I mentioned yesterday that there were two ’90s Bimmers I have always wanted to own in red. One of them was an E34 5 Series like the real one I spotted and wrote about yesterday. The other, is an E36 3 Series convertible, which I guess you could say I do own, in smaller 1/18 scale form.
This is my 1/18 scale, 1993 BMW 325i model by Maisto. What makes this model so special is that it comes with an actual folding soft convertible top. Now this red one is actually my second of this exact model. The first one was a more unique navy over red interior. I purchased it at Toys R Us when I was about 5 or 6. Needless to say, my car models back then were more of toys than actual collector’s items.
In addition to loosing both twin kidneys of it grille, the latches attaching the convertible top to the windshield broke off, rendering the top unable to stay fully up. It’s not that I was rough with my toys, just normal wear and tear on a delicate item. Despite its flaws, the blue Bimmer remained one of my favorite out of many, many 1/18 scale models I owned. It was always out on display on my bookshelf.
Yet I had the desire to find a new one that I’d keep in even better condition. I knew this model had been discontinued, and I was still a bit young to use eBay or any other shopping website, so chances of finding one were bleak.
Then, around 7th grade or so, I received an invitation to an exclusive warehouse sale at Exoticar, a model gallery (which to this day I believe was a front for some other illegal business) where I purchased some of my more expensive models. Upon wandering the warehouse aisles, I came across a this lone red Bimmer, mint in the box. I had found one!
I didn’t even look at the price and quickly snatched it up. Being a Maisto, it was only about $20-30. Not bad for a rare discontinued model. As I was approaching the checkout, a man caught sight of the Bimmer in my hands and asked me where I found it. I told him it was the only one left, and he offered me double what it was marked as. I politely refused – I really wanted this car!
This model itself is of fairly good quality. Maisto models are usually considerably detailed and well-assembled, without overly intricate details such as carpeted floors and bright interior trim pieces. As you can see from this one, the instrument panel is a decal, though it’s completely accurate of the E36 3 Series interior.
The top neatly folds into its own compartment. The majority of other convertible models simply have removable imitation soft tops made from hard plastic. The top is what truly makes this model unique and highly collectible. So yes, I still hope to own a red Bimmer some day, but at least I can sleep at night knowing I’m 1/18th the way towards my dream!
I have one of those with the exact opposite color scheme(red int, black paint) sitting in storage, and a second more battered one in my collection of 1/18 scale parts.
Does yours have the rear headrests that pop up if you push the panel between them? I know at least some of these had that, replicating hte actual rollover crash protection on the real car.
I was about to say no but thought I’d check to make sure.
YES they do! I never knew they did that before. That’s really cool. Thanks for pointing that out, I never would’ve discovered that on my own.
I was working with a woman who wanted one of these in real size she got one Red and ragtop it unfortunately was dead beyond economic repair long before the payment plan was over, nice enough when it ran.
Ugh, I’m jealous! I asked Santa for this this exact model for Christmas when I was 8, and I indeed got it but WITHOUT the folding top, to my shock and disappointment 🙁 . Maisto apparently made two versions of this model: one with the top mechanism and one with an empty space under the clip on tonneau cover. Guess I should have been more specific lol
Alas I don’t have that model anymore, it ended up falling a victim to a botched repaint after I first discovered the joys of spray paint. It eventually ended up in the trash to clear space for more diecasts.
Excellent pics Brendan. Your choice of lighting, view selection and background all nicely highlight the detail in this model and lend a life-sized quality to the whole scene.
The red car, hardwood and low angle shots remind me of the Nissan Barbie and Ken commercials.
Thank you! I took these pictures a few months back when there was some warmer sun. Now everything out there’s covered in snow. It’s amazing how advanced the iPhone cameras are now, I take all my pictures with it because it’s actually better than my digital camera.
Really nice model for the ’90s. At the time Maistos were a very good value, about $20. I got one of these in white with a black interior one Christmas in ’94 or so, my brother got a red one with red interior. At some point I convinced him to swap interiors, so somewhere in the garage I have a white 325i with the red interior. I was in my teens, so these cars never got banged up–unlike some of the ones I got in the ’80s! I also got another 325i ‘vert a few years later in steel blue metallic with a gray interior.
Alas, none of these had the folding convertible top.
And +2 on the nice photos. With all the Mini CCs I’ve done, getting the right focus can be a challenge with scale models!
Thanks Tom. Yeah these photos are actually from take 2. I tried doing it at night, but the lighting in my kitchen made the car look orange.
In a Web-CC Effect, I just came across this. Brendan’s pictures are really nice, but these are, well, check them out. http://www.weallbleedthesamecolor.com/finally-realized-seeing-coolest-thing-ever-look-closer/
This is an awesome model. I have one as well that I ordered new from the ExotiCar catalog (lol on that business being a front for something else–I know it’s gone now). Mine has the folding top and is white with a black interior–I’ll have to check on the pop-up headrests–if they’re there, I didn’t know it! Mine is still in good shape, though I didn’t have the sense to keep the original packaging. As I noted on your E34 post, I’m a huge fan of BMWs of this era, especially the E36. My first (real) BMW was a 1996 328is, which I absolutely loved. I still always lusted for the convertibles and the M3 (wanted one in Dakar Yellow). Prices for the E36 have bottomed and so now may be a good time to start seeking a good one out.
I actually bought a model from Exoticar too, a 1/18 Volvo 1800ES by Minichamps. Mail order, and it arrived in fine shape. I still have a couple of their catalogs. They had a nice selection of mostly 1/18-scale models. Did they have several bricks-and-mortar stores?
I didn’t realize there was anything weird with that company. I just remember they seemed to go out of business overnight–maybe around 2006?
I know they had some “gallery” stores in big cities like New York and L.A. But their warehouse was in Massachusetts. They always had a small store in front of the warehouse. The odd thing is that they moved at least 4 times within 10 years. I visited all the 4 locations (my mom would take me to get a few models on special occasions like birthdays and good report cards). It was always just really sketchy. The people who worked there seemed like high-end thugs, trying to hide something. At least I got some of my most prized models from there (including some pricier, but well worth it UT models).
The ultimate trophy wife car. Buffy and her friends will be doing lunch today in their cute little BMW, its so swank
I have one of these in white with a black folding top.
Mr. Bill