Scuderia Saturday: The LaFerrari in 1/18, by Bburago

Fall has officially arrived, and that should mean one thing and one thing only to diecast collectors - discount 1/18 models at your local Costco and Sam’s. So I did what the rest of you would do: booked it to my nearby wholesale outlet in pursuit of cheap cars to fill my shelves.

It was around this time last year that this particular model you will be seeing here was released. It’s a model that’s been on my radar ever since. I told myself to be patient and wait for Costco to hopefully stock these the following year, then grab one for peanuts.

My wish has been granted. The time has finally come.

My LaFerrari has arrived.

I got this at Sam’s Club, utilizing their free one-day pass for non-members. I’ve been doing my research and heard murmurs about these Maisto and Bburago models starting to appear over the past couple weeks. Models such as the LaFerrari, ‘17 Ford GT, and Bugatti Chiron, among others. I don’t care who you are; when you hear the names of those cars and realize you can add them to your collection for $13 apiece, you get off the couch and make the drive, no questions asked.

In my excitement and haste, I neglected to take photos of the pallet. There was a fairly decent selection. Some of the ones that caught my eye were an orange Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, silver Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, silver Nissan GT-R (R35), and orange-red Chevy Corvette Z51 (C7). I found this lone LaFerrari on the top of the back shelf and grabbed it immediately. The employees would not allow me to move the shelf in front to fully access the models in the back, so I made do with this one. I was hoping to get more mileage out of that one-day pass, but I didn’t spot the GT or the Chiron. That’s OK, because Costco and Sam’s stores will continue restocking and selling these through the holiday season, so opportunities are aplenty. Though, in hindsight, I wish I picked up that ‘Vette.

On to the LaFerrari itself. The Ferrari. One of three in the Holy Trinity, and the best looking of the trio. This is a Bburago model repackaged as a Maisto. It looks really, really good. The details aren’t as crisp as a high-end model such as the Hot Wheels Elite, but you can’t go wrong for one-tenth the price. Maisto has been upping the quality of its models in the past few years, and their efforts are on full display here. There isn’t the droopy suspension that plagues most of Maisto’s models. Interior details are noticeably improved from older releases. The brake details are fantastic and the best I’ve seen to date from a budget model. The wheels, true to the 1:1. There is some semblance of steering, a feature that I very much appreciate having.

On the drive home, I had the LaFerrari riding shotgun. I couldn’t help but shoot a glance at every red light and smile.