Bernd’s Baby…

Every so often a 1:43 comes in here that just blows us away. This time around, it’s this outstanding model of Bernd Rosemeyer’s 1936 Auto Union Typ C - a car that he was known for driving tail-out - done in diecast with some of the best looking photoetched detailing we’ve ever seen on a mass-market model car. The number 4 livery - from the 1936 German GP - is outstanding, as is the fine-grained metallic paint. Look close, and you can see the outstanding photo-etched spoked wheels; look closer, and you can almost hear exhaust popping from the twin banks of short pipes at the rear. Love GP cars of the thirties? Check it out…

Major Merc!

Okay, call us a bunch of hams - but you have to love what Sunstar’s been doing with their 1:18 Platinum Collection. Ultra-detailed, highly featured, and just plain great looking, the models bring a ton of hands-on fun to a series of well-chosen and beautifully put up classic American cars. We lifted this clip from the September 25th, 2010 episode of Car Room LIVE! so you could see it all in glorious (well, maybe not so glorious - but still pretty cool) living color.

Bigger is DEFINITELY better…

Large scale diecast models are centerpieces; impossible to ignore due to their size and presence on display. That’s certainly the case with this stunning piece from Kyosho - a 1:12 Ferrari Enzo in bad ass black - despite the dark hue’s usually stealthy effect. A lot of that has to do with the real car’s sleek stance. Enzos are wicked machines, packing 650-horse V12 power and Formula 1 inspired technology at all four corners. In scale, the car’s a real feature fest, with opening doors, rear deck, and front boot, and a removable set of custom fitted luggage set into an equally doffable nose-mounted package tray. We loved the overall tightness and fit of everything, from the beautifully textured faux carbon fiber and leather surfaces to the ceramic brake discs that get revealed when you pull the road wheels. It ain’t cheap - this one tags at around $525.00 -  but there isn’t a single bit of the model that doesn’t warrant the price of ownership!

Kyosho USA

Sweet Re-coupe

Here’s a figure to roll around your tongue: $7.25 million dollars. Nice ring to it, huh? That’s the price a collector paid for this singular machine, one of the only six Shelby Daytona Coupes ever made, at the Mecum auction. Of course, that was a little while ago; the machine may or may not be worth that kind of lofty figure in the current economy. The good news is that for a whole lot less - say, fifty bucks or fewer - you can tote this nicely done Greenlight Collectibles version home in the crook of your arm. The model makes the most of a relatively few pieces to get its point across, and the result is… well, see for yourself. Just don’t forget to stow your bags in the overhead bin before takeoff.

Greenlight Collectibles

Special FXX

It’s got to be cool to be Hot Wheels Elite these days: They’ve grown into one of the large scale diecast collecting hobby’s best suppliers of affordable, yet comprehensively detailed models. If Ferrari is your brand of poison, take a whiff of this pair of FXXs - Ferrari’s uber-performance, special-customer-only racer/test bed variant of the Enzo. These tag for around 1.5 mil - 2.5 if you buy into the Ferrari program that comes attached to ownership. Luckily, these scaled versions will run in the just-under-$100.00 range. Enjoy your flight!

Hot Wheels Elite

Fasten Your Seat Belts…

TrueScale’s 1:18 Tyrrell P34s are bringing a whole new level of high detail to market at a reasonable price point, with clever engineering, great assembly, and the types of working features savvy collectors demand. We put the models under the lens of our video rig for the first of many planned “Fly-By” segments - sixty seconds of eyes-on fun for the collectors who want to see the newest releases. You can cop the Scheckter car separately, but this pair of cars (modeling the 1-2 place Tyrrells driven by Scheckter and Depailler at Anderstorp in 1976), comes as a set. Look closely - the Depailler car is only available when you buy both. The good news? The price of under three hundred bucks for the pair is more than acceptable, given the eye-popping detail beneath the models’ skins. Fasten your seat belts - and enjoy!

TrueScale Tyrrell P34

Car Room TV Special!

So - what does 1600 horsepower look like? Well, if it’s coming from Dave Tucci’s 1955 Nomad, it looks something.. like.. this! Mike Zarnock talks to Dave Tucci, Jr. about his wild 500cid twin-turbo creation in this Car Room TV exclusive.

Joe Kelly Jr. interviews Diecast Designer Luis Tanahara from The Custom Crew at the 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.