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Collectibles: Maisto offers cool Corvettes for bargain prices
Thursday, April 24, 2008
By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Has the "save money" fever hit you?
If you're a hobbyist, It probably has. When money is short for life's necessities and gasoline prices keep heading up, spending money on your hobby may seem frivolous at best and nuts at worst.
But if you're willing to do without some detail on your next model car, you can snare some pretty nifty finds and still spend relatively modest amounts of money.
When it comes to good, budget model cars, Maisto is a best bet. The company's catalog has hundreds of cars of all scales that often sell for less than $20 apiece at large chain stores.
One of the best ones I reviewed was the 1:18 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, a beautiful rendition that was accurate in just about every way.
The real car was built in 1,000 units and was one of two cars that Chevy approved to commemorate the end of production for the "C4" Corvette.
It was designed to bring back memories of a series of 1962 and 1963 racing Corvettes, and the Grand Sport came with admiral blue paint, a white stripe, red "hash marks" on the left front fender and those sinister-looking black five-spoke aluminum wheels.
The proportions of this car are absolutely perfect, and the car's stance is accurate, too -- not too high or too low. Doors and hoods open on this car, and there is a reasonably close version of the 330-horsepower, 5.7-liter LT4 V-8 that came with the real car.
But I'd caution you against expecting much detail under the hood, or a wired chassis either, for that matter. You won't find the plumbing, wiring, labels or decals that are part of the more expensive model lines. Nor will you find a detailed undercarriage.
But frankly I didn't miss all of that detail. What's most important is whether the car looks good on my shelf, where the underside likely won't see the light of day anyway. And you will find accurate representations of the interior, as well as side marker lights that have the correct lenses and all the appropriate markings to go with this special edition.
I also acquired a 1996 Z06 Corvette, which had similar accuracy and detail. But the engine was basically a painted plate, and the side markers had no colored lenses on them. Chassis undercarriage detail was kept to a minimum as well.
Again, this is a good model for those who aren't too concerned about getting the greatest amount of detail for the biggest price. The Z06, like the Grand Sport I reviewed, also looks pretty good.
One of the more desirable new cars on the market today is Audi's RS4 convertible. Brutally fast and in limited production with a hefty price tag, the RS4 is all the car you could ask for.
The model, done in navy blue, is a dead ringer for the real car, in 1:18 scale. The car has a considerable amount of aluminum-looking pieces in the interior, and Maisto successfully replicated all of them -- even a lovely piece that graces the edge of the convertible top edge.
Still, I was disappointed to see Maisto use silver gray for the side markers, which detracted from the accuracy of the model. Also, a number of significant pieces in the interior, such as the gearshift, are molded white. But the wonderful exterior captures the speed and excitement of driving one of Audi's rarest and most desirable cars. It's hard to find a model of an RS4, so if you want one, you'd better hurry.
For more information on these and other models, visit www.maisto.com.
Don Hammonds can be reached at dhammonds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1538
Thursday, April 24, 2008
By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Has the "save money" fever hit you?
If you're a hobbyist, It probably has. When money is short for life's necessities and gasoline prices keep heading up, spending money on your hobby may seem frivolous at best and nuts at worst.
But if you're willing to do without some detail on your next model car, you can snare some pretty nifty finds and still spend relatively modest amounts of money.
When it comes to good, budget model cars, Maisto is a best bet. The company's catalog has hundreds of cars of all scales that often sell for less than $20 apiece at large chain stores.
One of the best ones I reviewed was the 1:18 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, a beautiful rendition that was accurate in just about every way.
The real car was built in 1,000 units and was one of two cars that Chevy approved to commemorate the end of production for the "C4" Corvette.
It was designed to bring back memories of a series of 1962 and 1963 racing Corvettes, and the Grand Sport came with admiral blue paint, a white stripe, red "hash marks" on the left front fender and those sinister-looking black five-spoke aluminum wheels.
The proportions of this car are absolutely perfect, and the car's stance is accurate, too -- not too high or too low. Doors and hoods open on this car, and there is a reasonably close version of the 330-horsepower, 5.7-liter LT4 V-8 that came with the real car.
But I'd caution you against expecting much detail under the hood, or a wired chassis either, for that matter. You won't find the plumbing, wiring, labels or decals that are part of the more expensive model lines. Nor will you find a detailed undercarriage.
But frankly I didn't miss all of that detail. What's most important is whether the car looks good on my shelf, where the underside likely won't see the light of day anyway. And you will find accurate representations of the interior, as well as side marker lights that have the correct lenses and all the appropriate markings to go with this special edition.
I also acquired a 1996 Z06 Corvette, which had similar accuracy and detail. But the engine was basically a painted plate, and the side markers had no colored lenses on them. Chassis undercarriage detail was kept to a minimum as well.
Again, this is a good model for those who aren't too concerned about getting the greatest amount of detail for the biggest price. The Z06, like the Grand Sport I reviewed, also looks pretty good.
One of the more desirable new cars on the market today is Audi's RS4 convertible. Brutally fast and in limited production with a hefty price tag, the RS4 is all the car you could ask for.
The model, done in navy blue, is a dead ringer for the real car, in 1:18 scale. The car has a considerable amount of aluminum-looking pieces in the interior, and Maisto successfully replicated all of them -- even a lovely piece that graces the edge of the convertible top edge.
Still, I was disappointed to see Maisto use silver gray for the side markers, which detracted from the accuracy of the model. Also, a number of significant pieces in the interior, such as the gearshift, are molded white. But the wonderful exterior captures the speed and excitement of driving one of Audi's rarest and most desirable cars. It's hard to find a model of an RS4, so if you want one, you'd better hurry.
For more information on these and other models, visit www.maisto.com.
Don Hammonds can be reached at dhammonds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1538
