Words and photos courtesy of Diego Villavicencio (@118lambo)

 

I’ve always loved to read comparisons of models online, especially when it comes to AUTOart.  This review took me a long time, to be honest, but I tried to be detailed as much as I like to read this online reviews from other people.

I bought the LookSmart version pretty much as soon as the real car was unveiled since MR/LookSmart are that fast.  The real car is just gorgeous and I’ve had the LookSmart proudly displayed in my room all this time.  But when I saw pictures of the AUTOart I had a feeling that it was a great model as well and for half the price.

Last year I got AUTOart’s Aventador SV in plastic and it was a huge fail. I sold it maybe 4 or 5 days after I received it, so I wasn’t sure if I should try again this plastic model, especially with this Huracan which is in fact 50% sealed.

I decided to try the AUTOart, because in the end if it was good enough that means I could sell my LookSmart and have the same car for less, and still have some extra money.

At first look, it was exactly what I was expecting. This time I did not get disappointed like I did with the SV. Both doors close perfectly, and those shutlines are very consistent. Obviously, the shutlines are also consistent on the front hood and engine cover since they are sealed LOL.  The paint was beautiful and since it’s matt plus metallic, you can’t tell that it’s painted on a plastic surface.  I loved many things about it, so I immediately put it next to my LookSmart version to fully compare them.

Sadly I won’t be able to compare the interior because my LookSmart version has black windows so to show the interior with pictures is just impossible.

You can already see many differences here.

First, check that “Blancpain” logo on the windshield. AUTOart has a bigger logo there. It seems like the AUTOart logo is too big in comparison to the real car, while the LookSmart logo is too small.

Lamborghini logo is bigger as well on the AUTOart, but this time AUTOart is correct. In fact, AUTOart has a small shaped hole to fit the logo while the LookSmart doesn’t.

Paint difference is the most obvious one. The AUTOart’s paint is shinier, and you will notice that on every single picture all along.  But that is because the metallic flakes are oversized.  Not everyone knows this but AUTOart usually does this on purpose all the time so the metallic effect is more obvious to the naked eye.  Definitely incorrect when you compare it to the real car since the paint ends up looking rougher and less “pure”. The real car’s paint is so smooth!  In fact, if you see pictures of the real car you won’t be able to see any metallic flake or effect from the same distance and scale as this picture.  The real car doesn’t even reflect light as much as the AUTOart.  LookSmart is not perfect either, but I don’t really see how the paint can improve even more since it would be nearly impossible to scale down the flakes correctly.

LookSmart is more accurate here for sure, but the AUTOart does look really good as well.

You will also notice how LookSmart has rivets all over the body, just like the real car, while AUTOart decided to completely skip this.  This is what they said: “Licensor didn’t mention this issue at approval”.  So? What about your research department? Lol.  Not the first time they skip this. They also skipped this on their Sesto Elemento, Gallardo Super Trofeo, their new Huracan GT3, and I’m sure in many more.

But hold on, there’s something wrong on the LookSmart. I actually just noticed it when I took the pictures. I’ve had that model for 3 years or more and I never realized this.  The shape of the front hood is wrong! Check out those lines.

All those lines are wrong. The middle ones should go longer towards the Lamborghini logo, plus it does look like they are too close to each other. I checked the real car and the AUTOart is way more correct here.

Sadly this is not the worst part. Check the lines next to those black pieces. The LookSmart is completely wrong, with the outside lines almost completely straight and vertical.

Now you see it?

For sure you can also see the wrong lines here, but let’s move on.

On the meshes/grills of the front bumper, each hole is oversized on the AUTOart. Not sure if they do this on purpose or not, but LookSmart is correct here.

All the Matt Black parts are smoother on the AUTOart, to be honest, and also shinier. I think you can see what I mean if you go back to the first picture and check the mirrors.  Check around the “Instinctive Technology” logo and you’ll also see it as well.

Of course, you can also see how different the headlights are, but in a few pictures later you’ll see a better comparison of them.

About the windshield, yes I know the LookSmart has completely black windows, but if you check the show car this is absolutely correct.  AUTOart also gave a black look to their windows but definitely, they’re still very transparent.  Theoretically, the AUTOart is wrong, but I believe that on a 1:18 model AUTOart did the better choice of making the windows black but not completely. As mentioned LookSmart is correct, but I wish they did something similar to what AUTOart did, especially since LookSmart is a sealed model so basically there’s no point of having an interior if I can’t look at it anyway.

Checking closer I noticed that the silver line surrounding the front bumper ends in a different way on both models. If you see the AUTOart, the curve is a bit sharper, while the LookSmart curves sooner.

Definitely something different there.

See what I mean?

Different angle.

Mark Smeyers (AKA Lambodiecast) showing me this picture believes the LookSmart is correct here.

Headlights on the AUTOart are just so much better.  The Y shaped LEDs, the bulb itself as well. In fact, the bulbs are surrounded by a chrome cast, something LookSmart and even MR didn’t do.

Those LookSmart headlights are actually funny. By the way, LookSmart and MR don’t share the same headlights on their Huracan for some reason, but I have to admit that the AUTOart headlights are even better than the MR version.

Rear wing on the AUTOart is curved while the LookSmart wing is almost completely straight horizontally.

LookSmart wing seems to be a bit higher. The side plates of the wing are definitely in a higher position in comparison to the AUTOart because the wing itself is not curved, so the side plates never went down like the AUTOart.

See?

Also, notice the windshield logo. As mentioned before, the size is very different, and both slightly incorrect.

Again, Mark Smeyers (AKA Lambodiecast) showing me this picture believes the LookSmart is correct here.

The “Blancpain” logo is wrong on the LookSmart because every letter is straight. Check how on the AUTOart the first and last letter is a little bit crooked to follow the shape of the wing. AUTOart is definitely correct here.

You can clearly see the differences in shape and the logo.

Another part of the wing that AUTOart did better.  For sure it’s not perfect, and those huge screws are hideous if you see the real car.  At least the inside part of the wing has the other side of the screws and looks a lot better. Plus AUTOart uses 2 different pieces to join the wing with the body.

The LookSmart, on the other hand, looks a bit plain, the paint itself of the “metal” part is not as good as the AUTOart, and it’s a single piece simulating 2 different pieces.  The part where the support actually joins with the wing looks hideous on the LookSmart, like they painted the red line around it.  Notice how higher the LookSmart wing plates are positioned.

AUTOart once again correct.  LookSmart put the clock logo upside down, and see all that clear residue around it? Looks awful.  I still don’t understand how a company that is selling MR models for $500 and LookSmart models for almost $300 can’t print logos directly to the body.  If you check the entire model you’ll see how on almost every decal there are clear residues around it.

We can already see some differences here as well.

By the way, did you noticed how the AUTOart decals are much more saturated and colourful?

LookSmart didn’t bother cutting the decal on the shutlines, looks awful. You can also notice how the logo itself is placed in different positions on both models. (see next pic to compare it with the real car).

If you check the show car (top) you can see how the LookSmart is completely correct.

No idea which one AUTOart tried to replicate, but they failed on both occasions.

I noticed that on some cuts of the LookSmart model, the hole itself is not going anywhere, while on the AUTOart it goes realistically to the inside.

See what I mean?

Different textured parts inside the front hood. I tried to find a picture of the real car to compare this but sadly I didn’t find any. However, I found one of the new Evo version and it seems like AUTOart is correct here (see next picture)

Also, there’s an extra part on the AUTOart, do you see those white caps between the wiper blade and the front hood? Nice touch!

The LookSmart part is sharper and refined, but each line is a bit oversized when you compare it to the real car.

Another obvious difference.  AUTOart decided not to cover the holes of the engine cover with any meshes/grills, while LookSmart did.  A quick search on google and the show car definitely has meshes, so the LookSmart is correct.  However, I need to mention that the LookSmart small holes on the meshes are so tight that you can barely see the engine.  You can see something in there, but it’s so dark that can’t even tell if it’s an engine or not.  The best way, in my opinion, was if AUTOart used their meshes with oversized holes, so it’s not only correct but also visible.  Can’t take away what LookSmart did here, because the reason why the meshes are that tight is that they scaled them correctly.  Your call.

I do need to mention this.  I know you can’t really see from this picture the engine of the AUTOart, but the engine is complete, everything is there, exhaust system, gearbox, bars, and many elements.  So why on earth they skipped the removable engine cover? I can’t find a single reason why they did such thing if everything is there anyway.  It’s not like they saved tons of money by skipping the engine section like for example on their McLaren P1 GTR.  Really, it’s not like they needed to do an opening mechanism with hinges and stuff. All they needed to do is make a cut and put some magnets like on their Gallardo Super Trofeo.

LookSmart painted the wheel nuts in gold colour, just like the show car. However, I’ve seen many Super Trofeos with silver wheel nuts so I can’t really say the AUTOart is not correct.

You can also see how AUTOart painted part of the centre lock in silver, like it was part of the wheel nut, so something is a bit off there.

Centre locks on the LookSmart are definitely bigger, and somehow I believe LookSmart is also correct here.

I think the brake discs are a bit too small on the AUTOart, but they’re definitely better made since they look realistically rough.  The LookSmart discs are completely smooth except for the curved lines.

You can also see the gold circled brake hub on the disc of the AUTOart, something LookSmart completely missed. Nice detail again.

On the AUTOart, the rim itself has spokes that are a bit too thin in comparison with the real car. LookSmart is more correct.

Notice the more coloured decals on the AUTOart, they look really nice, however, they missed the little “TM” letters next to the PZERO lettering on the tire. Not a big deal I guess.

Another negative point for LookSmart. I’m sure you can clearly notice the difference on the rear rims.

AUTOart has a nice and correct depth, while the LookSmart has absolutely no depth at all.

It’s been a long comparison so far lol, but now we go to the rear. From far you can already see how the AUTOart looks so much better.

LookSmart is more expensive, and when we hear the word “resin” we immediately relate it as high-end, but just look how LookSmart completely skipped many parts on the rear.  You can’t see absolutely anything inside the meshes or under the “Blancpain” logo.  In fact do you notice how under each taillight the meshes are brighter on the LookSmart? That is because the light I used for this picture is hitting a black wall that LookSmart has behind the meshes.  So the meshes are perforated and realistic, but behind them there’s just a black wall showing absolutely nothing.  Same with the meshes next to the exhaust, just nothing!  What about under the “Blancpain” logo? Absolutely no gearbox. No idea what’s the excuse since there are no meshes “hiding” anything.  You can also see how near the gearbox on the AUTOart there are a couple squares with some “X” shaped parts. Also completely missing on the LookSmart.

AUTOart, on the other hand, did absolutely amazing here.  You can see the engine block threw the meshes, even the exhaust system and some other elements!  Of course, it does have the gearbox under the “Blancpain” logo. Just wonderful in my opinion. Even the cut of the mesh around the pipes is correct.

Many differences visible already mentioned. But here I wanted to specifically show you the difference between the rear wing.

Exhaust pipes are just amazing on the AUTOart, they actually look like metal pieces.  LookSmart, on the other hand, has absolutely awful pipes.

Notice the awful clear residue of decal around the “Blancpain” logo on the LookSmart, something I already mentioned.

Again showing how wonderful the AUTOart is in this section. You can clearly see the exhaust system through the meshes. Sadly the AUTOart pipes are a bit too short in comparison to the real car.  The length of the LookSmart pipes is correct, sadly the pipes are looking even worse from this angle.

Once again AUTOart winning. Taillights are actually textured, definitely sharper as well.
Good effort from LookSmart here though, but AUTOart wins in my opinion.

By the way, from this shot, you can see the wall behind the meshes on the LookSmart LOL.

Also notice how on the LookSmart, the yellow box logo has some weird edges. I thought that maybe that was movement from the exposure of the camera, but nope, the model is actually like that.

Something I need to mention. AUTOart is sharp and smooth almost everywhere, while the LookSmart on parts like this has glue residues like crazy, same thing happened in some parts of the front bumper.

I’ve had the LookSmart version for a long time now, and I always loved it, but today I’m amazed by how AUTOart made it look so bad, especially when the AUTOart costs $150 while the LookSmart costs $270.  Really good job by AUTOart. I wish it had removable front hood and engine cover though, but oh well.  Too bad I couldn’t compare the interior. Make sure to read Lambodiecast review coming soon though since he will do it.

Thanks for reading.