As our non-scientific DiecastSociety.com poll suggests, supercars are the most popular theme of automobiles collectors grave with 20% of the total vote to date.  Add the sportscar segment and that moves up to 36%.  That is huge!  So, when AUTOart adds another supercar to their assortment, and one with the Koenigsegg marque it creates considerable buzz.  The latest review features the AUTOart 1:18, composite and diecast, Koenigsegg Regera in exterior colour Horizon Blue.

Out of the box, first impressions are positive.  The Horizon Blue exterior is perfect, and unique colour choice for such an advanced and complex supercar.  Aided with the tan interior and tan matching brake calipers the vehicle deserves total attention.  The car design itself is nothing over the top in compassion to some autos in this category, in our opinion, the perfect blend of fashionable excellence and subtle design.

We’ve seen a total of four examples of this particular model in the flesh, all had slight variances on the prepared shutline and panel gap execution.  Though neither one was 100% perfect, they were close, all within an acceptable range (based on all the moving parts).  The front and rear accents points are excellent, where the model moved away were the doors, specifically the direct contact point with the roofline.  Yes, the roof here, doors front and rear sections are fully accessible for those not in the know.

We reviewed the Fronti-Art static version of the Koenigsegg Regera back in January 2017.  This was a very competent piece, but the authenticity fell short due to its sealed design.  That model came in at $325 CND, where this AUTOart example is about $419 CND.  Are you willing to pay the difference for a 360-access replica?  We definitely are!

Yes, Fronti-Art does offer a fully accessible example too, and pound for pound is a better-detailed than its AUTOart counterpart, but it will set you back north of $1000 CND.  We don’t believe many are willing to spend that amount of coin on a Koenigsegg Regera or any scale replica for that matter.  Making it extremely niche.

Back to the exterior of the AUTOart Koenigsegg Regera…  A bone of contention with AUTOart still is the lack of glossy carbon fibre bits, this trend continues with the Regera.  AUTOart continues to use moulded plastic to mimic the carbon fibre – here it is most evident in the rear, spoiler access arms and the wheels.  The only areas that feel authentic are the front lower lip spoiler and rear side lower trim.

The front of the Regera is carefully executed, all openings are fitted with perforated metal grilles, each serving a purpose for cooling and aerodynamics…   Headlight detail is very good along with the Koenigsegg emblem in the centre.

Access to the front storage is available, the up and down motions are quite good and appliable shutlines and panel gaps are excellent.  Inside the hatch is supported by two struts, the look and feel are quite cool.  The surrounding areas within are crafted with moulded and tampon style carbon fibre, to the naked eye it looks underwhelming.  There is a section defined to support the removable roof, but we could not get the entire structure to fit.

Wheels are completed with carbon fibre moulds, though close to the true execution of how these elements are manufactured from the factory the exterior finish is lacking in overall definition.  The supporting cast, which includes calipers and rotors are solid efforts and more representative of the original.  AUTOart even went as far as providing the tire script, see above image.

As mentioned earlier the rear lower structure of the Regera is fabricated in moulded carbon fibre, the overall look is dry in comparison with the original.  If you clicked and read the Fronti-Art review, you know their example excelled over AUTOart here.  On the plus side, the level of detail on lower cooling and Akrapovic exhaust is stellar.  Love the attention to detail with Akrapovic label.

Before we go into the motor detail, we wanted to point out another win for the AUTOart Regera.  Their example comes with a fully functional rear spoiler.  It provides the ability to move up and back and the upper section of the wing also provides a level of movement as well.  The operation of our example was excellent.

The massive powerplant inside is fully accessible too.  The rear lid operation is supported by two struts, up and down motion are excellent and appliable panel gaps and stutlines follow suit.

The level of detail of the motor is quite sufficient, far better than recent examples we’ve reviewed.  There is a lot going on here; we love the layers of detail, the use of metal and colours to define various bits and detail.  There is a combination of moulded carbon fibre and tampon type here.  The biggest miss is the induction system, AUTOart chooses moulded carbon fibre, this definitely required a minimum of tapoon style, it would have elevated the final product.

We’re still amazed at the level of engineering the doors require in scale to mimic the original design.  The out and the up-flip motion still brings a smile.  Excellent marks to AUTOart on the engineering elements, our example proved flawless.  It isn’t all perfect, with the roof in place the shutlines were not as clean as the other areas we pointed out earlier.  Thankfully the roof is removable and the desired look is more polished.  We’re sure most will display the model with the roof off.

Once inside the tan interior does look gorgeous mated to the various carbon fibre and chrome bits.  As for the interior, on the whole, it is respectable, clean and does provide a generous level of detail.  We’re definitely in approval of the carbon fibre detailing on the lower door section, however, a miss on the some the dash elements executed with their moulded type is neutralizing the overall effect.

The AUTOart Koenigsegg Regera is another good effort from AUTOart.  Those that are looking for a fully accessible replica can now enjoy one at a decent price in comparison to immediate competitors.  An array of colours are to become available too, read the AUTOart news feed to learn more.

As for composite being cheap or fragile and the use of composite materials making the accessibility weak and less desirable.  This is not true. Yes, it does have a tactile feel different than its diecast metal base.  But we played we manipulated the model numerous times with no risk and the parts always returning to a desirable position. And not to mention, composite is closer to the actual car, and no fear of paint rash either…

The model, however, is less than perfect, and this is mainly due to their total disregard to execute the various carbon fibre elements as Koenigsegg intended…  The moulded bits surely lover the value with the collector that is trying to achieve the perfect model, and to be honest the Fronti-Art static example does a better job here…  And with newcomers, LCD Models and Almost Real, collectors will begin to have options.  AUTOart needs to stop looking for cost out and focus on what made them great.  Provide us with a “complete” model.  There should be no compromise.  Enjoy the pics!