Automotive enthusiasm and diecast models go as well together as peanut butter and jelly. Or, if you aren’t fond of peanut butter (like me), then it goes as well together as a burger and fries. Regardless, it’s difficult to find any petrolhead who doesn’t have at least one diecast model of a car they like, and you better believe I’m no exception.
However, when it came to finding a model of the first-gen Dodge/Plymouth Neon (1GN in those circles), I can’t say I was spoiled for choice. Perhaps unsurprisingly (though certainly disappointingly), almost nobody makes a model of the first-generation Dodge/Plymouth Neon. Maisto, Bburago, Hot Wheels (SRT-4s yes, proper 1GNs no), Johnny Lightning, Greenlight, Matchbox (surprisingly), and more all lack an early Neon model. All except for a lesser-known (and now defunct) company called Brookfield Collectors Guild.
Now this article isn’t meant to be a deep dive into the dead diecast company (hopefully that will be coming sometime in the future). Nor is it meant to be an in-depth review of the model (although that is 100 percent coming in the future), this article is merely a fun little update on a pretty quirky model I purchased last year, so let’s (briefly) talk about it.
Weird, Quirky, But Kind Of Cool
The first thing that struck me when I picked up the model was that it’s made from plastic. No, not the increasingly popular composite stuff (like what my AutoArt Gen 5 Dodge Viper ACR-E is made out of), but rather plain old low-quality plastic. Don’t get me wrong, I figured the model wouldn’t be anywhere near what AutoArt produces (especially for the price I paid for it), but I was expecting it to feel less… cheap. It is meant to be a dealership promotional car, which might explain said cheapness, but I’ll save that rabbit hole for the review.
The second thing that struck me is how accurate the proportions seem to be. As far as I can tell they’re spot on, and that means the cute-factor of the Neon is well-preserved. That might not sound like much praise, but when you consider how Maisto butchered the Neon SRT-4, this effort by Brookfield counts for something.
Better still, the model comes in various colors and two body styles (both in street and race trim). While the racing sedan only comes in white (like you see here), the racing coupe can be had in either black or a fantastically flashy –and rare– bright yellow.
With the street trim cars, the sedan gets more colors to play with. Black, white, metallic grey/silver (depending on lighting), dark green, and an offensively 90s (haha) lime green known as Nitro Yellow Green. Admittedly the selection is a bit mundane, but these street trim sedans look even more real. Transitioning over to the street coupe, we have blue, red, and a very 90s purple. Fewer colors, but more exciting colors (excluding both the greens of the street sedan).
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the model. The material does leave something to be desired, yes, but I’ll take that over a model that hardly looks like the original. Especially when there’s no other options out there anyway, haha.
Let me know what you think though! Do you have one of these models? Know somebody that did? Leave you thoughts in the comments below.
Update: Small correction made to the lime green color referenced. The name is Nitro Yellow Green (NYG), not Citrus Peel.
