Modelcollect Porsche Brumos RWB is a Whale of a Scale Tale.

Everyone has their own inner list of irresistible things. For some, it might be Wawa hoagies, John Grisham novels, or hobby exclusive Auto World squares. For others, perhaps the siren call of a hipster IPA is more important than collecting those sobriety medallions. For me, an iconic Porsche livery on their quintessential coupe might as well have its own support group. Hi my name is Bryan and I hark back to an era of racing I wasn’t born for by surrounding myself with tiny cars.

Yeah, that should go over well with my co-workers.

Find all Modelcollect RWBs on eBay.

Anyway, I spotted this Brumos-not-Brumos RWB a while back on a diecast website and balked at the preorder. My mistake, obviously, as I revisited a week or so later and found it had been yoinked from the site, the window clearly closed. Considering lately I have the memory of a goldfish, I had all but forgotten about it, my sadness since fleeting. And then I saw good old Jeff Koch, aka The Toy Pimp, aka the Opener of Wallets, aka the Diecast Dealer to the Stars, list it on his IG. I could balk no more.

Less than three days later a tidy package was gently placed in my mailbox, one because Jeff is a speedy seller and two, I have the best letter carrier in all the land. Postal delays be damned!

So, what did I buy? In short, it’s a Brumos-inspired RWB long hood 911 that could have ran the 1973 24 Hours of Daytona alongside the Hurley/Gregg RSR. As a fun aside, I’ve included some images of a special 1 of 1 1:1 1993 964 RS America built by Brumos in Jacksonville, FL to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that win. It was on display at Driven to America 3 in 2019.

 The body is diecast and substantial, but the base lacks any markings for the model or the maker. And the rear tires might just be the narrowest ever fitted to a Nakai-san creation. They wrap lace style multi-piece wheels, which is a missed opportunity as they should really have gone with the Fuchs that are found on some of the manufacturer’s other releases. Oh well.

While the base is blank, the packaging indicates it’s produced by a company called Modelcollect. It’s also officially licensed by Rauh-Welt Begriff, allegedly, and according to the text near the barcode, it’s 1/64 scale. More on that in a moment, though. The only thing I could find on the company was a Facebook page showing a 2019 profile picture that matches the logo on the box. The cover photo was updated to a purple uppercase M on a lavender background a few days ago. The profile picture was also recently changed to a crude, pixelated image of a Liberty Walk GT-R.

Searching ‘modelcollect’ accounts on Instagram reminded me that the word ‘model’ is more associated with beautiful people than delicate diecast, so I quickly abandoned that mission. Also, coincidence or not, modelcollect.com is a diecast company that specializes in military items, with nary a Porsche to be found on their site.

Official or not, I’m happy to have this in the collection. However, there was something off about the scale when I removed it from its fancy base, which is individually numbered out of 2000 pieces.

When looking for a solid answer, I found conflicting information. Some sources said it was 1/64, while others stated 1/60. As mentioned, the box has the former printed on it, but when placed next to some accurately scaled models, the ’59’ 911 appears larger than life.

The TLV Datsun Fairlady Z 2+2 is, IRL, longer than the Porsche. Yet, when parallel parked, nose to tail it comes up short. You would also think a Ram 3500 would be wider than the Porsche, despite the RWB’s wider front fenders. Nope. In this case, they’re nearly identical.  The behemoth Buick Estate Wagon by Auto World was added to the enhance the sense of scale difference. The Porsche isn’t dwarfed by the land yacht as it should have been, considering it’s five feet shorter.  

With those estimated measurements, it’s easy to conclude the scale is more 1/60 than true 64. And all the more reason, for me, to keep it protected in its packaging and on display. Plus, it’s pricey and fragile and the last thing I want is it ending up upside down in my daughter’s dollhouse while I’m at work. Will I find myself buying another Modelcollect to keep it company at some point? Probably not, unless they go with some other race-inspired livery.

Even so, taking into account my display situation is little more than a few rotating pieces on the bookshelves flanking my desk, I find it hard to shell out for something that’s just going to find itself in the garage for an undetermined amount of time. Have I mentioned how much I’m looking forward to having a dedicated office I don’t have to sublet from my children’s playroom? I feel like Milton from Office Space and am surprised I haven’t ended up in the basement yet. Or the garage.

Find all Modelcollect RWBs on eBay.