Majorette and Siku Mercedes-Benz G63 and G65 AMG SUV’s

It is common to see classic vehicles get the popularity treatment for mostly nostalgic reasons, but the Mercedes G-wagen has been a hit lately even though this truck started out as a rugged four-wheel drive SUV for commercial use in 1979.  Since then the G-wagen has been upgraded with more luxury, more power, and for 2019 an all-new platform, and today there’s an abundance of G-wagen replica’s from the AMG versions to the wild 6x6 version.  In 2017 Majorette and Siku released AMG G-wagens in similar appearance, but the two have some vast differences between them.

The G-wagen started life as the Gelandewagen, German for “cross-country vehicle” and was introduced in 1979 as a rugged SUV for military duty by the King of Iran at the time, who was a shareholder of Mercedes-Benz.  The SUV since then has carried on more commercial duties for various countries in two-door, four-door, and two-door convertible bodystyles and has kept its shape unchanged for years.  The mechanicals are shared with the Unimog truck and includes three locking differentials, while powertrains were restricted to diesel four-cylinder motors with a few gas-powered motors offered later on.  The G-class was never sold in the U.S. except for gray-market conversions until Mercedes finally offered the G-wagen from the factory in 2002, yet still sales were limited to about 1,000 a year.  Then in 2010 the popularity of the G-wagen suddenly spiked mostly due to celebrity influences (now that Hummer brand is gone) and from insane models like AMG finally getting its hands on the G-wagen and even building the limited-production and wild 6x6 truck with three axles.  While the body shape has not changed much over the years the AMG versions get LED running lights, larger lower grilles in the front bumper, running boards, and a nice spare tire cover at the rear.  The front and rear axles are live axle with an off-set design that places the axle on the frame and connects to the wheels by U-joints just like the axles in the Unimog (though that changes for 2019), and since the fuel tank is at the rear the exhausts exit out on the side, which now includes both sides in the AMG version.  The interior has seating for five with an upright dashboard borrowing components from other Mercedes passenger vehicles.  The G63 is powered by a 5.5L twin-turbocharged DOHC V8 that produces 537 horsepower through a seven-speed automatic transmission, while the G65 uses a 6.0L twin-turbocharged DOHC V-12 that produces 604 horsepower.

Majorette was first to release the G63 in 2017 in 1:64 scale, so it is smaller than the Siku G65 that goes to about 1:45^th scale, or so.  The front has separate round headlights, detailed silver trim on the grille with three-pointed star, and the lower bumper in metal with the large scoops.  Around the vehicle the details of the line stamps, wiper blades on the front windshield, and running boards are nicely done, while the rear has a separate spare tire cover, detailed taillights, AMG badges, and even a trailer hitch for towing.  The 5-spoke wheels are blacked out and have a chrome outer rim for a cool look that goes well with this flat black paint scheme, while the hood opens up to reveal the twin-turbo V8 even though the engine bay is crowded and the only thing visible is the engine cover and the hosing for the turbos.  The interior has seating for five with detailed seats, flat-bottomed 4-spoke steering wheels, floating center infortainment screen, detailed controls on the center stack and console along with a detailed shifter.  This is one very nicely done G-wagen casting from Majorette and works well in the line that also includes a working suspension for even more fun.

Over at Siku it’s a different story as the casting is larger and even in yellow it is obvious that the front and rear bumpers are separate plastic components in black that look out-of-place on a top-tier AMG model.  The front has the same separate round headlights and grille details as the Majorette but adds separate fender-mounted signal lights, side trim and front fender vents.  The side profile has the same sharp body details like the Majorette and then makes the running boards and fender flares separate from the metal body and the side exhausts are sticking out here just below the running boards.  The rear has detailed taillights, a full-size spare tire to match the other wheels, and a smaller trailer hitch next to the Euro plate that splits the rear bumper design.  So why should I get this over the Majorette?  While it has no opening hood it does have opening front doors and the left-hinged side door at the rear, plus another cool feature: removable wheels of the rubber tires with blacked-out and accurate 5-spoke wheels of the real truck, and that includes not only the four wheels but also the fifth wheel on the rear gate.

The base underneath has some of the rear axle and exhaust details, but most of them are removed to allow Siku’s plethora of specs to span across the base, while the interior seems a bit of a letdown with a dashboard that has no gauge cluster hump and barely any details on the center stack controls.  It does have the detailed front and rear seats and the rear door opens up to a good amount of cargo space for an SUV.  This Siku version has some cool features like more opening parts, removable wheels, and the V-12 powerplant but the lack of dashboard details and black front and rear bumpers detract from the casting, not to mention the larger size so for the most part I think the Majorette G63 is a safer bet for most collectors.