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Well, let's get two things out of the way. First, it's not a limo (930L) but rather a cabriolet. The Limo was as you could guess, a four door. Second, somewhere in the production process, the two tone yellow/black paintjob was simplified to all black. OK.... that out of the way, what we have here is an elegant diecast of an equally elegant prewar classic. At a $40-$50 pricepoint, this diecast is packed with quality content, operating features and a surprisingly quality of fit and finish. Ricko has captured the classic lines and aggressive stance of this cabriolet and offer the options of top up or top down. Both tops are beautifully textured down to the stitching and most of the hardware is chromed. The bodywork is fully trimmed with chrome with all the badging in 3-D. The chrome trimmed running board is clad in skid-proof rubber.
The windows are clear and distortion free and the molded in frames are plated very convincingly. An unusual feature is the movable front side windows. It's best to pose them either partially open or completely down as they don't quite line up flush with the rear windows when fully raised. The doors open on real scaled hinges with sufficient spring action in the frame mounting to have the doors snap shut with tight even shutlines. The car rides on steel wheels with embossed dogdish hubcaps and although they are unmarked, the tires are unmistakably prewar Continentals. Another surprise is the operating suspension with metal coil springs in the front and flexible plastic leaves in the rear. The rest of the undercarriage is nicely done. I was expecting most of it to be molded in, but outside of the absence of brake and fuel lines, it's well done.
The interior is very impressive with legible gauges, flocked carpeting, faux wood trim, and all chromed hardware. The olive green upholstery is soft and yielding to the touch and is reasonably well textured as the photos show. The 930 series sported a 3.5 liter V8 engine that after some tweaking put out 92bhp with twin carburetors. Ricko has given us a nicely appointed engine compartment fully plumbed and wired with all the components textured, metallized or painted as called for. From front to rear this diecast captures all the elegance of prewar German design. And at this pricepoint, there's absolutely nothing that I can fault this diecast for. Ricko put it's money where it counts.
(10/01/2004)
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