Welly 1:18 1972 Pontiac Firebird Transam

[karansharma8783]

My 30th 1:18 diecast people!! Wooohooo!!!!! Can't believe I have reached this milestone, albeit a small one

This is another masterpiece from Welly, truly real value for money at 1400 bucks. Great presence overall and quite heavy too for its size, it indeed does like a muscle car. With this my muscle car number has reached 3, the other two being the '67 Mustang and the Mercury Cougar Eliminator.

Bodywork - The overall body shape is captured beautifully by Welly. Stance is just about right. The car has a gorgeous long swooping rear end with a huge thick C-pillar and the rear culminates in the flat rear taillight section of the car that gives an abrupt ending to the swooping line. This feature was a popular characteristic of muscle cars of that era like the Chevrolet Camaro. Welly has also faithfully modelled the curtain-like folds just before the front and rear tire arches. The front fold proceeds forward to form into the front bumper-like structure below the front grillwork, a feature that is present in the '70 Mustang Boss 302 also.

Paintwork - The overall appearance of the paintwork is quite attractive with the blue colour present in a shining metallic coat while the white Pontiac from Welly does not boast of the same. I had come across a white version last year and it did not have a metallic shine to it. However, in this blue version, there are a few minor bumps and glitches to the paintwork mainly on the hood but which are only visible if you are inspecting the model up close. Otherwise the paint is nice and even. The white vinyl strip running the entire length of the car in the middle is also done well with black bordering the white in all the sections - the hood, the roof and the boot.

Engine - I am not too educated in the exact details and components of the engine but on appearance the engine has been done nicely for a budget model with a few wires running here and there especially a red wire which is distincly visible from the other parts due to its colour. The best part is the big white turbocharger which juts out of the engine hood and is visible more in its entirety when you lift up the hood. Classic muscle car styling!!!

Interiors - Again decent to look at considering this is a budget model. The best part about the interiors is the front dashboard and dials setup. Typical of the muscle car eras and the dials are quite well done by Welly. The seats (like in the Welly Mercury Cougar) could again have used a bit of soft plastic to give it a more realistic feel than their current stiff plastic presence.

Other features - Chromework has been done pretty well and this is an area where Welly have done consistenly well like in the Mercury Cougar, the Miura and the Woody. I love the chrome window and windscreen frames which are a minor feature but help so much in lending that classic feel to a car. This is one area where definitely Maisto and Burago both take a beating from Welly. The model also boasts of a spare tire in the boot. Nice little touch from Welly and what distinguishes it from other budget model makers. Welly has also done an amazing job with the Pontiac logo on the hood and also markings of the "Transam" on the side fenders and on the rear of the car. A notable feature in the car is the lack of chrome 3-dimensional wipers on the front windscreen. The Mercury has amazingly done chrome wipers that again help to lend the classic feel to the car. However, the Pontiac lacks these and after checking out the pics of the 1:1, I realised this was not the norm for the Firebird. Well done Welly!!!

Some turnoffs - Although this is a really attractive model, I feel some of the features if improved upon could have made the car come to life. For eg., the front grillwork is merely a patch of black plastic. If Welly had made a mesh-like transparent grillwork it would have made the car look more menacing. The tyre rims also could have done with a bit more detail.

Overall rating - 7.5/10 - Great job from Welly and a real treat to have. Another great addition to my fledgling muscle car lineup. If you are a muscle fan, then this one should definitely be in your collection. However, try to get a white version as white is different from other models and the Firebird looks cool in white too!!

---

[prathambhatnagar]

very good review karan. you've improved your skill "thread by thread" he he .
amazing firebird karan, lovely choice of color
BTW, the vent on the bonnet, is it broken in the last pic ??

[karansharma8783]

Thanks a lot Pratham. The vent in the hood in the last pic is not broken, it's how it is in the model. There's a hole in the engine hood so that the turbocharger underneath thrusts above the engine hood surface due to its size.

[winstoncds]

Oh man! What a fantastic way to celebrate 30! Awesome stuff Karan. Congratulations on a really nice model. I will have something similar to show you in a few days.
Edit: Really really really nice model...I am so glad to see you having it. Nice review too.

[prathambhatnagar]

thanks karan for clearing my doubt. Anyways amazing car karan !!!

[karansharma8783]

(06-21-2010 10:23 PM)winstoncds Wrote:  Oh man! What a fantastic way to celebrate 30! Awesome stuff Karan. Congratulations on a really nice model. I will have something similar to show you in a few days.
Edit: Really really really nice model...I am so glad to see you having it. Nice review too.

Thanks Winston. Looks like you are in desperate need of the Firebird yourself Waiting for what you would have to show in a few days.

[kvsk4]

Karan, it's fantastic. Such a lovely model and superb photography, especially the close ups are too crisp. This is one of the cars from my childhood fantasies

Congratulations on being its owner

[karansharma8783]

Thanks KV....the credit for the close ups goes entirely to the camera. I just point and shoot

My car from my childhood fantasy is the Lambo Countach in pure white. Got to get hold of the Autoart version but that's a long time from now!!

[channabasanna]

The 1st picture is awesome Karan. Nice car, and it is ready to kill someone.

[siddvi]

Nice pick Karan and a very good write-up. Superb pics as well. You know your cars goooood.