Hard to believe that December is already here, and Christmas is just around the corner ... but, if you have been good this year, maybe there is still time to get a little lotus present for yourself!!
We will continue with the Elise theme for this month (although I am sure that some of you are getting Elise'd out..) rest assured, next month we will look at other models that are out there on the market. As I have always said, though, if you don't get these now, expect to pay for them later via ebay!
Jadi Modelcraft is a newcomer to the Elise market, and a die cast newcomer in general, as I think that the Elise S2 is the only diecast that they produce, but what a great one! The detail is right up there with more expensive manufacturers like Auto Art and Kyosho, with crisp graphics, and flawless paint jobs. This Elise even includes a removable targa top along with the prop rod for the engine bay! Numerous die cast shops currently carry the Elise, which comes in Laser Blue, Ardent Red, Lightning Yellow, and two new colors for 2004, Ice Blue, and Metallic Grey. These are priced around $25-30.
In addition to the standard Elise, Jadi has also just released two variations to the Elise, the first is called a Type 49, after the F1 with the Gold Leaf Tobacco Livery of Red, White, and Gold. This die cast does not have the targa that comes off, but still a beautiful one none the less!
Second is the absolutely beautiful Lotus Elise S2 in the traditional Lotus colors of green and yellow, reminiscent of the type 25. It is dubbed the heritage edition, and available quite affordably from ebay. I think I paid roughly $26 for this one, which included shipping
All the above Elise diecasts are in 1:18 scale ... if 1:43 are more your size, then Auto Art has you covered! Auto Art (Gateway Global) has become one of the industry standards in die cast, offering cars that have extreme detail, for a very reasonable price. They have just released an Elise S2 in either Blue, Yellow, Silver, or Black colors ... I can't go into great detail on this model, as I don't own one, but if they are anything like their 1:18 scale models, you won't be disappointed! (We will cover more of Auto Art's Lotus models in future newsletters).
Last up, is another newbie to the die cast, and Elise market ... Saico. I had never heard of this manufacturer, and it appears that the Elise is the only diecast that they manufacture. These die casts are in 1:38 scale, and were first released as a limited edition two pack, which contained one open and one closed version. The doors of these die casts were the only things that opened on them, but overall the quality was good. The only distributor that I know of in the US for these are www.triple-c.com. Currently you can get the single version of these off ebay, which end up shipping from the UK, so they must be more plentiful there.
Happy Holidays to all, and hope you find a die cast or two in your stocking!
