Mercedes-Benz Vito H.K. Police Dog Unit Car (16RN-041)

16RN-041 is a model of a Mercedes-Benz Vito (W447), pre-facelift, based on a real Hong Kong Police vehicle, more specifically the AM 7792 of the Police Dog Unit (PDU 23). The model comes with three separate pieces: a dog and its cage/transporter with the door being its own independent piece.

The third generation Vito entered production in 2014 and had a facelift in 2020. The Vito name is usually reserved for cargo variants, while passenger variants are named V-Class. In north America it is sold as the Mercedes-Benz Metris. The Vito can be equipped with more than a dozen of diesel engines, all with an inline 4 configuration and turbocharged (some with two-stage turbos), ranging from 1.6 to 2.2 liters, and producing between 87hp and 236hp. There is a single petrol engine available in some markets (inline 4, 2.0 liter, 211hp). There is also an electric version (EQV or eVito) producing around 201-203hp. The Vito comes in both front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or four wheel drive and is offered in 3 sizes: Compact, Long, and Extra Long.

The pre and post facelift Vitos have a very similar exterior aesthetic, with a small difference, the radiator grille. Era Car seems to have modeled the pre-facelift version because we can see the attempt to model the small round holes on the radiator grille, which is a very fine detail that can be easily missed. When it comes to size, Era Car modeled the Long version. It is not the compact version since the distance between the rear wheel and the end of the rear bumper is bigger that between the front wheel and the start of the front bumper (it is not the case in the compact version). And it is not the Extra Long version either, because on that version the distance between the sliding door and the rear wheel is bigger than the size of a door handle, which is not the case on the Era Car and on the Long version. More specifically the badge on the back tells us this is the 114CDI model. Because this is a pre-facelift vehicle this means it is equiped with a 2.1 liter, turbodiesel powertrain developing 134hp (more recently the 114CDI model is equipped with a 1.7 liter engine developing the same power output).

The Era Car model is an accurate replica of the vehicle operated by the Hong Kong Police Force. The paint job on the model is spot on, with the blue and red stripes on the sides and the yellow and red stripes on the back, as well as the black bumpers and side mirrors, replicating the plastic material on the real Vito. The black dotted lines around the windows are attachments points for a metal mesh, which in the model is not installed. The two light bars on the roof are accurate, with the red light on the right side, blue light on the left, and "POLICE" markings in the middle. Likewise the front light bar is also accurate with its blue tint. Two small leds on the radiator grille also make an appearance on the model. Other small details include small numbers on the wheel wells, likely denoting tire pressures. The licence plate is also accurate: AM 7729 (plates with AM suffix indicate state owned vehicles), and it serves as an identification of the vehicle, hence being displayed on the roof prominently and on smaller font on the sides. The small licence plate with PDU 23, is also accurate and identifies this vehicle as being assigned to the Police Dog Unit, 2nd team, 3rd vehicle (although this plate can be easily changed if the vehicle is used by a different team/department). The model has inserted headlights and tail lights, painted muffler and exhaust on the underside, detailed engine bay, tinted windows, and authentic 16 inch wheel covers (part number A44740001259705). Curiously, the wheels pictured on the model in front of the box are a different design.

The model came with some separate pieces in its trunk: a miniature dog packed inside its cage/transporter. The cage/transporter door comes off as a separate piece. As for the dog, it is likely a Malinois, as the Hong Kong Police Force explains:

*In the early years, like police dog units elsewhere, the fledging PDU consisted mainly of German Shepherds, also known as Alsatians. German Shepherds are loyal, brave and their martial bearing is a great asset to policemen on patrol. On the other hand, Springer Spaniels and Labrador Retrievers are used in searches for narcotics and dangerous explosives because of their superior sense of smell compared with other breeds. In recent years the PDU has recruited the Belgian Shepherd, also known as ‘Malinois’ as police dogs. Over the past few decades the Malinois breed has been improved, through cross breeding with Dutch Shepherds, German Shepherds and Great Danes, and it is now a medium-sized dog with greater agility. Malinois are also longer-lived, with an average life span of 13 years, more able-bodied and less susceptible to diseases and injuries. Apart from being a loyal and friendly dog, it is also very intelligent, highly obedient and easy to train, which is why it is widely used internationally as a working dog nowadays. Rottweiler is also intelligent, loyal and brave breeds. They are equally suitable to work as police dogs.*

The first release of this number (16RF-054), although it shares the 117CDI badge and a white base color is a completely different vehicle, since it is modeled after a Chinese Ambulance. It also has the wheel on the opposite side on the interior and has no back seats.

In the table below you can see the dimensions of the model. Consider some margin of error, given how small the units are, and the difficulty of capturing accurate measurements without damaging the model.

 Length
 Width

## Gallery

### Model

Right SideFront SideLeft SideBack SideFront Right SideFront Left SideBack Right SideBack Left SideTopBottomWheelsDriver Side InteriorPassenger Side InteriorInterior SeatTrunkTrunk InteriorEngineDoggoDoggo UndersideDog CageDog Cage UndersideDog Cage DoorDog Cage Door UndersidePieces in the TrunkPieces in the TrunkModel and Separate Pieces
### Box

Box FrontBox BackBox SideBox EarBox TopBox BottomBox Insert
### Real Vehicle

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### With 16RF-054

Right SideFront SideLeft SideBack SideFront Right SideFront Left SideBack Left SideBack Right SideTopBottomEngineTrunkTrunk InteriorBox FrontBox Side