Scuderia Sunday: A Pair of Ferrari's from Maisto Design

Maisto's 1/64 line has been a surprising hit among collectors ever since they've rebranded themselves as "Maisto Design" and distributed their product to select Target stores in the U.S. From what I've seen both on social media and in person, the models have been generally well received and stock is consistently low. Although Maisto has been doing these "1/64" cars (scaled very liberally) for years, they've been hard to acquire anywhere besides on the internet. As a result, the brand has remained very low-key and often dismissed by collectors.

Just recently, Targets have received new batches of cars, this time with a more diverse selection that includes exotics, sure to excite many including myself. The other day, I spotted a Porsche 911 GT2 in cop car guise, a couple of Lamborghini's, and these two beauties out of Maranello. And you know I can't leave a Ferrari behind.

We as collectors have been Ferrari-starved for too long. Being the only diecast company with official Ferrari licensing, can Maisto do them right?

So what we have here are a LaFerrari and a 599 GTO. Again, these are nowhere close to 1/64 scale; they're significantly larger than comparable castings from Hot Wheels. To many, that's an instant turn-off. I wanted to give them a second chance, if for no other reason besides the fact that they are Ferrari's.

At a price point of $4, the detail is there and certainly does not disappoint. Wherever there should be tampo treatment, there is tampo treatment. The castings are well-proportioned and crisp. Other than scale, the one that bothers me are the wheels. The wheel designs are true to their real forms, but the axles are not wide enough. This means the wheels are not flush with the fenders and the models look less "sporty" than they should be (for the record, I pulled them out as far as I could for these photos). These are supercars!

The LaFerrari is clearly not Maisto's strongest effort. The ride height is totally wrong and it has a growth on its chin. OK, it's actually a place for the front screw, but there has to be a better way to get the job done.

Either way, I'm sold, and I hope Maisto puts its exclusive licensing to good use. One can never have enough Ferrari's.

A First: Maisto Design's Tow & Go, featuring Two Cool Cadillacs

We're going to interrupt the Matchbox posts to feature some new product by a different brand. First Maisto feature on this blog. First of each of the respective cars in my collection. This is the Tow & Go pairing featuring the Cadillac Escalade EXT and Cadillac STS-V, from the new Maisto Design series.

Many of you may have checked your local Targets recently and seen the new product by Maisto, labeled Maisto Design. It's Maisto's attempt to revitalize the brand and make it more attractive to collectors, having been hidden in the shadows for the past few years. The packaging refresh is eye-catching, but don't be fooled by what's on the outside. The models, and castings for that matter, are largely similar to what they've released in the past. Still the same cartoon-ish modifications on their models. Still the same, odd, 1/55-ish scale. Bottom line: they might not be for you.

This pair really caught my eye for one reason and one reason only: that STS-V. I don't remember ever seeing this particular car in diecast form. Better yet, this one is actually close to 1/64 scale, which is what I primarily collect. The STS-V is a car that I loved when it came out, and I think the design is still as sharp as ever. I can immediately forgive the exaggerated "DUB" look and the generic tampo treatment put on by Maisto. This is one I had to have in my collection. They've released this casting in the past, but due to spotty distribution, Maisto's 1/55 scale cars never made it to retail.

I know most of you have already tuned out by now just looking at the photos. Who on earth thought those deeply inset wheels were a good idea? For those of you still there, I bet you're already thinking about this model's potential. A simple wheel swap and tampo delete just might do the trick. Maybe some extra work is necessary, such as cutting out the fenders a little more to fit those new shoes, but this STS-V can look spectacular in the hands of a deft customizer.

Let's not forget there's another model in this set. The Cadillac Escalade EXT is arguably just as good, if not better, than the STS-V above. This one actually looks fairly realistic because the truth is, there are Escalades out there that look like this. Minus the graphics of course.

At the end of the day, these are two models that are well-detailed and competitively priced. It just all depends on your tolerance of tacky modifications.