Review by CoMod Chris of the Opel Manta A “Tuner”
(analog 27232 and digital 30431)
The Manta—books have been written about this car, movies made, and countless jokes told. Above all, however, the Manta was one of the most popular cars to customize, so that today there are almost more modified versions than stock ones.
On the streets, however, you almost exclusively encounter the Manta B, which is no surprise, since it was built from 1975 to 1988. Its predecessor, the Manta A, by contrast, rolled off the assembly line for just five years. The most legendary Manta, however, did not come from Opel, but from the Belgian company “Transeurop Engineering,” abbreviated TE. There, the 2.8-liter six-cylinder engine from the Opel Commodore was transplanted into the Manta, which u.a. required a slight extension of the front end. In addition, customers received bold fender flares that made it clear even from the outside that this was no ordinary Manta. Contemporary sources indicate that fewer than 100 vehicles were built.
And it is precisely this TE 2800Carrera thatSlot-Miniatur has Carrera used as its model, as evidenced by the “TE 2800” lettering embossed on the chassis. The car is available in green in both the digital and analog ranges, the latter as a single vehicle and also as part of the “Tuner Classic” starter pack. A red Manta in the Carrera -design has also been announced Carrera ; this is set to be released exclusively as an analog version.
The Manta’s sleek body shape is very well rendered in the model, and the flashy, bright green color scheme makes the car an absolute eye-catcher and is even reflected in the rims. The matte black hood, along with the black window surrounds and trim strips, create an attractive contrast. It also features oversized Opel lightning bolts on the hood and doors, as well as the “Manta A Power” lettering in the original Opel style. Some of the passenger’s “details” are also oversized, while the driver sports a muscle shirt and a mullet hairstyle in true 80s fashion. There is one small drawback—the rear of the body sits a bit high on the chassis; presumably, this raised look was also quite trendy in the 80s.
Let’s move on to the technology —while the chassis is essentially a custom design for
the Manta, it consists entirely of familiar elements: the separately removable engine-rear axle unit, the innovative keel design, and the option for digital retrofitting. The keel’s angle of rotation could be larger, but there’s nothing to complain about regarding its position. As is almost always the case, the setup is limited to removing the rear magnet and adjusting the center magnet for maximum ground clearance. The Manta’s compact dimensions suggest a lively driving experience, and indeed, the car takes corners quite aggressively, though it always remains well under control. There are no sudden drifts or similar unpleasant surprises. Thus, it lives up to its “Tuner” moniker and proves to be a worthy rival for theGo lf GTI.
Personally, I would be delighted if more color variants were released in the coming years—the color palette of the ’70s and ’80s offers plenty of inspiration in this regard, and there were also attractive special editions like the “Black Magic,” which would certainly perform very well on the racetrack.
CoMod Chris
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Review by CoMod Lotus of the Opel Manta A “Tuner”
(analog 27232 and digital 30431)
How does one begin a review of the Opel Manta?
Let’s approach this from a different angle: Let’s let Wikipedia speak
, or rather
, let’s quote from the online encyclopedia!
“The Opel Manta is a passenger car model introduced in September 1970 by Adam-Opel AG. It is a five-seat, two-door coupe with a water-cooled four-cylinder front engine and rear-wheel drive. The Manta and its drivers were immortalized on film in 'Manta, Manta and Manta – The Movie,' much like the VW Beetle was in its day, though often with a rather ironic and derogatory tone. Countless songs—e.g., Norbert’s Manta and the Cowards – and Manta jokes emerged about the Manta driver as one of the most widespread and highly stylized stereotypes of a certain type of redneck: a ponytail on the antenna, a six-pack on the backseat, a blonde—who happens to be a hairdresser—in the passenger seat—this was the cliché of a Manta driver. The stereotypical Manta driver also has (had) a low level of education, macho behavior, cowboy boots, an elbow hanging out the window in any weather, and many other traits considered embarrassing by others.'
That’Carrera s exactly what the new Manta looks Carrera like! They couldn’t have done a better job of bringing this cult car to life. First, a few words about the characters: The passenger has a bust size that would make Sonja Kraus pale in comparison. The driver wears a black muscle shirt, Go a gold chain, and sports the classic mullet. Very true to the original, see above!
As for the car itself:We have the Manta here in the Tuner version with the fender flares. The paint job is absolutely period-correct. Bright colors were all the rage back then; parking lots were colorful, not uniformly silver. The hood in matte black (intended to prevent light reflections), the huge OPEL logo on the hood, the racing stripes, the OPEL lightning bolt, and lettering on the side. A very nice detail: the LUI sun visor on the windshield. The paint job is very detailed and clean; the only minor drawback on my model is the slight blurriness along the edge of the hood. One of my favorite features is the spoke rims: these are actually painted photo-etched parts!
Thebody itself is very sturdy and can withstand crashes without any problems. The car is absolutely child-safe, in case Dad ever lets go of it.
And it drives just as sleekly as it looks. The 97-gram plastic and metal body zips around the corners on those high-grip tires; acceleration is good, and the magnets keep the car firmly on track. Without the magnets, it’s a bit harder to drive—it ends up behaving more like the original than it intends to. In tight corners, it tends to slide out quickly.
Conclusion:: The Stingray is a worthy rival for the VWGo GTI. If the Ford Capri or Escort were to join the lineup now, the classic disco cars of the ’80s would be complete.
CoMod Lotus
(analog 27232 and digital 30431)
The Manta—books have been written about this car, movies made, and countless jokes told. Above all, however, the Manta was one of the most popular cars to customize, so that today there are almost more modified versions than stock ones.
On the streets, however, you almost exclusively encounter the Manta B, which is no surprise, since it was built from 1975 to 1988. Its predecessor, the Manta A, by contrast, rolled off the assembly line for just five years. The most legendary Manta, however, did not come from Opel, but from the Belgian company “Transeurop Engineering,” abbreviated TE. There, the 2.8-liter six-cylinder engine from the Opel Commodore was transplanted into the Manta, which u.a. required a slight extension of the front end. In addition, customers received bold fender flares that made it clear even from the outside that this was no ordinary Manta. Contemporary sources indicate that fewer than 100 vehicles were built.
And it is precisely this TE 2800
The Manta’s sleek body shape is very well rendered in the model, and the flashy, bright green color scheme makes the car an absolute eye-catcher and is even reflected in the rims. The matte black hood, along with the black window surrounds and trim strips, create an attractive contrast. It also features oversized Opel lightning bolts on the hood and doors, as well as the “Manta A Power” lettering in the original Opel style. Some of the passenger’s “details” are also oversized, while the driver sports a muscle shirt and a mullet hairstyle in true 80s fashion. There is one small drawback—the rear of the body sits a bit high on the chassis; presumably, this raised look was also quite trendy in the 80s.
Let’s move on to the technology —while the chassis is essentially a custom design for
the Manta, it consists entirely of familiar elements: the separately removable engine-rear axle unit, the innovative keel design, and the option for digital retrofitting. The keel’s angle of rotation could be larger, but there’s nothing to complain about regarding its position. As is almost always the case, the setup is limited to removing the rear magnet and adjusting the center magnet for maximum ground clearance. The Manta’s compact dimensions suggest a lively driving experience, and indeed, the car takes corners quite aggressively, though it always remains well under control. There are no sudden drifts or similar unpleasant surprises. Thus, it lives up to its “Tuner” moniker and proves to be a worthy rival for the
Personally, I would be delighted if more color variants were released in the coming years—the color palette of the ’70s and ’80s offers plenty of inspiration in this regard, and there were also attractive special editions like the “Black Magic,” which would certainly perform very well on the racetrack.
CoMod Chris
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Review by CoMod Lotus of the Opel Manta A “Tuner”
(analog 27232 and digital 30431)
How does one begin a review of the Opel Manta?
Let’s approach this from a different angle: Let’s let Wikipedia speak
, or rather
, let’s quote from the online encyclopedia!
“The Opel Manta is a passenger car model introduced in September 1970 by Adam-Opel AG. It is a five-seat, two-door coupe with a water-cooled four-cylinder front engine and rear-wheel drive. The Manta and its drivers were immortalized on film in 'Manta, Manta and Manta – The Movie,' much like the VW Beetle was in its day, though often with a rather ironic and derogatory tone. Countless songs—e.g., Norbert’s Manta and the Cowards – and Manta jokes emerged about the Manta driver as one of the most widespread and highly stylized stereotypes of a certain type of redneck: a ponytail on the antenna, a six-pack on the backseat, a blonde—who happens to be a hairdresser—in the passenger seat—this was the cliché of a Manta driver. The stereotypical Manta driver also has (had) a low level of education, macho behavior, cowboy boots, an elbow hanging out the window in any weather, and many other traits considered embarrassing by others.'
That’
As for the car itself:We have the Manta here in the Tuner version with the fender flares. The paint job is absolutely period-correct. Bright colors were all the rage back then; parking lots were colorful, not uniformly silver. The hood in matte black (intended to prevent light reflections), the huge OPEL logo on the hood, the racing stripes, the OPEL lightning bolt, and lettering on the side. A very nice detail: the LUI sun visor on the windshield. The paint job is very detailed and clean; the only minor drawback on my model is the slight blurriness along the edge of the hood. One of my favorite features is the spoke rims: these are actually painted photo-etched parts!
Thebody itself is very sturdy and can withstand crashes without any problems. The car is absolutely child-safe, in case Dad ever lets go of it.
And it drives just as sleekly as it looks. The 97-gram plastic and metal body zips around the corners on those high-grip tires; acceleration is good, and the magnets keep the car firmly on track. Without the magnets, it’s a bit harder to drive—it ends up behaving more like the original than it intends to. In tight corners, it tends to slide out quickly.
Conclusion:: The Stingray is a worthy rival for the VW
CoMod Lotus
