<p>North America</p><p>NEWS Nr.18 – October 2008</p><p>From Franco to IXO: the Mercedes G4 (W31) is here!</p><p>First a touch of history: once upon a time, Adolf You-know-who in Berlin decided to make a lasting gift to his pal General Francisco Franco in Spain, and to make him look more regal, sent him a Mercedes-Benz “Geländewagen Typ 4” better known as a G4 (W31) to Madrid. A lasting gift it proved to be, since the car survived the Franco era, and became part of the nowadays Royal Spanish Garage. In 2001 the car was sent to Stuttgart for a restoration mindful of its history and of its historical patina. It returned to Spain in 2005, and is now sitting in the Royal Garage of the El Prado Palace in Madrid. For Altaya’s on-going series “La leyenda Mercedes” in Spain, a.k.a. “La légende Mercedes” in France, IXO made a 1:43 scale model of this very “Spanish” G4, and an impressive, near-perfect replica it is! Pity though that the wheels are black on the model, whereas they are the same colour as the body on the full-size car! Now, the base on which the model sits only states that we are looking at a G4 model of 1938 vintage. So why do I state that this is the Royal Spanish G4? Because of the front bumper! None of the other 56 G4 made between 1934 and 1939 ever came equipped with any bumper, save for this particular G4. It may even have been added in Spain…</p><p>As far as the colour is concerned, on some available pictures the G4 seems to be beige and black, and I believed this too, until I saw the pictures taken during the restoration in Stuttgart, clearly showing the real car to be grey and black. The beige hue may be the result of the pictures having been taken in the light of the setting sun. </p><p>The Altaya model is about to be released, and despite a couple of small shortcomings, should be a runaway sales success. It is the first time that a die-cast model of this car has been made in 1:43 in this quality, and at this price (likely around 24.50 € to slightly over 30 € on e-bay + S&H). Expect it to be released in several months in a slightly upgraded, slightly improved, and slightly more expensive “IXO series”- version. Minichamps has announced a 1:43 scale G4 as well, yet it does not look as if it would be released anytime soon. Until next time, happy collecting!</p>