Customer Reviews

852868 1/24 Miami Vice Daytona Spyder

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I recently picked up this reissue of the kit, having built the original back in the 80s. The only glitch I see is that the Ferrari logo decals present in the original issue are not included in the reissue. This may be due to the fallout from the lawsuit against the producers of "Miami Vice" filed in the 80s by Ferrari. The car this model represents was NOT a real Ferrari, but a fiberglass-bodied replica built for the show on a Corvette chassis & drivetrain. The lawsuit resulted in this car being destroyed in an episode & being replaced by a real Ferrari Testarossa.

This kit accurately represents the original Ferrari "clone", even down to the GM engine. The only thing that could be added to better replicate the look of the original are aftermarket Ferrari badge decals.

I was really excited to get this model. After all, I've been a fan of Miami Vice since it was originally on TV and I love the Daytona. Yes, we all know it wasn't a real Ferrari on the show, but it was cool nonetheless. In my older years, I've enjoyed model building at a slower pace, taking my time to do it just right with the patience I never quite had as a kid.

But I can tell you that this model is of very poor build quality. Many pieces don't fit together well and some very small parts need to be glued into areas where there is no tab and hole(?) to hold them in. It means guessing at the final position before gluing, then bracing or holding them until the glue sets enough that you can let it go and dry normally.

Also, the car is supposed to be a Ferrari, but there are no badges, decals, or detail to support that. The chassis and engine are a Corvette V-8. That makes sense, given the background of the real car on the show, but it's odd to be so specific there, but have other details wrong, like the headlights, which are the standard hidden pop-up type, rather than fixed behind plexiglass, as in the show. Also, the interior, including dash, doors, and seats is more accurate to the real Ferrari than the Corvette parts of the show car. Other parts like the little triangular side windows are right for the real Daytona, but were not on the Corvette-based kit car from the show. So, which one is this model trying to be? We don't really know.

But at least, they did get a correct decal for Crockett's Florida license plate. Putting the model together can be frustrating, but once it's all done, it does look nice. There are other brands of this model out there, which make me wonder if they are made any better. And one last thing: why cast this in white plastic, especially for a car that's supposed to be black anyway?