This was the second model issued in the Corgi Model Club subscription series.
Official Product Text: The 1967 Monte-Carlo Winner! Corgi did the victorious car proud by issuing it in its full 1967 Monte Carlo livery, complete with an impressive array of jewelled headlights and a detailed roof rack. It remains one of the most-iconic Corgi Toys of all time. This fully authentic die-cast re-issue is completely faithful to the 1967 model - and is of course a fraction of the cost of an original!
339 BMC Mini-Cooper S 1967 Monte Carlo Winner. There were two versions in 1967, the early one had shaped wheels but this is the later issue with cast wheels.
It's very good, with a very well-matched paint. I understand that the people doing this consulted Corgi for things like the colour reference to ensure that was right. The first thing that strikes me and one or two colleagues is the 'soft', almost plastic look to the jewelled lights. Whilst getting the headlamps white and fog lamps yellow as in the issued model, the inserts used seem a little cheap. The RN177 decal is pleasantly 'yellowed' and not bright white as all the reproduction transfers seem to be but, unlike most of them, it does have the right font. The spacing and size of the digits isn't quite right but that is a minor criticism. The most annoying fault for me is the rear number plate which has an odd spacing for the characters and looks significantly less deep than the original. The Rally stickers are also small. The roof rack is a splendid copy, as are the spare wheels and pins attaching them. It's nice to see the base reproduced nicely, with the original style of text and layout retained but, of course, featuring Made in China now. The box is very similar on four of its six sides. The original had different illustrations on opposite sides but this has the same scene printed twice. Otherwise only minor text differences are made and the obvious difference is the side that displays all the production and legal stuff. Luckily, that can sit at the bottom when the box is displayed in a cabinet. The card itself is the right weight but the printing process used and/or card coating create a very shiny finish which is not particularly pleasant. I also found the changed design of the flaps on the ends very annoying, making them extremely difficult to open without causing a tear. Perhaps this prevents accidental opening and damage en route but I do think they should have taken a chance and left the flaps as they were. This is a most frustrating design and I now leave one flap permanently open to avoid more trouble. Overall, this is an excellent reproduction and I admire the effort that seems to have been put in to this project and the prinicpals involved do seem to care about getting things right. I believe they have experience from Atlas and their excellent Dinky reproductions and the whole thing has a very similar feel to it, with the planned future issues, lots of goodies issued at the start and options to stop any time.
