PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT

Following the market launch of their full-size counterparts, detailed miniatures of the new Mercedes M-Class have become the latest additions to the Mercedes-Benz Collection. The efficient off-roader is available as high-grade miniatures in scale 1:87, 1:43 and 1:18. Developed in collaboration with renowned manufacturers Busch, Herpa, Minichamps and Norev, these collectors' models are being sold through Mercedes-Benz outlets, Mercedes-Benz dealerships, the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the online shop.

As is customary for the Mercedes-Benz Collection, a huge amount of emphasis was placed on authenticity. It's why the model cars are available in many of the original paintwork colours and with popular special equipment features such as ILS headlamps and panoramic roofs. The miniatures in scale 1:43 and 1:18 even have the same interior trims as their full-size equivalents. The front doors and tailgate and the bonnet and boot lid of the 1:18 models can be opened.

Even the miniature vehicles bearing the three-pointed star are produced with enormous attention to detail – so much so that they even stand up to comparison with their full-size counterparts. But before that stage is reached, much work has to be done. The developers first turn their attention to the original, using state-of-the-art CAD technology to precisely map the basic shape and size. Modelling specialists then modify and process this information for use on a smaller scale. Only then can the exact configuration of the model car begin. Certain special equipment features are also replicated from the real-life originals – from the engine and the interior trim to the choice of alloy wheels. A detailed photo of the door hinge is just as important in the overall scheme as one of the cockpit controls and the texture of the leather-upholstered seats.

In a painstaking process, the modelling experts integrate the countless individual photos of the genuine article into the CAD data and use them for a final comparison with the original. It can take up to three months to go through this development process and to achieve the aim of getting as close to the original as possible. Extremely ambitious considering that a finished model car in scale 1:18 is made up of up 120 individual parts.

Once the design is perfect, work begins on the moving parts. The boot lid, bonnet and doors all have to open and close in the same way as the original. It can take up to four months to develop the first working model – another three to four months is invested in the 'first shot', the initial, unpainted metal model. Only now is the miniature ready for series production.