Exterior Features, Quality:
The S7 is pure American power, a successful race car transformed into a 7.0-liter V-8-powered land missile. It's proof that the U.S.A. can still build a supercar that competes with the best from Italy, Germany, and the U.K. Plus, the S7 is one of the meanest and aggressive designs to come out on the market, filled to the rim with air ducts, and carrying monster 20-inch wheels at the rear, and impressive 19-inchers in the front. In short, the S7 is muscle, externally and internally.
But then, there's Motormax. I had already pronounced their X5 the worst model in my collection, but is the S7 a contender for the same award? I wasn't expecting much, and I didn't get a lot, but this is still, hands down, the best Motormax yet. Still, that's not saying much. While I commented on the X5 review that the paint was rich and deep, the S7's could be called a step down, a little thin in some places, while thick in others. Still, the rust orange hue is a pleasure to look at. The S7 is a big car, so the model's considerable size is correct. Shutlines are surprisingly decent most everywhere, except around the rear trunk cover.
The vents are a problem in this car. First of all, there is a lot of them. Motormax colored some in black, and left others in fading orange. Not surprising, but not good either. The front lights are a tossup - the lenses fit well and look good, but the lights themselves are represented by paint on plastic. Badging is actually done with separate pieces, which is unusual at this price level, and totally unexpected from a Motormax. The lower air ducts are represented by really cheesy textured plastic. Although it does the job, it looks atrocious. The air duct located on top of the front compartment is actually hollow, but the cut is messy.
The window parts don't fit very well, leaving large gaps between them and the bodywork, in a few cases. Tires are unmarked; wheels have decent detail, but nothing special. Still, the real car's rims are not much to talk about anyway. Brake discs and calipers are present, but the detail is a bit cheesy. Hey, at least they're included! The rear is done noticeable better than the front. Rear lights are quite realistic and look excellent. The rear vent is textured but not perforated - still, it is a decent replica of the 1:1's. Rear exhaust pipes are incorrectly chromed (just like the gas cap) and are not hollow. One major offense for me is the antenna, which is the most crude I've ever seen. Still, the detail here is a marked improvement over other Motormax models I've reviewed.
19/25
Interior Features, Quality:
Saleen envisioned the S7's interior to be an innovative mix of luxury and sport. The model's inside is not too bad, actually, but still quite off the mark. For one, there's not much detail on the instrument panel, although the stickers used for the main instruments look quite good. The seats are hard plastic; however, their shape is accurate. The floor is, of course, hard plastic as well. The ceiling of the S7 is unfinished, with bolts and screws peering out of the plastic. Although this area is painted, it still looks rather crude and poorly done.
22/25
Features:
The S7 features an opening front compartment, doors, engine cover, and rear compartment. The front compartment cover opens up to reveal a plastic-covered space with little detail. However, it doesn't look bad next to other budget models. The underside of the cover is painted, at least. The swing-up doors are hung on tiny hinges, but that design completely ruins the interior ceiling, because of the need for screws to tie the ceiling. However, the biggest disappointment of the model is the engine, which lacks pretty much any detail and looks terrible. The S7's 7.0-liter V-8 is a beautiful piece of work, but Motormax did not even bother to replicate the engine well. The rear cover opens up to reveal another plastic-covered space, which is not really worth talking about. Still, the engine detail is completely...well, there is no engine detail.
22/2
Value:
The S7 doesn't offer much in the detail department, while having a price akin to that of a Special Edition Maisto. The difference is, a Special Edition Maisto, in most cases, is a pretty good model. The S7 is not, even though it is far better than the absolutely horrid X5. $20 isn't a lot of money, but it can be spent more wisely by purchasing a UT, Beanstalk, or even a Maisto model. One must consider that the S7 is only made by Motormax and Mattel - you'd expect the Mattel to be the better model, and it probably is, no matter how much one may tout the Motormax. Still, the Motormax offers more color choices, such as red, silver, and white. The Hotwheels version, at the moment, only comes in orange. Rarity is out of the question for these mass-produced models; in fact, most retail stores are having trouble selling them in the first place. The Motormax S7 doesn't have bad value - for $20, it's not bad at all, but $20 can get you a lot more than what is offered here.
21/25
Overall:
The S7 deserves better. In my opinion, it's such an awesome car, only Exoto, or perhaps, Autoart or Kyosho could have done it justice. Not Motormax. Even though the S7 represents a marked step forward for the modelmaker, they still have a way to go. The engine detail on this model is horrendous, a step back from the X5. The use of plastic here is too prevalent. Still, for some reason, the Motormax S7 looks good. Maybe it's the eye-catching orange paint, or the car itself, but despite its faults, this model looks a lot better than it truly is. For many, that's enough to write the check. For me, the S7 is above average, but below what the 1:1 S7 deserves in a 1:18 reproduction. Buy it if you like it. Otherwise, you're not missing much...
