The AUTOart Aston Martin Vanquish is our next model underneath the microscope. This model comes from their composite series, yes I said the word again, composite LOL! It features an open-body, 1:18 scale replica with composite body panels. One thing AUTOart usually does well is capture the exterior lines in scale form, and this piece is no exception. Panel gaps and shutlines are tight. For example, if you compare the front hood with their previous “diecast” Aston Martins you will definitely see the difference.
The exterior white paint is consistent throughout, but like the Huracan DS reviewed earlier it seems somewhat flat and lifeless. Ride stance is on point too.
The front fascia of the model is well executed. The image will show you the tight panel gaps I mentioned earlier. Aston Martin emblem is good, but it could have used a little more finesse. The hood does feature metal perforated grilles inlayed with the composite material. More on this later. Headlight and carbon fiber detail is well done too.
The rear is much like the front, BUT one big issue, note the lacking exhaust tip on the left side. Quality control is poor for sure. Other than this slight oversight the rear is top notch. Carbon fibre working is very nice, there is even an inlaid metal perforated grille in the lower centre section of the rear bumper. We have access to the rear storage, all is fully carpeted with the addition of two hood struts to provide that added realism to the piece. I need to mention the panel gaps here aren’t as tight and clean as the front.
The wheels on the Aston Martin are typical AUTOart, well done. The entire combination is beautifully executed, this includes the calipers, rotors and wheels. If I could change one thing I would move to red calipers for that added pop!
The heart of the Aston Martin Vanquish is powered by 6.0 litre V12 engine producing roughly 565 horsepower. The engine detail is nice, but I’ve seen better from AUTOart on past pieces, it seems a little too plastic looking for my taste. The polish feel is surely lacking here. Also the composite material for the hood is quite flimsy, though operation is very good and feature forward sweep motion too. Well done.
I was really impressed with the undercarriage detail of the Aston Martin. There is a lot to see, the provided images will speak for themselves. Nice work AUTOart!
Inside the model features a full black interior with full carpeting throughout. There are fabric seat-belts front and rear. Note, model features right-hand steering. Though all the elements are here and nicely detailed and executed, when looking at images of 1:1 interior, the Aston Martin does have its creature comforts done using lavish and plush materials, while the model’s interior is somewhat lacking in finesse. At this price point I think it could be a little better. Lastly, the famous Aston Martin upswept doors are here as the feature photo shows. It may not be as pronounced as the 1:1, but kudos to AUTOart for the effort!
Overall we have a very nice model in the AUTOart Aston Martin Vanquish. I have no reservations recommending the piece if you are a fan of the marque. It definitely isn’t perfect, but what model is? And if AUTOart can address a few minor issues they will continue to improve and get their market share. Enjoy the pics!
Have received mine yesterday and fully agree with what you say. I will link my website with your review here. One disappointment about the interior is the gauges: only decal. And did your base to which it was mounted have these awful cut-away-bits to screw it on? The model away is moe flimsy than the material that is meant to keep bonnet, trunk and doors closed.
Sorry, not sure what you are asking for with the screws.
One thing I forgot to mention, the rear bonnet has a small magnet located in centre to help keep the lid closed. Something that I believe was not required with diecast.
While a magnetic catch/latch may not have been required in a diecast…..several instances are know to exist where magnets were employed….the most significant of which is the Carousel 1 version of the MARCH Indy car ….the entire body top was restrained by magnets. Not really needed for display as the body top wasn’t going anywhere anyhow.
The model is mounted to the usual plastic base in the box and screwed to it from underneath the base. But to make room for flat plastic washers, parts of the stabilizing bars/rods of the base have been cut out by hand. Existing bases have been customized to screw the composite models (same with the Huracan) to the base. Apparently the screws would be too long without the washers and would damage the models interior by going in too far.
The other complaint was about the usual wire and rubber band/hook to secure the opening parts. These have become more sturdy than the model now, so that on mine, the rubberband detached the interior door panel of the opposite door when I accessed the vehicle to remove the hook from the door handle. What I am saying is that the whole composite concept may have been rushed into delivery.
Well, as far as being flat and lifeless, a gloss, non pearl white is pretty much as flat as it gets. Get it in a nice medium grey metallic and see the real lines of the car “pop”. White works on some cars but not every one. Been waiting a long time for a car a step above the DB9 and Autoart has finally stepped up to swing. I have been waiting forever for the Minichamps DBS to appear… I’m still waiting! So yeah, this one is a bit flat and doesn’t look very good without the missing pieces. I’ll be waiting for a “Skyfall Silver” version. The interior a bit bland? At least it opens up. Not perfect I agree, but for now there are not many options out there for the Vanquish. Technomodel? Yes, it’s a very nice model, but at 389 Euros… For now, I’ll be reasonable and go with the Autoart. Here’s an idea, lets have a comparison between both.
Correction, the Technomodel is 329 Euro, I mistook it with the Frontiart which is 689 Euro.
Tecnomodel is a lot less actually; have a look around and you can buy one for about 200 euro (I did). Great value for money. And yes, comparison is the ultimate way to get you to pick up the right one. I’m encouraging DCS for a while now but they don’t seem that interested.
El modelo es realmente precioso.
Lo de la pintura tambien lo he notado yo.
Pero alguien me puede explicar por qué en la web de AA pone que el Vanquiah está a la venta por 160$ y luego al cambio en las tiendas está a 200€????
Depende de la moneda, USA frente a Euro.
Make it in diecast and it would be wonderful.
Autoart is just skimping out now, sure the models look okay, the shutlines are now better, but they’re nothing like having a proper quality model, the positives do not outweigh the negatives here, its ridiculous really and yet they have the nerve to increase the prices on top of that. Paying more for less, we shouldn’t be accepting that as we know Autoart is a very good model manufacturer when they want to be.
Can you please elaborate on your ‘proper quality model’ comment ?
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So, ok we have the guys who actually like sealed resin models and don’t mind the high prices asked for them, because of the finish and accuracy. On the other side, we have the die-cast “diehards” who like their models to open up and have a decent amount of operating features (fun to look at and operate!) and good finish as well. Now, we have these… Somewhat of a hybrid of both. Why does Autoart, which makes pretty decent diecast cars make these? To save money? Or to try another medium to make replicas? I’m guessing a bit of both, I have many 1:18s and have some diecasts that developed paint rash (none of them Autoarts by the way)… Caused by the white metal used for the body. So, is this solved by using resins? That would be a good thing. I haven’t yet seen any of these Autoart composites but I am looking forward to those new Z06 Corvettes. Be certain I’ll have a comment or two for or against when I get my hands on one.
Well, what´s pretty obvious is that plastic will be much less durable over the years: it will scratch and decolour more easily, it flexes more and may deform more easily. I have got two composite models now (the Vanquish and a Huracan) and … they´re just nor the same. Everything feels so flimsy that you are afraid to break something even when you´re extremely careful. As for the colour, compare for Lambodiecast.com´s review of the Huracan and his colour comparison to an earlier AUTOart diecast Lamborghini: And guess what, the paint on the diecast is better!
I can imagine, deep in AUTOart HQ, one bean counter saying to another, “Hey, why don’t we make our products out of plastic, like Rastar and New Ray? Oh, and lets, ha, ha, ha, charge double the prices!” They all agree, and send off the scheme to Marketing to find a good excuse. Marketing says “plastic” doesn’t sit well with collectors, so call it “composite”.
Operation More-with-Less completed.
But alas, maybe greed will come back to bite.
According to AUTOart (www.diecastsociety.com/autoart-new-composite-model), their “Composite” are just ABS. If you’ve had some Tamiya RC models (take the 1:14 King Hauler tractor truck for example), that is the material used to form the body of the truck. It’s just pure plastic, nothing more, nothing less. I don’t know if AUTOart has their ABS blended with other material, but to the root, it’s still plastic. Yes, it’s tougher than your typical Polystyrene (PS) plastic that is commonly used in model kits, and I’ve never seen nor handled an AUTOart Composite in person, but I doubt it’ll maintain shape as good as die-cast. And you mentioned “Everything feels so flimsy that you are afraid to break something even when you´re extremely careful”, yes that’s right (beside the fact that they’re RC models, details aren’t their primary concern, but the whole Tamiya tractor truck series are quite detailed for RC models, and that’s even better considering some are 20+ year-old designs!), plastic can’t have the structural rigidity of metal. The only 2 advantages they have over die-cast are: 1. They can be easily and accurately molded into almost any shape, even some that are too complex for die-cast; 2. they don’t suffer from zinc-pest once the paint has dried, and painting them is a lot easier.
Further to what KARSTEN has stated regarding the colour comparison – http://lambodiecast.com/detail.php?item=model678
I have the composite Huracan in Arancio Borealis & other AUTOart diecast Lambos & I tend to agree on the plastic-looking issue of the composite model compared to its diecast counterparts. Wanted it in Verde Mantis but it wasn’t available at the time. At least it came with orange calipers rather than black. Overall, iThink its ok but the nagging feeling that its too plasticky-looking still lingers. I also have the diecast LP560 Polizia at almost half the price of the Huracan & that I feel was real value for money. I feel AUTOart should really take into consideration the opinions & views of their customers & I know that many, if not all, prefer the incoming Aventador SVs to be in diecast form.
On another note, I also have the Alfa 4C which is also composite & had some issues with that one. Its a small car & its made more obvious in scaled down form hence its lighter than the Huracan & iGuess that could be the reason the plastic engine lid wouldn’t stay fully shut.. The weight or heft is not there.. & gravity doesn’t even bother to pull it down either! I had to put some blutack on the inside in order to hold it down. The other issue I had was with the Alfa logo on the right front wheel.. It had somehow detached itself but was still dangling with some paint from the decal stuck on the centre of the rim.. Not a good first impression being the first composite I bought i.e. before the Huracan. Be that as it may, I do find the deep lustre of the metallic red paintwork on the 4C to be superb, very consistent throughout & makes it look less plasticky than the composite Huracan
It will be good to buy MCLAERN P1? This is composite… and I’m not sure.
Yes composite.
I saw this model locally and too noticed the inner door panel hanging loose, I tried to reattach it but it wouldn’t stick/click/attach.. like some older HW or maisto models where they made some interior pieces out of soft rubber… didn’t buy it :(
obviously the color is lack luster, but i still feel like it lacked depth… sitting here looking at my white diecasts, they almost give off a different vibe/shine, if that makes any logic?? white is white, but it felt off?
I find myself being somewhat neutral in the diecast vs composite issue, sure I like the feel of diecasts (I’ve been collecting diecasts for 21years), and opening parts have always been a must, but I know(hope) that Aa will get it right through experience… and bonus no zink pest…
I am more angry that they lied about the reduced prices, they promised composites would be better, cheaper for them to produce and hence cheaper for us…
We are now paying premium for Aa to LEARN how to build composites.
It’s like paying for tolls on toll roads while sitting in congestion because they are repairing said toll road for lengthy time
Just got this one in selene bronze recently, and I like it very much! However there’s a problem that bothers me, and that’s its doors. It’s almost impossible to open theme since there are no door handles in them!! Any idea of opening it?
Message For every productors of die- cast models: Aston martin Vanquish S 2017 please!!! in metal body and fully opened parts. Autoart is much expensive, Car body in plastic for 200$ absurd.
Tanks good job