Do you think Hotwheels / Mattel Ferrari die-cast models are crap ?

I don't have any minichamps or autoart diecast, but for my purposes, I think hot wheels die cast are pretty good. Theyre also cheaper... I've got 1:18

Yellow550 Barchetta
Red Enzo
612 Scaglietti
166 Millemiglia

also Maisto
Silver F50
Blue 348

I paid $20 or less for every one of these models. The only one whose quality was a bit lacking in my opinion is the 166.

 

I guess youre right. I see them as just pieces that I enjoy having because they remind me of the real cars. Hot Wheels 1:18 scale accomplishes this for me, except for those dammmed "whips" lumps of excrement they sell.

I think 99% of the visitors to my home or office wouldn't know the difference between an 8 out of 10 or a 10 out of 10 in quality. So I don't care if more expensive ones are available, I'd rather spend the money on buying new tools

 

For a $20 "toy" what can you expect ? The problem with HW is that out of most of the cars they've done, they are just minor improvements from existing molds(from Burago, Mira & Anson). The 2 cars that really stand out are the 288 & 250 GTOs , a definate improvement over the Burago versions. I'd love to see AA start doing Ferraris.

 

imo, on average, they do an "okay" job. 360CS aside, i don't think i've seen any that flat-out suck rocks. and some of them are pretty nice. but it's rather all over the map.

it's too bad ferrari gave them the whole shebang so there's no competition. once the old stock from the other companies sells through, i don't see any reason why future releases won't be on the lower side of average.

doody.

 

For the price they are not a bad model. If people want more/better detail then just spend some more money.After all, thats what it comes down to: money.

 

The Kyosho Hotwheels arrangement is a good thing also. Just look at the 308/328 models and the BB512, Daytona's etc. Those models are VERY good but they are a bit on the pricy side..but you get what you pay for. The Hotwheels models are in my eyes discusting. Painted on seat belts. crappy looking calipers (if there are any) engines are out of scale with the rest of the car, paint is terriable, the detail is just awful..basicly the entire line of the Hotwheels Ferrari models suck..except for the ones that Kyosho has made. Kyosho should be the company to be making the model Ferrari's along with AutoArt and Exoto. But this again is a case of Ferrari whoring out there name on another crappy product.

 

You picked all good ones.

IMO Hotwheels is underrated given the price.

I know we love to bash them here but some are very good for the price.

Some are even very good at twice the price.

Some are hopeless and I would not touch.

Good: 288GTO, the 550/575, the 360, F50

Mediocre (but buy because that's all there is): F40, 360CS, 250GT California, 246 Dino, Enzo, 250GTO.

Bad: Daytona, 360 Spyder (interior sux), 355 Spyder (interior sux), 512M/TR (shape is wrong).

I must admit I'm a bit light on the older ones like the Lusso, 166.

T.

 

How about the F1's that HW produces? The price for such a model is an amount higher compared to a road car model, but even those still suck.

 

I am probably going to make some people mad by saying this but I do not care.
What it boils down to is this...I am tired of this crap. If you do not like them, do not buy them. Period. Do not keep bringing it up on a b-board. It gets old real fast when every time you stop buy, you see the same thing. I am starting to really dislike coming to this board due to all the damn negativity there is toward certian things. Get over it people. Mattel makes them, it is your choice to buy them or not. Oh well that there is not a "better quality/higher priced" model out there. So fu**ing what. Will your life be any worse off because you do not have an accurate scale model of a car you probably can not truely afford anyway? Hell no. These are toys!! Even the $300-$400 ones are TOYS!! Some people may call them "collectibles" but bottom line...they are TOYS! Life will go on. There are far more important things in life than to sit and cry about models and how you do not like them or that no one makes a certian one. Here is a thought...instead of taking that $300 you want to spend on a non-existent 1:18 Exoto 360 CS, why not give that money to a homeless shelter? Seems to me that money would go a hell of a lot farther there than it would if you bought something and put it on a shelf somewhere. And, instead of taking the time to type out a complaint on a forum, why not think about all the soliders who are putting their lives on the line every day. And I am not just talking about the ones in Iraq either. There are soldiers you see everyday of your life who do the job. You may not see a police officer as a soldier, but he/she is one. Same goes for a firefighter. They are soldiers as well. Anyone who is in a protective field of work is a soldier protecting your lives and all some of you can do is cry about GD TOYS!! My God, what is this world coming to?

I will stop ranting now because I need to get my son ready for school but I will end with this...buy what you like, but do not keep crying about what is out there.

 

360 Spyder>

I wouldn´t go as far as calling miniatures toys. Would you call a BBR a toy? They don´t serve the purpose of being played with. Having said that, I don´t think HW-models are all that bad, when related to their price. The Enzo looks acceptable and the Scaglietti is right up there. If you compare the HW 360 to the Bburago one, the HW wins. Their F50 is below par, but so is the Bburago Testarossa and F40.

 

One thing I'll say is that it's wrong to preach that there's better things to spend your money on in this forum.

If we all drove Toyota Prius Hybrids and donated money to charities, of course things might be better.

But we are enthusiasts, by nature we are consumers and whether we buy a $500 1:12 Enzo oe a $200,000 Stradale, this is ultimately our decision and fair in our capitalist societies.

I just ask that you buy intelligently and not be stuck with poor models or be suckered in with bad value models.

A general moratorium on slamming Hot Wheels without much reason would be good too.

T.

 

Well not crap, but far from perfect. I agree that other makers that charge the same kind of $$s are doing a better job...

 

"There are far more important things in life than to sit and cry about models and how you do not like them or that no one makes a certian one".

Like posting tons of photos of HWs standing outside on your drive lane for example??? I don't want to be offensive but that is an even more useless manner to fill your time with IMO. I am with you when you state that there are far more important things in life than scalecars, be it HWs or others. That is for sure. But if we have to take into account everyting truly important in life on a chatforum, why would you be talking about cars anyway?

 

LOL.

That one post with the Black Enzo with crazy wheels on it had my butt fooled. I looked at that post 3 times wondering why it was in the diecast portion, I thought it had been posted on the wrong forum!

I'd be lying if I said I didn't try the same thing with a video camera when I was 13. It was a fun couple hours

 

I'm satisfied with what you get for the price.

Here's a question, why did they not introduce an F430 with the intro of the car as they did with I believe the 360 and 612 for example????

 

well f430_monza brings up yet another interesting thread (keep it up)! Anyway I have to agree that autoart etc. blows hotwheels out of the water. I used to collect model lamborghinis before I got my first ride in an f car. Now I am 110% dedeicated to Ferrari and I still buy all my Ferrari models from higher quality manufacturers. As to what happned with the lambo models.......I shipped em to my uncle with a note saying Boom on it. The next day he sent me a pic of my model cars after taking a few rounds from a .50 cal machinegun (he's a tanker for the Marines). Well a tad of topic but worth it. b

 

Okay...to answer a few things sent my way (and out in general)...

First, Mattel/Hot Wheels is not "hogging this Ferrari license". They were awarded an exclusive license by Ferrari. That was Ferrari's choice. Ferrari must have felt that Mattel/Hot Wheels would do an acceptable job in recreating their product in order for them to do that. Why don't you call up the marketing directors at Ferrari and let them know of your dislike of their choice?

Second, yes; BBR are toys. You put one in front of my 5 year old son and I bet he would love playing with it. $100, $200, $300...does not matter. In his eyes, they are what they are; toys.

Third, taking pictues of my collection. I am currently in college to earn a degree in Criminal Justice. One of the classes I am taking this semester is Investigative Photography. In that class, we take pictures. Hundreds of them. Taking the pictures of my collection is practice for that class. Photography has also been a hobby of mine for several years now. On the side, I am trying to get a job as an automotive photographer for a few different magazines. Taking said photos builds up a portfolio to show the editors what kind of skills I possess. In other words...I am doing this to get a job. I do not do miniatures exclusively either. See my album of pictures of a FerrariChat.com members 348. Also see the other albums with several hundred other pitures contained within.

Fourth, I was only using the examples of money spent as examples; not gospel. I could care less if you spent your $300 on models, liquor, candy, or pornography. It's your money, do with it as you please.

And finally...yes. Talking about everything important in life would get dull at times. That is why forums like this are good. People can come to it and see other peoples collections, find out what is out there they may want in their own collection, and just chat with others. It is good to get away from lifes everyday trials and tribulations every now and again. But, when the negativity starts to overtake...then it just gets old fast.

I am now off my soapbox again. If you read that whole rant...wow...you must have been bored.