Before I was a regular Lamley writer, I did a couple of guest posts on the blog to highlight parts of my collection. One was about the 1:66-scale models produced by Schuco in the 1970s. A quick click here to read that post will bring you up to speed on why I love these charming, intricately cast relics of the Cold War.
There aren’t that many Schuco 1:66 castings to collect, perhaps only 40 different ones in all, so it wouldn’t be too hard to complete the set if you spent your life glued to eBay and threw money at the problem. That’s not how I collect, though, so I tend to only add a couple of new ones each year, as and when I come across them.
This most recent set of four that I bought came via an Instagram sale by my good friend @nms_collection_. Nick embraces diversity in his 1:64 collection but had duplicates of these, so I was able to grab them from him for a very fair price. Thanks Nick!
Let’s take a look at each in turn, starting with the Porsche 914.
If you follow my own Instagram feed @diecast215 then you might have seen a shot of this petite model alongside the recent Matchbox release.
It’s certainly small! Love the way they managed the colour breaks on this one. The windows have seen better days and the paint finish is likewise showing its age, but it’s in decent shape overall. Schuco actually released two versions of the 914: this 914/6 and the S, each in multiple colours.
We move on to something a little more sedate, the Opel Commodore GS.
This one has a few chips around the edges but still displays well. It pairs well with another Schuco Opel already in my collection, the Admiral 2800E. Both would have been perfect for wafting along a West German Autobahn.
Next comes one of the later Schuco 1:66 castings, the Mercedes-Benz 350SL.
I thought I’d picture it alongside the Matchbox 350SL (in this case, a later Bulgarian model), so that you get a sense of the size.
I think the Schuco casting represents the real thing beautifully. Look how that rear wheel tucks right up inside the arch, for example.
The final newcomer is also the star of the show, in my opinion. It’s a Ford Capri 1700 GT.
The Mk.1 Capri will be familiar to many collectors from the recent Matchbox release, but this contemporary Schuco really captures the stance of the real thing and showcases the brand’s typical casting detail. That steering wheel is cast and painted!
The paint finish on this one is better, too – the blue is deep and shiny.
I now have 25 of the 1:66 castings, so I’m over halfway. The hunt continues!
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