Best in the Business
A head-to-head Porsche match-up for 18 toy car makers
by Doug Breithaupt

Here is the first question. Which make of car is the most popular with small-scale toy car manufacturers. It is not Chevrolet's Corvette or Ford's Mustang. It is also not Ferrari, Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz. Porsche is the clear winner of 'the car most common in small-scale sweepstakes'. No less than 18 toy car makers currently offer Porsche models in their line-up with more on the way (Anson's Tiger Wheel 911 GT2 and GT1). Of the major manufacturers, only one has not produced a Porsche, Johnny Lightning.

Here is the second question. Of the 18 manufacturers, which offers the best model at the best price? The comparison grid below was designed to find out. First, 18 Porsche models were selected for comparison. The criteria was simple, the model must be the most recent Porsche model offered by the manufacturer and it must still be in production. This did result in a variety of models from Hongwell's 550A Spyder (I do not yet have the 996 model from Hongwell) to the latest 996 models from Matchbox, Siku and others. Where several Porsches were offered by one manufacturer, the most current model was selected.

The models are evaluated in five categories with a possible top score of 5 points in each or 25 overall. The price category reflects a subtraction of the model's retail cost (rounded to the nearest half-dollar) from the 5 point maximum. The other four categories allow for the quality of the model to be judged. The totals reflect my best judgment in each category and as such are certainly subjective in nature. If you have a different opinion, let me know (e-mail me) and I will share it next month. And the winner is...

MANUFACTURER
MODEL

PRICE

BODY
BASE

PAINT
TAMPOS

WHEELS
TIRES

INTERIOR
FEATURES

TOTAL
SCORE


Guisval - 962C Le Mans

3.5
($1.50)

3
(average for scale)

4
(authentic look with good quality)

3
(look appropriate but too small)

1
(no interior, plastic headlights)

14.5


Hongwell - 550A Spyder

3
($2.00)

4.5
(casting is perfect but it is a plastic base)

5
(top quality with fine detail)

4
(very good with correct wheels, but in hard plastic and a bit small)

5
(correct interior with separate color for steering, plastic headlights)

21.5


Hot Wheels - 911GT3

4
($1.00)

3.5
(only slightly above average, mold lines visable)

3.5
(generic race tampos but decent quality)

2.5
(low profile tire and lace wheel look wrong)

3
(solid steering wheel, minimal detail)

16.5


Imperial - 959

4.5
($.50)

1
(crude but still recognized, not licensed)

1
(truly ugly pink matte finish with muddy tampos)

1
(small and cheap)

1
(one seat, part of base)

8.5


Maisto - 996

4.5
($.50)

2.5
(decent body, licensed with some base detail)

3
(average quality with some nice pad-printing)

2.5
(does not look right but are well-sized)

0
(no interior or distinguishing features)

12.5


Matchbox - 911 Carrera Cabriolet

4
($1.00)

4
(body lines sharp with good base detail)

3.5
(smooth finish with lights detailed but still modest)

3
(decent, well-sized, basic wheels)

4
(nice, accurate interior)

18.5


Majorette - 996

4
($1.00)

3
(not anything special, base detail limited)

2.5
(below Majorette standards, tampos off-centered)

2.5
(a bit small and plain)

4
(accurate interior with opening doors)

16


Motor Max - 996

4
($1.00)

4
(body is sharp with good base detail)

4
(very good finish with tampos for lights and badge)

3
(quite close to the Matchbox wheels and as good)

4
(accurate and detailed)

19


Racing Champions - Boxter

1
($4.00)

4.5
(well-detailed body and metal base)

4.5
(very good but not perfect, headlights are unique)

5
(rubber tires and correct wheels, well-sized)

4
(trunk opens and interior accurate but with windshield gap)

19


Real Toy - 911

4.5
($.50)

3
(decent casting with some base detail)

4.5
(exceptional detail for this price range, collector quality)

3
(equal to those of the major players but still basic)

3.5
(competition interior in road car but well-done)

18.5


Siku - 996

2.5
($2.50)

4.5
(superior casting but base is plastic)

5
(just beautiful)

4
(plastic wheels and tires but the size is good and wheels are nice)

5
(excellent interior, opening doors and beautiful headlights)

21


Summer/SS - 944 Turbo

4.5
($.50)

1
(appears to be a Matchbox copy)

3
(paint is actually average quality)

1
(ugly and too small)

2
(doors open and separate interior provided but cuts off at rear window)

11.5


Speed Wheels - 959

4.5
($.50)

1
(at least it's original)

2
(paint is best feature)

1
(they roll)

1.5
(separate from casting)

10


Tomica - Boxter

0.5
($4.50)

4
(sharp but casting line visable)

4
(very good but detail on lights is basic)

4
(superior quality but old-fashioned)

4
(very good but a bit basic)

16.5


Tootsietoy - 911 Cabriolet

4
($1.00)

2.5
(decent casting but no detail on base and un-licensed)

2.5
(tampos do not line up and paint is thin)

1
(cheap wheels detract from the car)

3.5
(good interior with opening doors)

13.5


Welly - 911 Carrera

4.5
($.50)

4
(very good casting and base)

3.5
(good paint but minimal tampo detail)

3.5
(better than average for older style wheels)

3.5
(good interior but no features)

19


WT (Wheeler Toys?) - 930 Turbo

4.5
($.50)

1.5
(a bit crude but solid, un-licensed)

2.5
(good basic paint with generic tampos)

2
(the wheels fit with the rest of the car)

1.5
(separate interior but very basic)

12


Yat Ming - 911

4
($1.00)

3
(body is good but base is cheap)

3
(good paint with a few tampos)

1
(Yat Ming should dump these old wheels)

3
(Interior a bit generic but doors open)

14

Many may be surprised to see that the Hongwell 550A Spyder is king-of-the-hill. it combines excellent value with amazing quality, especially at 1:72 scale. The runner-up is Siku's 996 model. It is not a surprise that Siku does an excellent model, especially of German cars. Also a surprise was the tie for third between Racing Champions, Welly and Motor Max. Racing Champions produces fine miniatures for collectors but the high price hurt the score. At the same time, the low price of Welly and Motor Max models, combined with some very nice models, makes these the bargains of the bunch. Matchbox beat both Tomica and Hot Wheels for fourth place but had to share that honor with Real Toy who also combines great value with some very nice features.

The mid-range castings like Guisval, Yat Ming and even Tootsietoy were only slightly behind Majorette. The 996 is not one of Majorette's better castings and they would place higher in other model comparisons. In the battle of the cheap diecast, Imperial earns a well-deserved low score with the generic Speed Wheels only slightly ahead. Maisto's glazed windows with no interior but their 996 in with the bottom-feeders of diecast like WT and Summer/SS. All-in-all, the big winners are Hongwell, Welly and Motor Max from Asia with Hot Wheels, Majorette and Tomica looking a lot more average.

By sending production to Asian factories, the European and American diecast companies have provided Asian artisans and their companies with examples of top quality toy cars. Now these Asian companies are beating the West at their own game. This is good news for the kid and collector as it means more quality for less cost and that should force Western producers to keep prices a realistic levels to compete. You maght wonder why Hot Wheels collector edition Porsches were not included in this review. The simple answer is that at $8-10 each, I don't own them and even if they were included, I think the -3 on price would have negated their quality. The $8 Hot Wheel or the $2 Hongwell would be an easy choice for me.