I tried! I did try! I wanted you to choose what I'd review next, I put it up for a vote, and what do I get? A DRAW!!! A freakin' draw! DEMOCRACY DOESN'T WORK PEOPLE!!!
Right, that's out of the way, on to the matter at hand. If I were to say cool race cars what would you say? There are lots, but Group B rally cars must be right up there. A class of race cars so advanced, so fast and so dangerous that they were banned. If I were to then say cool car liveries what would you say then? Gulf (bit obvious really)? Jaegermeister (it tastes funny)? Martini? Aaah yes, that's the ticket!
Back in the eighties Rallying was where it was at. An unbridled arms race marrying fast cars, dangerous races and sponsorship designed to make you sick (HB and Rothmans cigarettes, Martini drinks) and while the Peugeot 205 and Audi Quattro did the lion's share of the winning, the Lancia Delta S4 took the lion's share of the awesome. Tubular spaceframe, turbo and supercharged and that livery. I've seen these things race in real life and watching them exit corners is quite a sight, you see a car, there is a sudden explosion of noise and the car is elsewhere. The sound of the wastegate is enough to give you chills, a violent snap! much like the noise your balls make as they recede into your body when you experience the acceleration the 1.8 litre twincharged engine is capable of.
But I digress, let us come to the subject at hand, today's review is of the Auto Art Lancia S4, in the 1986 Montecarlo-winning Martini livery, driven by the late Henri Toivonen.
Design and Accuracy: 10/10
This particular model comes from Auto Art's Signature series. That's normal Auto Art turned up to eleven, every single detail is more precise, more things are happening, more little things to look at. The sponsor decals are precise, every single little thing is replicated to the finest detail. You see those wing mirrors? They've even got the little metal bit that holds them in place from underneath (useful, because Vitaloni California mirrors are very droopy in real life).
Fit and Finish: 10/10
Tight panel gaps, smooth, luxurious paint, a discernible difference in the finish of the headlights and the spotlights. Pretty much everything you could ask for. This is the closest I've seen a die cast model come to a resin one in terms of tightness of panel gaps and bodywork features. For Auto Art the Signature series means more than just a better box, there is a real step up in the way they finish the models.
Features: 9/10
Everything that needs to open opens. Every internal detail is replicated faithfully.
See these little vents on the roof? Yeah, they open.
I decided to knock it down one point from a perfect score for a lack of functioning suspension. This isn't too much of a big deal, but having that cavernous access to the rear end, it would have been supremely cool to see the shock absorbers do their thing. I realise that this would have probably sent the price of the model into the stratosphere, but hey, I can dream right?
Value: 7/10
We're talking about a $200 model, it's never going to be incredible value for money, but it's worth it, seriously. Just look at the shifter, or the knee rest for Toivonen's left leg, that's proper interior detail.
Rarity: 5/10
Still in production, half a dozen on eBay at any given time (if you're not particular about the Monte Carlo or Martini livery that number rises to more than 30). It's not a rare bird by any stretch of the imagination. Oh who cares, have another picture!
Final Score: 41/50
I marked this model down for its comparative lack of rarity and fairly salty purchase price. But if we were to discount these two factors and focus only on the model itself you'd see that it's nearly perfect. I think that's saying something and it's also indicative of the wonderful time we live in when it comes to models. Back when I was a kid, you had your Maistos, your Bburagos or, if you were utterly loaded, an occasional obscure Kyosho. Nowadays companies like Auto Art are bringing out obsessively detailed models at relatively accessible price points (yeah they aren't cheap, but look at CMC or Exoto). If you like Group B rally cars, you need this model, that's all there is to it really. This is one of those cars that you can lose yourself in for a good half an hour, just looking at the tiny little details like mudflap supports or opening roof vents.
Oh by the way, I mentioned that voting for the next review was a draw, so I'm going to post the other car that got the most votes tomorrow...