As part of the series USA exclusive, GT-Spiritmodels delivered the twister orange painted modelcars to the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 2020 last week. The miniatures with the item number US035 perfeclty replicate the sports car in scale 1:18 and are produced from the high quality polyurethan cast resin. As usual - doors and hoods remain closed. If you still don't want to do without functional parts in this model, you can acquire the edition of Maisto: from this label built from diecast, the GT500 comes, also painted in twister orange, with opening trunk, doors and a hinged bonnet that gives a glimpse on the well-made V8 offers; both models with black stripes that decorate the car from front to rear.
The miniatures reproduce the new top version of the American sports car, which was presented in January 2019 and has been available to customers exclusively in North America since last October. Its V8 develops an incredible 567 kW / 771 hp from its 5.2 liter displacement and delivers a maximum torque of 847 Newton meters (Nm) to the rear wheels. For comparison: the brand new Porsche 911 Turbo S 992 has an output of 478 kW / 650 hp at 800 Nm. But let's stay with the Mustang Shelby GT500 2020. GT-Spiritmodels and Maisto have modeled the vehicle that was created on the basis of the facelift for the 2018 model year down to the smallest detail. The shape and appearance match 98 percent. The devil is a little in the detail: The inner workings of the headlights look higher quality with GT-Spiritmodels, because they are more filigree and sharper.
The "hole" between the front fender tip, above the headlight, next to the bonnet, is a tribute to the inexpensive mass production in which the Shelby GT500 2020 is being built at Maisto. Kyosho would do this better. The ironing door handles also appear to be of a higher quality with GT-Spiritmodels than by Maisto. In terms of quality, the radiator grille and sills are also shaped a bit better; however, you have to look very carefully. The differences at the rear become clearer, because the taillights, the diffuser and, above all, the end pieces of the exhaust system are better designed with GT-Spirit - because they are less rough. This also applies to the overhead, middle brake light and the carbon structure of the rear spoiler as well as to the replica of the brake calipers. The threads of the heated rear window are only really noticeable on GT-Spiritmodels.
In addition to the new suspension, higher quality materials and a new digital cockpit came into the role model: Good reproduced at Maisto, but perfectly by GT-Spiritmodels. A look at the air vents in the middle of the dashboard is enough to determine that; the better finish extneds over the entire interior. The scale 1:12 from GT-Spirit is a bit more precise: Under the item number GT814, the Shelby GT500 in magnetic grey metallic is also available there in a length of around 40 centimeters. The scale 1:18 one measures around 27 centimeters. The GT500 from Maisto is in the 40 euro class, that of GT-Spiritmodels is around 200 euros. Our verdict is clear: The more expensive edition is something for enthusiasts; The cheaper Maisto are therefore still excellent modelcars.