Pros & Cons

[MotoS]

Since members have models from a whole array of manufacturers, it would be a good idea to state the good and bad points in general about models from a particular manufacturer even comparison between car model made by two, here not taking into account the price point but in general pointers of what to expect, things like paint, decals , brakes etc.
For me I really don't know if the Sunstar rallying models are good in details and finish

[winstoncds]

Saleel, I don't think quality is consistently good, bad or ugly on models made by any of the manufacturers. It also depends on how much you like a particular car and how accurate a scale model you want of it.
Personal example. I love the Gallardo to death and so the Maisto example simply wouldn't do it for me because of a few inaccuracies. For eg. the gear box is not visible behind and under the Maisto model. The gear stick is morbidly obese. The handles are not sharp and the interiors could have been better. But the model is just right if you do not want to pay 3 times the amount for the Autoart. But everything is not perfect with the Autoart too. The ancillary dials on either side of the rev counter and speedometer are too small and look bad. The interiors are a bland black. I wish they would have been a little color coded to match the bright orange exterior.
I have 3 Sunstar rally cars and I got them each for about of 2200 Rs. They definitely have more detail than the Maisto DTM cars but not really worth the premium. The wheels look positively plastic and sometimes undersized, next to no brake detail and sealed rear doors on 4 door cars. But they are so much cheaper than the Autoarts and Kyoshos for 85-90% of the features. In a cabinet they really do not look out of place next to Autoart and Kyosho models.
I have a Minichamps Bentley Arnage. The most expensive model in my collection. Very fortunately for me, I managed to get the model for 150 USD shipped within the US when the USD had dipped to Rs. 40. But the model is not entirely trouble free. There are some workmanship problems even on this Dealer Edition model. Glue spills being the most nasty. Thankfully I could get rid of them without much hard work but this is not what is expected from Minichamps.
Some of the Kyosho models I have, especially the Mercedes Benz E and CLK cars have terrible paint blistering. The CLK was gifted to me on my birthday and I didnt have the heart to return it. It had visible paint blistering on the bonnet from day one. The E class has blistering on each and every panel now and it has been with me only for the past 3 years now. Blame it on our weather, climate, atmosphere, pollution but there is no going away from the fact that Kyosho has paint and diecasting problems. The bonnets on their yellow BMW M3 E46 cars just come in the hand when the hinges break off. Poor diecasting and it is not a one off incident.
By now, most of us regulars know what to expect from the modelmakers. Please don't be surprised if you get a lemon every now and then. With the more expensive modelmakers, you can be sure you are getting accurate scale models (90% of the time) but there is absolutely no guarantee that the paint will not deteriorate or the wheels will not get sticky (like on UT models.) Enjoy the model cars for the moment. They are not going to last you forever.

[MotoS]

I also had problem with paint on one rim of Mclaren GT by UT melt think its more to do with the weather in Bombay one of my minichamps Ducati 996 was also ruined in the decal area I think this is area where they are not too good and was exposed to showcase close to windows, like you posted about Sunstar things like these are usefull pointers when buying blind online and not to land with a dud when you actualy see the model in your hands, like Autoart they have the best brake caliper combo's consistently in their range

[MotoS]

Absence of Tyre manufacturers markings in normal cars take away some authenticity of the overall models, why do they cut corners here

[winstoncds]

Good point there Saleel. I wonder why even premium modelmakers like Autoart take this shortcut. Maybe licensing from the tire companies is a pain.
I really like the metal discs Autoart uses to replicate the brake discs. Really enhances the look of the model.

[MotoS]

Diablo Wrote:Good point there Saleel. I wonder why even premium modelmakers like Autoart take this shortcut. Maybe licensing from the tire companies is a pain.
I really like the metal discs Autoart uses to replicate the brake discs. Really enhances the look of the model.

They can get licence from maybe one major brand Bridgestone, Pirelli whose products cover range of cars ironically the racing versions don't suffer this fate, I have one very old 1/18 F 50 Bburago it comes with Good Year Fiaranno brand tyres so how did they loose the way now, paying premiums for the Kyosho's one should expect the works

[MotoS]

Spark 1/18 well made cars in terms of paint and panel fits heavy too, one major drawback is the ones in fliptop boxes the rear wings are sure to get dislodged in transportation as they are in plastic and quite thin to replicate accuracy not too much variety in 1/18 though fans of Porsche should go for Ruf CTR3