21 March 2019
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Oxford Diecast VW T5 Van - RAC
A truly outstanding start to the newly-tooled VW T5 range by Oxford Diecast
Oxford Diecast VW T5 Van - RAC
PRICE: £5.95
REF: 76T5V001
SCALE: 1/76
Volkswagen’s T5 Transporter succeeded the popular T4 and was produced from 2003 to 2015. It continued the tradition of versatility of this style of VW with its body shape appearing as a cargo/passenger van, pick-up, minibus, crew van and camper van. It also comes in either short or long wheelbase variants.
Key sales markets for the T5 range were Germany, France, the UK, Russia, Turkey, Taiwan and Singapore. The USA market was not a competitive option for the T5 Transporter range due to it being classed as a light truck, thereby automatically incurring a substantial tax/tariff upon importation.
For the first outing of this new tooling by Oxford Diecast, it comes as a van with two cabin windows and one rear, registered PO14 UKZ from the first half of 2014 this is an example of the post-2010 facelift version. Decorated in the bright modern orange and white livery of the RAC, carrying all of the company's familiar slogans on the sides, front and back, it is fitted with an orange roof light bar and features hi-vis red and white chevrons across the rear doors.
The lines of the T5 range have been caught perfectly and the choice of the vibrant RAC livery for this first release is a good one as it really makes it stand out, which for the real vehicles is the whole idea for maximum visibility when attending to roadside emergencies, particularly on busy motorways with their fast-moving traffic and the obvious risks that situation in particular presents.
The standard of printing is nothing short of superb, especially given the amount of small text that is required at this scale. Nothing is missed and the delineation is as crisp as it is on the real vehicle. The red and white chevrons to the rear doors are particularly pleasing.
Note that both driver and passenger door windows are modelled open, this gives us a great view of the interior.
An interesting feature is the use of printing to replicate the headlights rather than separate clear plastic units - but it works!
An absolutely stunning start to the T5's Oxford life.