Exterior Features, Quality:
Unlike Audi, Toyota's experience at Le Mans was not as rosy. A relative newcomer to the race, few of Toyota's cars even finished the race, the team being plagued with accidents and reliability issues, even though the TS020 had fantastic speed. In 1999, the Toyota team finished in second place with the #3 car, while the model reviewed here, the #1, was eliminated early in the race following an accident. Nevertheless, the beautiful red and white TS020 racers have left an important mark in Le Mans.
The paint on this model is outstanding, with an incredibly glossy finish and flawless distribution. The tampoed decals look fantastic on the race car and are applied quite well. I particularly like the spoiler decals, although these actually look like stickers. Overall, the exterior "look" is spot on, and the model looks beautiful, especially in soft light. The headlight lens is substantial, and is attached by four tiny screws at each corner, faithful to the real car. The Toyota logo placed on the nose of the racer is not a separate piece, but this is accurate, for obvious aerodynamic reasons. Panel fit here is extremely tight, no complaints. The antenna on the nose is a bit fat for my taste (not sure if this is how it should be) but the longer antenna situated on top of the cabin looks far more realistic.
All vents are completely perforated and look fantastic. The different quality of diecast metal used to replicate the area around the ducts is a very nice touch. The strange placement of mirrors is correct to the specifications of the 1:1 TS020, although the mirror decals look a bit on the cheap side. The windshield wiper is in the working position, and the realism of the thing was completely unprecendented for me. Wheels are nicely detailed and the tires are marked Michelin Pilot SX. Brake discs are decently detailed and the calipers look fantastic.
The strange yet strangely beautiful shape of the car is represented very well. It has quite a smooth quality to it. The rear lights look simply awesome, very much like those of the Minichamps Porsche 956L. The metal-chrome look exhaust pipes are hollow, which is a nice touch, for sure. Some engine compartment parts can be seen from the rear of the model giving it a realistic look.
25/25
Interior Features, Quality:
The interior is very well done as well. While it's quite dark in there, a lot of detail can be made out. The seats have a great suede-like feel to them, and the seatbelts are well defined and look great. The Le Mans-style steering wheel is quite well replicated. However, the greatest bit here is the controls column, which is well defined and has tremendous detail that you have to see in person to believe, including buttons of various colors, visible instructions, and a very realistic recessed screen. Also included here is a nicely detailed fire extinguisher and a parts box. The roof is well finished in the same black plastic that abounds the cabin. While the floor is hard plastic, this is correct, as most Le Mans racers did not have carpeting to save weight and reduce fire risk.
24/25
Features:
The TS020 #1 features an opening front compartment, doors, and engine compartment. There's not much under the tiny front compartment except for a few wires and some ill-defined parts. Hardly anything to write home about. The doors use tiny hinges, although I've seen better. The problem here is that the doors don't stay up when the model is on a level position. When the nose is angled downwards, then they stay up, but not otherwise. That's definitely a big problem Autoart should have sorted out. Another annoying thing is the engine cover, which took me a very long time to open, the screws failing to come out. However, I did open it after all, and it reveals a very impressive engine compartment. The engine is plumbed but not wired, which is a bit disappointing, but the upside is that the parts are made of very realistic materials, and there are markings all over the compartment. It's a very sharp engine compartment, and the impression is that of quality and realism. A job well done, if not for the faulty doors and annoying engine cover.
22/25
Value:
The TS020 has fantastic value, as most Autoart models. For reasonable money, you get a model that can also rival Exoto's detail. The TS020 is part of Autoart's Racing range, and although it is doubtful that the TS020 would appreciate very much in value, the uniqueness and superb detail the TS020 offers might make it a hot buy in the future. Of course, Autoart offers the #2 and #3 cars from the 1999 Le Mans race, along with this #1, and Autoart also lists TS020s from the 1998 Le Mans as future releases. However, I much prefer the livery of the 1999 cars to that of the 1998 cars. Autoart is the only modelmaker to replicate the TS020 in 1/18 scale, and it's likely to remain that way. With Autoart's good distribution, the TS020 is not hard to find, but Autoart does discontinue its models after a certain period of time (many Racing models are discontinued), and time will tell the future of this model's value. However, for the collector, the detail/money equation is a very respectable one.
24/25
Overall:
I'm actually tremendously impressed with this model. Were it not for the poorly designed doors and annoying engine cover, this model would have scored even higher than its already very respectable 96. Autoarts seem to have some problems with opening parts staying up, but I hope that this gets solved in the future, as their line of models is really awesome. The TS020 is a beautiful model with exceptional detail, especially the impressive interior. The detail here is truly Concours level, although I believe that Autoart is capable of even better. Still, this is a highly recommended piece, and it would certainly be an impressive centerpiece in any collection.
96/100
