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Well I really wanted to try a different car for the GT3 proxy this year. After hearing from a couple on here that despite the difficulty to get them looking the way they like, these cars perform pretty well.
I really wanted to try and make the C8 work.
Purchasing: I had heard a couple horror stories online about dealing with Area71, so I was a bit cautious.
However when I reached out to them through FB messanger I got a message back within about 15 minutes to help me with pricing. I asked what the lead time was on cars, and he sent me a complete list of cars that were IN STOCK and ready ship immediately. Luckily the C8r was on the list. He also sent me a list that accurately showed the weight of not only his bodies, but many of the competitors for comparison, great data.
Next I asked about shipping. He said unfortunately the only US option with tracking would run me $28 dollars US from Italy to Portland. OUCH. But I couldn't go without tracking right now as it is hard enough to get stuff. I asked Marco how many cars I could order for the same shipping cost, and he said as many as I would like. This made the decision a BIT easier, I could at least get the cost per kit down and have some other projects to play with. So I perused the catalog and picked a Vantage gt3 and a ATS-v GT3. Both great cars you can't get anywhere else.
He sent a paypal invoice which I paid Friday, and Monday the cars shipped with tracking supplied immediately. Meanwhile, Marco sends me a helpful tip guide for painting the bodies as well as an explanation of how they are made.
Here it is Thursday, and my cars are here! Four day transit time from Italy, great. I ordered a car from a US company on the same day and I won't even get it till the 13th of this month!!!
The cars:
Yes, they are going to take some work to make the finish passable. I plan on racing them and I don't expect perfection, if you do then I would not recommend these cars. I plan to try a Marco's method of a quick sanding, a medium primer, and a finish sanding to get them passable. I know some of the small details with always be a bit of an issue. But they are there.
They are however extremely light, well detailed, and the parts have absolutely no warpage whatsoever. Something I have struggled with heavily with 3d parts in the past. It came with the body, interior, wheel inserts, wing, drivers head, and mirrors. Plus lightweight windows and lights.
I will add to this review after I get them built and driving. But my experience in purchasing the cars was second to none from a small on-off manufacturer. Plus I got a car you can't currently get anywhere else, and likely won't in a performance brand for sometime.
Pricing, not cheap. These ended up being around $74 dollars shipped.....But they will provide hours of sanding entertainment!
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