11/26/04 - Lamborghini Diablo GTR 2001 by Autoart. I was after this particular car for a few months, and I finally found one. Maybe because I was so anxious to have it, when I finally got it I was a bit disapointed. The paint job is excelent, being smooth and homogeneous throughout the body, and all the (few) badges and symbols are painted. The wheels, though not having a functional suspention, are outstanding, with moveable brake discs and static calipers. Both the tires and rims are marked. Undoubtly Autoart knows how to make excepcional wheels, and they're hard to beat.

The front of the GTR is very well made. The grills that protect the air intakes are made of a real metal mesh and not a painted plaque, and the headlights are a carbon copy of the ones seen on the 1:1. When I first removed the model from it's box and looked at it from behind, I thought my car was with a problem. But it's supposed to be that way, with only one reverse light and on the right. Unhappily, on the driver's side tail lights, there's a stain of glue behind the plastic lenses. The engine ventilation outlets are also protected by real metal grills, and the exhaust pipes are escavated and very real looking.

Both doors, the front trunk and the rear engine compartment open. And it's here that I was disapointed with the model. NOTHING stays opened on it's own, and as you can see, to make the photos I had to use supporting props. To open the doors you have to unlatch them by pressing the door knob. The problem is that the doors are really flimsy, and it's easy to "disarticulate" them out of place . I sincerely never expected this on a model by Autoart.

The engine is excepcional, being fully wired and full of individualized details. Since the engine cover opens only a little (and doesn't stay open by itself ), I couldn't show much of it on the photo. The front trunk looks more like a glove compartment being so small, but it's faithfull to the real thing and is carpeted.

The interior is wonderful. The GTR is basically a race car, so you have a roll cage and no passenger seat. The battery is on the passenger side, along with the fire extinguishor, and the floor is not carpeted. The race type seat is very realistic, but the seat belts are made of plastic and not cloth. The dashboard is exactly what you see on the real car.

The undercarriage is almost totally sealed, but you can see details of the rear suspension and a little more of the engine. The GTR is not a totally bad model, but it does have problems. Nothing staying opened by itself I can almost live with, but those flimsy doors are too much for me. I avoid messing with the doors, because I fear that the next time I do I'll end up braking them off. Maybe I'm spoiled by Autoart, but I sincerely didn't expect to see this kind of problems in a model from them. A company that's able to make such a fine wheel is not supposed to make this kind of bad job. That so, I only recommend this model for you who is a die-hard collector of Lamborghini cars. Unhappily, this is not one of those cars you should get "just-because-it's-so-darn-good" .