| |
As I gaze transfixed upon the Ferrari 312T4/T5 prototype before me, I sense a new dawn in diecast detail. Exoto, with this new entry, has achieved a level of realism not before seen outside of custom handbuilt one-off models costing thousands of dollars. The number of moving parts is almost inconceivable in a diecast this size. Pick it up and the front suspension flexes; set it back down and it perches itself at proper racing height. The unmistakable hand of Exoto captures Ferrari's technology tube by tube, wire by wire and rivet by nearly impossibly replicated rivet. These rivets, on the side panels, windscreen cowling and rear two-piece wing are photoetched metal! The graphics and paint are beyond superb. The tires with hundreds of wear indicators are directional Michelins lettered to perfection. The cockpit is a wonder of model art. From the infinitesimal photoetched 'Prancing Horse' to the safety belts, to the vacuum lines, detail is alive everywhere you look like never before. The flat 12-cylinder engine is so real you can almost hear its mystical scream. Wiring, hoses, tubing, metal mesh gauze on the velocity stacks, the graphics ingeniously marked, are a modelers dream come true. The rear assembly is a marvel of intricate detailing. Springs, brake ducts and inboard disc rotors move harmoniously together in choreographed symphony. Whether you regard the 312T4/T5 as the most beautiful or ugly of Ferrari's, this model is the most explosively detailed, accurately functioning and flawlessly finished replica that you can currently find. (06/12/2000)
(06/12/2000)
|
|
