Some posts just spring into my head even before I have got the models in my hands. This was one of them. When Modelmatic restocked I jumped on this pair. They looked the bomb in pictures and they’re even better when they’re infront of you.
First of all a little background on the Golf. Conceived as a replacement for the Beetle, it’s often assumed the car is named after the game, but in actual fact it’s German for “Gulf” as in “Gulfstream”. The Giugiaro designed Mk1 debuted in 1974 and nearly 7 million were sold worldwide. If you count the South African Citi Golf model, the Mk1 remained in production until 2009!
The Greenlight Mk1 is fantastic. It’s not a GTI but a Mk1 LS finished in Lemon Yellow. I love it. Any arguments about “truck wheel” and odd stance are long gone. It’s a great little model. The standard steel wheels are perfectly replicated, and the colour choice is fantastic. The opening bonnet is a great little touch and even if what’s under it isn’t particularly detailed, it doesn’t need to be. And besides any more detail would have probably pushed the price up.
Schuco meanwhile have chose to model the most famous Mk1: the GTI. The Mk1 GTI debuted at the 1975 Frankfurt Motor Show and initially, VW bosses never expected production to exceed 5000 cars which was the number needed to qualify for the FIA Group 1 touring/rallying rules. The 110bhp 1.6 litre engine coupled with a weight of only 810kg meant the GTI drove like a dream. Motoring writers waxed lyrical about the handling and punchy acceleration, and still to this day many consider the Mk1 GTI *the* archetypal “hot hatch”. Volkswagen ended up selling over 460,000.
Schuco have done this one brilliantly. It may not have the opening bonnet but it’s got all the charm of the Greenlight with the added finish you’d expect of a Schuco. On this one the lights aren’t painted on, they’re perfectly moulded in plastic, and there’s a slightly sharper finish to some of the details, but you have to look close up to see it.
I honestly can’t rave enough about Schuco. So I won’t here. Just enjoy the car itself. Oh and can you tell I jet washed the patio before I finished my pictures?
As I was taking these, another post came to mind: the Schuco side by side with Tomica’s Limited Vintage Neo Mk2 GTI. I’ll get the loft ladder out and dig for the Tomica, but for now enjoy these Mk1s.
Not putting these two models down, but the Schuco’s headlights are janky, and Greenlight, well you can see the difference in castings. No, I prefer the Kyosho version above both these.