Grand-daddy with Grand-son, 50 years apart.

Mighty 5.5 litre V8

Stunning wheels

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is grand tourer car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2009. When it was developed, German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe & Racecar of 1955, which was a modified Mercedes-Benz W196 F1 race car. It was introduced on 17 November 2003. On 4 April 2008, Mercedes announced that they would cease production of the SLR. The last of the coupes rolled off the production line at the end of 2007 and the roadster version was discontinued in early 2008.

The SLR sports a 232 kg (510 lb) hand-built 5,439 cc (5.439 L; 331.9 cu in), supercharged, all-aluminium, SOHC, V8 engine. The cylinders are angled at 90 degrees with three valves per cylinder and lubricated via a dry sump system. The compression ratio is 8.8:1 and the bore and stroke is 97 mm × 92 mm (3.8 in × 3.6 in). The Lysholm-type twin-screw supercharger rotates at 23,000 rpm and produces 0.9 bar (13 psi) of boost. The compressed air is then cooled via two intercoolers. The engine generates a maximum power of 626 PS (460 kW; 617 hp) at 6,500 rpm and maximum torque of 780 N·m (580 lb·ft) at 3,250 to 5,000 rpm

Car and Driver achieved a 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of 3.4 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 11.2 seconds at 130 mph (210 km/h) C&D suggests the times may be even lower if temperatures were lower. Motor Trend tested the SLR and achieved a 0-60 mph time of 3.3 seconds in April 2006. Car and Driver achieved top gear acceleration 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph times of 1.7 and 2.4 seconds, which are the fastest ever recorded by the magazine in a production car. The SLR also pulled 1.13 g on the skidpad.

Maisto 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé

My third Mercedes model is this '56 300 SLR, IMHO one of the greatest sport cars made. Originally only meant for the track a special two where made for the road. The model is from Maisto's Premier collection in scale 1:18. When I bought it there where two in the shop but one had a really nasty finger print on the paint job on the roof , lucky for me I spotted it. All in all it's a very nice model and well worth having.

What I love about this car: The red interior, the big engine and those side exhausts. 

MB 300 SLR

Interesting seat cover design :-)

Nice cockpit

Classic gull wing doors

Twin side exhausts

Straight 8 Cylinder Engine (2891 cc) Yes you have read correctly, straight 8!

The 300 SLR next to it's more famous sibling the 300 SL (left)

Of the nine W196s chassis built, one was destroyed in the Le Mans disaster. Prior to the accident Mercedes motorsport chief Rudolf Uhlenhaut had already ordered two to be set aside for modification into a sort of hybrid between the SLR and the SL, featuring a slightly widened version of the SLR's chassis with enclosed bodywork. The high sill beams of the spaceframe required the fitment of the same famous 'gull-wing' top-hinged doors of the other two types. For testing, and in preparation for a possible Mercedes participation in the 1956 race season, two road-legal SLRs were built. Due to Mercedes' planned withdrawal from competitive motorsport at the end of 1955, the programme was abandoned, leaving Uhlenhaut to use one of the cars as a company car. This prolonged road use required the fitting of an extra suitcase-sized muffler to the near-unsilenced exhaust pipes to avoid arrest for breach of the peace.

This Uhlenhaut Coupé was regarded as the world's fastest car in the 1950s, and it is rumoured that, running late for a meeting, Uhlenhaut exploited the unlimited autobahns to make today's two-and-a-half-hour journey from Munich to Stuttgart (approximately 137 miles/220 km) in just over an hour. The Uhlenhaut Coupe was road tested by the US magazine Motor Trend and by two English journalists from Automobile Revue at four o'clock in the morning on a closed section of motorway outside Munich. The latter wrote; "We are driving a car which barely takes a second to overtake the rest of the traffic and for which 120 mph on a quiet motorway is little more than walking pace. With its unflappable handling through corners, it treats the laws of centrifugal force with apparent disdain," after a total of more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km). His only regret was that this was a sports car "which we will never be able to buy and which the average driver would never buy anyway.".

Maisto 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

My first Chevy and also my first 1:18 scale American Muscle car. Also available in a light blue color I think the black against the chrome looks very good. Another thing that is really nice is the engine compartment, high detail that you would expect from a much pricier model. Maisto did a really good job here making this one of my top models. 

What I love about this car: The engine detail and the black on chrome.

Toy Kingdom ZAR 399.00

Maisto 1969 Dodge Charger

Nothing says muscle car for me more than Dodge Charger, it's a shame that Maisto do not have it in 1:18 but I was still lucky to get this one in size 1:24. 

The television series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985) featured a 1969 Dodge Charger that was named The General Lee. "The General" sported the Confederate battle flag painted on the roof and the words "GENERAL LEE" over each door. The windows were always open, as the doors were welded shut. The number "01" is painted on both doors. Also, when the horn button was pressed, it played the first 12 notes from the de facto Confederate States anthem "Dixie". The car performed spectacular jumps in almost every episode, and the show's popularity produced a surge of interest in the car. The show itself purchased hundreds of Chargers for stunts, as they generally destroyed at least one car per episode.

Maisto 1970 Plymouth GTX

The Plymouth GTX might not have been one of the hottest muscle cars around but something about this model from Maisto scale 1:24 caught my eye. It looks very good in orange one with black stripes.

1970 Plymouth GTX

The Plymouth GTX was introduced as the Belvedere GTX in 1967 by the Plymouth division to be a "gentleman's" muscle car.

The 1970 GTX received a minor redesign (new grille and rear taillights) but sales still suffered as the car did not look much different from the Road Runner. Stylists made the lines smoother, and a "power bulge" hood was introduced, as well as non-functional rear brake air scoops.

The convertible model was dropped in 1970. The Air Grabber hood was brought back, but instead of having two narrow openings running length-wise as in 1969, it had one opening scoop located on the power bulge. The GTX was available with the standard 440 4 barrel, as well as the 440+6 barrel (three two barrel carburetors) and the 426 Hemi. The 440+6 could compete closely with the Hemi, up to highway speeds. In keeping with the GTX marketing strategy, the 1970 model included many standard features. The only other Plymouth luxury/performance model was the full-size Sport Fury GT, built on the C-Body platform. 

The GT was added to the lineup in 1970. The GT received nowhere near the recognition of the GTX, even though they shared many performance features. The Sport Fury GT was the full-size member of The Rapid Transit System. The Sport Fury GT was often viewed as more of a mature gentleman's performance luxury car.

Bburago 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupé

After I added the 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Touring to my collection I just had to have the coupe, a classic pair of one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Famously know as the Gullwing this must surely be one of the most beautiful and famous Mercedes of all time. This model, like my other 300 SL, is also made by Bburgo, scale 1:18, and finished in red. I would have preferred a red interior but the brown also looks good. 

Showing off the distinct Gullwing doors

Front View

Twins, '57 Roadster and '54 Coupe

Some stats
Engine - 2996 cc straight six
Power - 158 Kw / 274 Nm
Top speed ~ 260 km/h

Passtimes ZAR 380

Norscot CAT 906 Loader

Norscot CAT CB-534D Compactor