Bburago 1:18 2004 Volkswagen Race Touareg- Paris-Dakar Rally

With a face only a mother could love, this Volkswagen Toureg has been factory juiced to run the prestigious Paris-Dakar Rally where it actually could meet its nomadic namesakes in the deserts of North Africa. This particular 4-wheeler is the 3rd place finalist in the 2004 event drive by frenchman Bruno Saby and his english copilot Matthew Stevenson. It sports a carbon fiber body, tubular steel chassis suspended by twin springs and twin adjustable shocks for each wheel powered by a turbosupercharged 2.3L 5 cylinder diesel engine.

The model is part of Bburago's Trophy Series and for the money is not too bad. They even coughed up the licensing fees for all the sponsors and the BFGoodrich lettering on the tires. The livery is all tampo'd and (probably Cartograf) transfers instead of the dreaded mylar stick-ons of older releases. The castings are nicely finished and the paint is rich, evenly applied and only a bit of orange peel noted under harsh lighting.

Although a lot of the detailing is molded in, the effect of the crisp casting and paint detailing is that of a more contented model. All the major panels are operating. The hood lifts off, the doors open on realistic hinges (Wow... no doglegs?)and the tail end lifts up to reveal the spares, some planks and shovels. Also operational is the suspension with the throw and stiffness that would serve an RC model proudly.

There's not much revealed with the engine cover off as 80% of it is under the dash. The interior is fairly well done although, again, much of the detail is molded in, but there's a full race cage, restraint systems, Recaro style seats and all the paraphenalia of electronics and monitoring equipment is just gizmology to me.

The undercarriage is disappointing dominated by an unrealistic plastic pan with 4 3/16" mounting posts that secured the model to the shipping base. Get out the razor saw for those things. If you purchase this model and do not immediately display it, I would strongly recommend removing the packing straps and putting soft tissues between the model and the vacuformed tub that fits over the top of the model. Even the time it's been packaged has already lead to rubs in the finish as well as some of the livery.

I paid $32 for mine but had to tack on another $20 for shipping from the UK. That said, I find this model an adequate replica of an interesting racing variant that has quite an unusual presence in an eclectic collection of the wild and whacky.

New News  ·  List & Reviews  ·  Legacy Motors  ·  Auctions  ·  Forums  ·  Polls  ·  Features  ·  Register  ·  FAQs  ·  Clubs

Copyright © 2007 Priva and Diecast Zone