It’s been quite a while since I’ve written one of these, but it has occurred to me I might as well show a recent 1/43 acquisition.
I bought this Minichamps 1/43 BMW Z4 from a seller on eBay with a bunch of cool 2000s BMWs for sale at pretty good prices and decided to buy it along with an E90 330i.
If you remember the early 2000s and like BMWs, odds are you remember their famous “The Hire” series of short films starring Clive Owen as an unnamed driver. Several prominent directors produced these short films portraying scenarios with their contemporary cars starting with the late E38 7-Series along with the E39 M5 and E53 X5 to name a few.
One of the films, ”Hostage”, starred the then-new E85 Z4 and involved Owen rescuing a fast food CEO after being kidnapped by a disgruntled former employee. It’s an excellent film, but I digress. The Z4’s role in it made me love the car when I was younger, and although I don’t have a place in my life for a real one, this model will make do for now.
Minichamps’ rendition of the E85 Z4 is truly excellent as seen in this early model finished in Titanium Silver Metallic (354) and features Style 103 alloy wheels that were standard on the 3.0i model.
I recently bought a Minichamps 1/43 986 Boxster S and decided this would be an excellent companion to it in my collection. I’m usually not a fan of cars in muted colors, but I’ll make an exception for this Z4.
This specific dealer edition variant even features Munich plates similar to the ones you’d see in press materials for the car.
For a 20-year-old release, this Z4 is excellent in terms of details. I particularly like how well-executed the lights and exhaust tips are.
Although I’m not crazy about Titanium Silver, I appreciate the Dream Red and Gray interior to make it stand out a little.
If the exterior details weren’t enough, it has seatbelts and buckles integrated into the cabin—even as a 1/43 model.
To top it all off, this is one of the few models in this scale I’ve ever owned with an opening hood. Because of course everyone needs to see an M54B30 with a warning label. Also, keep in mind that the inclusion of an engine means you might happen to find oil or coolant leaking out from under the model.
In the “Hostage” film, the villain utters one line that stuck with me after finding this lone Z4 for $30 from said seller: “time and tide wait for no man.” I’ll agree with that. If you keep your eyes open for deals, you might just find yourself a darling of a model like this Z4.
Comments