DeAgonisti 1:43 2004 Maserati Coupe and Rastar 1:43 2010 Volvo XC60

There are lots of 1:43 scale models out there in the marketplace and it is more than the toyish pull back cars that you typically see: there are special collector models that lack the pullback motor and instead focus on the details and they can range from light to top notch depending on brand and price point.  Here are a few lesser-known cheap examples in 1:43 who create nicely done examples of some recent popular European nameplates.

DeAgonisti 2004 Maserati Coupe

The Maserati 3200GT was the start of Maserati’s revival of stylish sports cars thanks to new owner Ferrari who helped the brand steer away from the disaster of the Biturbo models and make a reentry into the U.S.  Before the entry back to the U.S. the engine was enlarged to 4.2 liters and a new naming convention was adopted: Coupe for the four-seat coupe and Spyder for the two-seat convertible.  Styling was designed by Giorgetto Guigiaro, designer of the Ghibli and Bora, and goes for a rounded front-end that glides along the sides to the abrupt, flat rear-end.  The boomerang taillighs were replaced by triangular units for a better look.  The interior has a twin-cockpit design with a dashboard that continues into the doors.  Italian leather abounds.  The engine is a 4.2L DOHC V8 that was built by Ferrari and gives a soothing, naturally aspirated noise that only the Italians can create.  It produces 385 horsepower through a six-speed manual or six-speed automated manual transmissions.  The duo was replaced by the GranTurismo that is based on the Quattroporte sedan and thus is slightly bigger and heavier than the classic Coupe and Spyder.

What I don’t understand is the lack of diecast replica’s of this car: I love the beautiful styling and the pure Italian roots of the car more so than the GranTurismo, but finding a decent replica has been tough until now.  You had Bburago with the 3200 boomerang taillights, the Maisto 1:18 Spyder; both nice, but too large for my collection.  The 1:24 Maisto Trofeo race car was cool, but I wanted a stock version.  No 1:64 models existed (and still continues with the current GranTurismo), so it was hopeless until DeAgonisti finally made one for an affordable price in 1:43.  In fact, this company makes a nice assortment of exotic cars in 1:43 scale over the last decade with most of them coming in a blister bubble that wraps around the car and attaches to the cardboard at the bottom.  The dark blue Coupe looks sleek and stays true to the actual car right down to the multi-spoke wheels in dark gray on rubber tires.  The front has round headlight lenses behind the oval clear covers, signal lights next to the large round grille with Trident logo, and lower bumper with grille slots.  The sides have a nice clean look like a bar of soap with body-colored separate exterior mirrors, while the rear has triangular taillights, Maserati badge, and quad exhaust tips.  I did had to add some detailing but overall very nicely done.

Most exotics have the undercarriage covered up, but on this Maserati the exhaust, drivetrain, and rear suspension is at least visible.  The interior has supportive front seats with detailed inner ribbing and Trident badge on the headrests, while the rear seats have nice details even though they are useless for adults in the real car.  The door panels have some ribbing in the center and flow into the twin-pod dashboard round air vents, 3-spoke steering wheel, and center console with shifter.  The lack of detailed radio and HVAC controls at the lower center of the dashboard is the only downside of the interior.  Not high-end like some other 1:43 scale models, but for those who want a decent, stock Maserati Coupe that is not large-scale you cannot go wrong with this casting from DeAgonisti.

Rastar Volvo XC60

Another area of decent smaller scale models that don’t exist is the Volvo XC60.  Sure, many have made the first SUV from the Sweden Volvo brand in various sizes, but when it comes to the XC60 it plays the same game.  Most nicely-done models are large-scale, with the only 1:64 model by Majorette a rather crude casting from Dickie.  Thankfully Rastar managed to scale down the larger-scale XC60 to 1:43 for a proper price.  The XC60 was the smaller brother to the XC90 when it went on sale in 2010 with styling that is based on the 2007 concept car and shared with the Volvo V60 that is smoother and more flowing than the XC90, yet still very recognizable as a Volvo.  The interior featured plenty of room for five with a dashboard layout that is also shared with the V60.  The engine is a 3.0L DOHC turbocharged I-6 that produces 300 horsepower through a 6-speed automatic transmission and through all-four wheels with full-time all-wheel drive.  The next-generation XC60 now shares styling with the new Volvo look adopted first from the second-generation XC90.

The brown color and gray wheels on this Rastar model gives it a sporty look to the XC60.  The front has a pointed front grille with Volvo badge, swept-back headlights to the sides and next to the grille are LED running lights, and a lower bumper with silver center trim and foglights to the sides.  Unlike the XC90 the XC60 has a more swept-back look with forward –thrust front and swept-back D-pillars to the traditional SUV profile.  The lower cladding has silver trim, the gray multi-spoke wheels on rubber tires are nice even if the background of the wheels should be black, and roof rails that run along the large panoramic sunroof.  The rear has pillar-mounted taillights that flow outward in the rear fenders, rounded hatch design with Volvo plate and badging, and higher lower rear bumper with silver trim and dual exhausts.  Again I was the one that added detailing to the chrome trim and a few lighting areas.  The base on these Volvo’s do not show much, but you do get to see the exhaust system and rear suspension detailing.  The interior shows off seating for five with front seats that have side bolstering, a center console that flows into the dashboard and adding silver trim helps break out the flat and detail-less sections, and a dashboard that lacks detailing and the 4-spoke steering wheel is rested flat against the dashboard.  Door panel detailing is also non-existent.  Not the best, but not bad considering there will be a long wait for a decent 1:64 XC60 in small scale so for now this will do.

Update 4/8/20:  Finally joining the Maserati Coupe is the Spyder from Grani and Partners and despite the different manufacturers both the coupe and spyder look like they were built from the same company.  The yellow really draws the attention than the dark blue as does the silver multi-spoke wheels with rubber tires and even the detailed base is the same as the coupe.  The same long hood, smooth lines, abrupt rear with triangular taillights and quad exhaust tips as in the coupe except here the roof ends with a typical trunklid, hard tonneau cover to color match the body, and dual silver roll hoops.  The interior loses the rear seats for the top storage, but has sporty front seats and a detailed dashboard with color to the air vents and blue radio/HVAC control screen.  A very nice pair to one of my favorite Maserati models.