Remember when we used to do Model Citizen/LaLD Models of the Month? Those were the good old days, weren’t they?
Well, they’re back, baby.
Our first MOTM for 2019 is AUTOart’s Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Group A Team Hasemi, the car that won the Suzuka round of the 1993 Japanese Touring Car Championship. This was near the tail end of the “Godzilla” era in which the GT-R won 29 consecutive rounds of the JTCC, claiming every series championship from 1990 through 1993, ultimately killing off the series itself due to the inability of other manufacturers to field a car that could touch it. Fans of JTCC racing know that the Calsonic-liveried GT-R of Team Impul is the megastar of the R32’s heyday, having won both the 1990 and 1993 championships, but Team Hasemi won the ’91 and ’92 titles, as well as the aforementioned Suzuka race in 1993…and anyway, this is the one that AUTOart put on sale (but we’ll get to that in a moment).
As you’d expect with an old-fashioned diecast metal 1:18 AUTOart, you get a lot of detail with the Hasemi Skyline. The hood opens to reveal a wired-up engine, but the real stars are the authentic racing cockpit and fuel-cell system in the trunk. Also, unlike previous AUTOart Skylines that we’ve offered here before and will never speak of again, this one comes in a fully-enclosed Styrofoam package rather than a window box, making for safer shipping.
So what’s the deal? A drop in AUTOart’s wholesale price means that Model Citizen has the 1:18 Hasemi Skyline for $119 (was $140), but LaLD readers can get it for only $99 through January 31st, with free shipping in the lower 48 States. Use promo code LALDJAN to get the discount; we only have three cars in stock at the moment, but we can re-order if there is sufficient demand.
Happy new year!