THE F355 Model is here!!

I think this kyosho 1:18 has been released for a while already as it was out of stock at most shops when I enquired last year. ended up buying the 1:43 version, also done by kyosho with opening front and rear compartments.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thanks Paul!

 

Anyone know of a Challenge version in red and 1:18 scale? I've seen a yellow and silver model but not red.

 

Rosso Corsa / nero????

Where is the tan interior??

 

I have seen a conversion done by a Japanese Expert from a 1:18 UT model in red. Costs around 700USD here in HK but the detail is amazing.

 

Found info on the trans kit online, so its possible to build a red 1:18 challenge, just the UT 355 kit is very rare and not very detailed.

apm - Auto Place Model

Mattel Hotwheels is supposed to have launched a challenge version too but I have never seen that kit for sale anywhere I have looked.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

While I was at the Nürnberg Toy fair in februry of this year, Kyosho had a prototype of an F355 Challenge. I'll try to post a picture later.
At the time they weren't sure wheter or not it would be released.

 

Anyone aware of a 1993-1995 348 Spider in 1:18?

Triple black would be preferable...

Thanks all.

 

Why are they releasing it so late?

 

Kyosho, no wing?

 

Do they come with a sticky interior and cracked headers?

 

I have the 1:18 red/tan 355 Spider made by Mattel. I can't say it's great but my 5 year old likes to push it around the floor. Also have the F355 GTS in a smaller scale from the movie Goldeneye.

 

UT Models made decent 1:18 355s back in the day when the 355 was still a new car. I have a red/tan berlinetta, a yellow/black GTS, and a silver challenge car. They were fairly well done... although not as detailed as the Kyosho. However, while the Kyosho model appears well-executed in terms of detail, some aspects of the model's proportions appear less than appealing - ride height, for one, and the appearance of a lower side skirt, weird proportions around the rear wheel curves (near the buttresses), and rear that appears to have its sheet metal too aggressively slanting upward (i.e. the gap between the ground and rear sheet metal is larger than expected)... to name a few.

To compare, the first image is the more expensive and new Kyosho model (sitting on the desk). The second is the older UT Models car with the gray wall behind it. You be the judge. While I love the detail of the Kyosho model, I wish it had the more correct (in my opinion / taste) proportions of the UT Models car.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Just looking at these side-by-side... I should also point out that I think the Kyosho model has the front overhand too short, while the back overhang is too long. The UT Models car appears to have gotten this right (or at least closer to reality).

 

And the sloping roof line to the engine bay is too long, the door sills are too low to the ground, the rear overhang sits too high from the ground, the rear lights stick out a bit too much.............


and the rest.

 

This thread actually inspired me to dig out these models and take some pictures to share with you guys. I got these probably... oh... 13 or 14 years ago now. I can't quite remember, but it was probably roughly around the time the 355 was coming to the end of its production run or maybe shortly there-after (2000).

I apologize for the exceptionally bad photo quality as I just snapped these quickly on a poor quality camera phone, no less in light shining through the window that wasn't helping! Enjoy...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thanks Paul! Yes, they're some pretty nice models. When I bought them it was purely about admiring the 355 by glancing at the shelf. I'm actually surprised to learn how rare (and relatively pricey) some of these things have become, though. I think the GTS, for instance, is pretty hard to come by now.

The Kyosho detail looks amazing. The dash dials are actually molded, for instance, versus just stickers... and it's nice to have the hood and popups work, too. You'll definitely have to post some pics when it comes.

 

Attached are some pictures of the F355 Kyosho showed at the Nürnberg toy fair and the prototype of the F355 Challenge.
Those Challenge wheels looked pretty nice!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Tease!