Nicholas' Diecast Models

Authored by Nicholas
Gallery of this model can be found here

Manufacturer	AutoArt
Scale	1:18
Category	Mid-Range

The Vantage is Aston's latest baby. It has a 4.3-litre V8 naturally-aspirated engine. The Vantage initially came only with the 6-speed manual gearbox. Now, it's available with the Paddle-Operated 6-Speed Semi-Automatic transmission from the DB9 as the SportShift version. The Vantage is said to be more of a driver's car compared to the DB9. The V8 produces a muscular 380 bhp. It's exhaust system is equipped with butterfly valves which flick open and allow it to flow straight through when you plant your foot down. This is a review of the 1:18 Vantage by AutoArt in Titanium Silver.


The Model

AutoArt has a very wide selection of model cars. It’s very known for highly-detailed models. The Vantage is one of few 1:18 Aston Martins AutoArt has made. Along with it is the DBR9 and the DB5. The AutoArt V8 Vantage comes in two colours for now. They are the Titanium Silver and the majestic Onyx Black. Model feels very solid and well put together but can be mistaken for a plastic model as it’s very, very light.

What's In The Box

The Vantage comes in AutoArt's standard skeleton-frame window-type box. It's priced in the Performance line, so there's nothing to shout about the box of it. It's mounted onto a plastic base and secured with screws. The cowling's are held from flipping with annoying wires. Both the doors are held by rubber bands "hooked" on both door cards.

Exterior

The exterior of my Vantage is painted in a very flaky metallic silver. The flakes seem to be very accurate in size but there's too much metal flakes which is very noticeable. I'd recommend you the Onyx Black is you're not a fan of flaky paint. The paint thickness is good. However, the clear coat, which provides the gloss look, is very, very wavy. Let’s move on. The front of the model is very good, I must say. The bonnet is made of metal and has two perforated and covered with mesh intakes. The front lights of this model is very nice, they seem to have no attachment stubs. Both bulbs are made to look like projector style head lights, which I believe is true to the original. The Aston Martin badge on the bonnet is a raised piece and looks finely detailed. In other words, it looks just like a real one.

Another issue with this model is the really badly done shutlines. Stance of the car is perfect. The aggressive wheels of the 1:1 Vantage are faithfully reproduced. The tires have wafer-thin profiles, but those shall be discussed later on.

Moving on to the side, the profile is very nicely done. The trademark Aston Martin fins in front of the doors are replicated too. The side indicators have attachment stubs which are expected as they are tiny. The side skirts are made of plastic. It feels a little cheap too. I guess these make the model very light. The doors are a very nice touch. They capture the 1:1s function of swan style doors. Aston Martin claims this prevents the doors from hitting curbs as the car sits so low.

Let's move to the rear. The model looks aggressive with the two huge exhaust pipes. The third brake light is painted on, yes, painted while the rest are nice clear pieces. There even are reflector pieces above the exhaust pipes. The tiny spoiler on the car is also replicated. Also, there is a registration plate which holds the car's model "V8 Vantage".

Wheels, Brakes and Undercarriage

The wheels are the highlight of this model. They are very, very well done, true to the 1:1. The Aston Martin logo is tampoed onto the wheels. There are 5 lugnuts which look very realistic and 3D like. The tires, which are of wafer-thin profile as I mentioned earlier, has an extremely realistic soft feel. The tires have accurate tread patterns too. The brakes are of typical AutoArt quality, brushed to give the used look. The calipers have "Aston Martin" tampoed on. The rear brakes have 2 calipers, a big one which looks just like the front one and a small one which is totally black. The undercarriage of this model has very nicely done exhaust piping which is painted in silver. The rest, sadly, is black.

Engine

As this model is in the Performance range, there really is nothing to shout about in the engine bay. You can see the engine under the anti-roll bar of the model. It has a huge pipe in front of it which is true to the 1:1 but I am not sure what is it for. Also, all eight cylinders can be seen. The engine also has the "4.3", "V8" and Aston Martin badge.

Interior

This model is a right hand drive variant. The interior of this model is fairly detailed but doesn’t look to be as "sharp" as other AutoArt models. The interior of both colors are only in a blueish-blackish hue for now. It looks ok on the silver but I would prefer cream for the black version. Seats are hard plastic. Getting bored of AutoArt's same interior material, aren’t we? Door cards are beautifully made but, are also hard plastic. Carpet in the interior feels thick, as on most AutoArts. The boot has a very nice feature, unlike the interior which is stark. There are two wires which hold up the luggage rack when you open the boot lid. The boot compartment is also lined with carpet, just like the interior.

Conclusion

The Vantage is a good effort from AutoArt, although not as detailed as earlier Performance range models such as the Lamborghini Gallardo, it still is a very desirable model. Maybe because it’s an Aston Martin. If you love the brand, you definitely have to get this model. You can also wait for other colors as AutoArt is known for milking the molds of their models by releasing new colours.

Score Sheet

Exterior	Captures the stance of the 1:1. Not very good paint. Doors are a nice touch	7.0
Wheels, Brakes and Undercarriage	Very nicely done! The best part of this model.	8.5
Engine	A good effort from AutoArt, though nothing to shout about.	7.5
Interior	Very nice but hard seats set the score back.	8.0
Score	[Emphasis of score placed on interior and exterior]	7.5