Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet

       
 
 
Made By:
Welly
Scale:
1/24
MSRP:
US$6.99
Overview:
Packaging (Design):7/10
Packaging (Durability):7/10
Casting (Body):10/10
Casting (Interior):10/10
Casting (Chassis):7/10
Casting (Engine):8/10
Paint (Exterior):8/10
Paint (Interior):9/10
Paint (Trim/Graphics):8/10
Overall Panel Fit:10/10
Total Score:8.4/10

 
Buy this car at eBay
Welly Citroen DS 19
Welly Citroen DS 19 Packaging Welly Citroen DS 19 Wheel Welly Citroen DS 19 Dashboard Welly Citroen DS 19 Grille Detail Welly Citroen DS 19 Tailgate Detail Welly Citroen DS 19 Tailgate Open

 
Buy this car at eBay

Packaging

A standard window box primarily decorated with blue/black gradients. Thin, light-colored horizontal lines are used on all but the bottom panel, creating the effect of TV scan lines. The only "art" used is a photo of a car in extreme perspective, so that the rear wheel appears huge. This is used on all five visible panels, along with the Welly logo and the word "Collection." The age restriction is printed on the right edge of the front panel, and the scale is printed on the end flaps. The make/model information is printed on a sticker applied to the bottom center of the front panel. The bottom panel contains all of the legal information against a plain black background. The inner tray is solid blue with the same scan lines as the outside of the box. The Welly logo and "Collection" are repeated on the back and end panels as well. The car is held down using the typical plastic grommet/two screws, but the head of one of those screws was routed out and so was difficult to remove. A plastic band holds the doors closed.

 

Casting/Paint

Welly generally does solid work in the casting and paint departments, and this is no exception. The long sail panels and myriad curves around the nose of the car would be prime candidates for casting errors, but everything fits together beautifully with no waves, bumps, or other obvious flaws. The area where the hood, door, front fender, and windshield all come together is especially well done - two moving panels need to mate up to two static panels plus each other, and Welly has pulled it off nicely. The paint looks good, although there are some small rough spots on the hood in a couple of places. Paint applications are relatively limited: silver is applied to the front marker lights, lower body trim, windshield washer nozzles, windshield frame, window sills, door handles, top boot snaps, and trunk latch; black is applied to the bumperettes and sun visors, and red is applied to the turn signals. The Citroën chevrons are printed in gold aboe the trunk latch. The front bumper, headlight bezels, windshield wipers, turn signals, and rear fascia are chrome-plated plastic. The grille and top boot are black plastic. The headlights and windshield are clear plastic, and the tail lights are transparent red plastic. The lower front fascia is actually cast as part of the chassis, but painted to match the rest of the body. The muffler is silver, otherwise the chassis is a simple black casting (detail is minimal, but the front-wheel-drive DS 19 didn't really have much underside detail to capture). The interior is captured nicely, and includes separate control levers, painted buttons on the two-tone dashboard, separate plated door handles and window cranks, and cleanly painted silver details for the glove box handle, steering wheel mount, and rear seat ash tray. All very good work, which is nice to see in a convertible like this where everything is so easily seen. Engine detailing is simple but effective: since the bulk of the engine is hidden deep within the forward compartment, only a few paint applications are needed to make it look sufficiently complex. The spare tire and jack are mounted right up front, cast as part of the black bay with the wheel and jack painted the same light gray.

 

Features/Accessories

The doors and hood open on smooth hinges and close flush with the rest of the body. As noted above, this is particularly well done where the hood, doors, fenders, and windshield meet. The hinges are well balanced: strong enough to hold the large hood open, but easy enough to open with a fingernail.

 

Accuracy

The unique body of the DS 19 is captured well, from the subtle peak in the hood to the distinctive wheel arrangement. At a glance, the only thing that gives this away as being a less expensive replica is the silver painted (rather than chrome) trim. Scaling is a hair large, about 1/23.5.

 

Overall

Once again, Welly has provided an impressive replica of a unique subject at a very reasonable price. The Citroën DS 19 is one of history's most intriguing designs, and it's great to have such a good model available. Recommended.

 

Have a question, comment, or criticism about this review?
Send me an e-mail with your thoughts!