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The Manta first appeared in 1975 and was a coupe derivative of Opels main family saloon the Ascona. It had a long life being produced until 1988 in many guises. The GT/E was one of the last of the line, with a reasonably powerful four cylinder engine driving the rear wheels. It also had twin front headlight units instead of the standard square lights on the smaller engined versions. The main competitor in the market to the Manta was the Ford Capri. Both were technically simple cars which appealed to the hairy chested with gold medallion brigade!

Revell make this model of the Manta and it is OK for the money (it's a budget model). The yellow paint is nice and the bodywork appears accurate. The best part of the model for me is the lights (especially the headlights) which look very realistic to me). Where the models falls down a bit is in the engine bay which lacks detail, the tires which look too low profile for the rims, and the boot doesn't open. There isn't much brake detail either. The interior is very plain and plasticky too. Hence it only gets a rating of 50%. Interestingly, Uli Nowak, a producer of after market parts for 1:18th models, produce a range of great wheels for this Manta which transform it's appearance and address one of the main failings of this model.

However it is the only 1:18th model of the Manta available to date and if you like 1970s European cars (as I do!) it is one worth getting for your collection. As of 2007 Revell are due to release a Sport 400 version of the Manta in 1:18th which looks from the photographs I've seen to be a nice model of a 1980s performance icon. Definitely one I'll be adding to the collection.