[g3org3y]

As I've said on previous resin vs diecast threads, the existence of the model is more important to me than the type of model itself.

I'm a BMW fan first and model collector second.

There's a reason GT Spirit have been voted #1 model manufacturer two years in a row on this forum. They make models that enthusiasts want. This makes a big difference. The quality is also spot on. The paint is outstanding and they are very crisp/clean (if that makes sense).

Would I prefer they were diecast and opened? Yes, ideally, assuming they were appropriately/realistically priced. As a BMW collector the gold standard for models were the old AutoArt Millenium range. Those days are gone and I have to accept that. As such, as a BMW collector I'm limited to mid range Norev and Paragon (not bad but nothing special) and Minichamps (great subject matter - M3s/CSLs etc) but mediocre execution given the price.

 

[g3org3y]

I never understood the statement "resin companies do the models that would never have been done in diecast". Well that is just not really a statement that can be supported by any facts. If the resin companies had not popped up by the dozens, and had diecast remained the standard in model making as it was, I am sure many of the models, which to now have only been offered in resin, would have been done in diecast. Had collectors not been so welcoming of resin in the first place, we would probably have gotten most of those previously mentioned "resin only" models in diecast, by default.

I disagree. I see no inclination from the diecast crowd (AutoArt, Minichamps etc) to listen to their customers in the same way Otto or GT Spirit do. If it wasn't for Otto, I would still be waiting for Alpina 1/18s to this day.

Otto in particular make rather 'out there' and unexpected models which fill gaps no other manufacturers seem to be capable of (or have no desire to fill). I suspect it's down to tooling and cost of manufacturing. Minichamps in particular however has a penchant for re-releases of old moulds in with new liveries with no improvement in detail and higher prices.