Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 

It has been ages since Minichamps announced its plans of making the 911 Carrera.  Now it is finally here and it just looks splendid!

Necessarily, it is important to clarify that this is not a 911 SC, as previously advertised, but rather a Carrera 3.2, which had a 3.2L engine.  This is something that has caused some confusion amongst collectors and Porsche gurus because of the year this model is supposed to represent.  Minichamps says the model year is 1983 in the box, but according to Edmunds, 1984 was the first year for the Carrera 3.2 and the original 911's sixth and last generation before the arrival of the 964.

Let's see if the details are as good as car's looks...

As you'll notice, Minichamps did a pretty good job capturing the looks of the Carrera.  The shape is right although I feel the stance is a little high (comes with working suspension).  Shutlines are pretty tight, and whether you open the hood or the engine cover, they will stay open without any sort of external aid. 

Once you begin to look closer, you will find there are a few things that Minichamps did not pay too much attention on.  For instance, the fog lights were left with pretty obvious attachment stubs, and the side markers have them too, although they are not as obvious.  On my copy the driver's side marker has a little bit of glue residue internally, which caused the amber to look just yellow.  Luckily, it is too small to cause upset. Others worth mentioning are the windshield wipers, which look good from afar, aren't so hot on close inspection.  I also feel Minichamps could have done a better job on the side mirrors, which look cheap to me for some reason.

On the plus side, the headlights look realistic; the Porsche badge which is a sticker gets the job done,  and the "Carrera" on the rear is tampo printed. 

When you try to open the driver's door, you'll probably find it somewhat difficult.  That's because they are so tightly shut that they will require a little bit of effort.  My passenger's door is actually kind of stubborn because it will put up a fight and go back to being shut -- It has a mind of its own!  As for the interior, there is carpeting; the instruments dials and switches look realistic, the steering wheel is branded and the seats seem to be shaped properly.  The only problem I found with it is just the lack of detail or working features.  For instance, the ceiling couldn't look any more plain; it lacks a certain charisma that can only be found on Kyosho models.  The sun visors do not fold, but Minichamps could have at least used separate pieces instead of a molded whole one.  The seatbelts are present but they lack life; the buckles are very plain-looking, silver-painted plastic.  It's actually pretty depressing!

As with all 911's, you will not find an engine under the hood, but if you weren't warned, you'd be pretty disappointed after finding nothing but a luggage compartment covered in black flocking.  However, if you were warned beforehand, you'd know that beneath the flocking, you'll find the spare wheel, battery and other goodies making it the biggest surprise found in this Porsche.

Replicating Porsche engines has been historically difficult.  At one point, you had to buy a model as expensive as Exotos to be able to obtain a replica that did Porsche engines justice.  In the past few years, however, we've seen the magnificent Minichamps' 996 GT3 RSR and AUTOart's RSR Turbo that gave collectors hope that it is possible to acquire Porsches models with decent engines for under $100.  The engine on the Minichamps Carrera 3.2 is anything but a disappointment.  As a matter of fact, it's a very good one!  The wirings and the different colors for different parts, accompanied by instruction and caution labels you see on the real thing make this another definite highlight.

I must also add that I really liked the mesh application underneath the engine cover.  It's a really nice touch, in my honest opinion.

While the wheels and tires are correctly scaled, I firmly believe the folks from Minichamps could use a crash course from AUTOart.  It can't cost that much to make proper-looking wheels! The end result looks cheap, and while I may have learned to forgive the lack of tire markings on most models, I can't be forced into liking the paint application on the wheels and brake discs.  Yes, the calipers remain static while the discs rotate with the wheels, but at this day and age (and price), I know Minichamps can certainly do better than this!

So to conclude, Minichamps' Porsche 911 Carrera is both good and bad.  It is good because it has the looks, features and details that do the 911 justice.  It is bad because Minichamps does not seem too concerned with wanting to be competitive.  Yes, Minichamps has suddenly become the 'cheapest' as Kyosho and AUTOart's retail prices went berserk, but if they want to remain popular amongst 1:18 scale model car collectors, they have to raise their game.

Regardless, you won't need my recommendation to buy this model; it sells itself.

Hope you find this review useful.  Thanks for reading!