Nice review, I think I'll pass. 
HW Ferrari 360 Spyder
3
Here's the next review. This time it is on the Ferrari 360 Spyder
One curious observation is that Hot Wheels's model looks very much like the design was "borrowed" from Bburago's own 360 Modena. Most of the pictures are of the 360 Spyder Scaglietti but the two models are very similar.
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PAINT
The standard 360 Spyder is available in red, yellow or silver. The paint is reasonably good, as with most Hot Wheels models. The coverage is complete but the quality is questionable. There are several rough edges and the paint does chip easily - Hot Wheels should have used a decent primer. Also you can easily tell the painted metal parts from the red plastic parts. This is a bit of a let down even for Hot Wheels as they usually do a decent paint job.
6/8
EXTERIOR
The model may look wider than it should be but after measuring it, I found that it is to scale - the real 360 is a rather wide car. The proportions are correct too. However that is where most of the positive features of the exterior lie. The panel gaps are very large and a lot of plastic is used - most notably in the engine cover as well as many other parts of the exterior. The excessive use of plastic results in the model weighing just 510 grams. The front air intakes that help cool the brakes are actually perforated although the air intakes to the engine are not but the perforation is simulated. The lights at the front are reasonable but the rear lights are a bit of a disappointment - although they are plastic, the indicators and reverse lights are painted on to the tail lights. Also the central tail light isn't a separate plastic piece or even a sticker but rather an indentation in the engine cover. The side repeaters aren't separate plastic pieces either but rather a small blob of orange paint. The fuel filler cap isn't a raised surface in the metal but rather just a ring of dark red/yellow paint. Finally the "Prancing Horse" logo is a moulded surface in the metal rather than a separate plastic piece (which is the case in Bburago's version). Even by Hot Wheels's standards, the exterior is a let down.
4/8
INTERIOR
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Some of the interior is quite good but a lot of it is very crude. The seats, pedals and the steering wheel are just about all that is good on the interior. The seats are moulded well and have some fine detailing including the prancing horse on the headrests and some stitching effect. The steering wheel is accurate as are the pedals although the cross drillings on the pedals are simulated. A lot of faults arise with a closer inspection. The seatbelts aren't actually separate but they are moulded into the main mould for the interior and painted black. The gearstick is far too small and the classic Ferrari open H-gate in which it sits has 8 points where it should just have 7 (6 forward and 1 reverse). The dials are poorly defined as well - the colours are incorrect and the centre console is very poorly rendered - crude mouldings and crude paint simulate the controls. The inner door detail is as equally as crude since a single part of plastic is moulded and painted and it looks very cheap. There is some detail in the front compartment but the "spare" wheel and tyre are no such things. What it is is actually a spare half wheel and tyre. As before, even by Hot Wheels's standards this is poor.
3/8
WHEELS & BRAKES
The wheels/brakes detail is fair at best. The tyres are correctly branded and have decent tread detail. However the tyres don't fit on the wheels perfectly - perhaps too much paint was used on the wheels. Also the "holes" on the brake discs are simulated by the moulding with paint but the holes are too wide to be realistic. Brake calipers are present as well as handbrake calipers but the brake discs aren't labelled. Also the brake discs and brake calipers are made from the same piece of plastic so as a result the discs don't rotate with the wheels.
3/6
ENGINE & UNDERCARRIAGE DETAIL
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The engine detail is surprisingly good and easily the best feature of the model. However it the design of it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "A good idea is always worth stealing" as the engine is copied from the one in Bburago's 360 but Hot Wheels have improved it. The engine has many of the fine details reproduced from the real 360's engine bay and you can easily identify the camshaft covers, the "Vee" formed by the two banks of cylinders, the gearbox, the driveshafts and several other parts in the bay. The main way in which Hot Wheels improved the engine detail is that the plastic resembles aluminium whereas Bburago's resembles chrome. The undercarriage detail is quite good too. Correctly the undertray is mostly flat and the rear diffuser and Venturi wings are well simulated. One fault with the undercarriage detail is that you can see all the screwings and a lot of the mouldings in the model.
7/8
COMPETITION
Bburago make the 360 Modena and there are some features that are better in Bburago's version but there are some features that are better in Hot Wheels's 360.
3/6
DESIRABILITY
Hot Wheels's model of the 360 has frankly suspect quality and it is almost as easily available as water.
2/6
OVERALL
Put simply, Hot Wheels's model of the Ferrari 360 Spyder is a major disappointment of a model. Considering that the real 360 is one of the most popular Ferrari cars of all, this model doesn't do it justice.
Total Score - 28/50
Thanks to Chris Miller @ http://zzz.server101.com/modelweb/ and http://www.please support DX Advertisers![/URL] for the use of their pictures.
© 2003 www.DiecastXchange.com All rights reserved
One curious observation is that Hot Wheels's model looks very much like the design was "borrowed" from Bburago's own 360 Modena. Most of the pictures are of the 360 Spyder Scaglietti but the two models are very similar.
PAINT
The standard 360 Spyder is available in red, yellow or silver. The paint is reasonably good, as with most Hot Wheels models. The coverage is complete but the quality is questionable. There are several rough edges and the paint does chip easily - Hot Wheels should have used a decent primer. Also you can easily tell the painted metal parts from the red plastic parts. This is a bit of a let down even for Hot Wheels as they usually do a decent paint job.
6/8
EXTERIOR
The model may look wider than it should be but after measuring it, I found that it is to scale - the real 360 is a rather wide car. The proportions are correct too. However that is where most of the positive features of the exterior lie. The panel gaps are very large and a lot of plastic is used - most notably in the engine cover as well as many other parts of the exterior. The excessive use of plastic results in the model weighing just 510 grams. The front air intakes that help cool the brakes are actually perforated although the air intakes to the engine are not but the perforation is simulated. The lights at the front are reasonable but the rear lights are a bit of a disappointment - although they are plastic, the indicators and reverse lights are painted on to the tail lights. Also the central tail light isn't a separate plastic piece or even a sticker but rather an indentation in the engine cover. The side repeaters aren't separate plastic pieces either but rather a small blob of orange paint. The fuel filler cap isn't a raised surface in the metal but rather just a ring of dark red/yellow paint. Finally the "Prancing Horse" logo is a moulded surface in the metal rather than a separate plastic piece (which is the case in Bburago's version). Even by Hot Wheels's standards, the exterior is a let down.
4/8
INTERIOR
Some of the interior is quite good but a lot of it is very crude. The seats, pedals and the steering wheel are just about all that is good on the interior. The seats are moulded well and have some fine detailing including the prancing horse on the headrests and some stitching effect. The steering wheel is accurate as are the pedals although the cross drillings on the pedals are simulated. A lot of faults arise with a closer inspection. The seatbelts aren't actually separate but they are moulded into the main mould for the interior and painted black. The gearstick is far too small and the classic Ferrari open H-gate in which it sits has 8 points where it should just have 7 (6 forward and 1 reverse). The dials are poorly defined as well - the colours are incorrect and the centre console is very poorly rendered - crude mouldings and crude paint simulate the controls. The inner door detail is as equally as crude since a single part of plastic is moulded and painted and it looks very cheap. There is some detail in the front compartment but the "spare" wheel and tyre are no such things. What it is is actually a spare half wheel and tyre. As before, even by Hot Wheels's standards this is poor.
3/8
WHEELS & BRAKES
The wheels/brakes detail is fair at best. The tyres are correctly branded and have decent tread detail. However the tyres don't fit on the wheels perfectly - perhaps too much paint was used on the wheels. Also the "holes" on the brake discs are simulated by the moulding with paint but the holes are too wide to be realistic. Brake calipers are present as well as handbrake calipers but the brake discs aren't labelled. Also the brake discs and brake calipers are made from the same piece of plastic so as a result the discs don't rotate with the wheels.
3/6
ENGINE & UNDERCARRIAGE DETAIL
The engine detail is surprisingly good and easily the best feature of the model. However it the design of it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "A good idea is always worth stealing" as the engine is copied from the one in Bburago's 360 but Hot Wheels have improved it. The engine has many of the fine details reproduced from the real 360's engine bay and you can easily identify the camshaft covers, the "Vee" formed by the two banks of cylinders, the gearbox, the driveshafts and several other parts in the bay. The main way in which Hot Wheels improved the engine detail is that the plastic resembles aluminium whereas Bburago's resembles chrome. The undercarriage detail is quite good too. Correctly the undertray is mostly flat and the rear diffuser and Venturi wings are well simulated. One fault with the undercarriage detail is that you can see all the screwings and a lot of the mouldings in the model.
7/8
COMPETITION
Bburago make the 360 Modena and there are some features that are better in Bburago's version but there are some features that are better in Hot Wheels's 360.
3/6
DESIRABILITY
Hot Wheels's model of the 360 has frankly suspect quality and it is almost as easily available as water.
2/6
OVERALL
Put simply, Hot Wheels's model of the Ferrari 360 Spyder is a major disappointment of a model. Considering that the real 360 is one of the most popular Ferrari cars of all, this model doesn't do it justice.
Total Score - 28/50
Thanks to Chris Miller @ http://zzz.server101.com/modelweb/ and http://www.please support DX Advertisers![/URL] for the use of their pictures.
© 2003 www.DiecastXchange.com All rights reserved
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
G
Very low score :finger: I thought the Hot Wheels version is a decent model for the money, but room for improvement from an upscale manufacturer should be a cake walk.
I would have to agree that the Hot Wheels 360 is not a great car, but at the $10 I paid for mine from KB I would have to say its a great value.
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Bice review :jk:
Bice review :jk:
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
