The 80’s had some crazy cool and funky Japanese Cop and Detective shows that explored the full use of the coolest Japanese sports cars assisted with crazy car chases and technology that mad K.I.T.T cry. Like Western POP Culture, TOMYTEC stays faithful to Japanese POP Culture and in the past have been releasing many cars from Silver and Golden screen classics. Seibu Keisatsu was a long-standing cop show and the inspiration
Coming August, we can expect this new combo release of the police car with advanced surveillance equipment known as ‘Machine X’. Essentially a Nissan SKYLINE 2000 TURBO GT-ES (C210) because NISSAN was a big sponsor of the show and the show many of their coolest cars as black and whites.
This is mixed with a new updated figure tooling of Chief Detective Daimon Keisuke and his weapon of choice. SHOTGUN!
Stunning detail especially the interior with the portrayal of the sophisticated surveillance equipment that would make an AWAC weep.
Seibu Keisatsu Daimon
VETTE
The 1967 Corvette® Stingray™ stands as a true icon of American performance and design. Finished in elegant Marina Blue, it features a striking blue-and-white interior accented by white leather bucket seats. Beneath the hood lies a formidable 427-cubic-inch V8 engine, delivering an impressive 435 horsepower through a 4-speed manual transmission. Distinctive side pipes, a bold White Stinger hood, and classic Chevy® Rally Wheels wrapped in redline tires complete the aggressive, unmistakable look of this two-door legend. The L71 option catapulted the 1967 Corvette® into automotive legend. This high-performance setup combined a big-block V8 with a Tri-Power system—three two-barrel carburetors—delivering an astonishing 435 horsepower. With only 3,754 Corvettes equipped with the L71 that year, it remains one of the rarest and most coveted configurations among serious speed enthusiasts.
• High Quality Die-cast Metal
• Removable Hardtop
• Detailed Engine
• Detailed Chassis and Interior
• Opening Doors, Hood, & Trunk
• Steerable Front Wheels
NEW CASTINGS FROM AUTO WORLD FRESH & EXCITING
Now that is a great color scheme I can certainly get behind. Sedona Sunset Metallic paint with those rims is particularly stunning and the new tooling’s on the Auto World wheels look amazing. The added detail and depth certainly improve the look of the car and certainly a Supra we would like to add to the collection of Modern Muscle. That’s how fearsome the reputation of the Supra is, it’s considered a muscle car in the US. The only other Japanese car worthy of that title in our opinion, is Gojira.
PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA FORMULA S
Built to compete with the Mustang, the Barracuda badge was born in 1964 but slowly transformed into a full-on Muscle car in the early 70’s. Till then, built on a smaller chassis to compete in the sporty compact, the Barracuda was a nimble car but lacked the design flair of the FORD Mustang. Even though the version covered so beautifully by Auto World had added Disk Brakes, Air conditioner and an upgraded engine that dropped 235Bhp to the road. This new release of Vintage Muscle comes in this gorgeous turquoise blue and the other version in a Dark Blue.
1964 FORD COUNTRY SQUIRE
DODGE CARAVAN TURBO
King of the soccer mom rides the Dodge Caravan Turbo was large but no slouch. A great casting with 3D roof rack as well this was not a vehicle known for its looks. It was a cult classic which was the result of a happy accident. This series features the two in a two tone shade as well as striking red with 5 Star Alloy wheels.
1971 PLYMOUTH FURY III
This would be Plymouth’s GTO launched at a time where if the petrol crisis didn’t happen ICE cars would have gone nuclear in the bid to be bigger, better and faster. The smallest engine was an inline 6 with a 3.2 Liter package, the biggest was a whopping 7.2L V8. Big, fast and angry the FURY was a force to be reckoned with and came with many engine versions and trim packages. This model with the slanted grille came in a 4 Door and Wagon version Known as the FURY Custom Suburban. Done in a sparkly Violet both the chosen version and colour is go
Fast wagons are always fun, probably even crazier in the 60’s and 70’s with no stabilization control. The Country Squires were also known as the original ‘woodies’ using a considerable amount of wood trim on the outer body. The name ‘Squire’ was taken from the term used for landed gentry since the car was aimed at owners who enjoyed luxury and space. Auto World brings one of FORD’s longest running ranges to diecast with this series and have included the wood trim in two sick colours, ‘Guardsman Blue’ pictured here and ‘Poppy Red’.
Out of the two releases this one has a lovely dark blue finish that really made it into being the feature car. Auto World has had many releases of the GT40 and for some The Auto World GT40 is a main collecting piece. Now I gave myself a mission to see which GT40 this casting is based on. I had two clues 1. Was the UK flag on the side panel and the other was the racing stripe went across the ‘bonnet’ and not up. After spending an hour researching the net which is why this magazine is always late, I found, a
DIECAST DISPATCH
Koenigsegg Agera RS
When it comes to AGERA’s Tarmac Works has some of the best releases and colourways. This beautiful release promises to come with a full body carbon fibre pad print in a gorgeous metallic blue with orange highlights and of course the flawless casting by Tarmac Works. I would always recommend picking up the Agera RS from TW.
PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 2.7 RS JONSIBAL TOYOTA GR COROLLA HKS TOYOTA GR86
This was one of the most aggressive PORSCHE’S built for it time. The Carrera Rennsport 2.7 Built to take part in Group 4 races the 2.7 RS was created from the ground up with even lighter parts at every turn. Thinner lighter glass, lighter steel panels and stripped interior were some of the engineering features the car had as well as a powerful 2.7 Litre air cooled engine mounted in the rear which gave the car amazing control round corners. The car was created to compete against the likes of Lancia’s, Ferrari’s and FORD GT40’s. Can’t wait for the release of this one.
We always love a JONSIBAL drop. Yes, we love modified cars and we love the people that modify them but unfortunately RWB’s and LBWK’s have saturated our shelves and to be honest some of the designs have not changed for a long time, just the colours and the names. The other great thing about JONSIBAL is that any car can get a JONSIBAL treatment and we are not forced into adding even more Porsche’s, Skylines and Sylvia’s to our collections. Now we can add some Corolla’s too thanks to JONSIBAL.
“Tune the Next” HKS Graphics look perfect on the Toyota GR86 and makes a great partner to the recently released HKS GR Corolla also by Tarmac Works. This release features an aggressive aero package and comes with the chance to score a raw body chase version as well. And, to be honest those HKS graphics will look absolutely stunning on raw body.
come true
When Solido announced the release of the famous Skyline Hako in the One18 lineup Skyline fans went absolutely ballistic. However, I knew it was a matter of time till the Hako reached the development team of SOLIDO Works and would be given the street level modifications that would make any Fast and Furious fan weak at the knees. Actually, scrap that. It would make any modded car fan weak at the knees.
Solido has basically taken the HAKO they did and made a lot of very cool additions.
First, they gave it a stunning metallic orange paint job, typical of many racing Skylines from this model all the way up to the R35. Then they added wide body wheel arches and kept them painted in black to make sure everyone knows they were “added” on. Aero package installed with an aero wing at the back and front splitter mounted in the front. Lightweight alloy wheels with disk brakes in the front and back. Oil cooler installed in the front. And voila! SOLIDO Works 1/18 Drift styled Nissan Skyline Hakosuka! Solido can make dreams come true.
Covered in race and sponsor brand decals the One18 scale version has perfect graphics and of course being a realistic replica, everything is placed in the right place and placed on properly and neatly. When you have this many decals on a car you don’t want any of them to look off.
The body work details on the car are impressive and completely accurate to scale which is very unsurprising from Otto Mobile because they really know how to bring the details to life.
is a
Built and drifted by Norwegian drifter Nick Hendrickx this Sylvia features the famous Rocket Bunny body kit known as the ‘Boss’ An aggressive wide body package, duck tail spoiler and track aesthetic will make any Sylvia look like it is about to drop some serious business.
This
perfect PANDEM reproduction right down to the cambered wheels ideal for drifting purposes so don’t think there is something wrong with the axle of the car it’s just the drift camber applied. Instead, sit back and enjoy the details on the deep dish BBS rims.
SECONDS IN DEMAND
EDIFICE continues to make watch and motorsport fans drool buckets with their insane releases. The ECB-2300HR1A is a gorgeous tribute to HONDA’s first winning success in FORMULA 1 60 years ago. Driving the HONDA RA272 Richard Ginther won the Mexico race starting from 3rd overtaking Jim Clark and Dan Gurney.
This piece of hand candy is a true tribute with every single design feature and element attested to HONDA’s first Formula 1 win, which was quite incredible because Honda started producing cars only two years earlier. The Gold ‘60’ at the 60th minute celebrates 60 years. The band loop carries Yoshio Nakamura’s favorite saying ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici. The strap is white on the outside, but the inner side features the engine specs and design embossed into red suede. The case is super durable because it is Carbon Fiber re-enforced resin combined with stainless steel.
And you have Bluetooth.
Omologato’s LMR Black Edition is back in stock but in very limited numbers so if I were you, I would order one immediately. Beautiful carbon black with Gulf styled colour combination on the face as well as the double stitching on the Italian grain leather strap gives this Motorsport watch complete carte blanche to adorn the wrists of Motorsport fans.
This watch encapsulates the retro style of design from the one of the most exciting periods of Motorsports. From the 50’s to 70’s there was three decades of major innovation and design in motorsport. The recognition of the importance of aerodynamics in car design, the vast improvements in mechanical engineering and of course the style and luxury that resulted from love of Motorsport. A beautiful combination of stainless steel and perforated leather Marchand delivers a time piece that clearly belongs on the hand of a person who loves the open road.
Known as the TURBO era, the 80’s car design took a turn for the extremely fast. Sharp aerodynamics, brightly coloured speedometers, louvered rear windows, digital dashboards, side strakes etc. Take some of these design elements and put them on your wrist. That’s what the guys at REC did. Known for making watches out of materials from iconic cars, REC also does amazingly designed watches like the TURBO series as well.
The band pairs Nappa leather on the outer surface with Ultrasuede on the lining.
Pagani Utopia Coupé
Bianco Perla - 1:8 Scale Kit
Last Year POCHER launched a beautiful and stunning model kit that broke the internet. Well, not really broke it but certainly shocked everyone because the no one had seen such a stunning model in 1:8 scale. The Pagani Utopia. This year they launch the UTOPIA Coupe’ in a stunning shade of white. Bianco Perla or Pearl White. This shade of gloss white is the perfect colour to adorn a car of this nature. Stunningly crafted the Utopia is a real ity for only the super-rich but with a little luck and a bit of saving you can get the closest thing. But that’s not all. You also have the opportunity to build it yourself, giving you an exquisite look into the workings and inner design of this stunning piece.
Unlike mass produced cars specially built cars like Ferrari and Maserati give super rich clients the option to have their very own oneoff bespoke model specially built. We have heard how the Sultan of Brunei and his sons have several bespoke Ferrari’s. The MEERA S is one of those cars built specially for a member of the Saudi Royal family by famous car designer Giovanni Michelotti. Giovanni Michelotti worked as a designer for many coach builders before starting his own design studio. He has worked on Ferrari, Lancia, Alfa Romeo he even designed the famous Prince Skyline Sport.
MEERA S MICHELOTTI 1983
This brilliant design has been reproduced by Italian model maker KESS models who is well known for creating limited editions of many Ferrari’s that are not so well-known or bespoke models purpose built for clients with exceptional amounts of money. KESS models usually come highly detailed in 1/43 scale.
THE CHAL LENGE
This is absolutely epic! The hottest Lamborghini currently in 1/8 scale can be yours to build and own. In Arancio Borealis a beautiful orange shade from Lamborghini’spalette this beautiful beast is gorgeous at any scale but as they say bigger is better.
The entire challenge of building this beauty lies within 112 build stages.
CHAL LENGE
With this subscription, builders will receive components each month along with an informative magazine packed with info about the car and the Lamborghini brand. But at the end of the build, you will have a highly detailed replica on a scale that is impressive. Apart form the highly detailed engine and complex scissor doors, you will also get the opportunity to build a model with functional headlights, taillights, brakelights and functional steering enhancing the realism of the whole model.
BRONCOLICIOUS in ONE64
Finally, a US diecast brand steps up and drops a range of fantastic, detailed diecast cars for collectors, intending to create a solid community through exclusive membership and limited-edition cars. We are going to se a lot of old skool American rides given the same detailed treatment as the modern tuner and exotic cars produced by the newer Asian brands who, for the moment have a good grip on the market.
KILOWheelz is the brainchild brand of four seasoned die casters in the game.
All four of them have been inducted into the Model Car Hall of Fame and have shared in the rise of power and fame of the brand Hot wheels.
Recognizing the current market trends these diecast greats decided to put their shared diecast and collectors’ insights together to deliver a brand-new product from the United States to the world. And to be very honest no one can complain. In fact, it is overjoying to see something like this FORD Bronco (one of their first castings) given such detailed treatment without being over embellished with accessories and hackneyed modifications.
Is this something as a diecast collector you should get excited about? Absolutely!
Not only are we looking at the future of some great American’s in stunning detail on the exterior but, we will also be looking at detailed interiors with opening parts. And this is opening parts without the ugly dog’s leg hinge. NOPE they got themselves the mini tiny hinges being mass produced. There is the promise of detailed engines. Already we are looking at some stunning paint jobs. This Bronco in pre-production sample mode feels good because of its multi coat paint and enamel coating. We can expect accessorized packaging that locks into each other when stacking. We can expect special perks and cars reserved only for the club members.
KILOWheelz is going to be an exciting addition to the One64 choice of brands this year and I am super excited to see what the line up look like. So far, it has been extremely promising.
AMERICA iSCOMING
Considering all the geopolitical news that is keeping the world on its toes, this headline may give off the wrong connotation, but this is the first American brand to raise the bar in production and are getting ready to launch a club with benefits and lock out the scalpers. There is a lot of excitement and over the next few pages you’ll understand why.
Clearly, there’s one thing that stands out. FORD have been the first to take the leap with this new brand and other than the BRONCO we can expect the FORD Mustang GTD 2025 model in a plethora of colors. These will be ‘members only’ cars and will be broken up into batches of 2500 pieces per colorway. So once 2500 pieces of the Roush Blue GTD Mustang are done, another colorway will be released again limited to 2500.
On closer inspection I must admit that these castings have exceeded my expectations and honestly, all you collectors out there are in for a real treat. Specially US collectors who have been lacking the special production models’ other Asian brands are releasing in that part of the world. For starters you are going to love the colors finishes that range from metallic blue, ceramic white and chrome ruby red. Then of course the casting details are impeccable with clear plastic headlights, intricate bodywork replicated and of course branded brake calipers that can be seen through the alloy wheels…wait… what?!?!
Remember when carbon fiber first cars and 64/1 started to appear on was horribly disproportionate? Yeah, not anymore. The expectation for perfection is now the standard and Kilowheelz are dabbling in that space quite well. The carbon covered bits and pieces are done perfectly in an honest .to goodness cracker job
There is palpable excitement in the air for these to start hitting the shelves, and I mean collectors shelves. This is the start of something big. And with the founders being such heavyweights in the diecast industry we are going to be seeing some crazy designs on some gorgeous castings. With .detail right down to the plates
SMOKE SHOW
Will there be special edition ‘super rare’ models as well? You betcha! All the ultra limited models will come in a ‘SMOKE CHROME’ finish and will be known as the ‘SMOKE SHOW’ cars which is much cooler than referring to them as Chase Cars. So, you may have the opportunity to score a really rare .SMOKE SHOW from an already limited line up of cars
Opening parts, detailed castings with detailed interiors, exotic paint jobs and exclusivity are all the main features that surround this new brand making its debut this year in collections around the world. And, I keep repeating that excite- ment is very high so get your self over to the main website and register yourself to be a part of the inaugural launch.
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! CLASS OF 2025 SCALE 1/64
Winning the 1/64 scale category in the Model Car Hall of Fame this year was a game changer and shocker. Well, known for their 1/24 and 1/18 scales, Maisto is has been hitting the 1/64 market with their new Speed Icons and armed with a Ferrari License they have a lot of leeway in terms of attracting collectors to their new offering. Which, we know is award winning, amongst a whole lot of global players in the same scale.
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! CLASS OF 2025 SCALE 1/43
ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE
Solido’s 1/43 scale products are back in the game with a completely new repertoire of modern machines and exotics. A beautiful example of their return to 1/43 would be their Aston Martin Vantage. Probably one of the best 1/43 releases for 2025 and adjudged so by the Model Car Hall of Fame 2025. Fantastic details right down to the wheels, coupled with a stellar paint finish and of course the colors chosen make it highly displayable.
There are many cars that are highly desirable way past their sale date and usually it is either because of their looks or their power. For the 190E Mercedes 2.3 16V it was a bit of both.
An imposing looking car that commands respect on the road.
There is no need to bore you with engine specifications or the different iterations this car was tuned to. If you are new to car culture, this is one of the cars that get called an ‘icon’ and showered with the same car platitudes over and over again.
CLICK LOGO TO PRE-ORDER
Metallic)
Race of Champion
Ayrton Senna
Do you like Mercedes?
Then you will love this car. And, if you are a collector of Mercedes in 1/64 you are spoilt for choice. For not only does TW serve up a very juicy stock version of the car in the gorgeous two tone blue/black that has just been released. But you can also get your Mercedes loving hands on the car driven by Senna in the famous Race of Champions 1984 (another Googleable moment). If you want all that TW has then you might as well get the ‘Race of Champions’ car driven by Alan Prost as well.
The new release of the two-tone colorway is gorgeous and be careful taking the car out of the box, because if you are accident prone like me you could bend your hood emblem. Other than that little warning, prepare to enjoy your new addition to the collection.
I personally have a high end 1/64 Mercedes garage going and these two make the garage just a bit sexier.
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!
This model is absolute fire! And Automodello came out as a massive winner this year. Snagging two categories, this is truly a gorgeous model an exquisite color and an elegant choice of car. Elegance is probably the best way to some up everything about this model from presentation to product. The planets were aligned when this was chosen conceptually.
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! CLASS OF 2025 SCALE 1/18
DODGE DEMON GSS
This model is absolute fire! And Automodello came out as a massive winner this year. Snagging two categories, this is truly a gorgeous model an exquisite color and an elegant choice of car. Elegance is probably the best way to some up everything about this model from presentation to product. The planets were aligned when this was chosen conceptually.
The 2026 MCHOF Award Nominations are Now OPEN!
Nominations are officially open for the 2026 Model Car Hall of Fame Awards! You can nominate all your favorites here. For 2026, we have lots of exciting changes;
First up, in the Models section, we’ve added a new category, Model Bus of the Year to recognize all the incredible models of busses and coaches that are currently being made.
We’re also making a change to the Military Model of the Year category. Previously, this was limited to diecast models. Now, however, we’ll also be accepting (and encouraging) model kit nominations in this category too, given how many wonderful military vehicles models are now being made in kit form.
Brand of the Year and Model Kit Brand of the Year were both huge hits, each attracting lots of fantastic nominations, we’re adding a third category for 2026; Brick Set Brand of the Year.
As we saw at the recent Nuremberg Toy Fair, as well as there being lots of amazing companies producing model kits and slot cars, there are also a huge number of brands producing amazing brick set models and we want to make sure they also get their due.
But that’s not the only new Brand category; we’ve also added Museum of the Year,where you can nominate your favorite publicly-displayed collections of model vehicles.
And lastly, we’ve streamlined the People section, combining a few of the former categories where there was overlap and launching a new category; Model Car Legend of the Year. This is where you can nominate anyone who’s made an outsize contribution to the hobby; founders like Jack Odell, Mario Besana or Emile Veron, for example, or historians, designers, distributors or anyone else who fits the brief!
As ever, model nominees should be models released in the last year (ie since the last round of nominations closed in September 2025) and brands should be nominated based on their work in the same period. You can nominate as many models, brands and people as you like –and you can now sign up for MCHOF update emails when you make your submissions.
Nominations for the 2026 Awards will close at the start of September.
Sports fans are hardcore when it comes to support. PUMA is hardcore when it comes to supporting fans! Wrap yourself in the new colours and design of the TIFOSI selected by their driver Cahrles LeClerc as a new season kicks off. Fresh wardrobe changes demanded more times a month with new races. Time to get FERRARI FABULOUS… FORZA FERRARI!
Race to pole position with the Charles Leclerc PUMA collection, designed for fans who love speed, precision, and effortless style. As a driver who’s always pushing the limits on the track, Leclerc brings the same intensity to his handpicked PUMA Ferrari Charles Leclerc range, featuring jackets, tees, and shoes that turn every outfit into a podium-worthy look. The Leclerc clothing collection has been curated with pieces that blend high-performance materials and sleek, motorsportinspired designs. The jackets keep you in control, the tees deliver a winning combination of comfort and flair, and the shoes? They’ll have you hitting your stride like you’re chasing a fastest lap. This is more than just gear - it’s a nod to the thrill of the racetrack and the style of a champion. The Leclerc x PUMA collection is perfect for those who want to channel the determination, focus, and finesse that make Charles Leclerc a star. Whether you’re cheering from the stands or making moves in the city, this collection ensures your style is always ahead of the pack. Start your engine and explore Charles
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!
CLASS OF 2025 SCALE 1/12
DAN GURNEY EAGLE F1
From the RED BULL family of extreme sports people meet MAD MIKE. Often confused with the droopy eyed Mad Mike from West Coast Customs…different kind of mad. This is Mad Mike Whiddett from New Zealand and typically eats rubber for breakfast as a Drift Driver. He also seems to favour cars of the Wankel persuasion and you will see his signature smoke screen emanating from many Maazdaa’s .…mate
VAUGHN’D YOU’VE BEEN
This is the second round of one of JADA’s finest releases. Yes! JADA has been doing a lot in the NEW RELEASES department and for Model Car Fans like you and me this is just perfect. Diving back into the RTR pool of Drift Baddies we have new updated liveries from the 2024 RTR Drift Calendar. These cars are wild AF which allows JADA to push the limits as to what they can do with the cars while keeping them in the circle of affordability for collectors to enjoy.
Vaughn Gittin
From the RED BULL family of extreme For example, one of the things we love about JADA is that they have tried to include an interactive element to make the model just I little bit cooler to collect. Perfect examples in the past include Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T with the scanning light in front. STILL A CLASSIC! Then the BTTF Delorean (more recently in a Pink Slips version) with a light up flux capacitor flow. Well, with outrageous cars like the RTR War Machines you have body under glow, rear lights, headlights and intake lights. And everything is matchy matchy. Running with the Vaughn Green Theme, we have neon .green under glow and turbo intake lights
Vaughn Gittin Jr.
DeNofa
lineup of RTR x JADA Releases
Chelsea DeNofa is the fourth in the line up of RTR Champs to join the JADA immortality. Running with the Pennzoil Livery and racing an RTR Mustang DeNofa is a World Drift Champion who has been 2012 racing with RTR from when he announced two 2023 his retirement in days before winning the .championship
That makes this the last RTR Stang DeNofe drove competitively. Details are high with crisp graphics and all the RTR body kit work scale. These 24/1 faithfully reproduced in actually make a great demo model for RTR .cars with such convincing details
In terms of lighting, JADA have gone with Blue for the under glow and TURBO Intake, set against the Yellow and Black of Pennzoil livery and colors.
Natural born drifter James Deane has been in the game since the early 2000’s watching sport grow and taking plenty of awards and winnings along the way. Seasoned is probably the best way to describe his drifting career. In 2023 he returns to Formula Drift after a brief hiatus that followed the leaving of Worthouse Drift Team with the RTR Drift Team.
Deane James
Back in the saddle of a Drift Car and armed with the mighty power of the RTR Team’s 5-D Spec FORD Mustang James Deane continues to impress and win awards and crowds at Drift Formula almost 20 years after he first joined the drift circuit.
Deane James
RTR Fans ready for round 2? In the latest RTR drop you can pick up the fresh livery of James Deane from the 2024 drift series in 1/24 with some truly stunning details. These cars are all about the look with more RTR Accessories than you can shake a flag at. Fine detail in casting, crisp graphics, full opening parts and Blue under glow lights all fit together into one stunning performance piece.
PROSPEC Driver Ben Hobson has been on the RTR Team as an official long standing team member and has been doing some solid rubber burning racing with enough panache to impress brand sponsors
Sporting a NEON Street Pink under glow set against the Pennzoil Livery along with the rest of the lights ups JADA has gone to town increasing the details not just on the exterior but also noticeable changes for the interior and engine bay.
4 RTR cars with stunning livery and action parts that will make even the ‘pickiest’ collectors want to get a hand on some of these. I say get
Hobbs Ben
Hobbs Ben
AMY BOYLYN BRIAN POPE
MIKE HERALDA
MIKE ZARNOCK
How relieved are you and the team WHEN YOU FINALLY SAW an official first look?
“Very! It has been a tough 12 months. But we are excited to show some amazing diecast. I think the collectors will like what they see.”
What have been the biggest challenges to the entire project?
“Licensing mainly. The process to get these contracts done has taken much longer then I ever remember, but we are a new company and I understand. Also tooling, because we are making very detailed models. The Factory is really stepping up and creating great quality.”
Did it get to a point where pulling the plug was on the cards?
“No Never, we are in this 100%! Both the US and the China partners are excited. We are in this to be one of the best in 1/64 diecast.”
How has the reception of the club concept been?
“I’m so thankful! The club has been very well received and the collectors are hanging in with us. We have over 2000 members and we haven’t even shown a car yet. That’s a testament to the team: Bryan Pope, Mike Zarnock and Michael Heralda. They are all legends in Diecast.”
How soon are we looking at rollouts, and what’s the timeline estimated between new model releases now that you know what some of the bugs are?
“The membership car should ship in end of January, first part of February. We have 8-9 cars in development right now above the membership cars. We should be ok with doing 1-2 a month and we have some surprises coming too.”
Licenses, which have been the hardest to get?
“I can’t really say, but They have all been great to work with. And giving us a chance to use their her brands to make great diecast”
After dealing with licensing issues, does the proliferation of unlicensed die-cast cars and brands annoy you and the team?
“I think what we offer is more then diecast, we offer a place where collectors are valued, where we talk to them every day, where they have input in the company and color and diecast choices. I want to expand what I did for collectors when I created the RLC, and we are already planning some cool things for them.
But unlicensed product has always been an issue, we just need to make great product and it wont matter.chance to use their her brands to make great diecast”
CHINA 26 FORMULA 1 CAPSULE COLLECTION
SOLIDO GOES BOSS LEVEL
OMG! I have been collecting SOLIDO Mustang’s for quite a while now and this is one of the most spectacular versions of the modern STANG that I have encountered. They took the Shelby Super Snake and dressed it up in racing red with the standard go faster stripes down the center. Brass colored Magnesium Super Snake Alloy wheel is perfectly constructed and fitted with visible Brembo Calipers in the background. Every inch of this car has been scanned or created from CAD perfectly. The ride height is perfect; carbon fiber print is sharp and glossy making it look almost real.
And even the smaller parts have become more intricate as opposed to 10 years ago when small delicate parts were substituted by big ugly plastic pieces or not even there at all. NOW! With modern tech the front splitter has little mount arms in the front and the spoiler arms precision cut to look exactly like the real thing.
The interior again is a stunning display of SOLIDO’s improvement in developing 1/18 scale models with great details at an extremely competitive price. Exceeding expectations with every release it are only a matter of time till they start producing an elite range or VIP range that includes opening engine bay as well with a detailed engine (or so we hope)
Whatever trajectory SOLIDO is on, it is the right one. This year we are already seeing some amazing models coming out from SOLIDO and we are only just completing the 3rd month of the year. With another 9 more to go we can only imagine what our finances will be like or whether we will have any at all keeping up with the thousands of Diecast releases a month. And the worst part is… they are all really desirable.
