Resin and composite(ABS plastic) aren't the same thing. Resin models in general have more accurate shape and far superior paint quality compare to composite models, but 99.9% of resin models are sealed un-openable.

Autoart's composite models are made in ABS plastic which is the exact same material Lego uses for their products.

 

And, just to add, ABS is also what you'll find on almost every piece of consumer electronics.

 

Interesting. I didnt even realize there was a difference between the 2. I see composites include opening parts and seem more on par with diecasts. How are they weight wise? Do they have the heft of a diecast? My only point of reference are model cars I once built which are quite light/flexible.

 

Hi, welcome to the forum!

It might be worth you checking out the thread we have discussing AutoArt's composite models.

New Autoart Composite Models - Thoughts?

I will read through this thread and see if it's worth incorporating into in to the thread I've linked to. For an actual discussion about diecast v's resin, I will find a link to that discussion as it has come up a lot before.

Thanks.

 

I have several of Autoart's composite models and think they are good quality. I'm generally pleased with them and their details. They are lighter weight than the metal die cast pieces, but I believe you will find them heavier than plastic model cars you built in the past.

 

At first I was quite averse to the idea of models being made in plastic but now I don't mind them at all. They're super light yeah

 

Since it was mentioned that Autoart models are made from ABS just like Lego. I have noticed s strange phenomena with some of my Lego bricks. Some brown bricks namely seats have turned brittle and cracked on their own even when just being kept in a box. I would have thought it is from a poor batch but then some 3x2 bricks again in brown turned brittle too. Also have a cracked and broken 12 x 12 green plate. All these have broken without any stress on them from repeated playing by the kids.

 

I only have one AA composite model, a Huracan in Rosso Mars, which I bought to see for myself if it was a bad as some say. I was surprised to find it is quite a decent piece!

However it doesn't look to me as if the panels have gone through a painting process, but rather I suspect that red plastic - in an approximate shade to Rosso Mars - has been used to cut costs even further.

I don't know if they put extra weight inside to make it feel heavier, but the Huracan weighs 611 grams, against 689 grams of the pre-LP Gallardo, and 695 grams of the Gallardo Balboni.

I have noticed s strange phenomena with some of my Lego bricks. Some brown bricks namely seats have turned brittle and cracked on their own even when just being kept in a box. I would have thought it is from a poor batch but then some 3x2 bricks again in brown turned brittle too. Also have a cracked and broken 12 x 12 green plate. All these have broken without any stress on them from repeated playing by the kids.

If the AA composite material is really the same as Lego's, then this is very concerning. That would be the equivalent to zinc pest, which is also what AA claimed they were trying to avert by switching to composite, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm about to invest quite a bit of money on a few composites, including EB110 SS and Diablo SE30, maybe I should wait for any stories of AA composites disintegrating.

 

I love diecast and resin models. But, the ABS plastic, composite models always look cheap to me. More of a toy than a detailed model. Thinking of the newer AA models, I have only bought one of their composite models, the Porsche GT3 RS. I look at buying their new stuff, but it just doesn't seem worth the price. AA models have gone up so much in price and their quality has possibly gone down. Even their high end stuff does not compare to their previous top models.

 

ABS or diecast, whatever is more detailed/better looking I chose that one.

And it has to be fully opening, even for my race models, because the interaction with the models including being able to open the doors, hood enhances my attraction to the models.

 

I have occasionally strayed from my previous ironclad mandate to only buy diecasts with full, opening features over the last year or so simply because so few companies are releasing such diecasts anymore of the classic racing cars I prefer to collect. I am months behind in posting to the "What Did You Buy Today?" thread and will very soon have a shot of a sealed resin model that blew my socks off with its incredible, realistic detail.

But rather than commit 100% to resins or to the smaller scale (despite the size of my 1/43rd collection going from 6 to 36 this year alone as I grabbed cars that I do not expect to ever see in 1/18th in resin or diecast), I am backing away from the hobby since I don't feel properly serviced by the manufacturers anymore. My past suppliers have mostly fallen by the wayside (Exoto, Carousel 1), substantially decreased their output or restricted the range of subject matter (Acme/GMP, CMC) or switched to resin/"composite" or sealed diecast (AUTOart, BBR, Kyosho, Minichamps, TSM).

There still is a small cadre of mid-range producers of racing cars in full-featured diecast (Schuco comes to mind and Norev for more entry-level degrees of detail) but the bulk of my collection is more high-end (and by that, I mean the quality of detail, not necessarily the prices), dominated by Exoto, with releases by AUTOart and Minichamps in their heyday so it becomes almost impossible to settle for less.

 

The lego story is interesting and I'm curious as to the point you want to make.
I have lego sets which are over 30 years old and I can honestly say they're as good as new.
If that is any indication of material durability, I have zero doubt regarding my AA composite models.

 

I guess Ottos are resin? The few I have are quite heavy or comparable weight wise to a metal diecast. Same with my Laudo models.

While the subject matter means more to me than the material it’s made from, I do baulk at Aa’s prices for a non metal model. I don’t mind what Otto and Laudo charge for sealed, non metal models, but not the extra Aa charges for opening, non metal, models.

 

Not sure what Spark are (ABS or Resin), but their models always seem incredibly well detailed for the price.

Personally, I still prefer the heft of a diecast (sealed or opening, the latter preferably), but I do think that fine detail should be easler to achieve with Resin or ABS than cast metal.

It's not always true, but certainly is in some examples I have.

I still pine, though, for the days when you could pick up a diecast BBR Ferrari for £150 or less!

M

 

Spark are resin.

Fine details are much easier to achieve using resin or plastic than they are in diecast, it's a function of both the materials and the manufacturing process. With die cast metal the only way to get sharp edges and parts with thin cross-sections is to do additional processing and that is prohibitively expensive in most cases.
Resins with fine details that aren't up to diecast levels will be solely down to design choices.

 

Love my Spark models. They got me into the resin side of the hobby since no one was making a lot of diecast race cars.

On a side note... anyone know what materials Tecnomodel uses??? I have a few and some feel like resin and others like a composite plastic which make them pretty shiny and light.

 

I think comparing resin models to Autoart´s composite (ABS) material really comes down to how much do you, as a collector, value opening parts.

I have always seen resin models as a supercar parked at a street. You can go around it and take pictures but thats about it.
Whereas a full opening model is a supercar that you can have access to and interact with the different things.

Also if you care about the mechanical parts of the car, opening models are the only choice.
On the other hand resin non-opening models do not have to worry about the interior parts so much so they spend most of their budget on the outside.

In my case, I only buy full opening models and have never even contemplated buying a resin model.

 

What a great analogy between opening vs non-opening diecasts @takumiae86.

In my case, I only buy full opening models and have never even contemplated buying a resin model.

Initially I was open to sealed models, but after some time reviewing what's out there I'm less likely to purchase one unless the subject matter is offered no where else. I love looking at engines, especially multi-barrel carburetors, and being able to closely inspect interiors with the added bonus of those diecasts that have moving seats, openable glove boxes, etc.

 

How about this as an alternative - wood!

 

How about this as an alternative - wood!

What a work of art! I watched the video from start-to-finish; that man (men? people?) is a genius! I kept thinking how often I would have had to stop and go get another block of wood and start over; I have NO DIY skills and also can't be sure my hands are as steady as his had to be.

Can't imagine how much that finally would cost, either !

 

Or paper.

 

Or paper.

These are not JUST paper but are amazing regardless. The detail is extraordinary! It looks like he's built every F1 Ferrari through 2015/16; and he says he did it all in ten years 😲.

 

For me, I go for openable models stictly. Metal or composite doesn't matter. I feel sealed models do not offer much for what they ask for as a price. I mean yes, exterior is at it's best, interior is very good while you look at it through the windows. But nothing under the hood to see, can't feel the seats, carpeted floors/trunks, no pup up lights, no working scissor/sliding/disappearing/dihedral/gull wing doors and so on. Half of the things are not even there. And for me, watching the intricate and complicated engine work is a delight. I believe most of the efforts they put in making a model must be under the hood. Especially the models prior to, say, 1970 or so. Only thing I worry about is rashes/pest on metal models and may by composite becoming brittle and breaking with time. Probably resins are better in this regard. I am not sure though.

 

I will occasionally get something new at this point in my collecting, but I will get only functioning and openable models going forward. No more sealed resin models. And I recently came to this conclusion. This is ironic to me, but as much as I hate the lightness of ABS models, I've decided that i hate even more that one-piece, inert brick feeling when I pick up a resin model. I actually prefer to hear the creaks and groans when I pick up a functional openable model.

 

I actually prefer to hear the creaks and groans when I pick up a functional openable model.

Very good point and one I wholeheartedly agree with

 

At least the wheels roll on my black BBR F12. Must've been a factory defect. But if wheels on sealed resins can roll, that's at least one thing that's functional.

 

I'm relatively new to this hobby, having only begun about a year and a half ago. Other than quality control problems and poor glue quality on most new models, I generally enjoy the hobby. I collect 1:18 scale cars. Most of my cars are full access models, but I also have a few sealed models. I find myself going back and forth in my mind about whether or not to buy any sealed models. I generally prefer the full access models due to being able to see all the details in the engine compartment, trunk, and interior clearly. However, I also very much like the exterior looks of some cars that I can only get in sealed model form. It also occurs to me that I seldom open the doors, hoods, and trunks on my full access models, anyway; they usually just sit out on display without being touched very often. It therefore doesn't really matter very much that they have full access. The sealed models that I have bought are cars whose exterior looks I like so much that it didn't matter as much that they were sealed. If I see a sealed model whose looks I really like that has a very good price, I will likely buy it. On the other hand, for example, I love the looks of the Maserati MC20 made by BBR in 1:18 scale, but it is a sealed model that costs $400! In my opinion, that's ridiculous for a completely sealed model! I have therefore ruled out buying it.

Just some of my thoughts. What are yours?

 

Sealed models are evil and belong in 1:43 scale.

 

Collectors come in 4 varieties:

1. Only buy opening models (like myself). If it doesn't have an accessible engine, I don't want it
2. Mostly buy opening models but will make an exception when the model of a car they like is only available in sealed form. These guys usually sell the sealed model as soon as an opening one comes out. I would say this is probably the majority of collectors. These guys also don't appreciate how overpriced resins are.
3. Mostly buy resins and sometimes diecast. These guys are not this way by choice. Ignition model is a good example. They make a very niche theme of models - modified Japanese cars. So if you're interested in that - your choices of brand names are few and sometimes (Autoart, Super A) will make a tuned JDM car in diecast.
4. Only buy resins - these guys mostly collect paint basically. You'll see them posting the same model in 168 colours or different leather colour of the base the model is fixed to, or stitching on the seats or something along those lines. They also love saying things like "1 of 1" or "one off".

 

I would go for full (or limited) opening each time given the chance unless of cos the price difference is too great and this is true with the new releases from Autoart or Kyosho. Fortunately there aren't too many new releases which interest me so I tend to shop for older stuff mainly full opening diecasts.

However not all full opening diecast models are made equal some are atrociously bad especially the older budget diecasts and in those cases I much rather have a better representation of the subject even in sealed form.

2. Mostly buy opening models but will make an exception when the model of a car they like is only available in sealed form. These guys usually sell the sealed model as soon as an opening one comes out. I would say this is probably the majority of collectors. These guys also don't appreciate how overpriced resins are.

I guess I fall under group 2. I don't buy into the 1 of 5 super exclusive seald resin model sitting on a leather bound plinth marketing spin. For that sort of price I could spend it on a nice CMC with full opening with intricate details. I am all about max value for money.

 

I stick to full opening as I enjoy having the accessibility of all the different areas of the car even if they're kept mostly closed. The engine is as much the car as the body so not being able to see it limits my enjoyment of it as it feels like a shell without it.

I likely will make one or two exceptions to this rule as there's a few cars I'm interested in which will never be made all opening from anyone. The price is quite high, but the car holds a special place for me, hence my willingness to spend the money. Overall, there's so many full opening models I'm interested in I don't think I need to worry about running out of options in the near term.

 

The day I realized most sealed models don't even have an engine in them... I stopped desiring them. I also remember seing a study on a forum that production costs are like 1/20th of those of opening diecast... While not always be less expensive to purchase for customers. Resin are great for manufacturers, but not so for customers I think. Still, some of them look great I have to admit... Great looking 300€ painted wax candles

 

My interest is heavily biased towards motor racing subjects (probably 66% - 33%).
It is simply a fact that many subjects are too specialised to be mass produced in all open diecast.
If I have a choice - it will of course be the open variety, but that is a rarity indeed.
I have a number of Spark and Raceland models, and they will never be available in open diecast.
In a similar vein, I have a number of sealed diecast Minichamps models, and I can't see them being available any other way.
Very popular road going subjects are a different matter entirely, there a number of 250GTO models available in all formats.
In this area of the model industry, there are often choices as to what you choose, and what you have to pay....