Exterior Features, Quality:
The Opel Speedster is definitely an oddity, especially when coming from a corporation like GM known for practicality and staid automobiles. The design, aimed at the younger crowd, works with a sort of strange cohesiveness. Is Maisto's little model as fun as the real thing?
At least the paint's eye-catching: a light yet glossy orange that screams, sort of like the car itself. Anyway, the paint is very nice, not Mattel quality (which is actually pretty good), but acceptable in its own right. Headlamps are a complicated piece of the model, as they use the very Japanese 'completely transparent lens design', but Maisto makes it look decent here. The lenses are well attached, and the lights don't look half bad either. Fog lights are well done, with actual light pieces, not stickers. The grille is textured though not photo-etched, and the Opel badge on the front looks awesome.
Once you get to the tires, there's a problem. Well, not really a big problem, but it does cost the model points when the sidewalls are anonymous. The rims are well done, though, and there are brake discs and calipers. Side-marker lamps are stickers, as always in Maistos, and as always, that costs more points. Panel gaps are pretty unacceptable too, although in several areas, like the rear cover, they're okay. Rear lights are done well like the fronts, with lenses well attached and separate light pieces present. The backlight is a sticker as well, but as it's so tiny, it's almost unnoticeable.
Badging on the rear of the car is done by stickers, but they're applied well and look okay. The license plate is realistic in size and proportion. Exhaust pipes, at first glance, look surprisingly realistic, but they're filled up inside, which makes for a somewhat disappointing rear view.
21/25
Interior Features, Quality:
Now, to the interior, which should have been relatively easy to make due to the real car's spartan nature. Well, Maisto sits in the middle of good and bad. The seats use pretty nice-feeling plastic, although they've done better in more recent releases. Metal handles and bars are well replicated. The steering wheel is nicely sized and looks excellent. However, the dash and shifter could use a lot more detail, and the floor is hard plastic. Also, a small quality control niggle is that the mirror decal on the rearview mirror is poorly applied.
22/25
Features:
The Speedster features an opening front compartment, doors, and rear compartment. Under that strangely-shaped "hood" is a small but well-detailed compartment replete with a radiator along with other engine parts. However, the engine resides aft of the cabin. The problem in the front compartment is one that all old Maistos had and one that newer ones don't: bare unpainted metal on parts of the underside of the front compartment. Good thing they've improved since then. Doors feature old-style dogleg hinges - good thing Maisto moved from using them too. The engine in the rear compartment is very well detailed, probably the best or one of the best Maisto engines to date. The tiny trunk area is not carpeted, which is a shame. Another quality control problem is that the rear compartment itself is poorly attached to the body of the car.
22/2
Value:
Welly also makes the Speedster, but it is unlikely that its detail will match Maisto's, although you never know! But, for the money, I would recommend Maisto's version, which is also available in silver and yellow. I bet the orange is still the best color, as this is the most eye-catching color of the three, and the one most fitting the Speedster's personality.
24/25
Overall:
Overall, a very good model which could have been a lot better with better quality control. Yes, Maisto has improved since then, but even though this Speedster is a sort of 'in-between' model, I still recommend it, especially above the Welly. For one thing, it has awesome engine detail for the price as well as pretty accurate detailing. This is a bright and cute little model that fits in almost anywhere...well, depends on what you call 'fitting in'. It certainly is different, and you've gotta give Maisto a hand for trying something different.
