Stop It, Maisto. Just Stop It.

This is just not fair to all the other diecast companies out there. Why spend many times more for a comparable model when you can have these Maisto models for less?

Yes, collecting ultimately boils down to which brand makes what you want, and especially in 1/18 scale, that usually leads to only one choice. However, what we have here is another case to prove that Maisto has gotten its stuff together and is now unarguably the runaway leader in the budget model segment. This is a new model for 2016, and it's the Bugatti Chiron.

This is actually a Bburago model rebranded as a Maisto for wholesale purposes, but you may already know that they're the same company anyways. Therefore, I will refer to it as a Maisto.

From aesthetics alone, this looks like a premium model. It took a while for Maisto to figure out how to get wheels and "stance", if you will, done correctly. Those are the two key components that differentiate the wannabes and the pros in the diecast game, and Maisto has finally reached the level of the latter. Finer details can be had with more expensive models; there's a saying that goes you-get-what-you-pay-for. But with a Maisto, you don't just get what you pay for - you get more.

I nabbed this red-and-black Chiron as part of my Costco loot, and there's even a blue-and-black one out there as well. Both are classy colorways that are very befitting of the Bugatti brand. The interior of this model, even classier. This might be the best interior detailing I've seen from Maisto, ever.

The faux carbon fiber patterning is done through molded texture in the plastic rather than print, likely as a means of cost-cutting. Doesn't look cheap though. It looks more realistic than some of the carbon fiber prints out there.

A few minor gripes about this model revolve around its working features. The steering doesn't really work, the deploy-able rear wing is rather finicky, and the doors don't open as much as you'd like. If you're a well-informed expert collector, you'll know that Maisto purposely sealed the rear engine compartment on the Costco models to artificially cheapen it, so as not to compete with retail-priced models. Easy solution: take the car apart, grind down a couple tabs, and you're good to go.

I'm rather indifferent to Bugatti's cars in general, but even I can recommend this model to just about any collector out there, whether you specialize only in expensive pieces or you're a newbie just entering the hobby. I used to think that once I got into the high-end eighteenth-scale game, I would never turn back to budget brands like Maisto and Bburago.

Silly me. They just proved me wrong.