Maximum Tune Team

Want to be part of my racing team?

D•ALLNCE - short for "DREAM ALLIANCE" is a name I thought of, from my Gran Turismo fan fiction. (you can check it out here if you wish to read the story).

The team was just formed by myself last month, just for me to be able to add that only as a sticker. But now, I have received a request from a YouTube comment, if one can join the team.


Fortunately, you can join the team. Just send me a Member Request here:

Once I see your request, I will notify you through a Personal Message, and you must reply your application in this following format:

NAME

CAR

REGION

REASON FOR JOINING

CLASS

VS GRADE (OPTIONAL)

On submission, you must also show the following:


 - Local (Philippine Players):

   - Time Attack photo of C1 Outer or;
   - We can meet up and have a duel.


- International (HKG, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Macau, Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea Players):

   - Time Attack photo of C1 Outer.




Some requirements that you need to fulfill:


- Your car must be a full-tuned car. (finished Story Mode)


- NO COPYCATS PLEASE. I will stress on that. I will not accept names who are obviously imitations of popular WMMT players (ZYNE, HEXTR, Sora@, BARRY and so on...). Please be original and I don't want my racing team be notorious for keeping copycats.








Happy racing! Hope to see you joining my team!









Take note that I don't immediately accept members. Please give me some time.

YouTube Channel

Here's a short video about what I feature in my YouTube channel:

Please subscribe if you want to see gaming content. Videos are to be uploaded as frequently as possible.

DRIVECLUB Video For Today:

I DO PLAY DRIVECLUB TOO, you know?

I got the game last year, and it's really nice. Too bad it lacks content normally found in other racing games such as car tuning, and real-life race tracks.

Anyhow, enjoy viewing! You can check my DRIVECLUB playlist as well.

A JDM Legend

Next Dealer Edition Diecast Review: Honda NSX Type R!

In my previous entry, I've dealt with a dealer edition model, which was a Minichamps Porsche Cayenne GTS.

Now, let's tackle with another one of its type, but from a different brand. Say hello to the Ebbro 1:43 scale Honda NSX Type R.

It is a dealer edition model, packaged in a Honda box, and even the brand isn't etched under the chassis, but a quick trip to Google will tell you that it's made by Ebbro.

So why did I get an NSX Type R? Simple. It's one of my favorite JDMs. Only one of the two, to be specific. The other is a Mazda RX-7.

The Honda NSX. Honda's slap to Ferrari's face on how to make a fast, but also RELIABLE sports car: One that would start even in cold, and won't leak nor fail. In fact, the NA series NSX is still one among the most reliable used sports cars on sale... with a hefty price, of course.

And here's the epic part: Ayrton Senna helped developed the NSX! His inputs were very valuable in its development period.

Even though a stock NSX was already bonkers enough, Honda thought that they can't sit on their laurels. They decided to release a more hardcore version - the Type R.

The Type R is like a "GT3 RS" version of the NSX. It's lightened and improved overall, though it still had the same horsepower as a regular NSX (because Gentleman's Agreement). Look up on YouTube on how the NSX-R performed in Best Motoring races. You'll be surprised.

And the fact that it's playable in racing games such as Gran Turismo, we mere mortals can enjoy its performance even if it's only virtual. 

The model I'm reviewing is the NA2 version of the Type R. I am in love with its shape (even though some may contest the fixed headlights) hence leading it to be my favorite JDM of all time.

Ebbro makes incredible models. From JDM classics to Super GT machines, you could say your JDM fantasies will come true if you buy from that brand. Though they're no means cheap, especially this model which I bought for a rather huge sum.

Of course it has flaws. Aside from its price, the model may have questionable paint quality (most likely due to age) but so far it's negligible and as long as you care for it, it shouldn't be that of a problem.

The ride height may be accurate, but the wheels struggle to roll (mainly because it isn't a toy) to the point that fears of one tire being popped off may be aggravated.


Moving on to the positives, the proportions are accurate. It's undeniably NSX. It doesn't look like a child's toy car of some sort. The side mirrors are durable, rarely likely to detach. The headlight and tailight covers are nicely fit as well, never prone to crack.

I would never get tired looking at this future JDM classic, even though it's only a scale model.

It's money well-spent. And will definitely be a keeper.

UP NEXT: A new addition to my favorite Kyoshos...

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Another Dealer Edition Item

MINICHAMPS 1:43 Porsche Cayenne GTS:

Here's another diecast car model that I got from a Porsche showroom. Isn't it awkward that you enter in a showroom, and these salesmen assume you'll buy a real car then you ended buying a miniature one? Well, for me I felt that at first when I did that for the first time when I was in HK... around 8 years ago when I scored a Panamera 4S in 1:43 scale.

But then that awkwardness easily shook off when I keep doing it. Besides, dealer edition items are easier to find, because showrooms sell them anyway. If it means more money for them, then why not sell those?

I scored a multitude of these Porsche dealer models ever since, and the latest one is...

...an SUV. The Cayenne GTS. So why did I end up with this one?

Originally, I set my sights on a USB Porsche 918 Spyder Martini. It looks nice, but when I bought it it turned out to be a 1:72 scale model and not a 1:64, so I went back to the showroom to exchange the item for 1:43, even if I had to pay some extra because it's obviously more expensive.

Sadly, the showroom only had three 1:43 models in stock - 718 Boxster S, 911 Turbo Cabriolet, and this Cayenne GTS. Both the Boxster and 911 may look gorgeous, but I don't collect much on convertibles since it turned out their windshields are separate pieces from their molds and wobble easily. I don't like a diecast car that breaks. So off I chose the Cayenne instead.

I didn't regret the choice, not by one bit. As expected from Minichamps, the paint quality is superb, no doubt about it. But the side mirrors need extra care as they might fall off.

However, that is the only issue I can see so far. The wheels roll smoothly and the ride height is accurate. And the GTS' bodykit is the icing on the cake. It looks better than the Turbo, and is more photogenic of the two. Hehe. I can re-shoot this Cayenne at any time.

There you have it. It's worth the trip to the dealer. You can inquire from them which models they have in stock. If you want a model, but not available, you can place a deposit and pay the rest once the item arrives approximately one month.

Or better yet, if you have the cash, you go to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany and you'll find lots of Dealer Edition models. (Because that's where they came from, obviously).

UP NEXT: A JDM Holy Grail... 

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.