Ford Escort Mk2 1.3L Ghia

Brand: Sunstar
Material: Diecast
Type: Opening features (4)
Scale: 1:18
Model: Ford Escort Mk2 1.3L Ghia
Limited Edition: no
Release RRP: £34.99

Straight out of the box..

When Sunstar announced this model, I pounced on it, why? you ask.. I had the exact same car when I passed my driving test in 1988, down to the paint and vinyl roof! So this model I will try not to get to excited and give an unbiased opinion!

As with the Ford Escort RS Turbo this comes in a European classics box with a clear view window, mounted on a plastic based and with a cardboard inset. This model is a really good replica of the MK2 Ford Escort 1.3 Ghia, the colour, roof, wheels are all spot on! so without further ado we shall move on..

In detail the exterior.

Whilst not an astonishing colour, browns were defiantly in for the late 70’s my dads Renault 12 was a real horrible brown at least this Escort has metallic paint which we could call bronze, I feel that when you have a modest diecast collection these colours can break up your collection quite nicely, as a collector colours matter to me and sometimes are a factor when buying a model or passing it up. that said this is a well painted model with a very fine metallic flake and does look nice under light.

The front sports the square variant of headlights, some others had round lights but generally the less sporty models had square lights, nestled in a chrome trimmed grille with the recognisable oval ford badge. the bumper is a full width chrome bumper with insert indicators and bumper stops, below that the standard UK number plate. A popular mod for the front was spot lamps and 1/4 bumpers which were found on escorts like the 1600 sport, which meant you could have a square plate in the middle of the bumper, that with quad spotlights looked awesome, however it still was only a 1.3!

Moving around the side is one detail that I’m glad was done right, they could have skimped but didn’t, the side trims on the swage line are perfect like the real car a black flexible trim with a chrome insert, hats off to Sunstar for that! On the front wing is the 1.3 Ghia badge , Ghia if you were wondering was fords emblem for top of line (for the period) but really it meant a tachometer or rev counter and a clock and better trim/ Slightly flared arches, chrome door handles and wing mirrors finish the sides nicely. the retractable radio antenna is thankfully moulded in its retracted state, no thin antenna to break off!

The roof is topped of with a finish that simulates what would be the vinyl roof, not a feature I liked on the real car I had, on the rear quarter panel is the chrome fuel cap. The wheels are the steel painted 13″ wheels , these had a push on chrome rim which were always getting loose and sometimes lost, I think they were called Rostyles but again I’m not 100% sure, I can tell you that Alloy wheels were reserved for the exclusive cars!

Round the rear of the model is pretty basic, badges and the nice trim extended onto the boot number plates and rear lights all as they should be, the rear bumper has the same plastic and chrome combo finished off with a matt black rear panel.

Under the bonnet or hood , we can see the 1300cc overhead valve cross flow engine which produced 65bhp, the detail is reasonable for the price and certainly better than most budget models, you can pick out quite a few engine components , washer bottle, battery, HT leads, Brake reservoir, Radiator and so on..

In detail the interior space.

This was the best part for me and a total surprise, although a leftie the interior is really well done, down to the vents, tachometer, wood grain dash with the Ghia emblem. nicely carpeted and the seats look like they should, no massive doglegs for the doors is also a bonus, yes a screw is visible but I’d rather that than a dogleg hinge.

The boot does open to reveal nothing special but a black flocked boot, but a least it opens and currently stores the wing mirror that keeps falling off, not broken thankfully but probably never glued in the factory.

Verdict?

Like many non JDM models I’ve collected this one has a memory attached to it, this was my first car I drove on my own. So again an older model like the RS Turbo and RS1600i but and excellent model for the original price, fully opening, great paint and details and 15 years or so old still looks fab of the time of these photos in 2020. A must have if you like your Fords!

This model is a survivor in may collection and will continue to be so , it has some real memories attached to the car and I love that I can see this car every day, this in itself is a testimony to a quality 1:18 scale diecast product from Sunstar.