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Here it is, a bright-as-the-sunrise Hemi Orange Charger, 426 screaming cubic inches of ground pounding, tire spinning, smoky burnout machine; yeah, this will blend into traffic real easily. But neither will this model. Put it anywhere in your collection and it will get noticed. The paint contains the most subtly scaled metallic flake I have yet seen. It is, at once, rich and deep and smooth. The model is a numbered limited edition of 5000. Ten times more of these will be made to replicate the 1:1 car. Actually, 505 of these were made by Dodge to qualify their use in stock car racing. For ’69, the grillwork and headlights were moved forward and flush from the recessed ’68 model and the tunneled rear window was mounted outward to follow the contour of the roofline. This combined to aerodynamically aid the car on the tracks of America, where the car ruled at the end of the decade.
Presenting a properly bad boy image, the street car version here was preceded by the ’69 Daytona, the winged wonder DM fabricated from their original Charger R/T tool. This model will be followed by a numbered limited edition SE model in Bright Turquoise Poly w/ White top but only available to the purchasers of this diecast. For those that like the purposeful look of the big motor, dog dish hubcaps, and in-your-face look of the definition of muscle car, this is your beast. More sophisticated folks may opt for the luxo-cruiser SE version with full wheel covers and vinyl roof.
The engine, the same as in the Daytona, is big and fills the enormous cavity up front. The hood is on cool hinges and the engine bay uses wires, hoses and cables, both metal and plastic to present a realistic look at the go end of the car. DM has this chrome foil thing down pat. The “Charger” script on the sail panels and the “Charger 500” at either end of the long car, looks for all the world like chrome plating on its best day. They also have the suspension down righteously well too. The front wheels move up and down carrying the front end component members with them. The rears move on working shocks and flexing leaf springs. The interior is a work of art and fashioned in jet black. What self-respecting street warrior would be caught dead with pastel seats? Not it this muscle machine. The gas filler lid lifts to expose the gas cap and the black tail stripe exclaims the car to be the “500”. When a manufacturer can make the most of a tool and do it in this grand a fashion, I say go for it. If you want a limited edition model, filled with detailing and perfect execution, this is it, go for it. I give this one 5 out of 5 on the drool index rating.
The issue price is $135.
(04/03/2004)
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