2006 Corvette Indianapolis Pace Car

Made By:

Greenlight Collectibles

Scale:

1/24

MSRP:

US$18.00

Overview:
Packaging (Design):	7/10
Packaging (Durability):	9/10
Casting (Body):	10/10
Casting (Interior):	10/10
Casting (Chassis):	8/10
Casting (Engine):	7/10
Paint (Exterior):	10/10
Paint (Interior):	10/10
Paint (Trim/Graphics):	9/10
Overall Panel Fit:	10/10
Total Score:	9/10

 

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Packaging

Greenlight's standard window box has a brushed metal design on the front and top of the box around the window. The Greenlight logo appears in the lower left and back right corners, while the Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo appears in the opposite corners. Centered between the GL and IMS logos is the series title, "Pace Car Garage." The scale, material, and appropriate age notices are placed discreetly around the rest of the window border. Each end of the box is black diamondplate with all of the same logos, a rear view photo of the 1:1 car, and four bolt heads printed at the four corners. The back of the box has a large photo of the 1:1 pace car, underscored with the text, "May 28th, 2006 - Pace Car Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - Driver: Lance Armstrong." The bottom of the box has all of the legal notices, logos, etc. printed over more brushed metal. The car itself is screwed down to a plastic base with a "brickyard" themed print. Two plastic blisters capture & protect the front and rear of the car, while a blister mounted to the back wall of the box mars it. Yes, mars: the blister is thicker than the distance between the car and the box wall, and the blister forces the tire off the wheel somewhat. The inner support structure of the wheel, unfortunately, chews up the sidewall of the tire and makes it look deformed even after it's put back into place. You can flip the tire so that the damaged side is on the inside, but make sure to remove the blister if you put the car back in the box: otherwise you'll damage the tire again.

Casting/Paint

Casting is Greenlight's greatest ability, and this Corvette really shows that. Quite simply, you won't find a tighter or cleaner diecast vehicle than this at any price point. Every panel is sharply cast, and the functional panels fit together flawlessly. The wheels are beautifully cast, and accurately replicate the 1:1's Z06 wheels. The tires are very well done, though they have no sidewall detail. Engine detail is a little sparse, but the interior more than makes up for it. Seperate brake & clutch petals, textured carpet, control buttons on the seats, a fully detailed dashboard - they even included the little control buttons across the bottom edge of the rear view mirror and the Corvette logos on the door sills. All of the instruments are detailed under the dash cowl, and they are either printed on high-gloss stock or captured behind clear plastic to simulate the clear panel on the 1:1 car. Chassis detail is pretty decent, with separately cast front & rear suspensions and a separate chrome plated exhaust system. The paint schemes on pace cars have gotten more elaborate over the years, and the 2006 Indy pace car is no exception. Although Greenlight did a great job on the paint, it can't quite live up to their casting. There are quite a few places where white edges show, most notably around the fuel door, wheel arches, door handles, and window seals. There are also some minor issues around the very rear of the car, where the hatchback and rear fascia meet. The logo detail is excellent: crossed flags on the nose, IMS logos on the front corners and rear fascia, Z06 logos on the front fenders, and "Official Pace Car" legends are all clearly printed. You can actually read "Indianapolis Motor Speedway" on the IMS logos, "Corvette" on the brake calipers, and "90th Running" and "May 28 2006" on the door logos.

Features/Accessories

The doors, hood, and hatchback open, and the front wheels can be posed (though they are not tied to the steering wheel). One of the coolest "wow" features is actually behind the wheels: the brake rotors are separate from the calipers, and rotate with the wheels while the calipers stay in place. It's an easy to overlook detail, but lets you know that the designers really went out of their way.

Accuracy

It's always a little dangerous for a company to put photos of the 1:1 subject on their box art. It allows people to easily compare the model with the prototype, and find any discrepencies. Fortnately, Greenlight as very little to worry about. Every scoop, seam, bulge, and light are captured perfectly, and there are some very cool little features like the separate lenses for each light (including all of the marker lights), expertly applied mirror glass, and "Corvette" script cast into the rear bumper. The graphics are very well done, and seem to match up with the box photos perfectly. The only difference I see is that the photo shows the light bar used in the race, while the actual replica is a street-legal version with a smooth top. Scaling measures out to a near-perfect 1/24 all the way around.

Overall

There's no question, Greenlight Collectibles know what they're doing. Although the detail of the "unseen" parts of he car - like the engine and chassis - are a little light on detail, they're still miles far from toylike. Plus, their casting quality and attention to detail across the rest of the car easily stand up to replicas in the triple-digit range. I wish they would get rid of that tire-killing blister in the back of the box, but other than that I have no real complaints here. My comments on the paint wouldn't have even been mentioned if not for the overall superior quality of the replica, and do not detract from the overall quality of the piece. I eagerly look forward to seeing what's next from their Pace Car Garage, as I have faith that their next model will be a winner as well. Highly recommended.