1/18 CMC 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

https://cmcmodelcarsusa.com/component/virtuemart/models118/aston-martin-db4-gt-zagato-1961-117-detail?Itemid=0
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Just beautiful.

 

Very nice. Makes me hate condo living.

 

Well...its ok. Models this expensive shouldn't be this flawed.

 

I am a huge Aston Martin fan, and without getting into the nitty-gritty, I do have extensive knowledge with these cars. That said, I can see, aside from the specific choice of car being questionable, i.e. only three of them have this particular larger ungainly grill, and certain details are only on this one; there are also many problems with this model. Clarification about the grill.....Only two cars were -originally- built with that larger wider grill. Then after 2VEV was crashed, extensively damaged, and subsequently rebuilt, it then was given a larger grill, which now makes for three cars with that grill, but only two had it from the beginning. I don't like what I have seen.

Most any collector/enthusiast always picture these cars with the smaller grill, which is on most of them, and that is my feeling as well as all the feedback I've received from collectors of the cars and the models. Smaller grill also includes the additional four(4) Sanction II cars built in the 1990's. The overall shape is different too including the rear body work. I also noticed that the actual mesh grill is wrong for this car too. Maybe CMC will fix that for production, or not. I doubt it. There are so many problems with this model, and I will not list them all. By the way, the exact car they modeled is Ch. No. 0193; this car is RHD and always has been, yet CMC are showing it with LHD, and also in a color that it was never raced in and is not in now! What, Why????? When first raced at Le Mans 1962, it was a DNF, and painted azure - French Blue. Color now is dark green.

There were so many variations on these cars, the majority of which were less "in your face" noticeable, but are there to see for anyone who looks. There are no real succinct reasons for the differences including the grills. As I mentioned, two of the cars were originally built with this grill which includes the car that CMC chose to model. Only the well known '2 VEV' car was later changed when repaired after its early crash. So it is can also be considered period correct.

I wish I knew why they chose to model a car that does NOT match any other Zagato. Aside from the grill, many other areas large and small are specific to this car (some mentioned above), and of course numerous details too. You can't just slap some decals, and different paint color on this and try to push it off as a different car. This is also NOT something where one can claim "artistic license." It is supposed to be an accurate precision replica of a particular car, not a toy. This exact car had a so-so racing career, and was not driven by the greats either. Some journalist has written that this is supposed to be the best of the 19 Zagato's, but with NOTHING at all to back up that statement. Talk to any really knowledgeable Aston expert and you'll get a different opinion...... Clearly not enough proper research and forethought was done for this model.

It looks like it is now too late for CMC to make any changes and corrections since dealers have shown photos announcing that they will receiving this inaccurate model within about the next 7-10 days, and it's what is on CMC web sites and their e-mails. I am very disappointed, but at least CMC just saved me about $500. Oh well.....

 

Just fantastic!

 

That's very disappointing. Thanks for taking the time to share these points.

 

Well put, and thanks for spelling it all out (I admit, I was so irritated by this I didn't even want to go into details). In addition, tires look way too fat, and some of the rear bodywork is not even close to what supposed to be on the car. Absolutely inexcusable to release this in 2014. Shame on you CMC, you have dropped the ball for the third time this year. Not getting my money, that's for sure. And I hope people will boycott this, so CMC would finally get off their high horse and listen to collectors.

 

well, I am very disappointed by that model, mostly because they choose a (bad) replica as pattern. The proportions of the replica are wrong, windscreen/roof too low, car too wide, apart from all other errors/flaws already cited by Lusso123 .This replica is located in Switzerland and could be seen in the Verkehrshaus in Luzern during a exebition called "Zagatos in der Arena"

 

this was at GP Bern
plate has changed
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I really can't understand, you spent all this time and money creating a model...and you don't even know what is it based on? cammon, first you do your research, you get the car you really want to reproduce, you get pictures and documents from the time yoiu are going to reproduce it (because restored cars are often period incorrect) and than you make the model.....this guys destroy all theyr beautifull work simply because they'r too lazzy to do theyr homework.....they are extremly skilled but they should have learned by now that mot collectoprs at this price point are extremly demanding and that the thing they most prize is accuracy.

 

It is awful. Cheap Yat Ming model has better proportions and better catches the spirit of the car.

But it solves a long-standing mystery I had about one pic I have somewhere, with a car that obviously "is and isn't" a DB4 GTZ. It has to be 0193.

If they make it in correct color, RHD and with skinnier tires it might have at least some sense.

 

Is that supposed to be a "crinkle finish" on the dash? If so, it's awful. And what about the thickness of the steering wheel rim???

 

This cmc model car looks too beefed up to me and seems to loose the beauty of the shape.

I'm not sure what the history or details of this particular car are, just it's very beautiful! I saw it by surprise picking up our corvette and decided photos were much needed.
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Lussolover,
If you look at my previous post, you'll see where I commented about this, and cited exactly which Zagato CMC chose to replicate, which is 0193/R.... sort of. That car is as mentioned substantially different in body work, and numerous details from most of the other Zagato's, such as the car you photographed. Though there are NO two cars that are excatly alike. The car you photographed is what most of these 19 Zagato's look like, and is what most people think of when visualizing these cars. I'll be posting a little more soon on this CMC blunder.

 

As I have mentioned before, the exact car which CMC originally used, and attempted to replicate, but have now totally screwed up, is as I have cited, Ch. No. 0193/R.

The left hand drive "car" in photos that some people have found and posted here and on other forums, which looks a lot like 0193/R is NOT this car!! That other LHD car with registration number BE 431584 is confirmed to be a REPLICA, or as some would say a fake car. Some of the Aston people consider it poorly done. It was an attempt by a private collector to replicate 0193/R, BUT with his personal customizations, hence LHD, and other detail changes.

So now CMC have really muddied the waters by combining elements of various Zagato's along with a fake/replica car. Are they making toys or models?

On CMC's USA web site, at the very bottom of the description, it reads: "CMC based its replica on the 19 original Zagato’s and has it painted in “Aston Martin racing green.” So now they are trying to back peddle and say it is a generic model combining elements of all 19 cars!! And now it looks like they have also thrown a REPLICA into the mix! Maybe they didn't realize that, and if they didn't then shame on them as they should have done thorough and proper research. Now they are trying to fix a problem that they created, and this is the first time they have used a statement like that for any of their models. They primarily used one specific car for ALL of their modeling work, and then they add in all sorts of other elements, and now they are trying to say it is some sort of combined general representation. I say it is more of a Frankenstein than anything else.
And at a US retail price of $518.00....

This also unfortunately confirms what I have said to many before. For licensing deals, the automobile manufacturers, including Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc, only care about three things: (1) that the model company agrees to and pays whatever the fees and royalties are. (2) That the packaging looks good or meets what they require to grant the license. (3) That the model looks sort of like the car they are licensing.
Most of the auto mfgs. do not care about what is accurate, nor about what is best for the model company, and least of all, they don't care about the collectors/end users of these products. That is why so much junk gets licensed..... it's always about money and image.

 

Yes this is very useful. I don't want to sound silly but I really saw everything you said when I looked at the photo. Why the heck would they do this. It could have been so pretty!


Not to steal the thread but I've been interested in the Eidolon 1/43 Zagato but have yet to see one in person. Anybody?

 

It's not the first time, that they failed with a closed-wheeler.
The Porsche 901 and the Ferrari 250 GT California are just as bad.
The latter looks as if they had the Ferris Bueller Fiat 124 based replica as their pattern.
I have a few CMC-models, which I love. ( Maserati 250F, Ferrari 250 SWB, 312P Berlinetta, 250 testarossa, Alfa 8C2900B ).
But CMC is no way a guarantee for great models.

 

Hi Marshal - Would you happen to know which car the Yat Ming version was based on (they did a green and a red one but I suppose they are the same)? Kind Regards

 

As this is a Ferrari forum it's not the right place to go into the minutiae of Astons, however... for the record, 2 VEV is in its late-1962, post-Spa accident is a different chassis and body. The crash was so bad they transferred the chassis plate to a new MP209-spec car, the same as 0193 and 0191. All RHD. 2 VEV was involved in a heavy road crash in 1993 and was subsequently badly repaired by Aston Martin Works Service. The nose and other details are wrong today. These MP209 cars had higher, more shallow-sloping tails and 'low penetration' noses with shallow grilles but a more exaggerated 'smile'. The model seems to try to replicate this, but with a standard 'rounded' Zagato shape.

The 'boxy' air outlet on the wing of the model is rare but 0193 had it 1961, but not 1962. The chrome trimiline added to the model is unusual and only a look at the Palawan book will reveal if there were others. 22 XKX had a chrome line but not like this.

I see they have done a blue racing version (minus chrome trim on the side) https://www.cmc-modelcarshop.de/en/cmc-model-cars-118/cmc-aston-martin-db4-gt-zagato-racing-version-blue-1961.html which is the right colour. How they have not simply made a RHD dash surprises me.

 

Thank you, Steve. I'm sure it's a good place to go into detail, they're both designed and made in England, no?

 

ps forgive me, I was asking about the cheapo Yat Ming version, which was made in some RHD versions. I was wondering whether that, which is not bad looking, was based on a particular car, perhaps only one, apparently unlike the CMC posh one.

 

I once went to a studio in Bristol in early 2000s but I assume they are made in China now. Don't know.

 

Hi Steve - I meant both the cars (!). (English humour)

 

There's more to the story of what and how CMC did their work, and all of their mistakes. The CMC Aston's are all wrong, extensively so, and don't properly replicate any. I used to consult with them. Long story, and problems with all of their Ferrari's too. That aside, the Yat Ming Aston Zagato is a generic piece, not really set to replicate any particular car, though it does mostly match a couple.