Teaser.

Four:

Doors.

Wheels.

Seasons.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

The four-leaf clover.

Romeo meets Giulia.

The result?

The perfect car.

Practicality of a 4-door. 

Performance of a 2-door.

2.9L, twin-turbo V6.

505 horsepower. 443 lb-ft of torque.

Zero to sixty in 3.8.

7:32 on the Nurburgring.

50/50 weight distribution.

Active aero.

Power.

Finesse.

Beauty.

Heart and soul of a Ferrari.

Italian design.

Only by Alfa Romeo.

The Harrods Racing McLaren F1 GTR, by TSM (1/18)

The McLaren F1 is said to be the greatest supercar of all time. In its heyday, it was the fastest production car ever. Its world-class performance and abilities transcended what was thought possible at the time. As such, the legend made its way onto the racetrack as well. dominating the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 by not only winning first-place overall but also snatching four of the top five positions in the process.

Chassis 6R, shown here, was the third-place finisher at Le Mans in 1995 and would go on to take sixth place the following year. Sponsored by the famous London shopping center, the Harrods F1 sports one of the most striking liveries of the twenty-eight F1 GTR's built for racing. The bright yellow-orange base, contrasting British Racing Green stripes down the middle, and Harrods insignia along the sides makes this F1 GTR instantly recognizable and a fan favorite. Personally, I would rank this my second favorite livery behind the FINA.

Gunmetal O.Z. Racing wheels are a huge improvement over the stock F1's shoes and are a major reason why I prefer the GTR and LM versions of the Macca. The details on this model are brilliant, inside and out. The multitude of small, decorative pieces, such as the carbon fiber plates on the front bumper, is very pleasing to the eye. This is a diecast model (TSM has since transitioned to sealed resin models), which means the interior and engine bay are fully accessible to those who wish to see the glory within. And yes, the details are just as good inside as they are outside - even better, if I may say so.

As my first TSM model, I was so blown away that I immediately ordered a second one the next day. That one can be seen in the next review; in the meantime, check out the rest of the photoshoot below:

Cars and Candy: Norev's Mercedes AMG GT3, in Haribo Livery (1/18)

There are times when a livery makes you love a car so much that you have to go out and get it even though you never liked racecars to begin with. Then there are times when a livery lights the bulb in your head and urges you to buy a bunch of other junk just for the sake of complementing your new toy in your photos. This Haribo-liveried Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3, produced by Norev, is both of those things.

What's better than a cute, happy teddy bear plastered all over an otherwise menacing, evil, angry racecar? Not much, except a Skyline perhaps (just kidding, but not really). Anyways, the livery prompted the purchase of both car and candy, and it was only fitting to put the two together. The aftermath was a smeary, smudgy, sticky Mercedes. The bears didn't seem to appreciate being in the photoshoot either. One threatened to rip the stripe decal off the hood. Another group of bears took its anger out on the windshield, creating a couple long hairline cracks down the middle.

Totally worth it.

...and so is the model itself.

I must have not done my research, because I hadn't realized that this is a completely sealed model. Despite that, ultimately it does not matter. They display just as well, and half my models nowadays are the closed-body, resin type anyways. What I like is that Norev kept the steering, which is the one feature that makes diecast models superior, in my opinion. It's actually useful and adds much more posability to the model, creating more style, drama, and flair for both photos and display. As you can see, I made good use of it here.

It's just a great-looking car in general and 100% photogenic. I consider Norev to be middle-tier models, meaning they slot in between the budget stuff and the expensive stuff, but they certainly look and feel more pricey than they actually are. The Mercedes "nose" comes complete with red tow hook and some very convincing mesh behind the vertical chrome strips - I can't even tell if its solid or not. The front dive planes are well-crafted and are securely attached to the body, as is the massive wing in the back. The overall wheel package looks great, and I'm a big fan of the colorful decals on the tires. Though the doors don't open, there's enough detail in there to make you believe Norev didn't take any shortcuts with its sealed-body design.

One exception: the side-mounted exhaust piping is actually just some silver paint with a plastic chrome tip for effect. That gets a pass because this is a sub-$100 model if you know where to look. This is easily the most attractive of the handful of AMG GT3 liveries that Norev offers. You buy this model because you love Haribo candy and the cute bear, and you keep it forever because this AMG is totally wicked.