Hey guys, I need an advice.

I mainly collect 1/64 but would like to treat myself with a quality 1/43 diecast. I have a few 1/43 American cars from YatMing... but the details are just not the best.

What is comparison in quality...for example between Minichamps, Ixo, Spark, Ebbro, Kyosho etc...? I'm really a bit confused, as prices are very different.
I would also prefer, that the car is in an acrylic transparent box, so you can put it on the shelf and it doesn't collect dust.

I know these are really newbie questions, but is there maybe a guide for 1/43 cars etc...?

Many of you are real experts in 1/43 area, so any help would be very appreciated. Thanks for any info. :thumbsup:

All of those models you listed come in the small cases. They are all also very good quality. My determination is made more often by what model I am looking for rather than the manufacturer. I find that there is not that much duplication between the manufacturers. That is, they are trying to make models that other companies have not made. That doesn't mean there is no overlap, but my experience is not that much. Also, in general, those companies don't make that many American cars. Some; but they are few and far between.

What models of what cars are you looking for?

In my travels I have collected many 1/43 American muscle cars, trucks and hot rods. I will list them in order from MOST realistic to LEAST realistic in 1/43 scale only. IMHO they are Quartzo, Kyosho, GMP, Vitesse, Universal Hobbies (Eagle's Race), Matchbox, ERTL, Hot wheels, Corgi, Tom Daniels (good detail but not realistic), Dimension 4, JL, Road Champs and Welly. Of course, It's really not fair to say which company has the best detail (as some have various grades). As mentioned before, it's the model, not always the company that makes quality diecast. ;)
Frank

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Thanks guys!

To be honest, I'm not even sure where to start, as the variety in this scale is just amazing. I've searched a bit and found out, that you can get practically any model ever made in 1/43.

I guess I''ll have to focus on something...maybe European sports cars from 70s and 80s...or maybe concept cars from the same era. I really like oddball and rare stuff too...

Unless you have a lot of money and a lot of space, you really have to set strict collecting goals and stick with them. Like many people, when I first started out, I naively bought everything that interested me or that I thought was cool. Big mistake. I ended up with a jumble of cars that had no focus and was growing out of control.

Then I decided to just collect rally cars and TV/Movie cars only and some modern Japanese sports cars (I lived in Japan for 3 years). I sold most everything else that was not part of this scheme. But that was still not narrow enough and I could not keep up. Then I decided, just cars from 3 specific rallies, TV/Movie cars, and Nissan Skylines. In 1/43 scale, that's it. I don't really buy anything else and it's still seems like it's hard to keep up.

Pick a plan, set limits, and stick to them. You will still have a nice collection and your budget will thank you.

Thanks guys!

To be honest, I'm not even sure where to start, as the variety in this scale is just amazing. I've searched a bit and found out, that you can get practically any model ever made in 1/43.

I guess I''ll have to focus on something...maybe European sports cars from 70s and 80s...or maybe concept cars from the same era. I really like oddball and rare stuff too...


Goto the bay and do a search for High Speed 1/43 die cast. They make nice 1/43 that is either comparable to Road Champs or better imo.

Thanks everyone!

I just ordered my first "real" 1/43 model. It's Minichamps and it's '69 model year. Any guesses? :p
I can't wait to get it!

The best 1/43 die cast are Minichamps. This is the best quality and the widest selection. Also excellent are models from Auto Art (though their boxes are slightly larger and therefore take more room). Schuco is equally good, but this comment does not include the "Junior" series. The quality Schuco models are also almost exclusively of German cars. Much cheaper but still satisfactory are Schuco Junior, High Speed and Hongwell. If you prefer European cars then 1/43 is the ideal scale and Minichamps is your best source for quality and choice. I guess Minichamps' 1969 Mercury Marauder.

- ranchero -

Ranchero: It's European and it's red! ;)
It's confirmed that it has been shipped, so I should get it within a week.

I'll try to post some pics.

Red? '69? - Ferrari Daytona?

No, but it's Italian! :p