Table of contents for Fall 2022 in Die Cast X

Does this issue of Die Cast X (DCX) seem a bit thicker than usual? Well, your eyes and hands are not deceiving you; it is indeed. Welcome to the supercharged Fall issue of DCX. This edition includes all the die cast content you have come to expect from DCX and also includes our annual Collector’s Guide that’s packed full of the latest die cast releases from your favorite brands. Don’t miss out on future new releases; we give you a preview on what’s coming out so you can be ready for the die cast hunt. Aside from the Collector’s Guide, this is a feature heavy issue that takes expanded looks at some of the latest and most collectible die casts to have recently hit the market. From Maisto’s 2022 Porsche…

By the mid-’60s the muscle car wars were really heating up and Chevrolet was looking to make a big splash in the highly competitive market. It was in 1965 that Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen, the General Manager of Chevrolet, had a wild idea to cram a big-block 396 cubic-inch Mark IV V8 engine into a mid-size Chevelle. Cramming big power into a medium-frame car promised fantastic power-to-weight ratio, but would it work? The whole idea was to publicize it to get the Chevy brand on the muscle car map. Spoiler alert: It worked. The resulting car became known as the Z16, which denoted the option code used on the factory build sheet. The Chevelle SS Z16 became Chevy’s most complete and well-rounded muscle car of the time. The Z16 package was…

As lifelong car enthusiasts, it pains us to realize that we can’t possibly own every car we’ve ever wanted. The expense and size of real cars make it a possibility for only a few to have truly expansive car collections. (Jay Leno, we’re looking at you.) The reality is purchase price, upkeep and warehousing, among other factors, make owning the 300 or so cars on our list unfeasible. This is where our die cast garage comes into play. Scratching the itch of owning every car that we’ve ever wanted is made much easier with the help of die cast companies such as Jada. Jada brings us some of our favorite automobiles in a much more manageable and affordable package. Jada’s Bigtime Muscle series of miniatures has been a reliable source…

If you haven’t noticed yet, we’re big fans of die casts of all genres. Be it impossibly detailed replicas that are made to exacting detail or squashed, cartoonish castings that are cute and squat, we enjoy and collect them all. We’re venturing a guess that since you’re reading this magazine that you’re in the same boat as us. One of the brands known for its exaggerated die casts is Muscle Machines. Their signature cartoonish look is iconic and is a favorite of die cast collectors. Muscle Machines has been on a tear as of late, turning out more new castings and new colorways than ever before. We are pretty excited about this fact since we’ve been big-time fans of the brand’s unique style for more than 20 years now. Wow,…

As summer winds down, I find myself reminiscing about this past season. It’s been a hot one for sure, but it’s been an active one for me as well. I’ve been a car fanatic for as long as I can remember. All car genres interest me, from rides of the mid-century clear through the latest technology-packed vehicles of today. Over the course of these summer months I attended a wide variety of car shows, from early morning cars and coffee meets to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and everything in between. There’s nothing quite like walking the show grounds, whether it’s in a parking lot or on a PGA golf course. It’s been a fun, auto-filled summer. Attending car shows also inspires me to add to my die cast…

01 AUTOART NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R (R32) AUSTRALIAN BATHURST WINNER 1992 The 1992 Tooheys 1000 was the 33rd running of the Bathurst 1000 touring car race. It was held in October 1992, at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst. Jim Richards and Mark Skaife drove this Gibson Motorsport prepared Nissan Skyline GT-R to back-toback wins two years running. AutoArt brings this race-winning car to life with a 1:18-scale replica. Scale: 1:18 P/N: 89279 MSRP: $180 URL: us.autoartmodels.com 02 KYOSHO ORIGINAL LANCIA DELTA HF INTEGRALE 1993 MONTE CARLO #1 Replicating the iconic look of the Lancia Delta HF Integrale, Kyosho’s latest highly detailed offerings consist of Lancia Delta HF Integrales that are available in your choice of 1993 Monte Carlo #1 (shown) and 1992 San Remo #1 liveries. Perfect for any Lancia…

Thousands of die cast fans and die-hard Hot Wheels acolytes descended onto Mattel world headquarters on the last Saturday in July this year to celebrate creativity in automotive design and, of course, their love for Hot Wheels. The 2022 El Segundo edition of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour surely didn’t disappoint. There were hundreds of incredible cars to be amazed by. The global phenomenon known as the Hot Wheels Legends Tour headed home to El Segundo, California, for an epic day of custom build competition in the heart of Southern California’s legendary car culture. Mattel invited fans and automotive enthusiasts of all ages to enjoy one of the biggest public events of the year to be hosted at its company headquarters. Now in its fifth year, the Hot Wheels Legends…

The thrill of the die cast hunt can be as rewarding as it is frustrating. Not knowing what new models are coming out in the near future can leave you flat-footed when it’s time to make moves on them. The Die Cast X 2023 Collector’s Guide can be an invaluable resource to keep you in the hunt. If you’re like us, you’re always looking for the latest and greatest die cast releases to add to your collection. With so many new releases coming out, it can be much too easy to miss out on a limited drop or entirely forget to order a die cast that you’ve been waiting for to be released. To make your hunt easier, the Die Cast X 2023 Collector’s Guide collects new, upcoming and recent…

While most of the vehicles we cover in DCX contain die cast metal as their main component, we would be remiss if we didn’t cover some highly detailed plastic model kits in our pages. As scale detail enthusiasts we appreciate scale details found in precision replicas, whether they are made of die cast metal or injected plastic. In this edition of The X-Factor, we get an upclose look at Tamiya’s latest assembly model kit that replicates the famed Tyrrell P34 Six Wheeler Formula 1 car in 1:12 scale. It’s a fantastic-looking perfect detail kit. Let’s take a closer look at it. Simply put, we love detailed miniature vehicles, even those that are made of injection-molded plastic. Tamiya has a well-founded reputation for creating fun-to-build, true-to-life scale models teeming with realistic…

This 1969 Buick Riviera was built by the husband-and-wife duo of Mario and Nora Zamudio of Los Angeles, California. Members of the legendary Imperials Car Club, Mario and Nora spent nights and weekends over the last four years building and searching for a long list of parts for this Pagan Gold candy-painted passion project. This fully rebuilt lowrider features shaved body moldings, hydraulics, a custom interior and the original 430 Buick engine.…

In the spirit of “carpe diem”—or seize the day—Porsche has created a new motto for the latest 911 GT3. This is “carpe secundum,” which Porsche describes as “getting the most out of every second.” No seconds wasted, Porsche got to work on intensifying everything that makes the 911 great and applied it to the GT3. It’s widely known that since its inception, Porsche’s 911 has been produced to be a pure driver’s car. While there are many different versions of it in any given model year, the GT3 is perhaps one of the best-performing 911s that the company produces. There’s an aura about being around a 911 GT3, and for good reason. The latest model, designated 992, boasts specs such as a high-revving 4.0-liter flatsix engine that produces 503 horsepower,…

The 1940s was a time when men wore hats, women wore gloves, a nickel got you a cup of coffee and you could catch the latest Bogart and Bacall flick for just a dime. It was also the time, in big cities such as New York and Chicago at least, that taxicabs were driven by roughneck characters with scruffy voices and wiseguy temperaments. Automodello looks to bring you back to the golden age of cab hailing with its latest ONE43 release, the 1940-1941 Checker Model A Taxi. There may not be a more iconic city-bound vehicle than the Checker Cab. The checkerboard-decorated yellow cabs defined ride sharing decades before the term was even coined. The simple mention of the word “taxi” conjures up the image of the ubiquitous Checker A-series…

How much speed and how much exclusivity is enough for the consummate automotive enthusiast? That’s what Brabus set out to find out with its incredible take on Mercedes-AMG’s GT 63 S 4MATIC+ four-door sports coupe, the Brabus Rocket 900. Offered in a limited allocation of only 10 units, the Brabus Rocket 900 can be thought of as the ultimate expression of what a four-door sports car should be. Not only is it pleasing to the eye—it packs a serious performance punch, too. It features carbon fiber throughout, as well as plenty of Alcantara in its opulently appointed Brabus Masterpiece interior. It’s quick and luxurious… it is a Brabus, after all. Suffice it to say that even with an asking price approaching half a million dollars, all of the sports coupes…