MENG BMW Z4 M40i (CS-005) 1:24

[Mike]

BMW Z4 M40i (CS-005)

1:24 MENG model via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

BMW have a reputation as a luxury and performance car company that has been building over the years with plenty of awesome and stylish vehicles coming from their stables.  The Z4 is a two-door convertible coupé, and there have been three generations of the type that first entered production in 2003.  Some of the designs have been an acquired taste to some, but they’re generally considered to be a pretty desirable sports car if you’re in the market for one and have the funds.  The latest iteration of the design was launched in 2018 and has reverted back to using the soft top of the original design after the second version introduced a retractable hard-top.  That may not appeal to all potential customers, but they have managed to halve the time for deployment to a pretty spritely 10 seconds from start to finish.  It was designed and manufactured in Austria, and shares its floorpan with the Toyota Supra that is also built at the Magna Steyr factory there, as part of a cooperation with Toyota.

 

There were initially three models starting with the M20i, the M30i and the range-topping M40i, which has a 3.0 litre straight-six petrol engine that outputs 335bhp and carries the terrified driver and solitary passenger from 0-60 in 4.6 seconds.  The design is angular and modern, giving the impression of speed even when parked up, and as well as looking good it also has a five-star crash rating, just in case you can’t keep it on the road or someone T-bones you.  It is full of impressive electronics that manages the engine and the driver’s experience with a large Multi-Function Display (MFD) in the centre console that is updated over the air and a Heads-Up Display (HUD) for the driver to make him or her feel like a fighter pilot as they break the speed of sound (or national speed limit if they’re unwise).  In line with a lot of modern premium designs, the car can be unlocked and even started with a mobile phone, although that’s a good way of having your car stolen if you’re out of sight or otherwise distracted.  Production suffered from a brief halt due to the situation in Ukraine, but has since resumed, although it is scheduled to reach a natural conclusion in 2024 as the Z-series is brought to an end, presumably due to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars going the way of the dinosaur in the coming years.

 

 

The Kit

This is a brand-new tool from MENG, and forms part of their non-dinosaur related Car Series, and is predictably number five in that series.  The kit arrives in their usual satin-finished top-opening box that has a handsome painting of the subject on the front, plus a holographic BMW authorised product sticker with the twin-grille emblem in the centre.  On the sides are two side profiles of the car in blue and red, plus a little extra information and some QR codes to MENG’s social media sites.  Inside are three sprues and four separate parts in light grey styrene, a clear sprue, four low-profile flexible black tyres, a short tree of four polycaps, a sheet of shiny stickers for the mirrors, a tiny Photo-Etch (PE) sheet for the seatbelt buckles, a sheet containing two material seatbelts, two small sheets of self-adhesive masks for the clear parts, a small sheet of decals, a smaller sheet of decals for the emblems that have raised chrome areas that don’t scan well, plus of course the instruction booklet that is sub-A4 and printed in colour on glossy paper with colour profiles of the two choices provided on the back pages.

 

Detail is exceptional and includes deep detail using both traditional and slide-moulding techniques to create the illusion of reality.  The grilles, lights and exhausts are particularly impressive, and when painted sympathetically, should look highly realistic.  The model is a kerbside kit, so doesn’t include detail in the engine compartment, but because of the high level of aerodynamic fairings around the underside it shouldn’t be missed.  The detail on the interior, wheels and brakes more than make up for that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the aforementioned underside, into which the front suspension units and coil-over shocks are inserted, allowing the front wheels to be steered in unison.  The brake discs are made up from two layers to depict the cooling vents between front and rear surfaces, and this mounts to the hub with a polycap hidden inside, then it is placed into the wheel well, flex-fitting into place to remain mobile.  The holes in the underside are filled with two inserts, and a three-part rendition of the rear of the gearbox, which is the only part of the engine visible after the build is finished.  At the rear a substantial double-H sub-frame is applied to the sockets, joined by another pair of discs that are made up in the same manner, with the transmission and drive-shafts linking them and holding them in place in the wheel wells until the rest of the suspension swing-arms and coiled shocks are added over the top, which both have curved shields that are engraved with directional and handing arrows for your ease.  The exhaust system is made from only two parts, but depicts the transverse muffler at the rear and catalytic converter where the single down pipe bifurcates very well, with a separate part depicting the end of the down pipe from the manifold.  More suspension ironwork is applied over the exhaust, then it’s time to put the wheels on.

 

 

The tyres for this kit are depicted by four flexible black circles with a suitably skinny profile and handed treads, much like the real thing, so ensure you put the right hand on the right side, as per the scrap diagrams.  The tyres slide over the rims, which have five double spokes each with detailed centres showing the five studs holding them onto the hubs.  These ones however have a single pin that snugs into the polycaps hidden in each brake disc, allowing test fitting and suitable BRMMM! Noises during the build process.

 

 

 

 

The interior is formed from a twin tub that has a rear wall added with moulded-in speaker grilles to finalise the shape, to which the accelerator pedal is glued into the left foot well, and a short-throw gear lever is added to the centre console.  The two seats are formed from the separate seat parts that are found in the bodyshell bag initially, and have their backs and belt guides added from the parts on B sprue before they’re dropped into the interior, after which the seatbelts are created from the fabric that is provided in the box, which are threaded onto the PE buckles before they’re glued in place, with a scrap diagram showing where they should fit.  If you’re circumspect with the fabric sheet, you could also have some material left for other projects if you keep it on hand.  The dashboard is well-detailed and has two decals provided for the central MFD and digital binnacle, under which the steering column with separate stalk ring and detailed wheel is slotted, with the brake pedal descending from the underside of the dash.  The finished assembly then attaches to the interior on a C-shaped mounting at the front of the central console.  The tub is completed by the two door cards, which have separate handles and a detailed painting guide in a small scrap diagram, then the whole assembly is glued onto the floorpan, locating on a number of raised shapes moulded into the top side.  There is a rear shelf behind the seats, which has a pair of headrests made up from front and rear portions, and a clear wind-deflector between them that has masks for both sides, plugging into the shelf part, which fits on two tabs behind the seats, and is completed by a waffle-textured load area part that mounts on two turrets moulded into the rear wheel arches.

 

 

 

Preparation of the bodyshell is started by removing the S-shaped sprue from the opening, then inserting the backing behind the front bumper/fender, and making up the two headlight clusters with a styrene reflector that is painted silver and black according to the key, with a clear bulb part slotting into the centre.  These are glued in from behind and covered over by the clear lenses later on with the two grille sections at the front, which have exceptionally well-moulded detail within the surround.  A number plate holder is supplied with two pegs on the back for the front bumper too, and a pair of inserts make up the vent detail on the sides of the front wings.  The windscreen frame is moulded separately from the bodyshell, and has the clear glazing glued in along with a central rear-view mirror that is supplied with a mirrored sticker to give it a realistic look, plus a pair of well-crafted windscreen wipers that plug into the scuttle from the outside, attaching to the bodyshell from the inside, locating on three mounting pegs.  The wing mirrors are moulded on triangular sections, and have clear indicator repeaters glued into the front of the shell, and more mirrored stickers to simulate the glass, inserting into the angled space between the door and windscreen frame, while the door handles are fixed into the recesses in the door skins near the rear edge.  At the rear the brake cluster insert is painted silver then covered over with the clear lens, which you paint clear red and orange to depict the lights, plus another insert and lens mounted into the two vertical grooves in the bumper corners, and the central brake light is inserted in the integral spoiler in the boot lid.  Under the boot lid another number plate is attached on a pair of pegs, then the bodyshell can be mated with the floorpan, inserting a pair of wide T-shaped clear parts in the back of the door cards if you are depicting the roof down to portray the tops of the retracted windows.  The stowed roof is a single part that covers the load area behind the seats, which finishes the model unless you are putting the roof up.  The soft top is moulded as a single part with a small interior detail section, plus the clear rear window, which has the heated screen element moulded into it, then it is placed over the interior after adding the two corner parts and the door windows if you plan on showing them rolled up.  There are also masks included for the windscreen and rear window that allow you to paint the black lines around them where they join the bodywork.

 

 

Markings

There aren’t a lot of decals in this kit, as it’s a car afterall, not a Spitfire.  There are two decals for the number plates that say “BMW Z4”, and two that are used to create the screens on the dashboard.  On a separate sheet are a number of small BMW logos and name badges that are printed in relief and with a chrome finish where appropriate on most of them.  The detail and shine on the decals is stunningly realistic and should look great with a quality paint job.  Sadly, the scan of that sheet doesn’t show off the realistic shine of the chrome very well.  It's perfect in real life.

 

 

The painting instructions show the vehicle in either San Francisco Red Metallic or Misano Blue Metallic, but the Meng/AK and Gunze Acrysion codes show the use of non-metallic colours, so if you want to be truer to the real colours, you may need to check out some of the specialist paint manufacturers that cater to car modellers that want accurate paint for their models.

 

 

Conclusion

This is a gorgeous model of a stylish car, and really looks the part.  The stamp of approval from BMW adds confidence, and the extras that are included in the box will really help with realism.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[richellis]

Looks fantastic, will have to look out for one. Shame they don’t have a RHD dash though 😬

[Mike]

20 minutes ago, richellis said:

Shame they don’t have a RHD dash though

It is, especially as Japan drives on the right side.  AKA the left.  Maybe they expect the highest sales in incorrect-hand-drive territories?  I'm sure someone could create a correct dashboard for us sensible territories where we drive on the left.  3D printing or kit part butchery probably

[John_W]

22 hours ago, Mike said:

It is, especially as Japan drives on the right side.  AKA the left.  Maybe they expect the highest sales in incorrect-hand-drive territories?  I'm sure someone could create a correct dashboard for us sensible territories where we drive on the left.  3D printing or kit part butchery probably

I recall on Top Gear many years ago Clarkson visited Japan, and for some strange reason it was a status symbol to own a high end German Car in LHD even if it was available in RHD. Something to do with the "Purity" of the design if it was LHD.

[richellis]

On 07/11/2022 at 14:09, Mike said:

It is, especially as Japan drives on the right side.  AKA the left.  Maybe they expect the highest sales in incorrect-hand-drive territories?  I'm sure someone could create a correct dashboard for us sensible territories where we drive on the left.  3D printing or kit part butchery probably

Yea, previously Japanese companies have included both in the box for their car kits. Presumably there would be too many parts to duplicate/mirror for both versions 🤔

[dbostream]

I thought Meng was a chinese company.

[PattheCat]

Hello Mike @Mike,

I just found your review as I was searching info about this kit. Thanks a lot, as usual I thought "What can't we find that's not at BM?".

In fact I found it heavely discounted as a Black Friday offer.

I never built a car and intend to go for a Tamiya 1/24 MX-5 RF or this one.

Do you think it would be OK considering my lack of experience with the type of kit?

 

Thanks.

Kind regards.

 

Pat.

[Mike]

54 minutes ago, PattheCat said:

Do you think it would be OK considering my lack of experience with the type of kit?

MENG make good kits, and they usually go together very well, so as long as you've boned up on the skills you'll need for the bodyshell paint, it shouldn't give you any grief, just test fit everything so you don't have any surprises - it's a good practice for any kit, whether good, bad or somewhere in between TBH.  Creative Models are their UK importers and have great prices AND customer services, but I see you're across the channel in Belgium.  The postman may struggle to throw it that far

[PattheCat]

Thanks Mike @Mike. Sound advice from you, as always. Well, I don't order from GB anymore due to Begium being prone to import taxation frenzy with non EU countries (I bought from 48ers, Kingkit, Jadlam),  Also not discounted at my local retailer but 40% off at a renowned one abroad is rather compelling.

Have a nice evening.

Cheers.

Pat.

[Mike]

1 hour ago, PattheCat said:

40% off at a renowned one abroad is rather compelling.

I doubt you'd be disappointed, especially at that price