
You know that feeling, you come by a
nicely detailed car for a superb price, and even though it is wayyy out of your
themes, you can't just not look at it and admire it for a couple of minutes,
thinking and searching for an excuse to buy it. Well, that happened to me last
summer, at the end of summer to be exact. I met a collector who has had some
financial hardship was selling a number of AA millenium models for
basically half their price. I couldn't not notice the elegance and class this
model has. After searching an 'excuse' to get it, I finally said.... this would
look great on my desk next to my silver pens!
This model is made by Autoart in
1:18 scale as part of their top line and boy it is a nice car. The elegance of
the subject attracts you solely, but the articulated details and fine
reproduction just makes you drool and look at it for time and time again. The
models stands out very nicely and you can instantly see that the
dimensions are spot on... but are they? After measuring it time and time again,
width is perfect, however, it seems that the model should be around 1cm longer.
Anyway, nothing that grave in my eyes. The paintjob is very smooth, homogenous
and thick, very nicely done. The chrome is also very good, just perfect.
The front of the model is
beautifully reproduced with those large and realistic headlights. The plastic
lense itself is a beauty, it is craftly reproduced in a net like design. If one
looks closely, one can see that the headlight detail (behind the plastic lense)
is spot on aswell. The indicator is very large as it should be and is supported
by three large studs, but then again, it should be that way! The front grill is
perforated and very neatly chromed and detailed. At the grill's centre, there
is the Jaguar emblem in gold and wonderfully reproduced by AutoArt.
Underneath the grill, their is a black opening that was probably introduced the
airflow. At the very top of the bonnet, AA has reproduced vents that help the
engine cool down, and guess what? AA's model has 14 littles fins as the REAL
CAR!! WOW!
At the backend, the car is very
simple and aerodynamic. It has the large brakelights in red plastic lence and
two hollow exhausts. On the right hand side (looking from the back) the E-type
has the small aerial as the real one, unluckily it doesn't move up and down,
would have been a nice touch, but probably, I am getting a bit spoiled while
reviewing this car. On the other side, the model has the cover hiding the
filler cap, and again, I think that this little insignificant part could have
been done a bit better. Its spot on, of course, it has even the
small opening left for the driver's finger to slip in and
open, but one can see that the part is indeed sealed, it would have been
great to see that the cover and rest of the bodywork are indeed separate parts,
but then again, as my previous comment, I am being spoiled here! On the rear
luggage compartment, AA has craftfully reproduced in photoetched pieced the
"Jaguar E-Type V12" in the same and exact way as the real thing.
The model has full opening parts,
being, the front engine cover, two doors, and rear luggage compartment. All
parts have a really close and tight fit.
The front part opens suicide style
forwards showing an nicely detailed engine. The parts are individualised and
are NOT coloured in that cheap chrome. There are a number of wires and
different tubes connecting various components together. A finely detailed
engine I must say! The rear part is a bit disappointing, it is carpeted and
neat as the real thing, but differently from the front mechanism, AA used two
very large dog leg type hinges which do not really look that real.
The doors open very smoothly and are
not loose. The hinges are very delicate mechanism which are completely hidden
and are very elegant. The interior itself is very nice, AA has very well
replicated the seat and door interior. They look like leather. Also, the
seatbelts are masterfully replicated in drapery with the small and detailed
buckle attached to it. The steering wheel is very nice and realistic, and if
you look closely, you can see the Jaguar emblem replicated in black at the
centre of it. The dashboard is very detailed aswell, it is in black and so it
hides some details, but the central console is full of buttons and the gauges
(decal) are readible.
The wheel is very nice and nicely
replicated. At the centre of each rim, there is a small detail showing the
Jaguar emblem and E-Type written on it. Some need their spectacles to see this.
The rim style hides the brake and caliper detail, but still, AA has reproduced
it. After looking at the whole brake/caliper detail, I cannot really judge it,
as the detail is hidden behind the rim, but, I can say that the brake disk
indeed rotates with the wheel while the caliper is static.
The undercarriage is again nicely
done, the 'bronze' like colour on the exhaust system is a charm. Most of the
other parts are moulded into the undercarriage and colour detailed which does
it job very nicely. Also, one can see fine details in the axle and
brake/suspension area. The rest of the undercarriage is black and unfortunetaly
it does have a lot of holes used for screws.
In conclusion... wow! I mean, it is
really a nice model from AutoArt. It is really great value for money, one of
the best AA's out there for sure. It is also availible in red, but I feel that
silver suits it better, tastes anyway. In the end, it is a highly reccomended
piece to any diecast collection, look at my collection, I collect racing cars,
but still, this is a highly admired piece.
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