The Marvellous Multicoloured Memphian

A while back someone posted images of some forthcoming Esval models on the Forum, and although generally speaking I am a creature of subtle and refined taste (said he, to the obvious astonishment of everyone within earshot) I was grabbed by the sheer outrageousness of the Edsel ambulance by Memphian Coachworks. So I decided to splash out.  And here it is.

The multicoloured paint job is flawlessly applied and the P/E trim is nicely done, as is the badging.

The front end is well detailed and the wipers are nicely in scale.

Not so sure about the back end, though. I couldn't find any pictures of the rear of the actual vehicle but if you compare the width of the rear lights relative to the overall width of the base Edsel sedan, and also their depth, I think Esval have rather over-cooked things here (unless Memphian themselves designed and fitted oversize rear lamps, which seems a little unlikely).

Hard to capture the interior in photos, but there is a well-detailed metal-framed gurney in there, and the strange "chrome flower" visible in the side window is actually the valve on a finely modelled oxygen cylinder. If you happen to have a particular passion for models of oxygen cylinders, I highly recommend you buy this one (and get the ambulance for free).

So, it's quite a picturesque little model, you have to admit. It looks like nothing else, except maybe the VW Polo Harlequin.

It cost me around £100, which is rather more than the dollar equivalent price but it saved me the $20-$40 dollars variously quoted for shipping from the States, plus an unpredictable UK customs charge, plus the £8 Post Office fee for customs handling, so I reckoned that was OK. So much so, in fact, that I also ordered the 2-door Roundup wagon, which makes a nice change from the inevitable woody version. (They also do a blue 4-door wagon but I didn't care for the rear wheel spats.)

Once again the front end is tidily done

and the whole thing is quite pleasant, in an unspectacular, plain Jane sort of way. I think some people commented that we need more Edsel models like a hole in the head, but I happened to have a hole in my head that only an Edsel could fill, so I make no apologies.

Unfortunately mine is slightly spoiled by a wayward P/E strip along one waistline and a mis-applied badge on the left front which also looks like a small scrap of debris got caught in the adhesive and is hard to remove.

I know some people would send a model back fior that reason, but I think my UK dealer only got 3 or 4 of each model and and they are all spoken for, so I can't imagine what kind of hassle and delay getting a replacement would involve. I think I can tidy it up OK.