CastHeads Magazine Volume 4 Issue 9

GARAGE TORQUE

MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER 2021

ART & SOUL OF MODEL COLLECTING MODEL CAR HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE BEST E-MAGAZINE 2020

SOLIDO CELEBRATES

BMW MOTORSPORT

THE HOTTEST

MAISTO MUSTANG AT THE MOMENT

MERCEDES KEEPING IT CLASSY WITH THE

CLA AMG

AND THE

CULTURED CASTHEAD

WONDERS IF IT’S TIME TO STOP BUYING FERRARI BOOKS

MINIGT McLaren Senna Antares Blue Lance Müller @jjsdiecastgarage For Castheads Magazine

PARTNERS

Contributing Writers: Nigel J De Zilwa | Lance K Müller | Scott Nadeau • Photographers Lance K Müller | Nigel J De Zilwa Scott Nadeau | Alberto Jorge Rodriguez | Patrick Pchalek | Frank Zinkewitz • Creative Direction / Design Lance K Müller & Nigel J De Zilwa • A Publication of Castheads (Pvt) Limited. © 2021 All Rights Reserved • castheads@gmail.com • www.castheadsmagazine.com All images are owned by Castheads (Pvt) Limited or by their brand owners. Used with permission.

inside this action-

packed issue 07

diecasting couch Hot shots, hot picks and the new stuff

56

Feature article Wild about the hot wheels bronco

12

TSM REDLINE landys and sweet pandem supras

62

Feature article Breaker breaker

14

Casted by jada The bonkers bronco

68

Diecast highlight Born again

76

Diecast highlight The mighty mite

83

lald dossier With scott nadeau

18

Casting remarks The revo lution has begun

26

Feature article The bronco returns offerings from maisto

84

Diecast highlight Style safari

40

Diecast highlight California dreaming

92

Casting remarks Hot stuff from herpa

46

Diecast highlight Military issue

94

52

Tarmac works garage torque

Cultured casthead Legendary german cars - peter ruch

www.castheadsmagazine.com castheadsmag

castheads

castheadsmag

MGT00266 Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo Light Blue

MGT00284 Bentley Continental GT3 #7 M-Sport 2020 Intercontinental GT Challenge Kyalami 9 Hrs

MGT00308 LB★WORKS Toyota GR Supra CSR2

MGT00312 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II #7 AMG-Mercedes 1990 DTM

TS0356 LB-Silhouette WORKS GT NISSAN 35GT-RR Ver.2 Matt Black LBWK TS0381 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R #64 Corvette Racing 2021 Le Mans 24 Hrs

TS0380 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R #63 Corvette Racing 2021 Le Mans 24 Hrs GTE PRO 2nd Place

MGT00313 Ford GT 2021 Ken Miles Heritage Edition

MGT00309 Honda S2000 (AP2) Mugen Berlina Black

MGT00311 LB-Silhouette WORKS GT NISSAN 35GT-RR Ver.1 Infinite Motorsport Motul

TS0350 BMW M4 M-Performance (G82) Alpine White TS0379 Bentley Mulliner Bacalar Yellow Flame

TS0360 Mazda RX-7 #74 Team Arnature 1994 Le Mans 24Hr.

DIECASTING COUCH

HOT PICKS FOR YOU

Hot Wheels

‘94 Bugatti EB110 SS Built during the time the marque was wholly Italian, the EB celebrated Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birth anniversary. The V12, with its 3.5L quad turbos was one of the fastest automobiles of at the time of it’s release. The even more powered Super Sport raced out the factory just 6 months after the release of the ‘normal’ model. Some trivia; The chassis was built by Aérospatiale, a French aircraft manufacturer.

We see the SS version in a classic French racing blue (which is a signature color for the marque. The model, from the HW Exotics range, is thankfully bereft of too much decoration, rolls on 10SP wheels and looks great for a new model.

Scale 1:64 Status: Available

Matchbox Moving Parts

‘88 Chevy Monte Carlo LS The model, named after the famous city, has been banging around since the early 70s. This is the G-bodied model that saw the light of day in the early 80s and continued till 89 before it was replaced by the Lumia.

The model became quite popular with both the urban African American and Hispanic communities across the US. Its propensity to get made in to flashy low-riders made it an icon among the fans.

The LS (Luxury Sport) was released in 87 featuring a more European look and feel. The Matchbox version is in sleek black with silver front fascia and 5-spoke SS wheels that adds to a very stylish model.

Scale 1:64 Status: Available

DEAN WINCHESTER & 1967 CHEVY® IMPALA™ SS™ SPORT SEDAN 1:24 & 1:32 scale diecast models with opening parts

Order now through our global resellers

SUPERNATURAL and all related characters and elements 2021 © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

@jadatoys WWW.jadaTOYS.com

DIECASTING COUCH

HOT PICKS FOR YOU

Majorette

Chevrolet Camaro While we feature a lot of European models from Majorette, we sometimes miss the great American cars they do. This Camaro, which we assume is a ZL1 in Yenko/SC Stage 2 kit, looks outstanding in high glossy black with plastic headlights, and details sans ott decoration. It also comes with opening doors. Decent addition to any modern muscle collection.

Scale 1:64 Status: Available

Schuco

1963 VW Beetle Folding Roof Limousine Most of us around the world have seen a Beetle, in one form or another. This car, in all its forms have been seen the light of day since 1938. It is the ultimate “People’s Car” and this model from Schuco is sublime.

The Schuco releases the model in a limited run of 750 pieces worldwide.

Scale 1:18 Status: Released

Jada Toys Hollywood Rides

Ghostbusters Ecto-1 With a new movie on the horizon, its time to revisit this awesome model, decently detailed and more than attainable model for the diehard Ghostbusters movie fan.

The Ecto-1 has joined the ever-growing pantheon of famous movie/tv and is one of the most recognizable of models across the world.

The model is open-able on all sides (but only the front doors) and alas doesn’t feature the gunners seat.

Scale 1:24 Status: Available

New models every month!

WWW.SOLIDO.COM

FOLLOW US !

DIECASTING COUCH HOT PICKS FOR YOU

Solido

Renault 5 Turbo - Rallye d’Antibes 1983 The peppy little Renault 5 Turbo took on many rallies across the world and sometimes came out at the front of the pack. It was built for rallying with some making it to the hands of consumers. This particular model was piloted by Jean-Luc Therier and copiloted by Vial Michel in the 1983 rally and beat Opel Mantas, Porsche 911s and other, more, famous cars.

The slick Solido model features opening parts and well as removable part, especially the back cover with the spare.

Scale 1:18 Status: Available

GT Spirit

2021 Ford Bronco First Edition “Area 51” The First Edition integrates the best of entire Bronco series and adds even more comfort, luxury and technology into one bada** package. Limited to just 7000 units, this model is sure to attract attention for years to come.

The Area 51 refers to an exterior color that is only available on the First Edition in which this model from GT Spirit is finished in. It also features a rather nonstandard Navy Pier and Sandstone interior that sets it apart.

Scale 1:18 Status: Available

Otto Mobile

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II The Evo II was let loose at the beginning of 1994 and consisted of minor tweaks and power/handling upgrades compared to the previous gen Evo. It also had OZ five spokes right out the factory, a 2l turbocharged engine coupled with a 5-speed manual.

The Otto Mobile model is finished in Dandelion Yellow exterior and black interior, with white OZ wheels.

Scale 1:18 Status: Available

CASTING REMARKS HOT PICKS FOR YOU

MATCHBOX

ASTON MARTIN DBR1 SCALE 1/64 DIECAST METAL

This was an accidental purchase.

It came up for sale and without thinking a bid was put in and the car ended up on our desk. In a cardboard box wrapped up in white tissue paper was this beautifully shaped Aston Martin.

With all the 1/64 competition in the market its very easy for Matchbox to slip by unnoticed which can be a crying shame most of the time. Perfect example right here. Shaped beautifully, it has a lovely prenineties weight to it and has actual carved out grille and side air intakes.

The burgundy interior rolls well with the grey body and usually I would be

upset about the headlights (which can be easily detailed by yourself) but the expressionless white paint is more like ode to the car’s racing pedigree. On a side note, this car in the real world was famously painted regularly in British Racing Green, MB does a variation in that color, and it is gorgeous. Really glad we got our hands on this and added it to the collection.

MATCHBOX

FORD INTERCEPTOR SCALE 1/64 DIECAST METAL

SUBCULTURE! This one is for the Service and utility collectors. The Interceptor looks the part from the get-go. A really nice casting from MB. Although Hot Wheels has a reputation of being the start of the slippery diecast collecting slope and I may have said this before, but Matchbox certainly has more to offer for the budding collector.

I would never knock HW but does seem like the more sophisticated elder brother.

With its headlight and rear light tampos. The choice of wheels, clever effortlessly looks like Law and Order hub caps, officer Randy will jump out grab one of the hub caps to drop a perp at 200 meters. Did I say the diehard CastHeads who love POLICE vehicles will snatch this up? If they don’t, they deserve time.

CASTING REMARKS

HOT PICKS FOR YOU

MAJORETTE

MERCEDES A35 AMG SCALE 1/64 DIECAST METAL

Simba Dickie’s two flagship 1/64 bros. drops some juicy Mercs our way from two different era’s and we didn’t waste any time cracking them open to the music of Janis Joplin. (…everytime)

Rear door opens, which always reinforces the hot hatch title in diecast cars. The wheels are black multi-spoked rims like what you’d find from MOMO and then all the usual Majorette features that come as standard. They also did do a fantastic job on the mold replicating the body work of the actual car in detail.

Well composed model from Majorette.

The Hot Hatch of Mercedes or vice versa. Have we been indoctrinated

by Mercedes so much so that every Mercedes we see is beautiful? Who cares! we would certainly give the A35 AMG a ride for our money if we had any.

Majorette has the more suited to budget option and ohh la la. Not bad.

SCHUCO

MERCEDES 300 SL SCALE 1/64 DIECAST METAL

This gave us goosebumps. Schuco has enjoyed an invigorating global coming out party and they are rocking the foundations of 1/64 collecting.

No fancy frills this straight up collector’s piece is painted in a simple baby blue similar to the blue baby boy’s bedrooms would be painted in by their Mercedes owning parents.

Schuco’s quality when it comes to detail is always immaculate, but for us one of the most striking details that really makes a happy collector are the hubcaps. Hubcaps aren’t special by most standards but the level that Schuco goes to is brilliant.

That’s right, brilliant chrome, almost perfect with the 3-pointed star laser etched into the center. So hot we really wish we could put a GIF reaction just to drive home the point.

CASTING REMARKS HOT PICKS FOR YOU

In the 60’s and 70’s Japanese cars saw a major uptick in demand and with the growing JDM movement the ‘demand’ asked for more power. This resulted in a lot of ordinary cars getting petrol appreciating engines that were ‘tuned’ and ‘modified’ to squeeze out every drop of power that could be mustered.

MAJORETTE

And like an internal combustion boom the JDM tuner, drifter, racer, candlestick maker market came in to being with Nissan & Toyota leading the front of the pack and created icons like this Celica GT. To date there are quite of these tuned and modified ready to go up against most modern sports cars ripping up rubber against traction control and launch mode.

Latter part of this year Majorette drops three new color variations of their highly sort after casting. From what we can gather, there has been one previous casting to the current version. And from the google search it appears to been slightly off in shape. Then around 2016 Majorette drops a much nicer casting again in yellow with a nice 70’s GT stripe just above the side valance

TOYOTA CELICA SCALE 1/64 DIECAST METAL

and epic center lock wheels.

Followed up by a nice gloss black version and another epic wolf in rally clothes and then well thought of rust version.

The latest colors to recently is a nice shade of dark green, sky blue and this really cool bright orange which we think is a well-suited color for this car. Probably because of the 70’s summer portrayed on TV and movies its easy to feel like this car in orange would be constantly spewing out music from ‘The Beach Boy’s. A completely rational explanation for us liking this car. We do science.

MAJORETTE

NISSAN CEFIRO SCALE 1/64 DIECAST METAL Majorette has been watching the scene and realized that a lot of the new age 1/64 collectors are in demand for more and more JDM machines in all trims. Now they have decided to go Hanzo Steel on the competition launching a nice little wedge into classic JDM sedan market in the shape of a Cefiro. Which is quite boxy and meh but underneath said meh is a powerful engine that delivers a nice helping of torque to the rear (see Cristy Lou in Thailand.)

This is a very nice satin painted version of this car and as always Majorette details is a cut above the rest in terms of price. We are pretty sure when you get this, you would be interested in getting the Christy Lou variations as well.

Which I must add are very very nice.

CASTING REMARKS

HOT PICKS FOR YOU

SCHUCO

PORSCHE 911 TURBO 2.7 RS SCALE 1/43 DIECAST METAL

Rennsport CLASSIC

MACHINE

I have often wondered what brand of car is the most reproduced in the scale model car world.

Certainly not LADA. But I have always suspected PORSCHE might easily fit that bill. And within that tiny circle of sports cars that have had their engines traverse through the length of the car, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION the PORSCHE 911 TURBO RS 2.7 is one of the most famous.

This is dropped off Schuco’s 1:43 Edition line of collectibles limited to just 500 released models. Usually, their 1:43 scale models conveniently come in an acrylic covered display base, dust proof.

This iconic model is iconic in every way.

Place this on you desk and you will it more distracting than your average FACEBOOK battle.

We bemoan the fact that these are non-opening models simply because we know what Schuco is capable of in terms of delivery and quality and so far, we personally have found no reason to complain. However, we console ourselves with the fact that the exterior detail is good enough to display your love Porsche brand.

This is a great reproduction right down to the 2.7 Liter badge mounted on the rear air vents just behind the sculpted duck tail spoiler followed by that classic Porsche branding in red.

Your biggest problem is going to be whether you want to pull this off the bas e and display it or keep it dust free in its display case. If you are still in two minds, we say STOP IT and order this!

GARAGE TORQUE CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

The sun is rising over the Tarmac Works Garage a lot these days. Back with some new RWB’s (did you think they forgot you RWB fans) not a chance. In fact, they are ramped up with some new tooling’s and new drops coupled with some exciting liveries in their two most famous scales. The RWB market for collectors is as vibrant as ever before!

The best part about car culture is the way worlds collide to creatively cause a new culture to emerge. Backdated Porsche’s have suddenly become all the rage throwing our friendly poor man’s sports cars into stratospheric price ranges. Then someone comes along and gets RWB to give their backdated Porsche the treatment. Which has been reproduced in 1/64 scale by Tarmac Works.

And. OMG this must be one of the sexist RWB’s to exist after Stella and Rotana. Considering the negative reviews, we usually see on social media about QC so far, this has been the star of many collectors and all the reviews we’ve seen have bee great. We would like to get our hands on one of these.

TARMACWORKS

RWB ‘SOFIA’ BACKDATE PORSCHE SCALE 1/64 DIECAST METAL

TARMACWORKS

RALLIART GARAGE SET

More from the Japanese car culture front!

This time for the rally car collectors and Mitsubishi enthusiasts comes the RALLIART GARAGE SET. This is one set we want so bad being EVO & Ralliart fans. Black with orange highlights and Ralliart branding everywhere this will be a great set to add to your growing garage. So, here’s something TARMAC works can follow up with. A Ralliart Short Wheel Base DAKAR RALLY Mitsubishi Shogun 98’. Come on Tarmac Works please say challenge accepted.

TARMACWORKS

RWB ‘ICHIBAN BOSHI’ PORSCHE 964 SCALE 1/434 DIECAST METAL

This is truly and RWB car that should be owned by hardcore RWB fans. There are two types of RWB’s in the world.

Some that have a Porsche and buy the body kit (which is fine no judgment) and the other RWB is the one built from ground up with every single nut and bolt selected personally by a master craftsman. This is one of those and its name given by AKIRA NAKAI translates to ‘The Highest Star’ What you see is a livery by MARTINI by what you will further see now that you know better is the amalgamation of two MARTINI liveries, one from the 1973 Targa Florio RSR and the second from the 1974 Baby Turbo 2.1 liveries placed on to of a Mercedes McLaren lightweight silver. Look closely enough you can see BREMBO’s under the black WORK MEISTER S1 wrapped in the RWB’s famous idlers. TARMAC Works does very decent 1:43 scales and in that scale this will look stunning.

TARMACWORKS

RWB ROUGH RHYTHM’ PORSCHE 993 SCALE 1/434 DIECAST METAL

On sale! Get this 1:43 scale RWB at a great price and make them a matching Martini pair.

Head over to the Tarmac Works online shop and get your order sorted out with the ICHIBAN BOSHI. The 993 is another beautiful Porsche model to get the RWB treatment and with the flowing lines of the MARTINI Livery this one is certainly on point.

TSM REDLINE CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

Breaking tradition MINIGT launches its Global special edition LBWK Nissan GT-RR’s and they are a hit. With preorders rolling out it’s safe to say a lot of people are going to be really happy campers with the way these look in real life. MINIGT is definitely starting to flex in the 1/64 genre specially in places where in counts like paint finish and details.

This is not the first time MINI GT have worked with DSYAS Special Coatings and we really hope I won’t be the last.

The first time was a beautiful green to purple shade painted on to two TARMAC Works collaboration cars. This time MINI GT drops this car on their own and the paint work is on the next level. Limited to just 5000 pieces worldwide it would be very surprising if this is not immediately snapped up if not already.

Let’s break it down: Design: Taking cues from LBWK’s design principles the branding was designed in-house which makes them totally fresh LBWK graphics.

The wheels: are painted in silver NOT the chrome shiny stuff that sometimes doesn’t work.

They also looked like they are multiple pieces assembled which gives the production a finer level of detail which you can see in all the perfectly cutaway parts of the rim.

Overall design: The color combinations are just breathtaking. Silver, gold, metallic blue, metallic purple, black and a tiny dash of red create the car’s color ensemble, distributed across the car evenly, it’s loud but its also very stylish, the design team have done an outstanding job of going overboard while doing a triple backflip, double roll, two twists and a thumbs up while making a perfect 10.0 landing.

MINIGT Have gotten really good at producing this casting and so with little surprise we can say as always this is a pretty good casting. Solid body parts, weighs nicely, rolls too well for my liking and of course the body kit looks amazing touched up in gloss black making the plastics bits pop like metal.

Paint: That’s the biggest feature on this car, and what’s makes its special is not just the finish but the number of processes that went into creating this car including a process of foiling that needs to be applied by hand making every single one of these cars unique. The body paint is a special color developed by DSYAS for this model and I want to paint everything metal in this purple.

But what really impresses me is this shade of blue that outlines the racing lines of the car, the airflow curves. There is no way these two colors could be applied together in a hurry and there would have been a vey stringent process of drying and coating to make sure the colors don’t smudge or blend at this size. Those lines are sharp.

Finally, the packaging itself is going to be a collector’s item, and I am usually the last person to collect boxes or even encourage the act. But this box with the created Liberty Walks Logo and design also printed with foiling and special colors is on the level of a TLVN collector’s box. And no one dares throw a TLVN box away.

Except me.

The second car to be released as a special edition to the World from MINI GT is tribute to the street and the art that adorns it. Quite fitting for a NISSAN GT-R who earned his reputation as a street brawler.

Again, the graffiti design and elements are completely created in house making the exclusive to MINI GT and done in the inspiration of KUMA Graffiti.

Graffiti is technically a rebellious art form that is tolerated in most countries as long as its beautiful and serves a positive message as opposed to something obscene or political. Which is ironic because it started as a political tool to raise awareness to issues through public art. Because of this, usually graffiti artistes are secretive and private leaving only a tiny insight into their psyche through their art.

But taking this art form and putting onto a 1/64 scale model with the crispiness and detail in the print and color is once again trailblazing the small-scale model car scene. So much to say about this little wonder so let’s break it down once again.

Design: Once again the application of such an intricate design and achieving such a high level of detail surpasses all others in competition. Each color needed to be printed separately resulting in tiny but u8nique variations making each one of these cars some thing special. This is somewhat of a rarity in the diecast world of collecting to get something unique.

Body: As you can see from the closeup some of the body kits molded with the car body which is great because then those little aero fins won’t break off in handling. Even the side mirrors though made out of rubber have a thicker stem and feel far more solid, stiff and less tendency to droop after a long period of time. And again, it’s hard to ignore the sharpness of the printed décor whatever it is wherever.

As far as art cars go, I think MINI GT have stumbled upon a niche in the hobby they can expand on, because they definitely have the technology, support and partnerships in place to create great art car pieces. To be very honest I hope to all the world’s deities that MNI GT will big brother TSM’s shoulder and get them to do an even more limited version in 1/43.

TAKE. MY. MONEY.

I actual dread thinking about all the possibilities that exist within this genre of car culture and MINI GT may have stumbled on to something important.

Because if they start doing more cars like this, it may shift the balance of economic power and we will be powerless to stop ourselves.

The best news!!!

Kato-San Founder of the Liberty Walks Brand and Movement has give a very ecstatic nod of approval for the designs being very impressed with them.

FEATURE ARTICLE

MODERN CLASSICS

MENTAL M POWERED

CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

ediately m m i I , e s this relea gest life regrets d e c n u o e. Then LIDO ann of my big When SO king myself. One n I had the chanc gram ic he ta started k ying an E36 M3 w t and endless Ins u ave en was not b e had 1:1 equival ther. I feel like I h o v I could ha two next to each he y life is m n i posts of t g bit with th n i g h in t s e is m m t o ed tha to be a .missed s ave plugg retended h p 6 O 3 ID E L e O h S . Of T

ns. e tag ds at lish creatio the PORSCHE pric hool going igner frien y s t s e t d s r o u o m , t ’s u sc ly Fortunate odel of one of BMW e’s sports car witho e no difference to a the model. tiv 8m buy mad lovely 1:1 ally it was an execu elieve me wo prices t b e ’t h n t o d D e . e s r g a sedan but 92 when it was rele e car is mesmerizin s h 9 ed in leap t s 1 f a o e in r , e c c e s n in r a e u t v s co d pe ha er the e shape an rk and sha recent releases ov is o w y d me. But th o b ing th rms of in their gret order f cars in te of this can be seen e o r n ’t n io t o c w u ple y you reprod good exam onfident when I sa orsport history.

SOLIDO’s y r e v a d n c mot tty ds a and boun f years. I can be pre y big part of BMW’s o er last couple rn classic that is a v de stylish mo

FEATURE ARTICLE

CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

winding e r e p a t f o he sound emory highway t e k a m , can you w years down m t titles in l l i w u o y , if a fe spor Right now d as we go a back on over 25 motor how deadly a w ea veryone e in your h the first M3 that d e w o h at iver nd s Danish dr which y b and look rent disciplines a s is the E30 M3 n e iv r was d ircuit e hi 8 when it inner in the DTM c 8 s.

9 1 o many diff d BMW can be. T t k c ous liverie ew s ba u m u r t s fa e a y e k s r a n a e t i v y SOLIDO orsport. The E30 w of E30’s in some .re-imag e t cracker b

itud ious K Mo TM other obv f the season for M gave way to a mult n a r, a e classic D o c m is o o is t s Th r h e a T c t . s u 0 able t eprod at the the E3 bility to r has been a O Kurt Thiim lot of teams using E30 d e ID s L n O e S c l de a ou are an o eir li y in h m t if d a n e d o e lt is s u d 0 a s e re he E3 e rele italiz O has cap ll over the years. T e models they hav ID L O S e. s r a o h ore to com or collect n’t fallen short at ry and collect all t f m , h y il it p w p d a t H oo ave ould be to en quite g nd they h liveries a my advice to you w cars so far have be d M perfect an The selection of DT . n fan perso

As with improvements exterior wise, the interiors have also got sharpening with more details on the steering wheel and dashboard.

Color cluster, M branded short shifter, detailed center console, I’m in love. This is great detail for under 50 Euro’s and even though the only opening parts are the doors, the interior makes up for not having any other opening parts.

The specific E36 M3 we have here is the LTW version or light weight version built for the US and homologation in 1995. Stripped down, this Kate Moss version lost 91 kg from the original weight.

What you will get on your SOLIDO model is the fixed wing at the back, the famous M Sport decals on the front and rear and M Branded alloy wheels.

SOLIDO

BMW LIGHTWEIGHT E36 M3 SCALE 1/18 DIECAST METAL

The E30 also celebrates great interior detail. You can see the main cluster comes in color using the high contrast black on red racing combination. I especially love how the main dash section looks like factory coated color with just the functional bits in black.

There is a built-in roll cage and the storage compartment usually found in the dash area has been cut away, talk about keeping it real.

There are many things to get excited about on the exterior. The yellow racing lights are really cool and I love the attention to detail with the anti-fog lines going across.

The wheels with their multi wire spoke alloys and center lock nut is well molded and looks realistic.

Absolutely no complaints with the reproduction.

SOLIDO

BMW E36 M3 DTM SCALE 1/18 DIECAST METAL

Doing a full 360 on the car its safe to say that BMW enthusiasts will find this a very appealing model to own. After all the real cars had roughly only 125 models produced.

SOLIDO will obviously produce more than 150 numbers which means getting you hands on of these will be much easier and cheaper than the real thing.

From nose to rear we highly recommend this car. The actual car is a great testament to the German tuning ability and this model is great testament to SOLIDO’s ability to get it right, all the way down to the aero sport shaped side mirrors and touch of carbon fiber in the interior.

The E30 is quite similar in exceeding expectations, and it really was a pleasure reviewing these two modern classics side by side. Comparing the models with pictures of the actual car SOLIDO is on point and has opened the door to many DTM and motorsport fans to get their favorite cars in their favorite liveries.

As we said earlier there have been many E30’s that have been released by SOLIDO over the last few years without and all of them make up a great collection of DTM classics as well several versions of the E30 all of them stunning and definitely worth collecting. This one is a great way to get started.

FEATURE ARTICLE CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

COGNITIVE WORDS & IMAGES LLOYD GASTON

GMP

BUICK REGAL GNX SCALE 1/18 DIECAST METAL

DISSONANCE

Per the Great Google Machine, cognitive dissonance is described as “the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.”

What does this have to do with models you say? Well, I grew up in the Midwest during the Malaise Era. And so while I had posters of Porsches, Ferraris and Lambos on the wall just like any other young gearhead, the “performance” cars I was exposed to were quite a bit more pedestrian. One of those cars was the top dog of the General Motors “G-body” cars; the Buick Regal GNX. The GNX, which stood for Grand National

Experimental, was the culmination of 10 years of turbocharged Regals. The first one in 1978 only made 165hp, but by the time the GNX was released in 1987 power had climbed to an even 300hp, although they were alleged to be closer to 350hp. It was the onlyavailable-in-black GNX that inspired Car and Driver to give us the “Lord Vader, your car is ready” line that’s still trotted out for any high power black car.

But back to the psychology lesson.

FEATURE ARTICLE

CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

So as a fan of the Regal, that naturally means that I had one in my collection. Well there was a problem. GMP’s Regal is sealed, save for the hood. And no one else has made this generation Regal in 1/18 scale. Now before you say “but Jada made…,” the Jada Regal is not 1/18. Sadly I didn’t realize this before I bought one. Despite my dissatisfaction with the Jada, it wasn’t enough to sway me into buying the GMP. Even as my stance softened and sealed models from Otto, KK-Scale and others entered my collection, I could still never pull the trigger on the GMP. But I eventually became aware of my

cognitive dissonance, and finally added a GMP GNX to my collection some 15 years after my initial refusal.

Astute readers will see that my only-available-in-black GNX is most certainly not black. You could say it is the opposite of black. That’s because this GNX is the XRay version. As the story goes, an American Sunroof Corporation employee (ASC performed the GNX conversion for Buick) by the name of Rick Hunt asked GM if he could buy the parts that were leftover after production ended. GM agreed, and he converted his white Regal T-Type to a GNX.

BUILT TO EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

Ford F-150 SVT Lightning 1/18

Ford Fiesta ST 1/18

Fi nel y craf t ed 1 :1 8 mo d els availab le in mu ltip le co lo rs and of f i ci al l y licen sed b y T h e F o rd Mo to r Co mp an y

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CASTHEADS 2021

DETAILED. DESIGNED. DESIRED

The first variants of this model were released around 1999 or so. As such, it’s lacking a few features that would be expected in the current market. First off, the interior has no carpet or headliner, and the seats have an overly glossy appearance to them, (insert your own GM plasticky interior joke here). Those complaints aside, the interior details are faithful to the 1:1.

That faithfulness continues on the outside, but the headlights and front turn indicators again give away the model’s age. Under the hood is a too chromey for belief engine, but it could be accurate to this particular car. The wheels look good and the tires are branded.

They roll and steer, but the steering isn’t connected to the steering wheel.

If you have any experience with building 1/24 scale plastic kits from AMT or Monogram, this Regal will feel like a 1/18 diecast version of those. Here in late 2021, the GMP is still really the only option for an 18th scale Regal,

so don’t let your own cognitive dissonance make you wait 15 years to get one.

A RA NG

E OF 1:64 MOD EL

S FR OM

HOB

BY J A PA N

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FEATURE ARTICLE

THE

CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

MUSTANG IN DEMAND

MAISTO

FORD SVT MUSTANG COBRA SCALE 1/18 DIECAST METAL

Following a lot of 1/18 scale groups really puts collectors in touch with the pulse of what’s going on. Recently Maisto, launched an awesome FORD MUSTANG SVT COBRA in bright orange which momentarily fell under our radar while in Asia the GT500 Mustangs from Maisto were filling up the Instagram and twitter pages.

But then I started to notice complaints about scalpers and high ebay prices, lack of stock, surely this is only Hot wheels territory.

NO! As it turns out, this model had become a hot tamale and anyone in the US who was a Mustang fan wanted one. And Costco’s around the US were becoming battle grounds for Maisto Scalpers (that’s right they have their own scalpers, and I am happy for them) who picking these up of USD15 and reselling them for up to USD100 on eBay. Even as I write this, I go on to eBay and the over hundred-dollar listings have faded away mostly, the prices are still averaging over fifty US dollars, with out shipping so if you add shipping outside the US, you’ll end up paying roughly a hundred US.

Which by Maisto’s standards is pretty freaking good for their reputation on the collectible market.

Unfortunately, without any hard and confirmed data I had to do a bit of research and draw my own conclusions as to what makes this budget model so special.

The first thing I did was to try and establish the popularity of the model by searching to see how many brands including MCG have released this model/ casting in 1/18 scale. Turns out most of the releases have been from Maisto and all of them have hit some crazy numbers in

terms of value. There was a black convertible variation going for three hundred US dollars. Again, considering the retail price, that is a huge appreciation, absolutely massive. I was also surprised at the many different variations in colors and layouts of this model available from MAISTO in the past.

Have I been missing these in the catalogues? Or is this one of those exclusives that we seldom see in the rest of the world? Whatever it is this model gets mad love and heavy appreciation in value but how is it as a model?

SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team a little division within FORD that gives some of their flagship models the halo treatment. This 1994 upgrade had a FORD GT-40 style 5.0L V8 which dropped 240Hp and did 96km in 6.3 seconds. Take that ending and put it in the heaviest Japanese car you can find, and you can fly to the moon.

I have owned MCG models for decades and none of them have the same paint issues as some of the newer more expensive brands have while understanding that I live in challenging tropical weather that is disastrous for some finishes. But Maisto has stood the test of elements and this hopefully the multiple coated competition orange will maintain its lovely gloss shine for many years to come.

I love the lights both rear and front, great detail especially because this model got special front headlights as opposed to the GT version in real life. One of things that set it apart visually.

Badging right round is simple sharp and in place but the best bit of model branding is that famous COBRA emboss on the rear buffer.

A perfect call sign to the car in the back letting him know he’s going to be seeing a lot of dust.

Love the opening parts as always, even though there are always complaints about the hinges. As far as I’m concerned when you have a well detailed engine like the above, pretty good interior detail and strong body detail for a 1/18 that costs the way it does, then this is a freaking steal, and I don’t mind the dog leg hinges. Its nice being able to enjoy owning the car and interacting with it without worrying about its delicacy.

I can see what the fuss is about and although I never have any intention of selling cars from my collection it is kind of hear warming to know that some cars are sitting being admired and going up in value. For some that is enough justification to drown the buyer’s remorse.

FEATURE ARTICLE

CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

AUTOART

LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN SCALE 1/18 DIECAST METAL

words & pictures by Mason Bloom

It’s been a while

since I’ve reviewed a composite (plastic) AUTOart model. Well, almost a year actually. Since then, the subpar experience that came along with the $220 composite Aston Martin Vulcan model left a bad taste in my mouth, and I haven’t had any interest in a composite model since.

My past experience with it goes as follows: flimsy panels, a toy-like feel that comes along with having a plastic model, and quality that isn’t quite as good as it should be. It looks the part, but whenever I picked it up I could feel how fragile it is.

That resulted in me not wanting to have anything to do with composite models, until now. Following a $45 sale at Diecast Models Wholesale on these AUTOart Huracans, I couldn’t resist getting one.

I will say, this purchase was a gamble, especially considering that the $120 spent is a lot of money. When taking into account that collectors despise of AUTOart’s switch to composite, I was nervous that this model won’t have the level of quality to justify the price. Does this model show AUTOart is heading in the right direction, or quite the opposite? Let’s find out.

First impressions Nothing gets me more riled up than unboxing a model that comes with instructions on how to do so. Though, I’ve dealt with this kind of packaging in a previous review which you can read about here.

As a result, it wasn’t too difficult to remove the metal wires, but I would have preferred regular stickers to cover the shut lines nevertheless.

Exterior Styling AUTOart’s recreation of the exterior is far better than I had expected. It has super crisp shut lines, perfect proportions, perforated vents, and fabulous paint. I’m glad they made a white with silver wheelsspecced Huracan, rarely do you see a model with this color combination. The body lines are very smooth too, and all the panels fit nicely together

I’m pleased that AUTOart didn’t cheap out on logos, these ones are 3D. This is a category that is easy to cost-cut, but thankfully AUTOart didn’t, further gaining my trust with composite models.

I also love how well the wheels are remade. The tire fitment is superb and there is virtually no camber. The brakes are painted very well, and the discs don’t look like they’re visibly plastic.

The side mirrors aren’t plastic-y, and have a piece of reflective plastic as they should

AUTOart excels in the recreation of the rear too. The 3D Lamborghini script is tacked on well as is the Huracan placeholder license plate. Although if it were me, I wouldn’t have included the plate. At least the exhaust makes up for it, as it has quite a bit of depth. Last, AUTOart too made indents in the body work for parking sensors, not a detail you’ll usually find on newer models.

Inside the cabin AUTOart did an amazing job with the interior. The red and black color combination looks astounding. Like many other AUTOart models in this price range, this model comes with a carpeted interior, labelled center console and gauges, as well as a perfectly recreated steering wheel.

Props to them for including realistic shifters, and another 3D Lamborghini badge on the center of the wheel. Last, the door sills have the Huracan script in chrome, so you know don’t mistake it for a Countach or Pregunta.

Under the hood

Devil’s in the details

In the big picture

Mmmm… V10. I’m pleased that we’re given full access, motor included. While the engine does look like a piece of plastic, not that it isn’t one, it’s still adequately detailed with wires, fluid caps, and the iconic Lamborghini script.

I love the model but there’s, much to my surprise, only one thing that AUTOart could have focused on to make this Huracan perfect.

While I’m not overly enthusiastic about the idea of composite models, this wasn’t all that bad.

Sure, the panels feel nothing like metal because they’re very light and frail, but the detail impresses me.

Struts for the engine cover are included too and work seamlessly, likely because of the incredibly light panel. A V10 plaque is also included. Not the best recreation I’ve ever seen, but not bad either.

Packaging: Both the box and opening process didn’t exactly impress me, as mentioned towards the beginning of this article. I don’t understand the thought process behind Masonproofing a model, but it could have been worse.

Minus the composite aspect of this, composite models like this can definitely give metal ones a run for their money.

For less traditional collectors, I recommend this. It’s still on sale at Diecast Models Wholesale, in a wide variety of color schemes.

Get it while you still can!

FEATURE ARTICLE CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

...IS IN THE DETAILS Exploring the minutiae of the GT Spirit RWB Hong Kong #9 SuperNine Photos by Patrick Pchalek

FEATURE ARTICLE

CASTHEADS EXCLUSIVE

THEY DO SAY THAT YOU NEED TO GET REALLY CLOSE TO APPRECIATE

THE WORKMANSHIP THAT GOES INTO THE MOST MINUTE OF DETAILS.

SOMETIMES YOU TEND TO MISS THE FINER POINTS OF SOMETHING...

IF YOU DON’T LOOK CLOSER, AND DELVE DEEPER AND DEEPER...

TO TRULY APPRECIATE THE TIME AND CRAFT IT HAS TAKEN SOMEONE...

TO TURN A SUPER DETAILED CAR IN TO A SUPER DETAILED MINIATURE VERSION OF IT.