25 Years of Burning Rubber

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ADRIAN MA EXPLORES THE RISE OF THE HONG KONG TOY CAR SALON

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Creative Direction / Design Nigel J De Zilwa All images are owned by Castheads (Pvt) Limited or by their authors Used with permission. © 2026 All rights reserved and nothing can be partially or in whole be reprinted or reproduced without a written consent. A Publication of Castheads (Private) Limited • Please email info@castheadsmagazine.com CastHeads Magazine has made a constant care to make sure that content is accurate on the date of publication. The views expressed in the articles reflect the author(s) opinions and do not necessarily are the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content is published in a good faith. CastHeads Magazine cannot guarantee and accepts no liability for any loss or damage of any kind caused by this magazine, its website , social media channels and errors and for the accuracy of claims made by the advertisers.

DIECAST DISPATCH Page - 06 SECONDS IN DEMAND page - 19 advertorial PAGE - 21 NKTOTCB PAGE - 24 TOP SECRET SUPRA PAGE - 39 WTH IS A WOTHERSPOON PAge - 45 HONDA'S Queen s2000 PAGE - 49 WHEELZ of the future - 59 TOO HOT TO HANDLE Page - 60 NISSAN'S DARK KNIGHT Page - 64 HK TOY CAR SALON REPORT PAGE - 67 25 Years of burning rubber page - 83 JADA SCALE GUIDE page - 87 property page - toretto cafe page - 89 FAST AND FURIOUS MINIGT page - 92 JADA re-formed page - 93 MANY SHADES OF JADA page - 95 The big small blocks - 104 WHERE it all began - 105 brushed and flushed - 117 castheads coutoure - 123 brushed and flushed - 131 RARE SUKI - 143 walk on the veilside - 149 DK'S KRYPtonite - 155 SUPRA SUPREME - 163 mona lisa style - 173 DOM's VEILSIDE - 183 'THE' SKYLINE of legends - 187

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7-11 Store TV-16a

DIECAST DISPATCH

SEVEN ELEVEN

Apart from bringing us some fantastic model cars, Tomica has been known to be one of the brands responsible for dropping some quality and unique dioramas, even before dioramas were popular. The new release is perfect timing because I’ve been seeing a lot of 7-11 branded 1/64 scale cars being released with nowhere to park. Now the brand that brings you some fantastic quality dioramas has brought a 7-11 store of their own out for you to be able to experience some nice convenient store parking in your own backyard or bedroom.

tomica DAS GUT!

Nissan PAO LV-N379a (Aqua Gray)

EYECANDY

Tomica says that this release is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the brand Mooneyes this year in 2026. However, even though TOMICA are very guarded about how they talk about automotive subcultures and POP culture they certainly drop some easter eggs if you are willing to follow the crumbs. There is a deeper culture that stems from Japan’s love of vans and that is called vanning. Modified USDM Vans.

This is a very exciting release from Tomica, and it’s got a lot of tongues in the die-cast world wagging because if I’m not mistaken this is one of the very rare times Tomica has done a Mercedes-Benz and of course, they’ve chosen a proper classic. At the start of 2027 we will see the drop of the Mercedes 190E 2.3 from Tomica Limited Vintage Neo coming out in two colours.

Chevrolet Astro Van LV-N344b & N344c And if you can’t get your hands on an American then a TOYOTA HiAce would do. Wink Wink I think a Chevy Astro Mooneyes Van with period correct American Mods drop straight into this category.

Mercedes-Benz LV-N77d 190 E (Green) MercedesBenz LV-N77d 190 E (Green)

The green, which looks like a metallic emerald green and a blue version, and we all know Tomica does a fantastic job on paint. This one looks to be like we’re going to get a two-tone version, which is of course exactly the way Mercedes did the 190 E. They always had that two-tone darker shade on top, lighter shade at the bottom. This is going to be very exciting, and a lot of Mercedes fans collectors are going to be falling over themselves trying to get their hands on this.

exclusives ‘85 Pontiac Fiero 1:64 #SCM199

‘65 Ford GT40 Mk1 1:64 #SCM207

You won’t find these on the shelf anywhere else!

‘02 Subaru WRX - ARA 1:64 #SCM194

autoworldstore.com

Welcome to the Auto World Store—where die-cast isn’t just a hobby, it’s a commitment to getting it right. From store-exclusive releases to meticulously crafted replicas of American muscle, classic cruisers, and slot car legends, every piece is built with purpose. Our exclusives are the crown jewels—limited runs, authentic details, and the kind of accuracy collectors demand. But that’s just the start. Explore a full lineup of die-cast cars, slot cars, model kits, accessories, and collector essentials designed to fuel every level of enthusiast. Whether you prefer it ready to display or ready to build, Auto World Store delivers realism you can hold. Auto World Pop Culture Slot Car Release #SC426 DIA DE LOS MUERTOS 1965 Volkswagen Bus AW Store Exclusive

‘67 Shelby GT-500 #AMM1356

die-cast

MPC 1981 Chevy Camaro Z28 #MPC981M

model kits

slot cars

DIECAST DISPATCH

QUINTESSENTIAL MUSCLE

There is nothing sleeker than a 1967 Chevy Corvette Stingray, especially if it’s one that has been featured in the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals and then brought to you by Auto World in 1:18 scale. For those of you who already know what Auto World’s quality is like, you know that the high detail and perfect paint finish is going to be perfect for your collection of muscle cars. However, if you’re not familiar with Round 2’s Auto World 118 scale cars then this will be a great entry level for you to check out how detailed and how wonderful Auto World puts together these pieces. Even if you look at the underside of the car, you will realize the level of detail Auto World will go through to help you experience the pleasure of owning a muscular classic.

FRESH MECUM

MECUM Auctions represents some of the best-looking American muscle cars that are on offer for sale. And when we see Johnny Lightning’s ‘MECUM AUCTION’ tag on their cards, we know for a fact that these are going to be some head turning well-produced diecast cars with excellent paint finishes and beautiful tire work. This is the very latest that’s releasing in this line.

1966 El Camino

Car on card is the original colour, which is also available in the Series A version of this set. What we’re looking at is the Series B version, which is the alternative colourway. Of course this is gorgeous in its flake paint, silver, with period-correct wheel rims and nice glossy black fat rubber tires.

1966 Pontiac GTO

One of the more recognizable and arguably one of the more famous Pontiac GTOs. You find a lot of these coming up at the MECUM auctions. Because of that you will have a wide variety of these in various trim colours and trim levels coming up in the Johnny Light MECUM AUCTIONS line.

2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 Probably the first muscle car of the 21st century and probably one of the finest American muscle cars that had awoken all the other American car brands to the possibility that you could turn a muscle car into a supercar. A spirit that has since been adopted by all of America’s iconic and legendary lines

1992 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427

Painted in a beautiful double coating of racing red, with the racing stripes in black straight down the middle of the bonnet, this Chevy Corvette Stingray is just perfect as part of this set. Probably one of the best American muscle diecasts you’ll see this year

1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator. Usually for me, the Dodge Viper would be the star of this collection on a normal basis; however, this Mercury Cougar Eliminator is spectacular. It’s a great casting, very rarely seen, and is, again, a quintessential American muscle car that deserves more respect than it gets.

Notwithstanding previous generations, the 1992 Chevy Camaro is a superstar in its own right. It played many roles in motorsport, on the silver screen, and in the dreams of young executives who wanted something more American than a Porsche or a Mercedes or even a Jaguar.

MEET

NILU IN SUMAC RED

Once in a while we like to wander into the Frontiart website and check out what new releases they’re bringing to the forefront in highly detailed scale models in 1/18 and we discovered this new car called the Nilu Sumac.

Frontiart has a wide range of scale models, starting from 1/64 up to 1/6 scale, and they have a fantastic variety of Koenigsegg and Aston Martin licenses. Specially in the hypercar range. These composite resin cars that they produce are of extremely high quality in terms of detail, paint finish, composite parts and come in a wide range of factory colour schemes and compositions.

The ‘SUMAC’ in the name is used to describe the vibrant red that the car comes in, as a special colour. The car is a hypercar known as the Nilu27. One of those hypercars that produces over 1,000 horsepower and has a V12 engine and a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated engine. You all know I love a good naturally aspirated car.

car

Although this car is limited to 199 pieces and was launched at the beginning of the year, there are quite a few examples of these still available and spread across many retailers globally. They do come with a fairly hefty price tag but the final product justifies the cost and limited availability adds to the number.

TRD? YEAH YOU KNOW ME MAISTO has introduced new dedicated offroad series in their 1:24 scale section featuring three new models that they’ve released for 2026. The three of them are a Ford Bronco a Ford Ranger and most noticeably the 2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, which you see featured here. There has been plenty of competition in the 1/24 range of scale model cars which is no surprise, being the size that they are, that they make good budget collector cars with a smaller foot space and all the brands have been going the extra mile to get the detail and the level of quality on their model to level up. MAISTO continues to do an incredible job of adding new models, new moulds, and new designs to their lineup. And this Toyota Tacoma with the TRD graphics is just spectacular, especially the way they’ve done minimal racing stripes in the front and then they’ve given the whole side of the Tacoma this complete TRD graphic look highlighted with a gorgeous volcano slate grey that supports the Toyo tires branding.

DIECAST DISPATCH

Altogether, well-composed, lovely application of livery, and a really nice ride to add to your 1/24 collection We’re also seeing way more detail in things like the headlights. As you can see here, the lights in this are lensed, which was something that you didn’t get in 1/24-scale cars a long time ago. It was just a single-piece light that was mounted on a centre peg but now the lights look like they’re lensed and they’ve got proper reflector sections within the headlight. The car looks like it has an active suspension, but it doesn’t. It’s just a stiff chassis. Although the paint and the way the truck has been stanced makes it look realistic. These are great model pieces as well or you can have fun buying a whole bunch of these and customizing them yourself. It’s a great casting and in terms of customization there’s a lot that can be done with this sort of thing. These Tacoma’s are quite popular in the real world and they get various modifications. This would be a fantastic base to do it on. I personally feel like if I had one of these in my collection, which I probably will get soon because I really like this, I would probably keep it stock. I really love the TRD colours and the grey that has been chosen to highlight the Toyota tire branding on the vehicle. Really good-looking model from Maisto and hopefully we’ll see more of these sorts of models in the future. I think they’re just getting started.

DIECAST DISPATCH

GOING CUCKOO FOR THE BOZOZUKU Last year Tarmac Works debuted their own very special event car in 1/1 scale and it is an overly dramatized version of Liberty Walk’s BOZOZUKU body kit mounted on a Nissan Skyline R32. The car was launched in 2025 at the Hong Kong Comic Con and subsequently at the Hong Kong Toyka Salon, where this car was the centrepiece of Tarmac Works’ booth and, of course, with the drop of something so amazing it was coincided with the launch of a completely new line of TARMAC CARDS based on the car. This year we will be seeing one of the first drops of the car, or the first release of this car in this event livery. However, due to the popularity of this Bozozuku model, and of course the financial investment into building the actual car we will be seeing further livery versions of this coming out in the future. Tarmac Works used this car

extensively for 2026 as well for their shows, and the car has been wrapped with several different liveries that will be reflected in 1/64 scale releases over the course of 2027. Personally, I am excited about the Buzz Lightyear version. It comes in the Buzz Lightyear colours as well as the special custom Buzz Lightyear livery.

It’s probably one of the nicest versions of Tarmac Works Bozozuku. Judging by how popular this car was, I think it’s going to be an extremely sought after release and will get snapped up fast if you don’t keep your finger on the trigger.

DIECAST DISPATCH looks good on a Porsche, especially the louder and crazier it is. The more your Porsche canvas will absorb it in the lushest fashion whatsoever. The car is run McElrea Racing, and finished in a high-gloss chrome red with massive lightning bolt graphics and the iconic side numbers. This also clinched the first Pro-Am victory at the Ben Motorsport Park during his Carrera Cup debut.

Mazda RX-7 FC3S – Watanabe This one is going to be a cool collectible for the fans, the hardcore fans of Japanese automotive culture. This is the new Panda Mazda RX-7 FC3S dressed up in a Rocket Bunny body kit with the signature bolt-on white fenders, the low slant stance, and an oversized wing, all dropped in red and white. This is important: All riding on ‘Watanabe’ rims

24h of SPA 2022 Winner 1/64 scale AMG GT3, once again from Tarmac Works. Always a pleasure getting these regular Mercedes from them. This is a perfect casting and of course this one really appeals to me because, #castheadsWEARPUMA and this Mercedes is covered in PUMA Branding. Safe to say the brand loyalty is strong with us CastHeads. The drivers of this car were Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella, and Raffaele Marciello. They took the car to an iconic and legendary victory being the first time since 2013 that a Mercedes factory-sponsored car had won at 24 Hours of Spa, it a massive deal for Mercedes Motorsport. Obviously Tarmac Works does a fantastic representation of these cars, and this one brings to life the liveries of Puma, Fanatec, and Matmut, as well as the main sponsor brand Akkodis. I certainly would hope to get my hands on this and probably shoot it with a whole bunch of other Puma gear that I have (because this does look like a fantastic-looking piece and would fit perfectly into the already massive Tarmac Works Mercedes GT3 collection that most of us probably have since we’ve started collecting the brand.

Porsche Carrera Cup Australia 2025 Always glad to see the Lightning McQueen livery on cars, especially race cars, and a very happy opportunity to see one on a Porsche. Brett Boulton brings some serious energy to the Touring 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup in Australia with his #95 GT3 using the Lightning McQueen livery. Now does it look good on the Porsche? Of course it does. Anything

A tribute to the brand RS Watanabe in a big sense of the word, because in addition to having this fantastic car, there will randomly be 100 cars that come with a signed base plate by Masashi Watanabe, the owner and the creator of RS Watanabe who is famous for their Watanabe wheels. Probably the first time. I don’t know. I’m sure Tarmac Works has done signed base plates before, but this is apparently a chase base plate and there’s only going to be 100 available and from the first shipment so get those pre-orders in with your retailers. They’re going to be randomly inserted (hmmm) and it will be a very cool thing to own such a collectible.

DADDY LOOK

A LANDY!! The indestructible Land Rover Defender 110 is an icon all over the world. In Asia it is the symbol of military power, in the UK it is the symbol of mechanical power, and it is known for being able to serve just about any duty, dominating lands wherever it goes. Now once again it dominates your 118 collection and shelf with this stunning beautiful Adventure Edition in black.

Rocked up with complete roof rack and snorkel, this baby is ready to rock, roll (yes, they do roll) and bring the adventure back into your collection with a perfect casting from GT Spirit.

THE LBWK

VIRUS THAT’S IT! Now fans of OTTO Mobile will be able to get their kicks off with a new Liberty Walk casting from the brand in the shape of a Ferrari F40 sporting the famous body kit. This sort of thing used to be a big contentious point for FERRARI but it seems in recent years the publicity of LBWK has grown to be stronger than Ferrari and no more was heard about the matter. The livery inspired by the PILOT ALDIX RACING Ferrari LM #56 that raced in the LeMans of 96 combined with the aggressive styling of LBWK feels like this was the destiny of the F40 like the power of GraySkull!

SOLIDO WORKS

DIECAST DISPATCH

HAKO GT-R The body modifying arm of Solido, known as Solido Works, has dropped us a very sombre wide body design of the Hako GTR. PERFECT!!!! If this doesn’t scream customizable 1:18 I don’t know what does. Buy eight of these, strip them down and create something that is ‘rara avis’! Or you could just keep it the way it is. But with that metallic silver base already in place…. IF I WAS SOLIDO I WOULD SAY USE THIS AS A CANVAS AND THE CHOSEN WINNING CARS WOULD BE LIVE AUCTIONED! ….HMMMM?

A TOUCH OF

If you would excuse the pun, it does look like this would add a touch of spiciness to your collection in that beautiful fluorescent green on a Porsche SUV. It really stands out with it being a bright green spicy chili on the road and, no less, in your collection of 1/18-scale vehicles.

CAYENNE Also, it’s from Solido so you know it’s going to be a well-priced spicy chili with some good interior. Judging by the picture and the product shots sent in by Solido, it does look like it has those really nice multi projection lensed lights with fantastic structure on the front bumper where the aerodynamic magic happens and needs a bit of detail. Overall, this, as a 1/18-scale vehicle, is going to look fabulous.

www.omologatowatches.com

SECONDS IN DEMAND

Chrono graph 1 Utility

Click to order https://shop. porsche.com/gb/ en-GB/c/porschewatches-for-menand-women

by PORSCHE DESIGN

Although I try really hard to stay away from talking about wrist candy that costs over a certain amount of money, once in a while we do see a watch that looks absolutely gorgeous designed by a company that we all love in the motorsport and car world and costs probably more than what I earned in a year’s wage. When I really think about it, that is kind of embarrassing and maybe I need to switch jobs. Having said that, it is amazing how watches inspired by military cost so much. It also probably gives us insight as to why it’s so expensive to fund the military, because they’re going to be walking around with watches that cost $11,000. Then yes, obviously, we’re going to need to give them more money.

£11,950

This thing is a true work of art and pure genius, and it’s also limited to 250 pieces in the world. it’s probably pointless to go through all the special features that you could find at the click of a button by going to the website. Now you can even tell your phone, “Go to this website or search this model for me and give me all the details.” It’s the Chronograph One Utility, like I said, limited to 250 pieces, based on military design in terms of functionality and form. However, in terms of aesthetics, it is obviously a Porsche. Let’s not forget that Porsche has also had its hand in the military in the past so there is a close collusion between the industries that can spawn something as beautiful and functional as this, one thing’s for sure: at this price tag you’re going to get plenty of space-age style materials. The watch body is now made of something called titanium carbide. It obviously is much better than titanium and not as close to the fantasy metals like vibranium and adamantium, but still. At the rate we are going and needing to find new materials to do things like watches and cars, we are not far from crossing that threshold. It has obviously got fantastic scratch-resistant glass that you would probably find on most Porsche wind screens. and of course, the actual flyback mechanism inside the watch is designed by Porsche. A watch made in Switzerland with Porsche designs, costing over $11,000, is understandable. I don’t know how many car-obsessed readers will be able to afford such a classic and distinguished piece of wrist candy. However, if you can, it does come with a very nice, impressive box of goodies and storage as well. And street power of saying, “Check out my watch. This is limited. It’s worth cutting my hand off for.”

OMOLOGATO TIFOSI X GREEN HELL When it comes to quality, that is both aesthetically running with the top dogs of motorsport watches without the severe price gouging there is really on one brand I can recommend…Omologato. They have a fantastic array of watches designed only for motorsport fans and priced in a wide range, starting from an affordable £100 all the way up to “you’re going to have to sell a kidney for that one, mate.” This new time piece known as ‘Green Hell’ is dedication to the very famous track in Germany, Nürburgring. The build is unique and true to Motorsport DNA. Click to order https://www.omologatowatches. com/all-watches/grun

£99.00

AUTODROMO GROUP C TURBO SPORT Relatively new when it comes to motorsport watches. However, their Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport is a combination of ‘80s design inspired by the dashboards of 80’s Group C Cars. Looks absolutely stunning. Of the three colours that they’ve got out this one must be my absolute favourite, which is the GOLD ANODIZED version. I love how they’ve combined a debossed grid style face with the speedometer styled hands and indexes. Rubber straps inlaid with nylon. It looks ‘hard’ yet ‘new wave chic’. LOVE IT! Click to order https://autodromo.com/ products/group-c-turbosport?variant=44026647052422

£385.00

Q TIMEX 1971 VELOCITY One can never go wrong with good Timex. An absolute classic brand that has been around a long time, satisfying customers with brilliant designs and reliability. With this design they have got a bold, beautiful timepiece that captures the adrenaline-fueled racing scene of the ‘70s and although the company says that the design of the watch face is a visual ode to the famous checkered flag for a us a seems it little deeper. The colours are reminiscent of rev meter faces of racing cars. The bezel is a blue aluminium friction fit bi-directional top ring to measure LIVE lap times. Click to order https://timex.co.uk/products/qtimex-1971velocitysB1ikiEr5eppQT XUWNYEn0

£175.00

ADVERTORIAL Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R “Fast & Furious” KYOSHO ORIGINAL 1/12scale

How hardcore a Fast and Furious fan are you? are you willing to bust over $400 on a car model? If your answers are ‘very’ and ‘yes’, you should know that Car Model is now stocking a 1/12 version of Brian’s R34 Skyline by Kyosho. in terms of detail this thing is an absolute beast because, one, we all know Kyosho is amazing when it comes to detailed large-scale cars. Even though there are people in the world who love to complain. However, a lot of cars we’ve seen from Kyosho have been fantastic and this one looks like an absolute legend. In 1/12 scale, it’s huge. It is the ultimate Fast and Furious fans’ dream car. This is something that you may want to spend your savings on.

Click to order

GT40 MKI No 5 RACING 1968 1/18 SOLIDO

Not available yet on CARMODEL but once this comes in there’s going to be a mad rush to get this. Because, this is a beautiful version of the GT40 in Gulf colours, utilizing the darker blue. The story of the dark blue GULF is what began GULF Oil’s relationship with FORD Racing. A story kept for another time. For now know that you can pre-order this stunner so that you won’t miss out to the other GULF Racing fans!

THE

PAST

and the

FUTUREOUS

Welcome to the 1/8-scale version of the DeLorean from Back to the Future, brought to you by Fanhome, available in both the United States and the United Kingdom. This stunning beautiful scale model will give you all the pleasure you can derive from building a beautiful and functional 1/8 scale model, which includes sound, remote control, LED lighting, and, of course, the pleasure of owning a detailed model built from the ground up.

With each build package you also get access to the Digital magazine set, which gives you the inside stories and behind-the-scenes of the movie, step-bystep instructions on how to build your beautiful model and, of course, a time traveller’s guide, which will be needed in case by some freak chance you are able to procure yourself some uranium form an Iranian. Obviously cool. All in digital version so that you can enjoy this wherever you go.

Scale 1:8 Die-cast metal construction Working brake lights, headlights and interior lights Gull-wing doors and trunk that fully open All dashboard readings illuminate, including the speedometer that shows when the car hits 88 mph Steering wheel turns the front wheels Detailed version of nuclear reactor and engine

And if all of this isn’t enough for you, you can also upgrade your subscription and get yourself a free display base, which comes with an official plaque and a mirrored underside so that you can see the underside of your model.

In addition to having a fantastic subscription model that allows you to build this car piece by piece and pay bit by bit, you also get fantastic intermittent prizes and gifts as a subscriber. In this case with the Back to the Future model, you get an official 1:1 scale out-of-time license plate. a T-shirt with a complete breakdown of the Back to the Future DeLorean and the modification parts used to take it back in time and because this is a gorgeous licensed product, you also get three official licensed posters that you can put up in your Back to the Future-themed den.

Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid - Croatia Rally 2024, Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe

NEW KIDS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK

Every new season of motorsport has a brand-new selection of technology, cars, and of course new technical features. It’s a continuous flow of amazing machines for us to watch as they grow into iconic and legendary vehicles with every track conquered and every trophy lifted. Rallying is a particularly gruelling motorsport and therefore the people who take part in these races are usually elevated to absolute god-like status along with their machines.

Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID - Rally Latvia 2024 Winner, Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen

Fortunately for us collectors, Tarmac Works has been keeping close tabs on some of the greatest rallying machines that have come out in the last few years and with every monthly drop we seem to have a fantastic selection of rally cars to choose from. For the better part of the 21st century rally wins have been dominated by hot hatches. And, the Toyota Yaris has been one of those exceptional hot hatches that has really redefined the hybrid era of rally. Coupled with Toyota’s legendary reliability it is no surprise, that the Toyota Yaris has become one of the most feared cars on the modern-day rally circuit. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 03

The new release from TARMAC WORKS reflects the legend with a highly detailed casting under the HOBBY64 line with body shell sections derived from the 3-door production GR Yaris silhouette, massive dual-element carbon-fibre rear wing featuring side endplates and centre mounting pylons generating maximum downforce, side air scoops mounted behind the rear side windows, extended aggressive front bumper with a large central intake for engine cooling, dedicated brake cooling ducts, and dive planes/canards on the outer edges to optimize front downforce and high-clearance widened wheel arches hiding long-travel MacPherson suspension.

Click to order

UK & EU Shipping

The tyres are tiny PIRELLI SCORPION WRC Gravel Tires. And the livery, is the official Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT matte red, black, and white matte/gloss livery, bearing race #69 and driver names K. Rovanperä / J. Halttunen. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 03

And of course, talking about falling into place, this particular Toyota GR Yaris Rally One Hybrid was driven by Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen winning the 2024 World Rally Championship rally in Latvia with a final time of 2 hours 31 minutes and 47.6 seconds, making it a one-two finish for the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team. Obviously, a winning car with a winning brand like Tarmac Works, coming out with a winning replica in 1/64 detail.

Set up for gravel and tarmac tracks Latvia

Kalle Rovanperä stepping in last minute

Winning 2:31:47:6 later.

IMAGES FROM THE TOYOTA EUROPE NEWSROOM

You’re going to have to be extremely careful when removing the car from its plinth and case if you want to display it in the open because, of course you’ve got the three communication antennas on top of the car which is actually a very clear indication of how fantastic the exterior detail is. Rule of thumb if the little details are ironed out then everything else falls in place.

The other notable drop from Tarmac Works in the rally segment is the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. Which of course, if you are a long-term collector of Tarmac Works, adds to your already extending collection of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid rally cars that Tarmac Works has previously releasedfalls in place. What I really like about this model is the added tinted windows with a silver reflective tint ideal for blocking out that Croation sun and of course replicated well along with the other exterior details TARMAC WORKS is able to shove into 1/64.

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Aggressive composite front bumper with an integrated splitter, dive planes mounted on both corners of the front bumper, enlarged mesh air ducts on the front grille, massive front and rear wheel arch extensions, NACA-style air intakes built into the rear quarter panels/rear wheel arches, flat side sills and a Rally1 Dual-Element Rear Wing aero package.

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And of course, for the finish we have the 2024 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT livery with the 10th anniversary performance blue, bright orange accents, and white geometric graphics. The driver entry details, number 11, are displayed on the side, with the names of the drivers T. Neuville and M. Wydaeghe. Finally, we have the air scoop for cockpit ventilation and the telemetry GPS communication antennas, which you need to look out for when unscrewing the car from its base. A lot of detail for a 1/64.

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CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 // DIECAST DIECAST IN IN REVIEW REVIEW // ISSUE ISSUE 02 03 CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08

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SUPRA GT300 I think it’s safe to say any Toyota Supra 300 GT done by Inno64 that has been modified by Smokey Nagata will always be an instant hit.They’ve done many colour variations,the most recent one being this gorgeous metallic wine red, but the Toyota Supra that was done by Smokey Nagata is a massive hit among both old and new collectors because of its legendary status across the world.

A true thirst trap piece served up by INNO64 of a car that, in the real world is violently fast and beautiful as well as,aggressive yet nimble on the streets where it has set multiple records and broken several laws once again across the world.

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Fortunately owning one in 164 isn’t breaking any laws and you can own as many as you like.And INNO64 knows this,which is why continuing to release this casting in a variation of colours and finishes.This gives collectors who come into the game much later,a chance to pick up one of these iconic models in some form or fashion considering how they disappear once released.

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When you get one in But Smokey Nagata’s desire for speed and hand you will enjoy the achieving the highest number in a road run has landed him inhave trouble with one of the way they taken into strictest traffic police forces in the world.In consideration replicating 1998,Smokey’ received legendary status when he stopped in the middle of the UK all the details.The use motorway known as the A2,did a burnout and then proceeded to attempt a top speed record, of multiple processes to which he did before getting arrested. achieve as much realism to the model as possible. Carbon fibre print on the aero wing,metal etched parts lacquered over for a smooth finished and then polished to perfection to make that red metallic shade shine. Diecast models are made to look at; you can look at this one all day.

The record: Smokey Nagata is the only man todate who has been clocked at 194Mph on UK roads. Of course,WHEN the Police caught up to him, they arrested him,and he received a 10-year driving ban in the UK.

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NOUVEAU ART CARS With the immense amount of competition in the 1/64 scale world, brands like Tarmac Works are searching for new inspiration. Fortunately,the creative team at Tarmac Works is very forward-thinking and have decided to go down the path of engaging with artists from around the world for designs of some of their castings.

The result has been a lot of collaborations this past year with many different designers, tuners,and artists who have produced some fantastic looking cars in the Tarmac Works catalogue.

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One such new artist is Sean

Wotherspoon

from LA California, teaming up with Tarmac Works to do this funky art car Audi R8.Now, the car world and car collectors of any scale are not strangers to ‘art’ cars and Tarmac Works uses this insight to deliver uniqueness.

Now with his name established as a rising artist in the world of fashion, art, and cars you can see the model created with TARMAC WORKS and recognise the design philosophy is a blend of aesthetic designs from the 80s and 90s, patchworking with vibrant colour palettes, mixand-match materials, and nostalgic styles such as plaid and checkers. I really love these castings from Tarmac Works because these are the sort of pieces that make the brand unique in what they do and innovative in how thy execute. It’s not all about just having sports car liveries with repetitious designs on as many castings as you can. No, with Tarmac Works they have found a way of keeping it fresh, keeping it simple, keeping it exciting, and working with artists around the world to help bring their art and creative designs to more people in innovative ways.

Think of it,you have an art collection of your own,on a very unique canvas.

Like you and me, Sean Wotherspoon is a collector and curator of many things in the world, but his main passion has always been sneakers and street wear. In 2013 with a couple of friends, he started a fashion called Round 2 curating streetwear and sneakers from the 80’s and 90’s. The shop grew to cult status opening multiple stores and becoming a brand synonymous for designs from those decades. Then in 2017 an opportunity to display his artistic talent came in the form of a competition hosted by NIKE which he won designing a pair of shoes for Nike, which then went on for production. The history writes itself from here when it comes to Sean Wotherspoon’s art, collaborating on multiple projects with Adidas, Hot Wheels, Porsche, Vespa and many more.

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SI M PLY

TOM I LV-N280 HONDA S2000 2006 MODEL

ICA

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Once again,our Chicken Soup for the Soul diecast brand TOMICA drops a beautiful release centering around some of Japan’s most beautiful domestic market sports cars this time opting to go for the very famous Honda S2000 AP1 Roadster.

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This is the highest version in HONDA’S S range topping the very famous line of roadsters starting with the Honda S500, the S600, and the S800. And it was built to celebrate Japan Honda’s 50-year car building program that spawned some amazing motorsport machines. The reason why this roadster was so famous was because it had a naturally aspirated F20C engine that could take revs all the way up to a blinding 9,000 rpm, which gave the car, for its size, a massively stonkingly powerful 237 brake horsepower, which was planted into a Mid-Engine Chassis behind the front axle within an X-BONE frame giving the car 50:50 front-to rear weight distribution. IYKYK but if you don’t the translation – “ultimate driving machine”.

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The difference between the original AP1 and the 2006 version is various bodywork changes and facelift as well as a slight larger wheel size but under the hood it remained a street weapon.

For TOMICA’s part they have released a total of 4 variations of the 2006 facelift version in some beautiful colours and the usual sought after detail collectors love from TOMICA. This 2025 release features an updated interior in terms f casting and a soft top cover with this version giving you the ability to close the car in more outdoor display. Collectors of TOMICA will never be disappointed with their purchases because one consistent feature for TOMICA is their attention to detail. If you are a new collector and still on the fence then you should just fall over on to the TOMICA side and just get this gorgeous piece with detailed engine, fantastic paint finish and awesome detail.

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THE AMERICAN FUTURE If you are celebrating two and a half centuries of American existence, then America’s newest diecast brand and hero of American models KILOWHEELZ’s latest release in the colours of USA celebrating 250 years is your hotdog! Decked out in a full body wrap of the great American Eagle aptly represented on a FORD RAPTOR one of America’s hottest exports right now with insane details was released by KILOWHEELZ.

Not just plastic lights but ‘lensed’ lights is one of the game changers in 1/64 scale model cars with production techniques allowing for more minute parts to be mass produced adding more detail to simple things like plastic lights. And the same goes for all the little parts and details on this model.

The details are currently higher that what any American Diecast Brand has to offer and of course it is in limited numbers making it a lovely classic collectible with a Jubilee celebration behind it. For those who may give it pass in favour of something less patriotic may find it good to note all the favourable points on this casting for future reference. Ships are on their way as we speak to America loaded with their new release which is the new MUSTANG GTD complete with a ‘SMOKE SHOW’ chase version.

looks good.

The free rolling is amazing and as smooth as a HotWheels which for me is not a huge, important factor BUT, if you are going to have rolling axles then do it right. Too many time I have found ‘certain’ high detail models (not brands because it’s a one in a thousand event that affects most newer brands) where the axle is bent slightly producing an uneven roll. And they have branded number plates!

TOO HOT TO HANDLE Unfortunately for us collectors this is probably the last time we are going to see this casting coming out from Inno64. One problem is the fact that they have any more liveries to put on this casting unless they want to do the entire 89’ Lemans team. And, I have a strange feeling that they do not have the licence to do this casting anymore. SO, if you haven’t got your hands on this gorgeous car by now, this may be your last chance to get your hands on one, and you should because it is fantastic.

It must be one of my most favourite castings from INNO64 and one of my most favourite castings in the 164 scale, simply because of the fantastic and wonderful engine detail. You can clearly see the wonderful monocoque chassis that is basically a Kevlar and carbon fibre composite, and they have made an effort to make it look as realistic as possible.

You also get a chance to see the VRH35 3.5L DOC Twin Turbo V8 engine at close quarters because it has been created as a highly detailed engine not like the usual detailed engines, where there’s just a tad bit of colour and you know kind of demarcate certain parts. And yes, we have seen this casting before, but we never get tired of seeing it repeatedly. And it’s not just the engine that has exhilarating detail. The car, 360, has impressive detail from the wheels to the lights, to the communication antennas on top of the car. You would find it very, very, very hard to find something extremely wrong with it in any way, to be honest. It’s just completely well made.

Car #23: Driven by Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, and Toshio Suzuki CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 03

The fact that the engine cover is magnetic also makes it wonderful for display purposes. You don’t have the engine cover falling off the back all the time or you won’t damage it every time you’re trying to take the engine cover off or on or slip it back on. All you need to do is just snap it into place and it fits absolutely perfectly.

IN terms of legendary status these are the cars that made various departments inside NISSAN, continue with the racing programmes and racing development programmes believing in the potential to create the ultimate sports car which in a way was something NISSAN achieved.

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TURBO CHARGE R Engine induction via twin exhaust-driven Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries turbochargers, one slung outboard on each cylinder bank’s exhaust array

E NGI N E

90° V8 32-valve 4-cam inter cooled engine with aluminium block and heads. Nikasil wet aluminium liners, steel crankshaft, titanium conrods, Atsugi alloy pistons, Bore and stroke 85x77 mm displacing 3499 cc, producing 800 bhp at 7,600 rpm and 2.2 bar turbo boost, max revs 9000rpm

CHASSIS

Moulded Kevlar and Carbon Composite Monocoque with Full Underfloor Ground Effect Tunnels, designed by Paul Baxley, Lola Cars Limited, Huntington, England

TYRES Front wheels with Dunlop tires Rear wheels with Dunlop 19/ 350/750 tires Initially cross-ply tires all round Later cross-ply fronts, radial rears, then radials all round

BODYWORK

Vacuum and heat-formed carbon/Kevlar composite body designed by Lola and Nissan, developed at Cranfield Institute

Nevertheless, it is still known as one of the greats in the Group C series and a car that evolved into the R390 GT1 which was one of the most successful Nissan’s in LeMans followed very closely by….the NISMO Skyline LM

DARK KNIGHT SOLIDO’s fresh stock of Z - TUNE Nissan NISMO Skylines have been fantastic, especially the one that has come in what is known as midnight purple. The 1:18 scale was fabulous for the price and now for the 1:43 scale fans it is perfect that they made one in 1:43 as well. Right now, the only contender for a Skyline at this scale would be Kyosho, which is a bank breaker in terms of price. However, the SOLIDO 1:43 scales in comparison have awesome detail at a really good price. If you are a Skyline fan, this Z tune version in midnight purple is a must-have in your 1:43 collection and it is worth every cent.

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Nothing like an RWB to act as a canvas for all your hard work, displaying the Tarmac Works brand development over the last decade.

THE HK TOY CAR SALON ASIA’S DIECAST DRAGONS BIG SHOWCASE words & photography by Adrian Ma @therandomJDMfan

Despite launching just five years ago, the Hong Kong Toycar Salon has established itself as one of the most important events of the diecast industry’s calendar. From its beginnings as a small, localised gathering of hobby collectors and brands based in the city, its has grown to an international showcase of the latest diecast releases from familiar and newly emerging brands, attracting visitors not only from Hong Kong and the neighboring Greater Bay Area of China (Macau, Shenzhen, Guangzhou), but from Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Japan, North America, and even as far away as South America.

Tiny HK, utilising their space to show off their most popular model in a real scale, the chosen livery is the 2025 TINY HK event model!

The Hong Kong Toycar Salon was born amidst the pandemic, with its inaugural event weekend taking place in August 2021. Amidst tight restrictions on public events and attendees/participants limited primarily to locals (owing to travel abroad still being restricted), the first edition still drew a sizeable crowd throughout the weekend, including a dedicated number willing to queue in the early hours to snap up limited releases - from brands that included Tarmac Works, Model 1, INNO64, Era Car, BM Creations, Nanoer ART, Hung Hing Toys, as well as internationally renowned brands such as MINI GT, Schuco, Spark, Hobby Japan, and Siku.

Many brands showcasing actual cars to promote their diecast models but Inno 64 slays the competition with this gorgeous Honda S2000 and right next to it one of their famous Liberty Walk mods.

If it has wheels and is a toy it will be here. BMC with their EVO RC Body

Despite extended wait times for each round Tarmac Works of visitors and the small area offered by a single event space at a warehouse-covertedshopping mall, D2 Place One within the Lai Chi Kok district in Kowloon, visitors were still drawn to see the world of diecast collectibles in person, alongside detailed diorama displays and opportunities to source for rare or discontinued models within the collectors’ marketplace area, populated by private sellers and small businesses specialising in the hobby.

1/64 Audi A4 Quattro

The diorama vibe is strong with this tribe

Special guests also made up the event schedule, including meet and greet sessions with Hong Kong motorsports personalities, from Darryl O’Young, Matt Solomon and Frank Yu, whose Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries in the virtual 2020 GT World Challenge Asia Esports Championship took center stage at Tarmac Works’ booth, with O’Young’s Vita Lemon Tea-themed racer being sold alongside an oil canister case sold in limited quantities that same weekend. TOMICA brings the TOFU with their TOFU Deliveroo!

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Subsequent years (2022-2023) continued to see the ToyCar Salon take place at D2 Place in Lai Chi Kok, with the 2023 show seeing it move a few floors upstairs to a bigger space offered within the same building.

With slightly more space allocated, larger displays and booths were able to be set up, more brands present for all three days, and a larger space for the secondhand diecast marketplace - all aiming to “allow the public to further understand and support Hong Kong’s original model car brands.”

Showcasing TARMAC WORKS wide variety of genre’s

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This growth continued with the 2024 edition, with the roster of participating brands continuing to grow - continuing to be made up of Hong Kong-based names, alongside ones from mainland China and Japan. The diversity of visitors further grew as international travel resumed, with diecast collectors from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South Africa, and even Brazil flying into Hong Kong to support the event.

Top: TARMC WORKS brings the thunder and a lot of cars! Bottom: The scale of the exhbition in 2025 brought cars out in every scale imaginable.

But the biggest development within the Toycar Salon’s history wouldn’t take place until 2025, when it announced a relocation to Hopewell Center’s Grand Ballroom in Wan Chai. Not only did the move to a more central location on Hong Kong Island benefit attendees (now grown to an audience of locals, mainland Chinese, and international visitors), but the far greater space onsite meant the show could facilitate real-life scale vehicle displays for the first time. New brands like HUNG HING take centre stage. The 1/64 scale explodes

TOMICA EVENT CAR the red WRX is a stunner!

But the biggest development within the Toycar Salon’s history wouldn’t take place until 2025, when it announced a relocation to Hopewell Hotel’s Grand Ballroom in Wan Chai. Not only did the move to a more central location on Hong Kong Island benefit attendees (now grown to an audience of locals, mainland Chinese, and international visitors), but the far greater space onsite meant the show could facilitate real-life scale vehicle displays for the first time. The latest edition, taking place once more between August 21-23, 2026, brought more brands making their debut, alongside returning brands with their latest event releases. While the number of celebrity appearances was smaller this time around, vehicle displays at select booths took center stage from Friday to Sunday. Highlights included back-to-back HK-taxi themed cars, represented by Tarmac Works’ latest Liberty Walk R32 GTR livery and TINYHK’s modified Mini Cooper, an NSX NA1 at Tomytec, and Inno64’s Liberty Walk R35 GTR.

There is a lot to see in the evolution of the hobby!

Added for the first time to the ToyCar Salon area were dedicated model aircraft and train areas, joined by an expanded secondhand diecast marketplace, diorama displays, and a live miniature scale race-track.

Tuner cars have been the focus of detailed 1/64 since the RWB Rage

2021

2022

LBWK biggest earner is diecast partnerships. Wataru SAN appears!

Even street wear fashion brands associated with diecast made a splash

Jon Sibal sits patiently waiting for the LBWK spectacle to finish!

2023

INNO Models last year coming soon, this year in the magazine!

TARMAC WORKS Brand Ambassdor Hannah Burton

2024

Event founder Lierence Li commented on the success of the latest show weekend, citing further growth in attendee numbers and present brands.

Another highlight for Castheads Magazine was being shortlisted for a chance to be named “Model Car Media of the Year” as part of this year’s HK ToyCar Salon Awards. With votes tallied from attendees across all three days on who they felt were the most influential channel/platform promoting model car culture, the title went to local HK diecast channel ‘Honey Cake Club ’, but the fact that Castheads was part of this year’s nominees is an achievement nonetheless since we began covering this show in 2023. FRESH JADA and that TOY STORY COMBO looks amazing!!

“This year’s show attracted over 40,000 visitors over three days, a truly encouraging result. The booming Kidult market reflects that model cars have moved from a niche interest to mainstream consumption. Some exhibitors achieved record-breaking sales, and we already had domestic and international manufacturers inquire about next year’s exhibition arrangements.” YOU can find these in the foloowing pages - JADA SMALL BLOCKS

“Above all, we continued to demonstrate the strength of Hong Kong as a regional hub for [diecast] car culture. We hope future events continue to capture Hong Kong’s story through miniature cars, help loca/mainland Chinese brands gain further attention as they seek to enter the international markets; all while encouraging both customers and businesses from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and abroad to participate.”

High detailed models in 1/64 scale have gone beyond the mainstream

Dioramas are now in high demand

Armed with the HONDA license Motorhelix stuns with detailed engines

Motorsport is one of the big winners in the diecast game

MOTOHELIX is going to be one brand to watch out for in 2027

TARMAC WORKS always shines with their displays

ALMOST REAL Models expand their model line up in 1/64

DIORAMA’s have become cultural art with intricate details

TOMICA TESLA AND CHARGER legacy brands are pushing the envelope

TW x LBWK Felix and Kato big love, more diecast!

More detail and more categories of vehicles. its not all about Liberty,

Tarmac Works keeps giving us reasons to stay employed

TOYEAST MINI’s are the best!

25years OF BURN I NG RUBBE R

by ADRIAN MA

The Fast and the Furious film series is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the significant milestone for one of the most influential automotive films is taking center stage for many diecast brands in recent months.

I can personally attest that two featured models, prominently driven by the protagonists, defined my childhood and arguably, myself as a car enthusiast. Credit is due to the two Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions in

the second and third films: the Evolution VIII (2 Fast 2 Furious) and Evolution VIII (Tokyo Drift), both of which I currently hold 1:43 Greenlight castings of in my personal collection!

Hence, observers may have seen the announcement of Fast and Furiousthemed diecast releases, alongside more of these miniature replicas populating shelves of resellers, toy stores, and online diecast marketplaces.

This trend in recent months isn’t purely a cash grab by diecast brands to slap on the movie’s trademark (compared to earlier efforts), but rather, is a welcome opportunity to pay tribute to what this cinematic universe has done for the whole spectrum of automotive culture and industries. Arguably, the influence of Fast and Furious movies is very apparent among today’s generation of car enthusiasts - who likely grew up playing and collecting miniature replicas of the featured vehicles in each installment, before aspiring to own a tuner or muscle car of their own.

Before the first film, ‘The Fast and the Furious’ made its way to cinema screens, automotive tuning culture was nowhere as popular as it is today, let alone a trend that continues to grow each year and with a greater following. But as the films gained their following and audience throughout the early to mid 2000s, the films exposed a whole new generation to this type of subculture, making aftermarket brands like NOS, Veilside, alongside iconic Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) models from the Mazda RX-7 to Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Nissan Skyline GT-R the dream cars of this new generation of car enthusiasts.

The world of diecast collectibles allows even greater levels of creativity to be explored with the official movie license, beyond the tried and tested replicas of the movie’s iconic models, from Dominic’s Dodge Chargers to Brian O’Connor’s R34 GT-Rs, with a few brands creating entire lineups/ series dedicated to the vehicles seen in each film. Hot Wheels has consistently launched Fast and Furious-themed castings across their entire lineup, from their basic release ‘Fast & Furious Series’ of eight different cars each year (since 2013), to their premium, metal-castings that add more intricate details and card illustrations, with the premium Fast and Furious series also bringing to light some of the more obscure cars to have had a role, such as the W140-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Mattel has also expanded this movie-themed series further within their ‘Silver Label’ line, with models centered on specific themes; focusing on cars of female characters, villains, and used only in street racing sequences.

Jada Toys, on the other hand, has consistently launched Fast and Furious-themed 1:32 and 1:24 scale models of various character cars with each movie, from the Mitsubishi Eclipse of the first film, to the infamous Chevrolet Fleetline used in ‘Fate of the Furious’’s opening race in Cuba. Jada has also expanded further into their Fast and Furious lineup, with the addition of 1:43 scale ‘Small Blocks’ that provide a Choro-Qinspired, microsized take on noteworthy cars from the series.

The scriptwriting and plotlines of the past few films (Fast Five onwards) have drawn scrutiny over prioritizing action-packed (and overly fictitious) sequences over the roots of street racing and tuning culture the series began with, with the addition of modified vehicles as either an afterthought or merely to fulfill sponsorship requirements. But storylines aside, there’s no denying the effect these films have had on popularizing modern car culture before the existence of social media, helping nurture a generation of car enthusiasts who show their appreciation both in their miniature and real-life scale garages for these movies.

The cinematic universe of the Fast and Furious series is due to end its current incarnation with the upcoming film. Still, as for the future of the franchise, it’ll surely continue in some form, diecast tributes included!

SCALE GUIDE

YOUR DREAM

CAFE CITY LOCATION AMAZING VIEWS AMPLE PARKING

What better way to reminisce about our 25-year love affair with the Fast & Furious franchise by kicking things off with Toretto’s Cafe? This is where all the action started 25 years ago when Brian O’Connor walked into Dominic Toretto’s Cafe to get himself a tuna sandwich, hit on Dom’s sister and then proceeded to infiltrate the Toretto gang sparking off 25 years and 10 sequels of car destruction, unearthly physics, and supernatural career saviours. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 03

These JADA nano scale scenes are pretty cool because: • They don’t take up much space even though they are little diorama setups. • They’re very easy to put together because they’re all plastic-based and just slot into place. • They’re also quite cute to put on your shelf along with your books and stuff like that to kind of brighten up your collection and your space. I think the best way to describe these sorts of pieces from JADA are great den decorations for guys who just love cars and who are in love with the Fast & Furious line of movies and who basically love where tuner cars have gone over the last 25 years. And yes I cried when Dom and Brian split ways to the sound of Wiz Khalifa and that piano playing dude.

In the box along with Dom’s Cafe comes: • Two little tables with parasol • four chairs • a bin at the back • 3 trees • 2 Cars The Nano Ford Lightning and the Nano Eclipse I t’s got this little cute side opening door and a massive parking space at the back so you can park all your other Fast and Furious vehicles, as we’ve done in the pics here. Putting it together is a 5-minute job. Once done, arrange it nicely on your shelf and make it a great little piece for your Fast and Furious Blu-ray shelf.

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step aside Hotwheels...

A NEW SHERIFF IS IN TOWN Years and years of Hot Wheels’ monopolistic onslaught of Fast and Furious cars in every single category that Hot Wheels has ever produced has finally come to an end! We finally have a new contender in 1:64 SCALE that is doing THE BEST castings of the Fast and Furious Supra and the by VEILSIDE RX-7, with fantastic detail, something we’ve been dying for, for a very long time.category that Hot Wheels has ever produced has finally come to an end!

Fortunately, with the Hot Wheels stranglehold ending, MINI GT have been able to get themselves the F’n’F license, and they launch the line with two fantastic highly detailed versions of two of the most loved cars in the franchise: •

one from the first Fast and the Furious

•

the other one from the famous Tokyo Drift

These are gorgeous in terms of detail every way you look at it, and they are highly sought after. I think every single one was snapped up when they were released at the Malaysia Diecast Expo earlier this year. And, they have been the topic of diecast discussion on how great they look and how wonderful they are compared to the nonsense that Hot Wheels has been forcing down our throats for the last 25 years.

It’s going to be a great beginning, considering all the cool cars that MINI GT already has in its casting collection and how many of them can contribute or relate to the Fast and Furious movies. If MINI GT has the franchise, then it’s just a matter of time till we start seeing more really nice Fast and Furious pieces coming out in 1:64.

I’m pretty sure the Silvia Mona Lisa might be the next one that comes out in the MINI GT lineup because they already have a very good casting version of the Nissan Silvia. Here’s to hoping for more 1:64 scale model cars from the brand in the Fast and Furious line. Exciting stuff can’t wait to see what happens in the coming months.

Cute or courageous? That is the question that most Jada fans are asking themselves when Jada released the NEW SMALL BLOCKS LINE to celebrate 25 years of the Fast and Furious franchise. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 03

I had a close look at them and to be honest my opinion of these isn’t as controversial as most people though it would be. The fact is these are quite out of the line of what we usually find ourselves collecting. However, this is not the first time we are looking at quirky cars, and, this is not the first time quirky cars have crept into our collection.

In terms of form the small blocks range from Jada isn’t that quite unique considering the fact that we have seen Muscle Machines, the Q series from MINI GT, Choro Q cars from Tomica and CarTuned from MGA already in the market with their sort of squashed, as we usually put it, ‘tooned’ cars but JADA has a few tricks up their sleeves that gives them a cool edge.

What is unique about JADA’S new range, is the fact that they are from the Fast and Furious franchise, which reaches out to an additional massive pop culture category.

And the cars have a few cool features. For example, the body being made up of die-cast metal, which means when you roll them along, they’re much smoother than lighter plastic feeling bodies.

The other fascinating and unique feature in the small blocks range is the fact that you can camber the wheels. You’re able to have the wheels in a normal position but if you prefer a more street racer look of the ‘stanced’ community with a click of your wheels you will be able to camber them and proceed on the yellow brick road.

Personally, I prefer keeping them cambered because they look much cooler considering the form and of course the function is quite smooth because they roll well even with the wheels cambered.

0

THE MANY SHADES OF...

00:11 SUPRA It’s probably one of the most successful scales that Jada have consisting of the Fast and Furious line. The 1:32 scale is popular amongst collectors and kids alike and most of the feature cars across the franchise have made an appearance in some form or another in this scale. This year, to celebrate 25 years of Fast and Furious, Jada releases some old school favourites in some new paint finishes. One is the ‘BRUSH’ finish, and the other one is a sharp and shiny ‘CANDY’ finish. I looked at both and compared them with some of the original castings and it’s looking like my fav will be the ‘CANDY’ coat. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 03

THE ORIGINAL

The SUPRA in the movie was painted in a beautiful orange shade used by Lamborghini Diablo Candy Orange, a pearl paint which was applied by customizer Eddie Paul, who had a paint shop called The Shark Shop. The original 1:32 scale car that JADA released a few years ago carries a very similar shade but unfortunately does not carry that pearl after look. However the graphics on the side, if most of you don’t know and, this is news to me, is known as the nuclear gladiator.

THE BRUSH FINISH Part of their 25th anniversary, JADA has released two new versions and one of them is the BRUSH finish. These are currently limited-edition versions. The brush finish effect is not what you would usually expect, one reason being it is missing the texture so if you are expecting it to look and feel like brush finished steel you will be disappointed. Instead, it looks like the car has been brushed with strokes of a wide brush resulting in some slightly uneven shading and then glossed up with an overcoat. The deep shade makes it quite good looking in table lamp light.

THE CANDY CRUSH

IIt looks as it says on the box. Shiny like an M&M with wheels! The candy coat in orange is absolute fire. The shine, the gloss, the way the light reflects the colour, it’s absolutely a no-brainer when you see this on the shelf. I absolutely love the candy finish on these Fast and Furious cars and as you will see later in the magazine 1/32 isn’t the only scale with this sort of paint finish. That paint coat stands out like a mile and really makes the car look like a perfect bronzed boy after the beach. This paint version totally eclipses the other colour versions or variants of Toyota Supra that Jada has done in 1/32 scale.

CANDY COATED The candy coat on the Eclipse is a beautiful shade of green that again stands out from all the other cars that you will have on your display shelf. With these models though, it can go either way. You can either be a hardcore fast and furious collector that will collect all sorts of fast and furious merchandise, or you could be a collector who collects more seriously priced cars, which you don’t want your kids touching therefore this stands as a very good alternative for your more expensive castings.

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A BRUSH WITH DEATH

Part of their 25th anniversary, JADA has released two new The first Charger from the first movie where Dom Toretto shows Brian the car, he was too scared to drive and then ultimately trashes, escaping in a brush of death. In its brushed paint finish. In terms of detail, you’re not expecting much from this 1/36 scale and there are other models by Jada that have more detail than this. Again though, remember that a lot of the cars in this scale line usually go to hardcore film merch collectors or the children of hardcore diecast collectors who don’t want to see their more elegant pieces touched. Also, these can be used as nice shelf filler. If you wanted to have a Fast and Furious themed room, these would be the perfect things to fill up those small little spaces. As much as it is not high in detail, it does have quite a lot of minuscule qualities that are quite nice about it. And the brush stroke finish gives the car nice shading between black and grey, which is something to be appreciated as well.

THE DOUBLE ROLE It is kind of cheating by JADA, because Suki’s Honda S2000 didn’t make an appearance in the Fast and Furious franchise until 2 Fast 2 Furious. It didn’t make an appearance in either Fast and Furious or Tokyo Drift, which are the two movies celebrating their 25 years as the grandfathers of the franchise. However, there is a small caveat that we could use to kind of be able to slip this in past the hardcore fans. Apart from the fact that the candy coat on this pink paint finish looks absolutely stunning, anything in pink and covered in the candy coat or given a candy coat treatment is going to stand out with incredible and bright detail. And the little caveat of proof that allows this model to be in the celebratory line up is, this is the same Honda S2000 used in Fast and the Furious 1 by Gang Leader, Johnny Tran taking part in the desert extravaganza known as Race Wars. It’s kind of funny how a lot of the names, titles, liveries and all that came out in the original Fast and the Furious movie look and sound so camp and cheesy now.

Some things don’t age well, unless they are candy coated!

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HAN CAN COOK LET HIM COOK!!

It’s a movie throwback and with this one we’ve got the Silvia S15 SPEC S that Han created for the movie Tokyo Drift and dubbed is his Mona Lisa on accounting of it being his masterpiece. The Aero kit designed by C West Labs with stand out side-mirrors mounted, by Ganador and even in this low detail you can still see what resembles the 19-inch VOLK racing GT-7 wheels. The iconic colour combination of blue and orange was done by the House of Kolor in LA. Which is a famous for doing custom colours and custom paint finishes for tuner cars.

SMALL BLOCKS,

BIG ATTITUDE. Adjacent to the release of the 1:43 scale small blocks, JADA has also released a larger scale version of the small blocks as well. Thus, giving collectors a double whammy to choose from in terms of what size we want our little FNF art pieces on our shelves at home.

This GT R34, in JADA’s small blocks version looks cool and in both the scales that they’ve come out in, look more than just redeemable. The bigger version of the small blocks is much nicer and would probably get more attention as well because when people walk into the room, they’re going to notice this piece whereever it is sitting on display and it will be a talking point for lots of friends and fans of the movie franchise. Even with their tuned, remixed, or reformed versions of the cars, JADA has done a pretty good job of managing to keep all the details pretty intact. The Skyline, even in this form looks desirable which goes to show how great its original form is.

These aren’t your run-of-the-mill die cast models and unless you enjoy collecting tuned vehicles, these might not appeal to all die-cast collectors. However, for those who love the Fast and Furious franchise and who are fans of movies, we’ll love these because they have a lot of cool little features and they look aesthetically very cute. Jada calls them deformed. We call them reformed. You may call them brilliant large pieces for your home.

Surprisingly Dom’s charger holds a lot more detail than some of the other Chargers that we’ve reviewed. With this you get the red on the air intake covers as well as the headlights visible on the charger, which means they have been taken off park mode. The grill has been flipped up to display the lights and of course you have the option of going cambered or non-cambered, whichever you want. If you’re going to be keeping this on display as part of an art piece or decoration, then I would suggest go in cambered because the cambered looks quite nice. The rims, the rear double exhaust tips and the lights on the rear are also quite well detailed. As far as a display piece goes this is actually pretty good.

The most iconic fast and furious car, obviously, is the Orange Supra. If you’re going to get a small block Fast and Furious car that defines your fandom and decorate your fast and furious lifestyle, this is probably the one to get. Surprisingly, for collectors’ consideration gorgeous details, especially with the headlights being lensed. Lensed heady’s is always a nice little touch. And since we haven’t really seen that detail on other models in similar scale it is a very good switch up.

The cambered version on the wheels is an additional feature that makes a car of this (ahem) stature, really stance out altogether making them superb for displaying in your den and puns. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 03

WHERE IT BEGINS 0 6

1 8

2 0 0 1

When Rob Cohan first dropped the movie Fast and Furious he did it with the knowledge that the movie company had no faith in the movie and thought it would end up as one of those quick-to-release-on-DVD or cable TV faster than it would ever become a hit. Little did they know that 25 years later the Fast and Furious Movie franchise has become one of the biggest most successful franchises in the movie industry. It is the most successful, netting almost 8 Billion Dollars in box office sales.

“I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters... For those ten seconds or less, I’m free.”

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“She scares the shit out of me” With such a spectacle came a massive fandom that resulted in the Fast and Furious franchise netting even more money through license agreements with various companies around the world, one such being our friends JADA. Probably one of the most successful lines that JADA has put out, catering to a wide audience of movie fans into Fast and Furious merchandise as well as car collectors and lovers around the world of all ages collecting all scales.

This popularity led to Jada’s creation of an ultra-collector line / sub-brand called Next Level. A line of products catered specifically to collectors with higher detail and lower release numbers. One of the first releases was Dom’s charger in true 1/24 scale made with true collector defined specs.

The true scale version is absolutely ripped with fantastic features that you wouldn’t normally get in 1/24 scale. The diecast body is well defined and a peek under the car reveals a detailed chassis including protection panels under the car. The entire car has full opening body parts, which means you have access to the engine bay, the rear boot, and of course the driver’s front section of the car with the opening doors. Additionally, owners of this model would be able to play flip with the front headlights up and down, leaving them in either parked or non-parked mode on display.

The engine, though at first looks like the usual chrome plastic, has far more detail than you would find in any other 1/24 scale model for example, the rubber belt that goes around the pulley on the supercharger connected to the crank shaft in the engine or the wiring the goes from the plugs to the distributor. The boot reveals something that we didn’t see in the movie but answers a question that came up in the movie, which is when

Brian asked Vin Diesel what ‘time’ he clocked in the car and Dom said that he was too afraid to race this particular car. Many people, probably like you and me, asked ourselves: why would he have such a wonderful car, be a fantastic racer, and then be afraid to race such a car? Well, the answer is in the boot: 2 NoZ tanks!

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Jada Next Level has launched many other cars that are worthy of a collectors’ choice and pick up.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to find one of these Chargers in the retail market, but you probably would find it on eBay at a slightly higher price. However, if you can find one and you are a Fast and Furious fan and appreciate detailed diecast models, this one is fantastic and worth getting simply because it is a proper Fast and the Furious collector item.

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BRUSHED

& FLUSED BRIAN’S SUPRA

If you liked Jada’s 1/32-scale release of their top FnF sellers in multiple finished paint jobs part of the anniversary run, then you will enjoy the news that, they are also available in 1/24 scale.

Having liked the Supra wrapped in the candy coat finish in 1/32 scale, I have to say the Brush Finish version in 1/24 scale has caught my eye because of that fiery bronzed orange colour and the way the shade changes slight lightly with the brush strokes. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 02

And of course, there are a few added features that make it even more worth the money. Unlike having a fixed roof/or fixed open, with this scale, you have options that allow you to remove the roof. A two-piece model die-cast model that allows you to open all doors and lids and a removeable panel rood you can take off and as a convertible. And because JADA cares about their fans I will say that there has been extra effort in trying to make the details that have been obviously prefabricated for cost a little more realistic with these special anniversary models. Though, after having seen collectors spend countless amounts of money on car variations, I have very little doubt that these would be ignored and would find themselves in the discount supermarket bin. Also, Christmas is coming!

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“I owe you a 10-second car.”

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BRUSHED

BRIAN’S ECLIPSE Continuing their reign as pop culture kings, JADA re-releases the Mitsubishi Eclipse in 1/24 scale, utilizing the new brush finish technique which looks as hot on the green as it is on the orange. I don’t think fans of the Mitsubishi Eclipse have ever been spoiled for so much choice this year with all the JADA releases happening in line with the 25th anniversary of Fast and Furious.

& FLUSED CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 02

Like me if you’ve started late in the game collecting JADA Models and you’ve missed out on the opportunity of owning quite a few of the Fast and Furious cars that came out initially this would be the best time for you to get your hand on the complete set of Fast and Furious cars that came out in the first movie, maybe Tokyo Drift as well, all in one place at one time. With the same sort of paint difference and the same sort of detail making a complete set. Otherwise, what happens is after a while these sets get splintered and it would be harder to be able to procure all the cars. Once you’ve got the main ones then it’s just a matter of filling in the gaps.

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“Dude I almost had you!”

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BRUSHED

BRIAN’S SKYLINE

If the casting exists, and the masses still want it then you might as well re-release it. JADA have already had their ears to the ground when it comes to customer

wants for a very long time. Over the last 20 years JADA has released almost 40 different variations of the Nissan Skyline GTR 34 1/24 scale under various lines of the flagship brand.

& FLUSED They are no strangers to the Skyline addiction.

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So, if you’re an R34 JADA collector, which seems to be a collection, then you will already be ordering or awaiting order of this new Brushed Finish variation. Or if you are a Fast and Furious fan wanting to add to your collection of Fast and Furious Nissan Skylines that have already been released by JADA you will love the new variant with the brush finish effect. Though a simple colour (if you could call grey a colour) the ‘Brush Effect’ once again takes hold of the entire car

giving it a ‘raw’ body look with a deep glossy overcoat.

A juxtaposition of highly polished ZAMAC.

Once again for new collectors this is a great opportunity to start their collection of R34 JADA’S, or their Fast and Furious cars or just add to their Skyline collection in general. Some people have nothing but Skylines and some of those collections are bigger than some of ours who have multiple cars brands.

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“Looks like we’re gonna be partners bro. Can you tell me right quick what would be a better motor for my Skyline. A Gallo 12 or a Gallo 24?”

The

RARE JADA Surprise! For scalpers who missed out on this one or thought they could give this a miss. Well, I’ve got a small surprise for you. This is the PINK SLIPS version of Suki’s S2000 from Fast and Furious and what most people don’t know or realize is that the pink rim version is actually a highly limited edition.

If you would try and pick one of these up now from ebay, they could go for anything between $70 and about $200 USD on eBay. However, don’t stop yourself from hunting for one of these in a supermarket or retail outlet with low footfall on the toy section. You never know. Of course, it is a pink Honda S2000 and we all know pink looks great, in the Candy Paint finish. And because it is a special limited-edition version, it comes with a carbon fibre covered base plate (also a sign that you have a limited-edition PINK SLIPS, the Carbon base) which really stands out amongst the rest of the 1/24 scale models that don’t usually have a display base. There has been never-ending controversy around whether this is a JADA chase car. Jada have repeatedly announced on various platforms through various influencers that they do not do ‘chase’ cars.

That is because the term ‘chase car’ has been overused by almost every brand that’s putting out the Scalpers Dream but also become the standard. However, these are ‘limited run’ editions. Usually when we say limited run we’re talking of something in the region of about 900 cars for the entire world. Yes, I can confirm once again that the pink rim version of the Honda S2000, Suki’s Honda S2000 that comes in the pink slips box and has a carbon style base plate, is the limited-edition version of the model.

TAKE A WALK ON THE

VE I LSI DE OF LIFE

Almost 25 years ago when Tokyo Drift was launched into the world, there was no internet at our fingertips to be able to access and find out what C-West Labs was or who Veilside was?

It was a time where nobody knew what an RWB was or what a Liberty Walk kit was. Until the launch of Fast and Furious which blew the lid open on this niche community which was quickly followed by Tokyo Drift cementing the scene into history. Of course, in the subsequent years after, people started to recognize and research, the internet grew up (not as clued in as it is now).

Fast forward to 2026 and people are name dropping as if they’re having lunch with Nakai-san the very next day at Nando’s.

If there’s one thing that no one can deny, it is how quintessential Fast and Furious and Tokyo Drift have been to the car tuner community globally. It has evolved from being underground to becoming a major motor sport and interest around the world, generating billions and billions of dollars in tuner parts, cars, shows, events, sponsorship deals and of course with diecast, licensing deals. All spawning from just two movies, they came out at a very, very pivotal moment in the internet age. And underneath it all there has been JADA successfully producing these model cars and putting them in the

hands of collectors and fans of the movie franchises, giving them a chance to familiarize themselves with some of these names and helping further perpetrate the saturation of tuner culture into the world. Hans RX-7 from Tokyo Drift in 1:24 scale from JADA is the perfect example of how JADA has been able to use the franchise to educate, entertain and keep people in love with the FnF franchise, keeping us charged up with our love for cars and modifications.

I really love the RX-7, especially the deep-dish wheels that Jada has replicated and the shade of orange they have managed on the car, though simple in details JADA haven’t compromised on the fact that this would be a huge ‘want’ for collectors who had been waiting for this specific casting.

The Veilside RX-7 from Tokyo Drift is not part of the 25th Anniversary celebration that JADA has done. All the cars that have been released in line with the anniversary have a special 25th anniversary packaging that comes with the cars. When I say special packaging, I mean it is the same box but designed with 25th anniversary styling and logos to it.

However the Veilside RX-7 is a Tokyo Drift star car and with the release of the Lancer Evo I thought it would be perfect to put the two cars together and have a throwback review to some of the best cars that Jada has done from Fast and Furious franchise.

Tokyo Drift Mitsubishi Evolution of th e

an d its saga

For the first time in Jada’s history, they’ve introduced the Evo IX that was featured in Tokyo Drift, driven by Sean Boswell while he was learning how to be a competitive drift racer in the movie. As you can see in 1:24 scale, the details are pretty much standardized, as you would find most 1/24 scales. It is 50/50 in terms of what to expect but what is nice is that

with its 50% of details, you don’t find the car lacking in terms of what you would want as a collector.

The car has all opening body parts with a bit of detail in the engine bay. Exterior-wise it looks awesome and makes a fantastic collector piece for anybody who’s interested in either the movie franchise or just having an Evo IX as a part of their 1:24 scale collection.

The actual car, though, has a very interesting story. For starters when Mitsubishi gave Universal Movies the cars, they were not Evo 9 cars. They were Evo VIII cars that were all damaged in a flood that happened at a dealership. The clause was that once the movies were done, they would have to have all 10 cars crushed because neither Mitsubishi or anyone was not allowed to sell those cars as part of the fact that they were caught in a flood and therefore deemed unsafe and unworthy for sale.

Of course, under the hood it was powered by the 2.0-liter turbocharged 4G63 inlinefour engine with an HKS turbo kit and intercooler piping. Little things to know if you plan on dressing up the engine or if you’d like to talk about your model collection

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The only surviving EVO from the movie is the promo car that was used by Universal Pictures touring around the world. It is now owned by Dustin Williams, a car enthusiast and YouTuber. He rescued it from a warehouse brought it back to glory and is now the proud owner. It was also put on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum.

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Nuclear Gladiator. Big boy pants for the

This has been the moment all Fast and Furious fans have been waiting for: an affordable 1:18 scale version of Brian’s famous 11-second Supra.

Not that this is the first time a 1:18 scale version of the Supra has been done. There is other 1:18 scale versions of the Supra but most of them have been either fairly limited editions and very hard to get your hands on and / or cost basically a toe and a few fingers with shipping not included. CASTHEADSMAGAZINEVOL.08 / DIECAST IN REVIEW / ISSUE 02

Now under license, Jada gets their own line of 1:18 scale Fast and Furious cars, which gives them the opportunity to complete the circle on Fast and Furious die-cast models. They now have the Supra starting from Nano Scale, which is about 1 to 100, all the way up to 1 to 18, at prices that don’t give you a heart attack when you go to the checkout counter. But for the price there are going to be a few compromises.

You can spend over $200 for a far more detailed version of the car, or you can spend something like $60 and get a fantastically good display model that you can line up with all your other Jada Fast and Furious merchandise (either as a fan or a collector of cars). It will still look good and be able to present the same sort of feeling of happiness at owning a 1/18 scale FNF Supra.

The paint is gorgeous. They’ve got the metallic gloss paint down to the last flake. It looks beautiful up close. If you are the sort of person who would like to keep your cars in a fantastic display condition, a layer of wax and maybe a nano coat on this to keep the dust off and bring this gorgeous paint job to life. It will make sure that it remains the ULTRA ORANGE PEARL. A great job has been done matching the paint colour and all the decals, the stickers, the nuclear gladiator: crisp, perfect. Absolutely no reason for complaint because of the price.

Number two, the exterior details are awesome because this is a JADA model that has been rebranded from SOLIDO and SOLIDO have been making massive strides into better detailed 1:18 scale •

We’ve got lensed headlights, which is nice and makes the car look authentic.

•

We’ve got the rear APR spoiler. No solid mount arms but they’ve got the nice laser-cut mount arms.

•

The car does come with the detachable rooftop in diecast not plastic, so you can pop that off and pop it on again.

•

The body kit from APR, derived on the Evil R, wide body kit by APR.

•

The front custom spoiler with two fog lights and the air intakes, along with the opening for the air cooler is well moulded and has captured all the details of the movie car.

We have the interior, where the manufacturers and team behind the design have done a stellar job at both keeping the cost wonderful while providing this much detail, they’ve been able to provide. You can tell that a lot of thought has gone into creating this model and again there’s absolutely nothing anyone can say that would have us retract the fact that this was is a phenomenal casting from our friends at JADA (ahem SOLIDO).

Apparently, these are flying off the shelves and to be very honest we are not surprised in any way at all.

Is it a MONA LISA? HELL YA! HERE’S WHY

A CAR that is as iconic as Bryan’s 11-second supra is Hans Drift Silvia, known as the Mona Lisa. Even though it did not have enough screen time as it should have and probably deserved, and the only screen time it had was going from looking as beautiful as it is here in the pictures to being an absolutely trash piece of junk. It is just a crying shame for car lovers and enthusiasts around the world who believe that the Silvia, known as Mona Lisa, should have had more screen time in the Tokyo Drift movie.

What’s more to me surprising is the amount of effort that Universal went through to create this car, just to give it that much time on screen and have it completely trashed and destroyed for the purpose of Sean’s mental turbidity. The body kit and under the hood mapping of the car was done by Japanese tuning arm called C West labs. The paint job was done by a custom paint house called the House of Kolor, in L.A. And of course, the car sits on some beautiful grey rays. All this detail is reflected or should I say re-created faithfully on this model.

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Similarly, as much as we were raving earlier about the interior detail inside the Supra, the same goes for the Mona Lisa, again for the price conscious, this has fantastic value for money with the detailed interior you get.

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All together a fantastic combination of detail, price and quality paint, as well as great casting and pretty good body fitment, put together to make this the ‘MONA LISA’ in your 1:18 scale collection.

IF YOU’RE

YOU’RE

This year expanding your Fast and Furious line in 1:18 scale is going to be insane! There is so much choice out there that you can go crazy trying to stretch your money and be able to collect everything all at the same time. Don’t worry because between Solido and Jada you will have a chance, or should have a chance, to be able to track down some of these cars and add them to your collection.

NOT FIRST,

E LAST.

Now you have an opportunity to add Dom’s RX-7 into the mix as well. When it comes to detail you can expect nothing less because the manufacturers, the designers, and the brands have all gone above and beyond to make sure that collectors and fans of the franchise get absolute perfection for a great price. There is no doubt that Solido have done an impressive job getting this RX7 right.

“You almost had me? You never had me - you never had your car. Granny shifting, not double clutching like you should. You’re lucky that 100-shot of NOS didn’t blow the welds on the intake. Almost had me? Now me and the mad scientist are going to have to rip apart the block, and replace the piston rings you fried. Ask any racer, any real racer. It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning.”

This is a highly decorated show car that was rented from car enthusiast Keith Emoto which the filmmakers had to make minor cosmetic tweaks to make the car ready for filming. The re-creation of the early generation Veilside USA Euro Widebody Kit is spot on as is the Veilside RX-7 GT rear wing and Lexan headlight covers and you also get the 18-inch Veilside split-spoke rims that are well crafted as good as the real thing.

Looks like it’s time for you to finally build that tribute to the Fast and Furious shelf display because the hits just keep on coming from SOLIDO. This is just an absolute banger for your collection. If you wanted to collect RX7s, I would suggest this would be the one to get yourself.

KING OF LEGENDS

Other than the Toyota Supra, when it comes to iconic cars from the Fast and Furious line, Brian’s Silver Skyline from Too Fast Too Furious is probably the other most iconic car that the franchise has ever created. And one of the reasons for the franchise’s success was the fact that they never used base cars or cars made to ‘look’ like the real thing in the movies. No. All the hero cars that were used were

actual modified cars fitted with all the cool things that tuners would want in the car, making the cars in the movie far more authentic than most other movie cars. This Skyline was owned by the technical advisor of the franchise, Craig Lieberman. And quite significantly, it was the first R34 Skyline imported and fully federalized, which is made US Standards by MOTOREX, and then Universal Pictures rented it from Hugh Lieberman to use in the movie. He had had the car tuned to 420 or 450 horsepower without nitrous oxide.

Lieberman also hated the fact that the car was painted in the silver and blue stripe livery, which was chosen by the director John Singleton. He felt like it was sacrilegious to put American muscle-style painting on a Japanese JDM. Here Solido have wonderfully once again recreated the C-West body kit with the massive flexivity carbon fiber rear wing as well as the 19-inch HRE 446 multi-piece rims.

The car, after filming had wrapped, sat in the Volo museum, which is an auto car museum and specialized car sale in the United States, for a short period of time before it was sold to a private collector in Germany. The collector then hid the car away for a very long time in his living room as a display piece.

You think your 118 was cool? Try having the one-to-one version sitting in your living room. It is probably impossible because now the car is owned by a German outfit called Chrome Cars and it is part of their collection. However, if you want one of these Skylines sitting in your living room or in fact in each room, you can now do so with SOLIDO’s 118 line of Fast and Furious cars celebrating 25 years of Fast and Furious.