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| Dodge Charger Showdown; Greenlight, Masito and Hot Wheels | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 14 2013, 12:23 AM (1,814 Views) | |
| Stampede | Jul 14 2013, 12:23 AM Post #1 |
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Team Canada
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I just love the Dodge Charger (after all, it is my favorite car). The first generation Charger looked pretty good, but after undergoing the redesign that other Dodge models went through in 2011, the Charger has gotten even better. It always catches my attention when it drives down the street. Note: The Greenlight casting has details added to it by me (the police lights) Here, I have 3 second generation Charger from 3 different manufactures: Greenlight, Maisto and Hot Wheels. (From left to right, clockwise: Hot Wheels, Masito, and Greenlight) ![]() The Maisto might be considered the underdog here. Most of Masito's castings aren't exactly the best, but the Charger casting is one of the best (if not the best) castings that Masito has produced. Take a look. ![]() For less than $1, this sets the bar pretty high. It's actually very nicely detailed, and after getting the first one, I was inspired to get more (I think I have about 6 in my collection). The front of the vehicle is very well done, as you can see in this pic: ![]() In my opinion, one of the best parts of the new Charger is the rear taillight area. It just looks so cool when it's on the real car! The Maisto Charger captures the back very nicely. You can see the 'Dodge' on the center of the rear light assembly, as well as the model name and grade (in this case, R/T) a bit lower. ![]() The only downfall of this casting is the fact that is has no interior. Other than that, the lights, and the detailing is just superb. Rating out of 10? A solid 9. Now, the Hot Wheels casting. This is a nice model, and one that I have just recently got. It's got the nice tampo treatment from Hot Wheels, and while it is a bit tampo-heavy, it doesn't attention away from the car itself. In fact, I feel that the tampoes make it even better, even though it has no head and taillights. ![]() For $1.37 (that's how much HW's cost in my area), it's pretty good. The casting overall is really nice, with a detailed interior (unlike the Masito one). When it comes to the taillight (and even headlight) areas, it just doesn't match up to the Maisto casting. There is no headlight and taillight detailing, so the back and the front are essentially empty spaces ![]() Here's the front: Some detail, but a bit more could've been added. ![]() As you can see, the taillight just an empty space with the faint indent of the shape of the taillight. ![]() This casting is a solid 8. I feel that Hot Wheels put a bit too much effort into the side tampoes, and they could’ve used it on the front and rear. If Hot Wheels put a bit more detail into the lights, this casting would be a lot better. Last, but certainly not least, is the Greenlight casting. With all Greenlights, you can expect this to be a stunner, and it is. It's got great detail, and is easily the best. I was really happy when I found this one. ![]() Jeweled lights, incredible detail, and rubber tires make this casting a true stunner. However, this casting is 6x more expensive than the Maisto and the Hot Wheels one, which is why I only have 1 in my collection, as compared to the 6 Masitos and 3 Hot Wheels. ![]() The rear of this casting is brilliant. It is a separate piece, compared to the Maisto and Hot Wheels, where the rear is part of the metal casting, so there is a lot more detail. Greenlight has added the lines for the trunk, as well as the reverse lights. ![]() Greenlight's effort on this casting has paid off, at least to me. Definitely 10 out of 10. Here's another comparison of the rear, between the 3 vehicles. You can clearly see that the Hot Wheels casting (left) does not have much detail compared with the Maisto and Greenlight castings. ![]() A comparison of the front of all 3 vehicles: ![]() The bottom line is that we have 3 good models from 3 different manufacturers. If you want realism, and you don't mind paying a bit more, go for the Greenlight. If you like the tampoes on the side and the lights are no big deal for you, then go with the Hot Wheels casting. Finally, if you want realism and detail, and you don't want to pay $6 for the Greenlight, then buy the Maisto casting. I hope that this review helps you find the right Charger casting for you!
Edited by craftymore, Jul 17 2013, 10:57 AM.
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| mbx64 | Jul 14 2013, 11:21 AM Post #2 |
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Matchbox Collector
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Nice showdown! That was a lot of muscle you had pictured up there! I, too, am surprised in how well the Maisto casting is done. In fact, I even think that the front end is better than Greenlight's, as the jeweled lights aren't quite the shape I was hoping for. They look a little more menacing on the Maisto. I hope to grab the GL one day! |
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| Harvestman | Jul 17 2013, 01:05 AM Post #3 |
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Captain Slow
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Very good review! I was impressed by Maisto's casting as well. (It's Maisto, bu the way, not Masito.) |
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| craftymore | Jul 17 2013, 10:50 AM Post #4 |
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Support your local demo derby.
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@ Terence - I edited your spellings of Maisto in your original post. The greenlight is pretty spot on to me. The paint used on the HWs version globs up any details and lack of headlight/tailight tampos drags it down. The Maisto is really nice esp for the price point it's offered at. The knocks as mentioned is a lack of interior and it lacks a cast metal b-pillar. ![]()
Edited by craftymore, Jul 17 2013, 10:59 AM.
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| Stampede | Jul 17 2013, 11:41 PM Post #5 |
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Team Canada
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Thanks for catching the spelling mistake, HarvestManman, and thanks for fixing the spelling, Zach! My bad on the spelling mistake. ![]() |
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| ky72x | Jul 18 2013, 02:54 AM Post #6 |
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Compact
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Front and rear detailing (and thinner paint) really does wonders for the HW casting, evidenced by the release from the Fast & Furious set. I remember passing on the Greenlight when I picked up the Focus ST and Dodge Van from the same Black Bandit release last year. At that point I hadn't yet changed my collecting habits to focus on exact/near exact 1/64 models, and so I was satisfied with a HW Charger that I had painted black and and detailed. By the end of the year I started searching for one at a good price until I finally gave up and paid a few bucks more than I would have at TRU. For being such a top-notch casting, I don't think it's been used enough. There are a couple of upcoming releases (both from CSI shows), but the future of the police casting seems pretty bleak, since it was dropped from Hot Pursuit 11 and isn't listed in the 12th release. Thanks for the great comparison! Edited by ky72x, Jul 18 2013, 02:55 AM.
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| Stampede | Jul 18 2013, 10:52 PM Post #7 |
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Team Canada
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I agree with you. I plan on just painting the lights on the HW soon. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the F&F Charger recently. I would have used that one to compare, if I did have it. I need to find that one!! Thanks for the positive comments, everyone! Edited by Stampede, Jul 18 2013, 10:52 PM.
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| Stampede | Aug 8 2013, 11:22 PM Post #8 |
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Team Canada
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Now that I've thought about it, if I had the HW F&F version of the Charger, it would be pretty close. Too bad that I haven't found that one, yet. |
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| daniel60 | Aug 11 2013, 07:28 AM Post #9 |
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Personal Luxury Car
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Great Car Show my brotha!!! I'm a Charger fan too. It's just gets better looking every year. |
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| Stampede | Aug 11 2013, 10:31 PM Post #10 |
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Team Canada
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Thanks, Daniel! I do agree that it keeps looking better! |
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| daniel60 | Aug 12 2013, 07:40 PM Post #11 |
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Personal Luxury Car
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Yes she's a sexy beast!! Dodge has some nice looking cars out there now. |
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| Hosspower98 | Aug 13 2013, 12:30 PM Post #12 |
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Forever Blue Oval
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Why spend money on lesser detailed cars that vaguely resemble the original. I would gladly kick in the extra bucks for the Greenlight. The others are dollar toys for tots. |
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| Firehawk73 | Sep 24 2013, 10:42 PM Post #13 |
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Well I have all three but my HWs version is the F&F one and it is nicely done for a dollar car. Jack here is the reason why most of us have the Maisto version. The Maisto one came out before the other 2 did. In fact a lot sooner than the other 2 which is why most of us that like this car has that issue. I am really impressed with the Maisto edition as far as the casting goes. Yes, its lacking in some areas but if Maisto ever stepped up its game in the diecast market they would have some really nice castings to start with. I didn't not care for the red Charger from HWs but the flat black version with the detailed lights struck my fancy and picked it up. With a simple wheel swap it will be even better. The GL version is of course the best looking version and also the hardest one to find without paying more than retail on ebay. It took me a year to get one of the BB version and that was by a trade. I just recently found the yellow one and I also have the Hollywood series cop car version from GL. This is one of those castings that I will collect from GL whenever one hits the market. |
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| Firehawk73 | Sep 27 2013, 01:47 AM Post #14 |
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Here is another variation of the HWs Charger. Again I did not care for the red one but that might be because red is not one of my favorite colors on a car unless its a Ferrari. The flat black on the HWs version was much more appealing to me plus it does have more detail even though the headlight tampos are alittle off.![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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| James | Sep 27 2013, 04:27 AM Post #15 |
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Mr.Bowtie
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great comparison |
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| Stampede | Sep 28 2013, 03:15 PM Post #16 |
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Team Canada
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Thanks for the pics. Now I really want that HW version! |
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| daniel60 | Sep 29 2013, 08:38 AM Post #17 |
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Personal Luxury Car
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I have that one as well and enjoy her. I have tried taking pictures of it but it's a hard subject to photograph. The kind of car that looks better in person. |
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| clem24 | Oct 7 2013, 04:37 PM Post #18 |
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Station Wagon
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OK Except that F&F version was certainly NOT a dollar LOL... More like $2.49 (at least in these neck of the woods).
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| Stampede | Oct 7 2013, 05:37 PM Post #19 |
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Team Canada
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Too bad I haven't seen the F&F releases in the Lower Mainland. I think it's worth it for the price. |
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| Firehawk73 | Oct 10 2013, 08:04 PM Post #20 |
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Then the Walmart you went to got you good because all of the Fast and the Furious cars that was in the shipper came up as .97 cents each. Either someone missed up on the prices at your store or they missed up at mine but its a mistake I can live with.
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| daniel60 | Oct 11 2013, 03:16 PM Post #21 |
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Personal Luxury Car
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The new Charger has one of the meanest and nastiest grills or faces so to speak in in the new car kingdom. |
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