Here's the review that a lot of members here have been waiting for: the
Lamborghini Gallardo by
AUTOart.
PAINT
AUTOart's rendition of the Lamborghini Gallardo is available in one of four colours: Yellow, Miura Orange, Diamond Black and Silver. As you typically find with AUTOart, the paint is extremely well applied with complete and even coverage without any rough spots or orange peel. The only complaint here is that the orange and yellow versions have slight mismatches in colour between the different body panels while this fault isn't present with the black and silver versions.
7/8
EXTERIOR
The model's scale is correct and its proportions are just right. Much more metal was used in the model's construction than with the Murcielago and this is reflected by it tipping the scales at 680 grams - 10 grams heavier than the Murcielago despite being a smaller model in external dimensions. The model's panel gaps couldn't be any tighter without making it extremely difficult to open the doors or front compartment. The Lamborghini "raging bull" logo on the nose of the model is made from a separate piece of plastic which is tampo-painted and it looks a lot better than the already impressive looking raised tampo-painted logo on the Murcielago.
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The headlights are very well simulated with appropriately shaped and coloured plastic pieces. Attention is paid to the four small lines in the bottom corner of each headlight cluster. The side repeaters are well done too and the mounting posts are used to simulate the indicator bulb to good effect. The air intakes leading to the brake cooling ducts are extremely well simulated with honeycomb style mesh that has genuine perforations throughout and at a closer inspection you can see the vents behind the mesh. The doors have completed windows and they have handles too that allow relatively easy access to the interior. The air intakes leading to the engine and the rear brakes have the same honeycomb mesh as the intakes at the front of the model.
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The orange and black versions of the Gallardo have the "glass panel" engine cover that comes as an option with the real car while the silver and yellow versions have the stock "grille" engine cover. Both engine covers are well simulated with perforated grilles on the stock engine cover and honeycomb mesh on the "glass panel" engine cover. The only complaint with the exterior is a very minor one - the central brake light just above the rear window is tampo-painted.
The grilles above the rear wheels have genuine perforations and the rear lights are well rendered with appropriately coloured and moulded plastic parts. More mesh is used at the back of the model and parts of the engine and cooling vents can be seen through it. The Lamborghini font also on the back of the car is very finely moulded into the body and easy to make out.
8/8
INTERIOR
The doors open up to show a beautifully crafted interior. The floors have carpet detail and the seats are well defined with nicely done seatbelts that have separate buckles. The seatbelt clips have their buttons correctly painted red too. The flat-bottomed steering wheel is well rendered with the thin chrome ring around the body of the wheel and the raging bull in the centre of it. All of the dials are nicely fabricated and line up nicely in the dashboard and centre console. The controls in the centre console are very finely moulded and have very fine applications of paint to enhance the detail further. The open-gate gear lever is very well simulated too as are the pedals and the foot rest. The interior roof is also completed. The only fault with the interior is that the seats are hard plastic no attempt has been made to give them a softer feel.
7/8
WHEELS & BRAKES
The wheels are very well simulated and there are real holes between the spokes and the rim of the wheel rather than a less complicated deep moulding in the rim. The wheel nuts and the raging bull logos are nicely done too and the tyres are branded with the correct tread. The brake discs are real thin metal discs mounted on thicker plastic discs and the brake calipers are equally realistic looking with the correct shape and position and they have "Lamborghini" finely tampo-painted on them as well. Handbrake calipers are present too and because the brake discs are independently fixed from the calipers, the discs rotate with the wheels while the calipers remain fixed in position.
6/6
ENGINE & UNDERCARRIAGE DETAIL
The engine cover lifts to show an extensively detailed engine bay. The two air intakes over the body of the engine are well marked out and have the Lamborghini font moulded in to them. The two banks of cylinders are beautifully rendered with the cam covers and spark plug covers clearly visible. Wiring is present in the correct places and the oil box is marked out by minute moulding rather than by a cheaper sticker. The tailpipes are very well done too with the hollowness going down quite deeply and the insides of them are painted black to enhance the hollowness.
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The undercarriage detail is as equally as impressive with a great amount of engine and gearbox detail. The engine and gearbox are very finely moulded with extraordinary detail and you can clearly see that the gearbox is mounted behind the engine (a first for Lamborghini's mid-engined cars). Just in front of the engine you can see a small section of the prop shaft leading to the front wheels, indicating that the Gallardo is a four-wheel driven car. The driveshafts are well detailed too and the double wishbone suspension is beautifully rendered with the shocks nicely simulated too.
8/8
COMPETITION
Maisto is the only manufacturer other than AUTOart that makes the Gallardo in 1/18 scale. In terms of quality and accuracy, AUTOart's rendition of the Gallardo eclipses Maisto's own almost in to oblivion. The only favourable quality that Maisto's version has over AUTOart's one is that it is substantially less expensive. However you can argue that AUTOart's much higher price tag is justified as you get a model of much higher quality and accuracy. Check these reviews of Maisto's version of the Gallardo by
Scott and
Eug to see how it compares to AUTOart's version.
5/6
DESIRABILITY
AUTOart's version is certainly much more difficult to find than its vastly inferior Maisto rival - Maisto's version can be found at major supermarkets in North America and some are even given away with magazine subscriptions in the UK. Paying upwards of double the money for AUTOart's version over Maisto's version can be justified by the superior quality and by being less common.
5/6
OVERALL
AUTOart have surpassed themselves with making this model. It is certainly one of their best ever models and it has close to Exoto quality for a third of the price. Almost all of the faults and niggles with AUTOart's Murcielago have been overcome with the Gallardo model and the result is a virtually perfect model. I'd strongly recommend this model to most collectors, especially those who specialise in supercar models. Even if you have Maisto's version, you should seriously consider getting AUTOart's version as well.
Total Score - 46/50
review added to the DX Model Review Database on 13-JUN-2004
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