BMW E30 M3 DTM 1991 by AutoArt
I love the look of the 1980s era BMWs, and the E30 M3 is probably my favourite of them all. In its touring car guise it looks fantastic, and Autoart’s model does it justice. Although not without its small flaws, the overall score reflects a model that is pretty much as good as they get without venturing into theterritory of Exoto
Race/Series: DTM Championship 1991
Result: 4th in Championship Standings
Driver: Johnny Cecotto (YV)
The model is a 1:18 scale Autoart which retails for around £60. Packaging is a polystyrene shell and cardboard outer.
Exterior
Autoart got the scale, shape and stance of this car spot on, and as a result it looks fantastic. It sits low to the ground, and the wheels fit tightly into the wheelarches, tucking right up underneath just as on the real car. Panel gaps are excellent, hinges all round are very neat, and the bonnet mechanism is realistic and well made. The front grille is perforated and the intakes below are equally neat. The headlights and indicator lights are very convincing, and the rear light clusters only a fraction less so. The exhaust pipes are very finely made with a metallic finish, and although they could have been hollowed out a little deeper this is not really visible expect upon very close inspection. Superb small details abound, including the badging on the bonnet and bootlid, the towing hooks, the bonnet and boot catches and the tiny aerial. These complete an exceptional exterior.
Result: 4th in Championship Standings
Driver: Johnny Cecotto (YV)
The model is a 1:18 scale Autoart which retails for around £60. Packaging is a polystyrene shell and cardboard outer.
Exterior
Autoart got the scale, shape and stance of this car spot on, and as a result it looks fantastic. It sits low to the ground, and the wheels fit tightly into the wheelarches, tucking right up underneath just as on the real car. Panel gaps are excellent, hinges all round are very neat, and the bonnet mechanism is realistic and well made. The front grille is perforated and the intakes below are equally neat. The headlights and indicator lights are very convincing, and the rear light clusters only a fraction less so. The exhaust pipes are very finely made with a metallic finish, and although they could have been hollowed out a little deeper this is not really visible expect upon very close inspection. Superb small details abound, including the badging on the bonnet and bootlid, the towing hooks, the bonnet and boot catches and the tiny aerial. These complete an exceptional exterior.
Paint
The white paint which forms the base of the livery is applied very smoothly and evenly, with no flaws. The paint does not bleed into anywhere that it shouldn’t, and the underside of the opening panels is finished off well.
Score: 10/10
Tampo/Decals
The majority of the livery is created with tampo painting, so the potential problems of cracking and flaking decals is not a worry with this model. There are some small flaws on my model however, where a tiny piece of the livery is missing and the white base coat can be seen. The worst example can be seen on the close up photo of the wheel, although there are a couple of less obvious instances on other parts of the car. However, the accuracy of the livery is good as far as I can establish. Online photos of cars from this period are a little scarce, and liveries tend to change slightly from race to race. Nevertheless the evidence that I can find suggests that the livery and logos are correctly sized and positioned, and any joins are dealt with neatly. I think the BMW colours and the red grille on this car make it look amazing, but the small flaws are a pity.
Score: 8/10
The white paint which forms the base of the livery is applied very smoothly and evenly, with no flaws. The paint does not bleed into anywhere that it shouldn’t, and the underside of the opening panels is finished off well.
Score: 10/10
Tampo/Decals
The majority of the livery is created with tampo painting, so the potential problems of cracking and flaking decals is not a worry with this model. There are some small flaws on my model however, where a tiny piece of the livery is missing and the white base coat can be seen. The worst example can be seen on the close up photo of the wheel, although there are a couple of less obvious instances on other parts of the car. However, the accuracy of the livery is good as far as I can establish. Online photos of cars from this period are a little scarce, and liveries tend to change slightly from race to race. Nevertheless the evidence that I can find suggests that the livery and logos are correctly sized and positioned, and any joins are dealt with neatly. I think the BMW colours and the red grille on this car make it look amazing, but the small flaws are a pity.
Score: 8/10
Tyres and Wheels
The racing slick tyres on the model are made of a realistic looking soft rubber, and the sidewalls are marked in (barely visible) red lettering withYokohama
Score: 9/10
Brakes
At this point my review is hampered somewhat by the lack of photos of the real car. I can only really comment on the detail of the model rather than its accuracy. The brake discs on the model have an exceptionally realistic appearance, to the extent that I suspect they may actually be made of metal rather than painted plastic. The discs are very finely drilled, and rotate with the wheels. The calipers are also very nicely done, though only in plastic, with a convincing finish and nice detailing. At least from a modelling point of view, a very good effort.
Score: 8/10
The racing slick tyres on the model are made of a realistic looking soft rubber, and the sidewalls are marked in (barely visible) red lettering with
Score: 9/10
Brakes
At this point my review is hampered somewhat by the lack of photos of the real car. I can only really comment on the detail of the model rather than its accuracy. The brake discs on the model have an exceptionally realistic appearance, to the extent that I suspect they may actually be made of metal rather than painted plastic. The discs are very finely drilled, and rotate with the wheels. The calipers are also very nicely done, though only in plastic, with a convincing finish and nice detailing. At least from a modelling point of view, a very good effort.
Score: 8/10
Engine
Once again I am restricted to only really reviewing the detail of the model. Based on pictures of the road version of this car, the basic engine block looks accurate, but little else can be established as the installation for the race car is clearly different. Autoart have modelled the engine nicely, and various details of the engine are visible either as separate pieces or defined with paint. There is a little wiring and plumbing, and the overall appearance is pleasant. Greater realism could be achieved with more separate pieces and a less plastic appearance overall, but the result is as good as most if not all at this price point.
Score: 7/10
Once again I am restricted to only really reviewing the detail of the model. Based on pictures of the road version of this car, the basic engine block looks accurate, but little else can be established as the installation for the race car is clearly different. Autoart have modelled the engine nicely, and various details of the engine are visible either as separate pieces or defined with paint. There is a little wiring and plumbing, and the overall appearance is pleasant. Greater realism could be achieved with more separate pieces and a less plastic appearance overall, but the result is as good as most if not all at this price point.
Score: 7/10
Interior
As a stripped out race car, the interior is obviously very basic. Autoart did a pretty good job of replicating the few parts that are present. The seat has a convincing appearance, with seatbelts that are separate pieces, although in rubber rather than fabric. The wiring running through the interior is a particularly nice touch. The steering wheel, dashboard and other controls are all just hard and plain plastic, and although they look reasonably neat they could be better. In my opinion the interior in their Mercedes 190E DTM, which is a similar car in the same price band, is that little bit more pleasing overall.
Score: 7/10
As a stripped out race car, the interior is obviously very basic. Autoart did a pretty good job of replicating the few parts that are present. The seat has a convincing appearance, with seatbelts that are separate pieces, although in rubber rather than fabric. The wiring running through the interior is a particularly nice touch. The steering wheel, dashboard and other controls are all just hard and plain plastic, and although they look reasonably neat they could be better. In my opinion the interior in their Mercedes 190E DTM, which is a similar car in the same price band, is that little bit more pleasing overall.
Score: 7/10
I love the look of the 1980s era BMWs, and the E30 M3 is probably my favourite of them all. In its touring car guise it looks fantastic, and Autoart’s model does it justice. Although not without its small flaws, the overall score reflects a model that is pretty much as good as they get without venturing into the