First up this month is a 1/43 scale model from Cararama- a Lotus Sport Elise Cabriolet. Not sure what differentiates this from the normal S1 release, but what I like about this model (besides the price... under $10) is that I have rarely seen one of these Elise diecasts with the canvas top up. The only other model that I am aware of is one that was released by Quartzo a few years back (but I will save that one for another newsletter). Cararama is the name of this series, however they are produced under the Hongwell Company out of China. Your best bet to try and locate this would be through their website, www.hongwell.com. While there are no opening parts (unlike the splendid Europa that they released ... we'll cover that one at a later date as well), it's still a nice model for your collection.
Another new addition to my collection is the 1:72 Kyosho release of the Lotus Elise S1. If you recall, these were part of a promotion in Japan with the Circle K convenience stores, and were "blind boxed". As before, the detail is excellent, and the nice base that it comes on is a bonus! This Elise was released in three colors, yellow, blue and green. It's worth tracking down via Ebay, if you can still find it!
Finally, the smallest model (to date) that I have acquired. This is a Lotus Esprit (G body style), in 1:100 scale ... that's about the size of a quarter! This Esprit, along with a Europa, was part of a Lawson/Boss coffee promotion in Japan a few years ago. The base in which the car is sitting, was actually the lid of the coffee can. Again, you didn't know what you were going to get with each coffee purchase. The Lotus Esprit came in silver, and blue. The Europa came in white, black, and a limited "circuit wolf" paint scheme ... we'll look at those in the next issue!
Happy Hunting!
