TARMAC WORKS 1:64 SCALE AUDI R8 LMS

TARMAC WORKS 1:64 SCALE AUDI R8 LMS

Have you heard of Tarmac? Hmmmm... not much, really. They are an up and coming brand based in Hong Kong, and they have arrived in the market with some cool castings last year such as the Spoon Civic EG6. A lot more of them will be coming soon, including the new Honda Civic Type R.

But Tarmac isn't just focusing on Hondas. They have the license to replicate Audi cars like this:

It's the R8 LMS. And it isn't just a regular series production model. It's actually limited to around 200 pcs. I acquired this from DaBoxtoys in HK. I gotta say, getting the plain body version was the best decision ever...

This is where the negatives start. Tarmac models have BAD liveries. What I mean bad is not the design, but how they were made. They look rough around the edges and can easily peel off. Just the other day, I saw the 1:43 scale model of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI T.M.E. It's a great looking casting, but I saw the signature livery ready to be peeled off. Unless Tarmac does something about it, it's a deal-breaker. They are still far away from the likes of Kyosho in terms of quality control. So far that's the only issue I saw, and since the brand is relatively new, I'll give them a chance to redeem themselves.

Let's now move on to the positives. The proportions of the car are accurate. The detailing is something to be praised as well. The wheels roll smoothly (though why would you?) The spoilers, and side mirrors are firmly installed, so there's little chance of them breaking off. 

Overall, I like the casting. It looks amazing, and I'm glad that they plan to release more racing cars in the future. Hopefully they fix the liveries. They still have a long way to go, and that's understandable given that they have recently entered the diecast car wars.

UP NEXT: An SUV that thinks it's a sports car.

PART 3 OF MY NEED FOR SPEED GAMEPLAY!

Something happened, you know... about the copyright bla bla...

I even have to take down my live stream video earlier because of some copyright issues. In order to prevent it, I decided, that from this video onwards, I will take out the music by switching them off in the game. Once again, I apologize for that.

And the next part will have my voice commentary back.

Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoy this video.

NEED FOR SPEED WALKTHROUGHS:

I have bought NFS last year, but I have restarted the Story Mode. However, the game put a little twist on how you can restart it. Watch these videos:

ARE YOU A FAN OF THE WANGAN MIDNIGHT MAXIMUM TUNE SERIES?

If so, then here's one of my videos:

If you want more, then check out this playlist:

WANGAN MIDNIGHT MAXIMUM TUNE PLAYLIST

Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune is an arcade game based on the Wangan Midnight manga. It's basically a high speed race in Japan's Shutokou Expressway in Tokyo. There is traffic to contend with during each race.

And players can choose their favorite car and tune them as the progress through the Story Mode. Then they can store their car's data through the Namco Banapassport Card, and they can store as much cars as they want, not just one like in previous titles. They can even engage in Versus battles, up until four players can compete.

There's online capability too. Players can compete with another player's "Ghost".

Ghost? It's no means the typical penetrable ghost car you see in time trials. It's an entirely different term for this game. It's a recorded run of a player's car on the course, and all you have to do is simply beat it. But the said ghost opponent is tangible and you are free to bump or block it. Beating a "Ghost" in the Ghost Battle mode gives you rewards for Dress Up visual customization, In the latest title, there's now an in-game currency in which you can purchase the Dress Up parts you have unlocked. There so many possibilities when it comes to customization!

Overall, it's a fun game. Currently, only North America, Asia, and Australia regions have this game. If you are from EU, then send a love letter to Namco Bandai.

Thanks for reading!

Time To Revive This

It's been a long time, eh? Yeah, I've been through a lot lately, I know...

I'm not going through what happened why I stopped for a long time, but I will revive this blog for the purpose of showing my diecast collection, YouTube videos, and possibly even my racing story.


So first off, here's my YouTube channel. If you're feeling blue and want to take out your stress, then that channel is for you. I have posted gaming videos for your viewing pleasure.

AND IF YOU ARE INTO CARS: THEN THAT'S MUCH BETTER! That's because majority of my videos are racing gameplays! But I'll try my hand on fighting games. Variety is the spice of life, indeed.

Now, I shall be back to reviewing my diecast cars. I have so much bought during that long gap. So many to choose from...

I shall start off with this:

The 1:43 scale model of the Audi R8 V10 Plus from Herpa.

Maybe you're thinking - HERPA? Isn't that known for making airplane models. Well, that's true. But they also make diecasts too, and of great quality too!

I like the R8, particularly the first generation one with the V8. This particular model is the second generation Plus model. That means it has a 610 PS 5.2 liter V10 shared from the Lamborghini Huracan cousin. It should dash from 0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds, and will go on until 330 km/h.

The R8's futuristic styling will always turn heads. It's a far cry from the plain looking but high tech saloons Audi makes. Maybe Audi knows that they are to be taken seriously...

On to the model, first impressions are that it can rival a Minichamps model of the same scale.

The paint quality? Wonderful. The metalflake paint job is seamless, and it's even on par with an AUTOart!

Normally, I don't buy other variants of a model, but I made an exception this time. The first one was actually that Suzuka Grey colored one on the left, and that blue was the second.

Time for the downsides.

It may look gorgeous and seems to be flawless, don't think of that. While it is indeed on par with the models from the household names like AUTOart, Minichamps, and EBBRO, it isn't perfect either. Some parts can be fragile, and even the wheels can take off. I even have to glue back the white one's left headlight because it fell off. But it was done in precision that even you won't notice.

But that's only the issue I've found so far. I only have three Herpa models to date. The third one is a Porsche, which I'll review also later on.

WHERE CAN I BUY ONE?

If you may ask where to get one, it's very simple. It can be acquired via an Audi showroom, just contact your local dealer if they have one in their lifestyle section. You can ever order one from them if you want, just make a deposit and wait for a month or two for it to arrive.

NEXT REVIEW:

Do you know that I have a smaller version of that car? 1:64 scale to be exact, and it's a race car! Stay tuned.

Possibly the best RS Porsche in the world...

This is my latest addition, a 1:64 scale Kyosho Porsche 911 Carrera RS (993) from the Porsche Minicar Collection IV:

I have read and heard that this hard to find along with the GT2 RS and the 962C models. I am not surprised why. The 993 always has been regarded as the best, the purest, and the most epic 911 model to date. It is the last of the air-cooled 911 series, and enthusiasts love the exhaust sound coming from those air-cooled engines. Still, a Flat 6 engine from Porsche can sing!

Even in  its scale model form, it has been a collector item, hence its rarity and its sky-high prices much like its real-life counterpart. All models of the 993 are being sought-after, even if it is a Targa or a basic Carrera model. The most desired of them all is this one featured, the Carrera RS.

The reason why is because it is the last of the Carrera RS line of the 911, as well as being the most powerful and most radical. The Carrera RS line started from the F model in 1973, which is also a highly valuable collector car. The focus of the Carrera RS models is track performance, and they mean serious business.

The 993 RS has a 3.8 liter naturally-aspirated engine producing 300 horsepower. And just like any other 911 out there, the engine is at the way back. That may sound unorthodox and not the best thing in the world, but that layout separates the 911 from the rest of the sports cars, and making it the benchmark due to its unique driving dynamics. Being a track day car, unnecessary features are deleted such as power windows, power steering, carpeting, sound insulation, rear seats and even air conditioning (for the Clubsport package). If the owner wants to go extreme, then he can opt for the Clubsport Package that removes air conditioning, and installation of a roll cage and fire extinguisher. The package also comes with a larger rear spoiler and a deeper front fascia.

No matter which RS trim you'd go for, they have astounding performance in their time, even by today's standards. 0-100 KM/H in just 4.7 seconds and a top speed in the 280 KM/H range. Part of the reason is the car's low weight of 1250 kg or so, which is flyweight by today's standards.


The current generation GT3, and GT3 RS models have been inspired by the Carrera RS models. This 993 would definitely be remembered, and if you own one of these, you'd still stand out among the crowd of modern 911s should you attend a club meeting or tearing up the race track.

       It's been so long since I haven't made a post here. With all the other stuff I'm preoccupied with, I have almost forgotten that I have a blog! So here's what I did for the last 2 years: I am currently writing a fanfic based in GT5 in GTPlanet (and that's the reason why I almost abandoned this site! LOL). I have made tons of titles of them already, and there will be more coming up (as long as I don't give up on that, why not?) Here's the link that will lead you to all my stories in GTPlanet:
 
My GTPlanet Stories


I have been writing them for a year, and this is all thanks to the readers as I thought that no one would read them.


             Next, I have made several purchases of 1:64 Kyoshos. Kyosho makes the best 1:64s in the planet. Though of course you will need to pay the price for their craftsmanship and detail they put on something tiny. 1:64 scale (for those who have no idea) models are almost the size of a Hot Wheels toy car. This is just one of them, and it quickly made it to my Favorites list:

More on these little gems coming soon! And I should not forget that I have a blog this time...