Bburago Ferrari 348tb
Unlike most manufacturers of 1:18 diecast models, Bburago offers us a choice when we decide to buy one of theirs. Most models are available in three forms: the regular model, boxed with a plastic display stand; the Executive model, with a nicer box and a heavy wood stand; and also in kit form. The kits come with the body fully painted, and the other parts cast in approximate colors, so that if you assemble the kit and apply the decals correctly you end up with the same car you'd get buying it ready-made. About the only difference is that you don't get the stand or box (often important to collectors for resale value), and you do get some extra decals (the sheet contains more than you need).
The Bburago 348tb was the first 1:18 model I bought in kit form. It was generally easy to put together, and I'm glad I bought it the way I did.
Before I discuss the model, though, a few words about the real car:
Possibly the most recognized Ferrari in the world is the classic 308 series, immortalized on TV in its GTS form by "Magnum, P.I." The 308 was a beautiful shape, but its performance was easily exceeded by an '80s Corvette (and later, Camaro!). In a quest for better performance, Ferrari bored the engine out to 3.2 liters, made minor changes, and renamed it the 328. This was followed by the 328 Quattrovalvole, with four valves per cylinder and some respectable performance.
When the time came to replace the 328, Ferrari looked at the other top car in their line -- the Testarossa -- and decided some family resemblance was called for. So the new car, with its 3.4 liter V8 earning it the 348 designation, was given a front end and slatted side vents that looked a lot like the Testarossa's.
Not that you'd mistake the two. The 348 lacks the rolling curves of the Testarossa, and where the Testarossa has huge square flanks the 348's are rounded. It lost a lot of the sensual design of the 308/328 series, looking more like a single, wedge-shaped unit. It was faster than the 328, of course, but the design lost a lot of distinction.
Anyway, the 308 and 328 had been offered in two body styles: GTB (Berlinetta, or hardtop), and GTS (derived from "Spyder", meaning convertible, but actually a removable targa-style roof -- more on that in a moment). The 348 was introduced in a tb form first (now meaning "transversale berlinetta", referring to the transversely mounted V8), then the targa-topped ts (transversale spyder), and finally in a true convertible simply called the 348 Spyder. These cars have been much modeled in 1:18 diecast: Bburago offers a 348tb, which is the subject of this review. Polistil offered another 348tb before their demise. Maisto offers a GTS, but you can't remove the top. (I have two specimens of that model; review will be forthcoming.) And Mira offers four versions of the three models(!): The tb, the ts (with removable top), and two Spyders: the Cabriolet, with the top down, and the Coupe, with the top up. (Why not offer replaceable tops? So they could sell more models, of course!)
Which all brings us back to Bburago's 348tb. The kit went together easily, as I said, and the resulting car looks quite nice without any additional paint. I do have a few quibbles that I'd like to mention, though:
1) Perhaps most important: They did not get the shape of the rear window right. On the real 348s the rear window curves back into the buttresses, then slopes down to a point, echoing the outer rear quarter windows. Bburago got lazy with this, and cut it off square rather than copying the design faithfully.
2) The seats are poorly shaped, with narrow bolsters that project straight ahead. The side bolsters on the real car open outward invitingly.
3) There is no real provision, such as a prop rod, for mounting the engine lid open. It does wedge open on my sample, but only with difficulty.
4) The decal provided for the fuel filler door has an unnatural sheen. Perhaps mounting it with Micro Sol would have prevented this, but I did follow the instructions. The fuel filler door should rightfully be cast into the body, not a decal.
5) The tires. Again, those annoying Bburago tires. The sidewalls say Pirelli P Zero, which is right, but the tread is the same, with the same central swelling. Why can't Bburago make the effort to model the tires correctly? Maisto does it (most of the time).
6) Like many of Bburago's Ferraris, the shade of red is wrong. It's too orange. Ferrari's red, rosso corsa, is a purer, darker, more violent shade.
7) The decals provided for the side mirrors weren't even silvered mylar, but simply a frosty grey. I left them off; I'll mount mylar or aluminum foil instead.
If these complaints make you think I don't like Bburago's 348, think again. I like it a lot. Instead, the complaints simply reflect my increasing standard of pickiness about detail, especially as I do more research on the real cars. I'd recommend this model -- either as a kit or completely assembled -- to anyone who likes the 348, or simply wants it represented in the sequence of Ferrari's development.
Strengths: Excellent finish; nice overall shape.
Weaknesses: Rear window shape wrong; badly shaped seats; Bburago Generic tires.
To sum it up: Nice model, despite flaws.
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