REVIEW: AUTOart Porsche 911 (930) Turbo Wangan Midnight • DiecastSociety.com

REVIEW: AUTOart Porsche 911 (930) Turbo Wangan Midnight

I’ve been waiting patiently for AUTOart to expand their Porsche marque, especially the older platforms like the 930, 964, and 993.  Much has gone on deaf ears it seems, though AUTOart would rather support composite scale models featuring the likes of the Nissan Juke Type R with sealed bonnet than a proven winner from Porsche.  There is little light at the end of the quarter mile strip, AUTOart’s recent release of the 1:18 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo Wangan Midnight “Blackbird”.

The model is in fact a replica of a tuned Porsche based on a Japanese animation series called Wangan Midnight.  I’m no authority on the shows history or claim to be a fan either, what I like is automobiles and I like the looks of this one much.

From the exterior view the model is absolutely sinister; all Black is the theme here.  The only thing that shines is the chrome around the BBS wheels and yellow fogs up front.  Paint is beautifully applied to a mirror like finish.  The stance is very low, to the point where the rubber is nearly touching the fenders, and camber is definitely on par with the JDM crowd.  Remember folks this model is based on a fantasy tuned Porsche; stock won’t cut it, wining is everything!

The Blackbird is made with diecast metal and plastic parts, it also features access to the internals and interior – rare these days.  Fit and finish of the model is executed well, shutlines and panel gaps are seriously tight.  I’m sure the Black exterior helps.  Some exterior elements that change the car from the standard Porsche 911 (930) are as follows:

– Front aero bumper/integrated yellow fogs
– Rear aero bumper
– Rear side air intake duct with a slit
– Aftermarket door mirrors
– Vehicle height Lowdown
– Race type three-piece wide wheels and thick sport tire
– Large-diameter cross-drilled brake rotor
– Animation specific rear number plate
– Large oil cooler (in the front air intake)
– Large inter-cooler and big turbo
– Dedicated dual muffler and exhaust pipe

The no nonsense front fascia is mated to a very large oil cooler – all is nicely detailed.  Storage area is accessible and features updated hinge work and full flocking.

Rear features custom bumper with unique driver side dual exhaust.  Notice the rear is fully de-badged.  Large upper spoiler is fully perforated; it looks like there could be a metal grille underneath, truly authentic in appearance.  Not strut support for the hatch but operation is flawless.

Any good racer is as good as the motor modifications, the Blackbird performance is enhanced with massive inter-cooler and large turbo.  Take my word for it the turbo is visible from the bottom side.  My bad for forgetting to snap a pic!  Overall the fit and finish doesn’t look too shabby either.

Wheels are BBS, though execution is good it isn’t AUTOart’s best work.  The rims are mated to massive cross-drilled rotors and calipers.  Jeez they squeezed as much brake power as possible here.  I like it!

Inside the interior is nicely appointed.  There is full carpeting throughout, though the seat-harness is made of plastic instead of fabric.  Seats and steering wheel have neat textured look and feel.  The Blackbird differs from the standard 930 platform with a host of tweaks, they include:

– Roll bar
– Full bucket seat
– 4-point seat belt
– Updated steering wheel
– 340km/h full scale speedometer
– Updated center console (instrument & switches)
– Boost meter & Boost switch

On the whole the AUTOart Porsche 911 (930) Turbo Wangan Midnight “Blackbird” is a very decent piece.  The animation connection added no weight in my buying decision, I’m sure other feel the same.  Up the ante with a tuned diecast version and I’m sold.  There definitely is a few shortcomings that I believe were driven to keep costs down, true a shame.  On the flip side the model is different, not your typical Porsche, and we can’t forget the awesome cool factor either.   Enjoy the pics!

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10 Responses to "REVIEW: AUTOart Porsche 911 (930) Turbo Wangan Midnight"

  1. Christos says:

    Fantastic model!!!!!!!!

  2. flathead says:

    Very nice review. Comprehensive, with great photos. Thanks!

  3. mohawk says:

    Why the missing Porsche emblem?

  4. Vitaliy D says:

    The re-issued model in 2021 is the same die-cast (not a composite one, thanks God!) and does not seem to have any changes comparing to the initial release. Except the small separate metal plate that mentions the 30th anniversary.
    As a person who had CMC 1:18 Porsche 901 and Schuco 1:18 Porsche 934 RSR in my hands, I can tell that:
    – CMC’s model is obviously much better everywhere, it is just another league. The CMC’s materials and details are amazing, and AutoArt’s model looks ridiculous comparing to it. But! I like the shape of this Turbo Wangan Midnight modification (as well as 934) much more.
    – Schuco’s model has very detailed engine and working suspension (though not so detailed as CMC’s one). But Schuco’s model has very bad panel gaps for doors, hood and even the windshield. That’s why AutoArt’s model looks much more accurate and displays much better than Schuco’s one.
    – AutoArt’s model is accurate, has very good panel gaps and displays well, even though its engine details and static suspension look pathetic comparing to both Schuco’s and CMC’s models. But the engine and suspension are not that visible when a model is displayed, so AutoArt’s model, which is much more accurate than Schuco’s one, beats Schuco here. As for CMC’s model, the AutoArt’s one looks poor next to it. But I find the body of the 930 Turbo to be more interesting than the 901 one, so CMC’s model is rather to enjoy the materials and perfection of the technical execution of a scale model whereas the AutoArt’s model is more about the look of the original vehicle, even though the scale model demonstrates much less details and materials.

  5. mk78 says:

    I don’t know how many revisions Autoart has of this one and the only visible difference seems ot be the Porsche logo which is or isn’t present. Mine doesn’t have it.

    As for the model itself.
    I needed sort of a reference point and I love the 930. And since I came across the Wangan version, even though it is an expensive Autoart, I ordered it.

    I cannot really speak about any CMC version, but the 901 you compared this Autoart to is also offered for like 260 I can comapre it something much more accessible – to the GT Spirit’s RWB Bourgogne. Which is a 964, yes, but for the purposes of this post, it should suffice.

  6. mk78 says:

    I don’t know how many revisions Autoart has of this one and the only visible difference seems ot be the Porsche logo which is or isn’t present. Mine doesn’t have it.

    As for the model itself.
    I needed sort of a reference point and I love the Wangan 930. And since I came across it, even though it is an expensive Autoart, I ordered it.

    I cannot really speak about any CMC version, but the 901 you compared this Autoart to is also offered for like 260 euro these days, new. It seems not be on stock though. But that price is actually less than what I paid for this Autoart 930… Sort of a shocker, since after seeing the review of that 901, yes, it is a different league.

    Not review or anytinhg, but I can comapre this Autoart to the GT Spirit’s RWB Bourgogne. Which is a 964, yes, but for the purposes of this post, it should suffice.
    It’s like 3 times cheaper (!) model. It’s a resin one, completely static, so no opening parts and wheels don’t rotate or turn.

    So, the first thing I noticed about this Autoart’s 930 is the paint. Sure, it’s black and glossy. But it is glossy in a correct sense. One would have to carefully examine the reflections in proper daylight to understand. Everything reflects very cleanly, there are practically no odd reflection refractions. It really feels very good. And even better – same goes for the windows. Again, practically perfect reflections.
    On the RWB this is not so celan, good, just not perfect. Especially the body paint is really nice for the price, but there are some not exactly precise reflections from the paint. But more importantly, on the windows. These are a bit worse in this regard. Which has nothing to do with their transparency of course, they are perfectly clear, just the reflections.

    The biggest plus Autoart gets as long as the body detail goes in comparison to the RWB is for the modelled side windows borders. RWB has it just in one piece with side windows glued to the resin body. Normally, it doesn’t feel bad or anything, it’s perfectly clear without any anomalies, but a bit flat where the window side-border parts are.

    OTOH, I can’t help it, but I just love the RWB’s front lights where one can see that dominant cool bulb. Autoart’s lights are more foggy because of the texture, but it’s correct, just not so atmospheric.

    Another great feeling thing on the RWB is the dividing rubber line between body and bumber on the front. It’s perfect. Same on the back, but there is less of it there, so the visual impact is smaller.
    This Autoart’s 930 doesn’t have it at all, which is a bit disappointing. Or to be precise, it’s there in the form of just being of the zamak bumber part. Since the car is black, it’s not so visible (or invisible in this case), but still for the price, it should be there. Heck, even one of the Solido’s 930s has it done really very well and for even half of the price of the GT Spirit’s RWB.

    Now the wheels. Well, RWB is better here, too. Those cool golden rims are very well done and both, brake discs and calipers also feel better here. And one just has to love those tires as well. It’s not like they are done technically better, but they look mean, also partly because of the semi-slick pattern.

    The rest of the body really feels similar in terms of detail and quality. Like door handles and wipers, they just feel the same to me.

    Interior. Autoart’s is definitely better in the sense that since it’s accessible from the open doors, one can see more and thus appreciate more. Like the nice carpeting which keeps going under the dashboard etc. In general, the RWB one feels just as good to me in general, but one simply cannot see to some places as it’s a closed model. Perhaps the doors are a bit simpler in terms of the detail, but really nothing to complain about. OTOH, that pink color it uses is just priceless. ;)
    And of course, it has nice carpeting on the front and maybe a bit simpler, but still nice engine area. Those are not present on the RWB, these parts are of course closed.

    Last but not least are particular model defects. Models often have them and these two are no exception. Well, these two only because I compare them together, but it’s actually only the Autoart that has them.
    Left corner side of the bonnet cover is missing paint. Probably during transportation the cover was moving and so the paint just went off of the surface. It’s normally not visible at all when closed, only if opened up. No biggie.
    Then there are two other paint related problems. On two places, the paint has more matte feeling. One on the left front light part area and one at the back in the center under the tail wing. The front one is barely noticeable, only under proper light conditions. The one at the back is visible always, but again, not strikingly so. But still, it’s there. For imagination how it looks: if you ever used some spirit on paint where it wasn’t a good idea, the area probably just did that, it went matte. It feels the same here, only that it’s not so strong.
    Yeah, and left side mirror is rather loose, it just wiggles. I will try to carefully glue it back later.

    I wanted that Wangan 930 and even though I’m a bit disappointed in terms of the quality and price ratio, I’m not disappointed from the point of the quality alone.
    It’s generally very good model, despite some of its shortcomings. Both, the RWB and this Black Bird share the same place for me, although they both win in different aspects.
    For the quality-price-ratio only, the GTS’ RWB Bourgogne is a winner though.

  7. mk78 says:

    OOps, I didn’t realize that the small part of my post got actually posted before I had it finished. Sorry about that.
    No, I prefer the logo not to be there, that’s not a problem. It’s only that I noticed this difference that seem to be present.

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