Boys never grow up, they say, their toys just get bigger, and more expensive. This isn’t completely accurate, however, as many grown boys love small toys. Especially if they have wheels and move like real-life machines. You know what we are talking about – detailed radio-controlled scale models of actual cars. And to the best of our knowledge, every single car enthusiast loves miniature car models.
For a good start to the week, we have a short two-minute video featuring some of the world’s most capable off-roaders in a 1:18 scale. These include the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Suzuki Jimny, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, and Lada Niva, with the latter being a heavily modified example. These scale models are part of the 1:18 collection of Nischay Sharma, the guy behind the Miniature Automobiles channel on YouTube.
The video starts with a silver G-Class in G500 trim, which has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 in its full-scale version. This scale model realistically recreates the G500’s lower suspension which, however, sees no trouble overcoming miniature off-road obstacles.
Next is a modified Lada Niva with no bumpers, a lifted suspension, and grippy tires. There’s additional equipment on the roof and from this short video, this old-school crossover looks to be the most capable of all five models featured.
The Suzuki Jimny isn’t bad either. It shows proper chassis articulation and good skills in the trails and that’s in part thanks to its narrow tires. The Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler represent the American off-road academy with beefier tires and open-top cabins.
While absolutely brilliant, these little off-roaders don’t have the attention to detail Amalgam’s scale models come with. Take for example the 1:4 body replica of the Ferrari 250 GTO, which has been made using traditional coachbuilding methods, including panel-beating techniques for the body like they did in the old days of car manufacturing.
