My Top 10 New Models of 2023

"A day late and a dollar short" is the motto by which I live my life. And so, on this first day of 2024, I present my top 10 new models of 2023. In my defense, however, I was hoping that what should have been the last arrival of the year would actually be that and not the first arrival of 2024. Anyway, on to the list.

10. AUTOart Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

If you saw my I love it when a plan comes together post, the story behind this Caribbean Blue DBS is very similar. I already had a DBS from the first release, but when this color was shown, I knew I had to have it.

9. AUTOart McLaren Speedtail

I'm a fan of the McLaren brand, so it's mostly a given that I will add their models to my collection, but the Speedtail was love at first sight for me. The phrase "concept car looks" is often overused, but I think it is an apt description here. Heck if you squint hard enough you see a bit of Corvette Cerv III in its lines.

8. Authentic Collectables Holden VE Commodore

Back in the late Aughts, I was thisclose to buying a Pontiac G8, the Americanized version of the Aussie built Commodore sedan. Pontiac's already announced demise didn't put me at ease, so I passed, but I've never stopped wanting one.

7. BBR Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta

Being a Ferrari fan is hard. You either have models from the budget end of the spectrum, or models from the high end, especially if it's the modern cars you're after. When BBR announced their LaF Aperta, I took note, but not with much seriousness given their price point. However, this is one of the few times where a sale worked in my favor, and I quickly bought it before I had a chance to process how much I was still spending on a single model, sale or not.

6. Kengfai (?) Rolls Royce Phantom VIII

I love, love, love big luxo boats, and you don't really get any bigger or more luxurious than the Phantom. The model's maker is a mystery, as there is no branding of any sort on the model or packaging. It's lacking the features you'd come to expect of most Chinese market models, but it makes up for that in size and presence

5. Almost Real Mercedes-Maybach S680

Yep, another big boat. I already had Norev's rendition of the uber S-Class, but this Patagonia Red example from AR was a must add for me.

4. Norev Porsche 992 911 GT3 RS

The 911 is one of my favorite cars, so adding this was a no-brainer. But what makes this one more special is that I have a mini-theme of white or white/red RS models, so this was a particularly welcome addition.

3. LCD Toyota Supra

It's amazing to me that the golden age of Japanese sports cars has been largely ignored in the 1/18 world. Sure there are resin models out there, but for opening cars, you have some really old Kyoshos, and the FD RX-7 from AUTOart. But we now have a modern release from LCD for the Mk.4 Supra.

2. Minichamps Porshce 991 911 GT3 Touring

There's nothing particularly special about this model from Minichamps, but it was the missing piece to my 991 GT3 puzzle, and I can say I'm done (not really) with the 991 lineup as a whole.

1. AUTOart Chevrolet C7 Corvette ZR1

As with the 911, the 'Vette is one of my favorite cars, so this was another no-brainer. But unlike the 911, it's not a given that the entire model lineup will see reproduction in scale, so I'm glad to add the range topper to my collection