SUV and off-road diecast models

A tall, boxy body is kind to the die-casting process. Flat panels take paint evenly, upright doors hang cleanly on their hinges, and the roof gives the model maker room for detail: roof rails, a rack, a ladder on the Defender, a spare wheel on the Wrangler. Low sports cars have curved panels that show every flaw in the clear coat; SUVs hide them. That is why, model for model, an SUV at a given price usually looks better finished than a supercar at the same price.

They also hold up. A 1:24 Defender has thick sills and a high floor, so a drop onto a carpet rarely does damage. The mirrors sit closer to the body than on a sports car and are less exposed. For a child's first model, or for anything that will be handled regularly, an SUV is the pragmatic choice.

For a desk, the 1:24 Defender 110 and the G-Wagon Brabus are the two we sell most; both have opening doors, pull-back motors and lights. For a shelf centrepiece, the 1:18 Range Rover Autobiography SV with its split tailgate, or the Maybach GLS 600 with its reclining rear seats modelled. For someone who drives one, the Land Cruiser LC300 GR Sport and the Thar Roxx are the models that get the strongest reaction. For a child, the Jeep Wrangler in either scale, because the roof lifts off.

Look at the wheel arches: the tyre should fill the arch without touching it, and the wheels should sit slightly inboard of the body line as they do on the real car. Check that the roof accessories, rails and ladder, are separate parts rather than moulded into the roof casting; separate parts are a sign the manufacturer spent money on the tooling. On models with a split tailgate or a side-hinged rear door, open it and make sure the spare wheel or the boot floor is finished, not left in bare grey plastic.

SUVs need 14 to 15 cm of height at 1:18 and about 10 cm at 1:24, a little more than a saloon. In a row they look best with the fronts angled slightly toward the viewer, around 15 degrees, so the grille and the side profile are both visible. Mixing an SUV with a low car in the same scale next to it makes both look right; the height difference is the point.