Ferrari F355 comparo

2659 Views 18 Replies 10 Participants Last post by jazzy426, Aug 4, 2021

jazzy426

Discussion Starter · Jul 26, 2021

18

F355 is one of my all time favourite and I went through quite a few over the years and I thought of taking some snaps of them being together earlier while I was examining the good old UT.

I got my first 1/18 of the F355 made by UT back in 2011. Then the Kyosho hi-end in 2014/5 when it was released over the HWE one. But eventually got the HWE spyder and Berlinetta as well.

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Left: UT Models
Middle: Kyosho
Right: HWE

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

One of the most important feature of the F355. Working popup lights! Kyosho appears to have the best looking headlights much like their TS and 512TR.

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

The tail lights on Kyosho seems to be sticking out bit too much...

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

The brushed aluminium effect on the Kyosho one looks pretty neat

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Engine bay on the UT models

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Kyosho's engine bay

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

HWE. The engine cover refused to go up any further and i didn't want to risk snapping it off

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

The 3 generations of the v8 Ferrari junior. All yellow with awesome popup lights!

Untitled by Jazzy 426, on Flickr

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1 - 19 of 19 Posts

looney

· #2 · Jul 26, 2021

UT still holds up great IMO. I wish there were still brands that offered such a balance of price v quality.

ferrariforever

· #3 · Jul 26, 2021

Nice comparison!
The Kyosho has better details compared to the HWE, but the HWE wins in the exterior shape.
Kyosho nailed the shape of the 308, 575GTC, Testarossa. To this day I don't understand how could they fail so miserably for the 355 which was released much later?

HighVoltage

· #4 · Jul 27, 2021

Funny story. I just received a UT F355 in the mail today (bought on eBay for $25)...it's a fantastic model, but the lack of calipers is somewhat annoying.

jazzy426

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 27, 2021

looney said:
UT still holds up great IMO. I wish there were still brands that offered such a balance of price v quality.

I dare say most UT models hold up pretty well til this day. At present it would appears that Solido is filling in that void left by UT. Their stuff are great and definitely has the UT feel to them namely the Porsche 964 and BMW E36 series. It looks like they are quite popular among aussie sellers too but most retailed between $90 to $120 AUD. 😟

ferrariforever said:
Nice comparison!
The Kyosho has better details compared to the HWE, but the HWE wins in the exterior shape.
Kyosho nailed the shape of the 308, 575GTC, Testarossa. To this day I don't understand how could they fail so miserably for the 355 which was released much later?

Agreed. Their F355 doesn't appear to be their best effort. I wonder why Kyosho never get around to make a road going version of the 575. The 575GTC is brilliant but a high end version of the 550/575 would be fantastic. The HWE one although it is pretty brilliant on its own but I feel Kyosho could make one that can easily rivals HWE.

HighVoltage said:
Funny story. I just received a UT F355 in the mail today (bought on eBay for $25)...it's a fantastic model, but the lack of calipers is somewhat annoying.

Congrats on getting one. The model is simple but brilliantly made. Mattel made them too in the early days (before remaking them for HWE) and I always suspect it is a borrowed mold from UT. The Mattel one doesnt look as good as UT to be honest. The most sought after version as far as I know is the GTS one.

HighVoltage

· #6 · Jul 27, 2021

jazzy426 said:
Congrats on getting one. The model is simple but brilliantly made. Mattel made them too in the early days (before remaking them for HWE) and I always suspect it is a borrowed mold from UT. The Mattel one doesnt look as good as UT to be honest. The most sought after version as far as I know is the GTS one.

They are the same mold, indeed. The new HW "Foundation" model is slightly different and has its ups and downs (wheels and lights are better, but the hood no longer opens and it's missing paint detailing around the door pillars).

rapide66

· #7 · Jul 27, 2021

Nice comparison and interesting acquisition timeline. Is the GTS version the most sought after because of the 007 GoldenEye connection?

ferrariforever

· #8 · Jul 27, 2021

rapide66 said:
Nice comparison and interesting acquisition timeline. Is the GTS version the most sought after because of the 007 GoldenEye connection?

I don't think so. The most famous Bond vehicle of that movie is the Russian tank of course😁
But as a Bond fan I would love to recreate the DB5 vs F355 GTS scene

Too bad HWE only made the GTB and the spider, not the GTS.

Reactions: 1

winstoncds

· #9 · Jul 27, 2021

Nice comparison. I have both the HWE and HW cars. The non elite is the one with the paddle shift F1 version. I had planned to get the UT before I got the HW but the lack of calipers troubled me. UT made two versions and the latter one received the calipers and were expensive in the second hand market for probably the same reason. I still regret not getting the yellow HWE which a better presence. The side skirts on the Kyosho take away from its look.

rapide66 said:
Nice comparison and interesting acquisition timeline. Is the GTS version the most sought after because of the 007 GoldenEye connection?

I guess not. I happened to get this1/43 Altaya just to itch the scratch of owing the 355 before I ever got the 1/18s. It comes with Xenia Onatopp figurine and a suitable muddy road base with tire marks. Unfortunately the front wheels dont steer and are stuck in the drift position.

jazzy426

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jul 28, 2021

@Rapid66: I am not sure to be honest I guess maybe it is the cool factor of having removable roof? It be awesome of HWE tackled that subject as well just made another batch of 5,000 back in the day with the roof cut off haha. I actually almost forgot about the scene in James Bond where the F355 GTS was driven by the female villain. I guess it is time for me to watch Goldeneye again tonight haha.

Ah yes you are right Winston, I now remember about the subtle difference with the F1 paddle shift. UT models was active during the time where disc calipers started to become an essential feature on diecast models and they improved some of their newer releases by incorporating these into their models. Slightly off topic, Minichamps on the other hand don't seem to bother improving their re-released models and if anything they strip some of the more subtle features in their new models. They should have followed UT models footstep.

Initially I only bought the red HWE spyder version to replace the HW spyder. Then I came across a cheap yellow HWE F355 on offer and i remember it was Frank (ferrariforver) who told me to buy it asap which I did. Best suggestion from him

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cwbs

· #11 · Jul 28, 2021

I love comparison threads like this, thanks for posting, Jazzy!

I don't have a F355, but I certainly got my eyes on the yellow HWE version. They're not particularly cheap or easy to find over in the EU, and with so many other models I want first, it's going to take some time for me to get one.

jazzy426

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jul 29, 2021

cwbs said:
I love comparison threads like this, thanks for posting, Jazzy!

I don't have a F355, but I certainly got my eyes on the yellow HWE version. They're not particularly cheap or easy to find over in the EU, and with so many other models I want first, it's going to take some time for me to get one.

Thanks mate! Glad you enjoyed the thread. The one that i am missing is the 348TS in either red or yellow and have been keeping an eye out for one for quite a while now but not really willing to pay the asking price. Close to getting one when a local hobby shop was selling a red one for just $70 but i was being silly for not locking in the purchase the day before because when i called them up the next day someone else has already bought it. 😥

Reactions: 1

X-Filer

· #13 · Jul 29, 2021

Great comparison. The UT, if it wasn't for the closed bonnet it eally stood up with the other 2.

samx5

· #14 · Jul 30, 2021

Nice comparison Jazzy! UT models were great value for their time. Noticed your comment about the price of Solido models in Australia, yes they are between $90 and $120 which is cheap compared to Biante/Classic Carlectables/Autoart, however they are not cheap for the quality that you receive, they can be a bit toy-like in some instances (Caterham 7 for instance) and I baulk at paying the asking prices to be honest. Especially when Costco have 1:18 Maistos for around $30!!!!!

jazzy426

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jul 30, 2021

@X-Filer: Yea that is one thing I don't quite understand. Whoever made the first 1/18 mold of the F355 why did they decided to go with sealed bonnet?? Even the 1/24 Maisto I had from 25 years ago had working bonnet.

Thanks Sam! I too baulk at the idea of paying $100 for the humble Solido models. But all things considered it probably isnt too far fetch as the typical Maisto/Bburago/Motormax are also priced at around $80 nowadays. You might get them cheaper from local online stores as opposed to physical hobby shops but for the new Solidos, i still see them hovering around $80 the cheapest on eBay AU. I wonder if it is due to higher import cost from the Aussie distributors.. or the sellers think they can get away charging bit more due to "rarity" as Solido isn't as common as say Bburago and Maisto.

We probably can't use the Costco's $24 Maisto pricing as yardstick for pricing since Costco has special arrangement with Maisto to sell cheap Maisto and entice us to sign up for membership. I think the more realistic prices for typical Maisto here is either around 60 online or $80 at the shops. I do wonder if Costco Perth has already received 2021 Maisto pallet yet. Went there couple weeks ago and was told they are still on order.

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X-Filer

· #16 · Jul 30, 2021

@jazzy426 Motormax is still producing models? I thought they went under a few years ago, it's been a while I haven't seen any models sold new from them... they're going $80 AUD down under? Ouch... Honestly, I refuse to pay over 40€ (around $65 AUD) for a regular Maisto ou Bburago, although I have to admit they're becoming better models. So yeah, those $60 you're saying seem realistic.

jazzy426

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 30, 2021

@X-Filer: My local hobby shops appear still be stocking quite a few Motormax diecasts, in 1/24 and 1/18 although i am not sure if those are old stock or not. Not surprise it is hard to move these considering they are so pricey. The RRP on Maisto and Bburago definitely has almost doubled in the last 10 years. I remember once upon a time I could walk into any local Toys R Us and picked up any 1/18 Maisto for $39.95 AUD. Then they went up to $49.95, and every couple years later another $10 increase... 😞

Mike K

· #18 · Jul 31, 2021

The F355 is one of my favorite Ferraris too, definitely my favorite V8 one, but I've never felt the need to waste money "upgrading" from my old UT.
The pictures show very clearly how bad the panel gaps on both the Kyosho and the HWE are. And the Kyosho's shape is just atrocious, the entire rear end, the roofline, it's off by miles. And it looks like someone did a really cheap lowering job on it. I'd say that usually, Kyosho beats HWE pretty bad, but here they both don't cut it.
Whereas the UT's perfect shape, much better looking rims, tight panel gaps, and mine has the tan interior... for me it wins easy, it looks a million times better than the others that are over 10 years newer. The old UT 550 Maranello is great as well.

jazzy426

Discussion Starter · #19 · Aug 4, 2021

F355 with tan interior would be gorgeous. All mine are black which looks bit uninspiring. You are right about UT being spot on with the F355 along with 550 Maranello. Although they can definitely use some improvements like. disc calier for the earlier release, better looking headlights for the 550 Maranello etc but overall they are great and can still easily rival modern day's diecasts in the similar range.

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