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This could be the highest quality, most detailed diecast ever produced. We only have 1 left, and Autoart is sold out. Very limited production! 1:18 scale (approx 10" long).BMW 3.0 CSL SPA 1973' WINNER QUESTER/HEZEMANS #10
AUTOart is renowned as a maker of premium quality die-cast models. Replicating in meticulous detail a wide array of models produced by a variety of motor manufacturers, AUTOart represents authenticity down to the last detail. Recently they raised the bar for standards in model making by incorporating the long multi-color striping tampon process in the production of the recently introduced 1/18 BMW 3.0 CSL model. Tampon printing involves the use of a soft polyurethane pad to transfer paint residue from the cavity of an etched stainless steel plate to the printed surface. It is a process that allows the printing of very fine detail on flat or curved panels. To achieve the standard required by AUTOart for the BMW, repeated reworking of the tampon prints was called for, with the high scrap rate contributing to the production cost. The long multi-color striping tampon feature is a challenging, complicated and costly process, accounting for possibly 1/3 of the production cost of the model. To explain further, tampon printing has a width limitation. The real BMW 3.0 CSL race car has long multi-color striping all over the body. To accurately replicate this look on a model requires 155 precise tampon print transfers. Single or multiple tampon hits in one small print area in one color are fairly inexpensive and straightforward. However, to achieve 155 hits in multiple colors with precise accuracy is complex, with a high margin of error and a significant rejection rate. When a multi-color striped racing livery stretches across the car, the tampon striping process will involve multiple stamping to connect the striping and make it seamless and perfectly aligned. Even slight misalignment, particularly on curved body panels, will be obvious to the naked eye and the model will be flawed, calling for removal of the paint. This, in itself, is a painstaking process that adds to the cost. In the worst case scenario the body has to be scrapped. When the stripe is made up of three colors, the chance of misalignment is multiplied by three. AUTOart insisted on using long multi-color tampon printing on the BMW 3.0 CSL because the end result is shiny and vibrant, true to the look of the real race car. Tampon printing also allows the color to sit securely on the surface of the paint without being scratched off easily. For premium collectible products, AUTOart believes this is the ideal method. There are similar scale models in the marketplace offered by competitors at marginally lower prices, where the long striping is applied with water decals. These are made with all the colors pre-printed on a flat piece of clear membrane attached to a piece of paper. When dipped into water, the pre-printed membrane separates from the paper and can be transferred onto the model. The water decal process is simple and less costly due to the low rejection rate and low scrap rate. However, there are disadvantages. The pre-printed colors on the clear membrane of water decals are lackluster and the membrane itself is fragile and susceptible to scratching. Furthermore, over a period of time the membrane will become brittle and experience yellowish discoloration, eventually making the model less desirable. In addition to the long multi-color tampon printing, AUTOarts BMW 3.0 CSL model requires a further 94 production processes for mask spraying of the colors and a further 15 processes to achieve the chrome-plating effect by hot stamping. Thus, a total of 264 production processes are involved that relate only to the color and race livery decoration of the model. There is also the painting of the white main body after each panel and corner has been filed, polished, trimmed and buffed, the manual drilling during assembly of a total of 71 small holes for the attachment of various parts, and the milling and engraving, again manually, in ten areas. None of this can be done through automation due to critical angles and limitations in casting technology. Evidently, a model like the BMW 3.0 CSL by AUTOart requires several hundred intricate procedures and over a year of development time before it can be made available on the world hobby market. Many collectors may not appreciate the expense and complexity involved in producing an AUTOart model. Each piece passes through the hands of hundreds of young employees with delicately trained fingers and the product is retailed at the price equivalent to roughly around one month salary of a basic worker in China. Imagine if the same model were to produce in the USA with the same processes, it would have cost more or less the same as one month salary of a basic worker in the USA. Bearing all this in mind, enjoy your AUTOart models for they are worth every cent!
