When Ford lovers head to the hobby shop to look for die-cast models of Mustangs, chances are they will see a lot more of the newer models and, sadly, few of what I think was one of the greatest watershed designs in automobile history.

I'm not arguing that the car has been ignored by model makers, but I do think the older ones should get their due -- especially the 2 plus 2 fastback, which is even rarer in model inventories than the regular hardtop and convertible.

Given all that, I was overjoyed to see that RC2 has designed a beautiful 1965 Mustang 2 plus 2 that is accurate down to the plate on the door jamb that gives production data about the real car.

Even the vents in the side panels of the roof in the rear of the model car's interior replicate precisely the real grille vent installations in fastback models.

The detail on the engine is excellent. The gold color of the air cleaner is correct, and you'll find battery lines and cable under the hood. Fabric seat belts and accurate looking gauges and dashboard round out the package.

You can open the doors, raise the hood and trunk, even lower the back seat just like the real 1965 Mustang.

Still, there were a few problems. The first -- and perhaps most significant -- is that the rear tires protrude outside the wheel well and the rear end sits up higher than it does in the real car. The whole effect was that the car took on a bit of a street car image.

Also, the grille should get a darker undertone to its texture and the taillights are a tad too small.

But other than that, RC2 has a model worthy of just about anybody's collection.

Pricing varies widely depending on the retail outlet, but these models should sell for between $30 and $50.