Wednesday, October 23, 2013

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

With a heritage rooted within the James Bond lore, the Aston Martin DBS is one sexy car.

It's a good thing that the Hot Wheels' version lives up to the old inverse adage that art imitates life. With no fuss, no weird nor unnecessary additions, this casting is purely faithful which probably made the British company's designers shriek in school girl delight when they saw the first prototype from Mattel... although I could be wrong.

Why the title? Well, its color reminds me of the shiny blue balls hanging on Christmas trees during the Yuletide season, which incidentally, starts oh so very early in my part of the woods.

Aston Martin DBS

The view from the side is this model's most photogenic, in my opinion. Just look at those curves! Have I mentioned that this car is sexy?

Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS

Of course a few licks of paint was needed to bring out the details that Hot Wheels is famously notorious for omitting, like tampos for the window trim, tail lamps, side garnishes, and rear emblems to name a few, but such a process is just a minor setback (two hours, tops) in order to make the casting look good when photographed.

Click on the thumbnails below to see more images in Flickr.

Aston Martin DBSAston Martin DBSAston Martin DBS

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The devil is in the details

Double doubles

Never underestimate the power of detailing, however simple. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Before and after
Before and after

Click on the thumbnails below to see more images in Flickr.

The devil is in the detailsThe devil is in the detailsThe devil is in the detailsThe devil is in the details The devil is in the details
The devil is in the detailsThe devil is in the detailsThe devil is in the detailsDoublesDoubles

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

The legend of Godzilla

The legend started with Nissan's Skyline GT-R R32, nicknamed after Japan's monster of a myth, Godzilla. However awesome the R32 was, it all but died down with the fourth generation R33. Even the manga Initial D referenced the BNR33 as "meh". Then, taking a cue from another mythological creature, the phoenix, the R34 finally solidified the Skyline legend to the end.

The next GT-R that Nissan let escape from its bowels was nothing short of amazing, sans the "Skyline" badge. The sky wasn't the limit anymore. 0-60 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds could rocket the sixth-generation GT-R to the stars. Reality check? The world's fastest production car, the Bugatti Veyron, with twice the number of cylinders (16) and turbochargers (4), could only do 0.3 seconds better. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches, with their price tag premiums, could only equal the time.

The sixth-largest automobile manufacturer did everything right with the R35. From the engine to the body styling, it just seemed perfect and worthy of being nicknamed "Godzilla".

On to Tomica's casting. Everything's pretty much in order. The proportions, the details, and the tampos, they're all fine. I just didn't care too much for the basic wheels that Tomica is fitting its models. If a GT-R was fitted with 13-inch wheels, this is how it'll probably look like... which is absurd.

Nissan GT-R (R35)
Nissan GT-R (R35)
Nissan GT-R (R35)

Despite all these, however, I'd still pick its older brother, the R34, over it. For me, the R34 is more brute while being refined at the same time. Which practically means that I love its design more than the R35's.

By the way, a film is due the summer of 2014:

Let's just hope that it actually has a plot.

Click on the thumbnails below to see more images in Flickr.
Nissan GT-R (R35)Nissan GT-R (R35)Nissan GT-R (R35)
Nissan GT-R (R35)Nissan GT-R (R35)Nissan GT-R (R35)

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