Too much talk on the high-end Ferrari segment, let’s chat a little about the budget-friendly side. This is the new Bburago Signature Series Ferrari SF90. In addition to the very slow speed to market of replicas branding the Ferrari badge, getting general news on their releases is a bit of a challenge too! Nonetheless, the latest Signature release does show well based on overall body lines, though the lack of metal/perforated grill work does take away from the overall experience. We can live with the dog-leg hinge on the front and rear access points. The Red exterior has just been released Europe wide.
Product# TBD
The product quality is getting worse and worse. I hope this brand will close down soon.
Oh dear, what are Ferrari playing at? Poor in every aspect, worst manufacturer ever!
the only attractive thing about this model is its retail price. But it’s still not enough to make me want to buy one, just like every other previous Ferrari release by Burago.
I’ve totally stopped buying Ferrari models. Bburago is garbage, BBR, while nice, is stupidly expensive (and sealed), KK Scale is hit and miss with quality and accuracy, as is GT Spirit. Until the license goes to someone who can make a good quality model at an affordable price (Norev would be a good option), unfortunately my collection will be devoid of all but the better HWE Ferraris. I can’t understand why Ferrari don’t light a fire under Bburago or issue the license elsewhere.
This the reason why I have switched to 1/24 line as tamiya model kits are better detailed with their ferraris LMAO
The ignorance in the comments is just mindblowing…
Care to actually elaborate on your comment rather than just keyboard warrior name calling?
Well…..First off, I did not name call anyone. I simply pointed out that the comments demonstrated a mind-blowing level of ignorance. We can take the literal meaning of the word, which would mean simply lack of knowledge on the subject. Or if you prefer, the choice to ignore the truth about the subject. So here are just some pointers that may or may not (probably not) help you broaden your perspective on the subject.
– 1:18 scale is not the main collector’s scale in the hobby. It never has been. It probably never will. It started as toys and to this day is regarded as such by many collectors.
– The license for producing Die-cast metal cars with openable panels falls under toys license. Let that sink in.
– Ferraris and super, hyper, mega, whatever cars are far from the main interest in the hobby. It may be on here and on a lot of forums. But if anyone actually believes that the model collecting hobby revolves around exotic cars in 1/18 scale, I have a great deal on a bridge over Brooklyn for them.
– Ferrari does not just “issue a license” anywhere, somewhere or “elsewhere”. They just put a price on it and it goes to the highest bidder. That’s business 101.
– Bburago is giving Ferrari EXACTLY what they want. And they (Ferrari) have stated many times what they want. If only people bothered to read on it…
– Bburago (actually Maisto) is probably the only company other than Mattel who can do with the Ferrari license what they are currently doing. Which is AGAIN what Ferrari wants/needs.
– Mattel did not LOSE the Ferrari license. And Ferrari did NOT PULL it from them. Mattel simply chose not to renew it, because they did not want to pay the money Ferrari was asking for it.
Perhaps you should give some thought to the things I have listed. If you need me to elaborate on any of them, I would be glad to help you understand them.
Sincerely yours
MRM
;)
Your smarmy condescending tone largely detracts from what might otherwise have been an informative post.
As that seems to be what you understand best let me provide you with some pointers of your own.
At no stage did anyone suggest that either 1:18 scale collectors or collectors of exotic cars were the main interest in the hobby. That doesn’t however mean that they aren’t a significant part of the hobby market.
When I said that I’d like to see Ferrari “issue” the license elsewhere, I did not say or suggest they just give licenses away. Of course we realise that car manufacturers SELL their licenses, but it’s not always to the highest bidder. We also well know that Mattel didn’t renew their license with Ferrari due to the high cost as it was openly discussed at length on the forums.
I don’t recall seeing ANYWHERE, where Ferrari “have stated many times what they want” from their license so excuse me for not being as well read as you seem to believe you are.
I also don’t recall seeing a post on this thread claiming Mattel “lost” the license or that Ferrari “pulled” the license.
Finally, perhaps YOU should give some thought to changing your condescending attitude to people who are simply expressing their opinions instead of talking down to them as if we are some sort of imbecile. Between responses like yours and a few others on here, I wouldn’t be surprised if the level of membership or readership of this forum declines as a result.
I personally am no longer interested in being an active participant if posting a simple statement on my own collecting habits gets me labelled “ignorant”.
And no, I won’t be needing any elaboration from you to understand your post. You just go believing you are so much more intelligent than you might actually be, given your mind is so easily “blown”.
Goodbye DS.
“Your smarmy condescending tone largely detracts from what might otherwise have been an informative post.”
Hi, you definitely nailed it with the above. Sorry to see you go, we hope you will reconsider.
We have recently implemented COCA, link below. Which was triggered by personal attacks toward core members and contributors to this website. If we find anyone’s post offensive, slanderous, or what we believe is not in line with DS values we will REMOVE or EDIT. In this case, MRM could have used some tact to engage the collectors on this thread.
https://diecastsociety.com/diecastsociety-com-coda/
I’m sorry for not sugarcoating everything I write just not to hurt someones fragile psyche.
But statements like “The product quality is getting worse and worse”; “what are Ferrari playing at? Poor in every aspect, worst manufacturer ever!”; “why Ferrari don’t light a fire under Bburago or issue the license elsewhere.” are simply false, misinformed and/or misleading. The proper word for this is ignorance. Which again, for the millionth time on this forum I will repeat means lack of knowledge on the subject. Which is why “pardon my ignorance” is a commonly used phrase before asking a question about particular subject we are not familiar with.
Now, let’s get some things straight. I collect mainly 1/18 scale models and mainly Ferraris. And the remainder of my collection is pretty much exclusively supercars. So, what I have written earlier puts me dead center in the most affected group of collectors by the things I have pointed out. Whether I like it or not – or anyone else for that matter – does not change the facts one bit.
Ferrari does not give two $hits about what me, you or any other model collector thinks about any Ferrari model car out there. They are a business. And their business is to sell real cars. Which by the way is also changing, as lately they have stated that they are looking to become “a world luxury brand”. Pretty much they want to be somewhat like Polo Ralph Lauren, and sell anything from bathroom faucets with the prancing horse logo (those actually have been in existence for quite some time now) to clothing, furniture and toys.
If we go back to where the big deal with the license started, we have to look into the different branches of Ferrari. One of the great achievements of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was the creation of Idea Ferrari. That is the branch that deals with all the memmorabilia, toys and models. Over the years there have been numerous articles describing the purpose of Idea Ferrari. And that purpose in short is to create the lust, longing of Ferrari cars. Basically to make the company a household name, so owning a Ferrari can be every child’s dream. For this purpose cheap, readily available and durable models is exactly what Ferrari wants. They want Ferrari TOYS in every household. They don’t care about $300 Die-cast models for collectors, because the people who would buy such models are already familiar with the brand and for the most part dedicated fans. This is actually a genius strategy, which unfortunately sucks for me and all collectors. Maisto is one of the largest toys manufacturers. And so was Mattel. They make all sorts of toys for all ages with the Ferrari brand on them. And they reach a lot larger and frankly more valuable (to Ferrari) audience than any other manufacturer of Die-cast cars can dream of. There are two key elements in the Ferrari license holders matter. Demographic targets and buying power. AutoArt, Norev, Minichamps, Solido etc., can not compete with Maisto (or Mattel before them) on either front. Because they don’t manufacture the wide range of toys giving Ferrari exposure across all age groups and also because of that they don’t have the buying power of companies like Maisto. For AutoArt or Norev to make licensed Ferrari models they would either have to merge with a giant toy company or they would have to charge astronomical prices for their Ferrari models, which would not be business savvy.
besides, Maisto/Bburago are doing a fantastic job with pretty much everything Ferrari except the 1/18 scale perhaps. Which by the way are way better models than many like to admit. Or putting it in oversimplified way – the 1/18 Ferrari models are far from a priority for the Ferrari license holder. That may be a tough pill for some to swallow, but I believe it’s time to stop beating a dead horse and move on. We shall see what the future holds. I personally, am still happy and grateful that can still buy the latest Ferrari in 1/18 for $16.99 at Costco or even for $35 in a regular store. And it’s a very nice model actually. Just like the California T, the 458 Speciale and the 488 before the SF90 were.
Let’s get one thing straight. There’s a BIG difference between “not sugar coating” a response and talking down to people in a clearly deliberately condescending manner, which is what you did. If you can’t tell the difference, then perhaps you’re not quite as clever as you think you are.
As for my psyche, it’s not fragile at all. I’m just tired of posting my opinions on a subject and being attacked simply because the respondent disagrees. The last time it was because I had the gall to suggest that Almost Real could do better on timeframes between model announcements and actual release of the production model.
As for Bburago/Maisto, I stand by my comments (as a collector) that they are a waste of a license opportunity, based on the fact that:
a) They release relatively few new models per year, and
b) Their models (as you’ve pointed out) are more toys than models
b) Their efforts at addressing the collector market with the Signature Series range is an abject failure.
The signature series is barely a step up in quality from the Race n Play versions and certainly not to a level that would be what most collectors are looking for, and they’ve produced so few Signature Series models since Mattel ended their license that they may as well not have bothered. At least Mattel had the business sense to realise that there is a market beyond the toy market and produced good quality models at an affordable price with the Elite series, over and above their base models.
In conclusion, it wasn’t ONLY your post that led me to leave DS, but it certainly didn’t help. I came here looking for somewhere that is a positive experience as far as sharing information on the hobby, but if people can’t simply voice an opinion without getting responses like yours, I’ll be looking elsewhere.
All the best to DS members and staff.