The tiniest 1/64 scale tooling to come thus far from Greenlight is here and we get three colors to choose from in Greenlight Hollywood Series 28.
The Mini was announced by Greenlight on their Facebook page back on Black Friday 2019. Admittedly it was not something that I was too excited about when I first saw that they were doing it but now that it is here I have to say it is really nice and a very welcome addition to my Greenlight collection.
They are not the first brand to tackle this car. Many brands have their own versions such as Hot Wheels and Matchbox. However, up until now (save for the Schuco which we will get to in a moment) it is the only one that is accurately scaled to 1/64. So, it is tiny… very tiny.
In classic Greenlight fashion, the tooling is made to be varied with different accessories and to cover multiple production years. This is definitely a strength of Greenlight. It also means that you can be patient with them and if you don’t like any of the colors to first come out, just wait because there are many more to come.
Aside from these three colors in its debut series (red, white and blue), there are already two more releases coming very soon. It is coming out in green with a roof rack in the first of a new series called “Hot Hatches” (I will definitely be checking out this series). It is also coming out in Black Bandit Series 23 in, well of course, black.
I would not be surprised if we see it in at least 3 more series before this crazy year ends. I am speculating that we are going to get a La Carrera Panamericana Series 3 and that the Mini will make an appearance there.
So I mentioned that it is accurately scaled to 1/64 right? Yep, I measured it and it is damn close.
| Measurement | Actual Car | Actual Car/64 | Greenlight | Difference |
| Wheelbase | 2036mm | 31.81mm | 31.81mm | 0.00mm |
| Length | 3054mm | 47.72mm | 48.22mm | 0.50mm |
| Width | 1397mm | 21.83mm | 22.26mm | 0.43mm |
| Height | 1346mm | 21.03mm | 22.04mm | 1.01mmm |
The biggest difference is in the height which is “off” by 1 millimeter. So yeah I would call that bang on.
Since I am obsessing over size, I thought it would be cool to take a couple of pictures of this casting alongside some of Greenlight’s larger vehicles.
Like the Mini, these large vehicles are nicely detailed and appear to be legit 1/64 scale.
Now as promised here is the Greenlight Mini compared to the only other one I know of that is true to 1/64 scale which is the Schuco. Yep we are doing it again. Last time we compared Schuco to Greenlight was with the Volkswagen Golf Mk1 and the conclusion was that they were both nice. The Schuco may have edged it out a bit but it comes at a higher price point and is less accessible.
The same conclusion can be drawn here. Both of these are very nice. The Schuco is a little more detailed mainly because of the fact it has inserted pieces for headlights and it has side mirrors. But again, it is more expensive than the Greenlight and also cannot be found at any retail store in the US.
It should be noted as well that these are not the same model year. The Schuco represents a later model year than the Greenlight. So for you Mini Cooper fans you will just have to get both.
My final thoughts on this new addition to Greenlight’s vast tooling catalog are that this little guy is awesome. I really like it.
At first I was like “another Mini? ….meh” but now seeing it in person I think Greenlight did an excellent job. Also, it actually does fill a gap for collectors that enjoy accurately scaled 1/64 scale cars. I probably won’t go after every variation that comes out (rest assured there will be many), but these won’t be the last Greenlight Minis to enter my collection.
If you would like to see all of Hollywood Series 28 and hear my first impressions of the Mini check out the unboxing video I did on YouTube:
Looks pretty good. I really wish something could be done about the excessive packaging. Fine if you plan on keeping it in the package, but not cool if you open it. The amount of landfill this creates for the sake of one car is not acceptable.
Agreed 100%. I know that part of the reason for the sheer bulk is to prevent theft, since it’s a small premium product, but that doesn’t excuse the many unnecessary layers of plastic. Also, the graphics on GL are often tacky and not worth keeping. The Hot Pursuit series is gaudy as hell
I have my three Mini’s in hand in the UK and they are cool, a little heavy handed on the “chrome” trim, and the lights look a bit weird with the black criss cross pattern, but for the fact i am a real Italian Job nut, these will go with all my other IJ models, and Mini models too….. i am sure i will get them all.
Looks great but I agree about the package – too much waste, and not even an image on the pack worth keeping. If theft is the problem to be overcome, how about selling in a small pack (box?!) and either magnetic/tagging it, or seal it on a big card with a minimal blister which can be recycled . There must be a way!
Now that’s a proper 1:64! I love that Green Light made this is actually to scale, unlike some other makers. The detailing is top notch as well. I’ve always been a Mini fan and would pick this up in a heartbeat if I saw it on my weekly rounds. Unfortunately, with the closing of Toys R Us in the U.S. I don’t think anyone else carries Green Light. Hobby dealers I suppose. Of course there’s eBay if you can find it for a reasonable markup as opposed to scalper prices.