Temple of VTEC Rumors and News - First Look: DNA Collectibles releases Urban EV Concept 1:18 scale model

Honda's cool little Urban EV Concept was a huge hit when it debuted last year at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. Since then, we've learned that a production version will go on sale in Europe in 2019 and Japan in 2020. There have been a number of spy shots showing camo'd versions of the production Urban EV circulating the net for the past few weeks.

We were recently contacted by a representative of DNA Collectibles and alerted to the availability of one of the first 1:18 scale models of the Urban EV Concept. They asked us if we'd be interested in checking out the model and we said "HECK YEAH!". They promptly shipped one to us via DHL and we received it just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

DNA Collectibles is a relatively new group, established by 4 guys in Switzerland in 2017. At this time that means they only have a handful of (very cool) vehicle models on offer, and the Urban EV Concept appears to be the first Honda model, and hopefully more will follow.

We just unboxed the Urban EV Concept model this evening, and snapped some quick shots while we unwrapped it. While DNA Collectibles hails from Switzerland, it appears the model itself is shipped from Hong Kong.

As you can see from the photos, the model is packaged quite nicely. There is an outer shipping box, then another box which is wrapped in a protective fabric bag. The model itself is found inside this inner box, surrounded with protective foam and mounted on a Lexan panel with 4 screws. The bottom of the panel is coated in a sort of medium brown parchment paper for a nice effect.

The model is quite detailed on the exterior, with a beautiful matte white finish, just like the concept car. The Urban EV's unique digital displays in the front and rear are replicated in static graphics. Some sort of e-ink displays would be really cool here, but would obviously add to the cost and complexity of this model. Overall the model feels fairly substantial and seems to be constructed of some sort of molded composite. The clear plastic parts are very thin, though - particularly the Urban EV's roof panel, so the model should be handled with some care. The wheels spin on their hubs, but they do not steer, and none of the vehicle's doors or hatches open. The interior of this model is a little bit light on the details, but then again, the Urban EV concept had a simplified interior itself, so the model gets somewhat of a pass there. For the most part it's a reasonably accurate representation of the show car's interior. Maybe if the seats looked a little bit more like they had real fabric upholstery, it would help some.

As the model itself is 1:18 scale, it measures roughly 216mm in length and 108mm in width.

You can own one of these for $179, not inclusive of shipping. The current production run only consists of 320 units, and each chassis is said to be numbered . We noticed the number "159" written in what appeared to be pencil on the underside of the Lexan mounting plate, but in our brief examination could not find any other numbering on the model itself.

If you're looking for gift ideas for the die-hard Honda (and EV) fan in your life, this could be a solid option this holiday season.

WHERE TO BUY: DNA Collectibles 1:18 Honda Urban EV Concept