So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

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So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by MrSmith » Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:25 pm

So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Hot Wheels Elite?
ERTL?
Corgi?
Diamond Select Toys?

I'm not an expert on this,

so want to know the facts, who makes the best and most detailed Knight Rider...and why?

:kitt2: :kitt2: :kitt2:

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by 1batt4u » Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:48 pm

The best diecast, as in metal 1/18, or overall best model in any size, as long as it is really detailed?

I have the Aoshima models, 1/24 from Japan! Super detailed!! Everything, scanner has an amazing accurate trail!
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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by MrSmith » Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:11 am

yeah I should have added that,

dosen't matter on scale,

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by DanielB » Sat Mar 02, 2013 5:57 am

In terms of diecast models, the Hot Wheels Elite 1:18 is miles ahead of the Joyride model. Putting them side by side, the difference is like night and day.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:24 am

The one from Diamond Select Toys isn't diecast, its plastic... As a toy, that one is great... But when it comes to the world of 1/18 and diecast for the adult collector, I think the one from Hot Wheels is no doubt the best one so far... ERTL KITT probably comes a close second...

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by Tbird100636 » Sat Mar 09, 2013 6:41 pm

Between the HW Elite and Ertl Joyride, both do have flaws. Like someone else said only a diehard KR fan could design a perfect KITT or KARR replica. HW and Ertl are trying to design one for the masses, though HW pretty much put more effort into getting it right. My choice, the HW Elite. It is the most accurate KITT die cast to date. My observations are as follows:

Starting from the front, the season 1 nose is fairly accurate. The fog light grilles are not bent or damaged. However, behind those grilles there are no fog lights. I know when the Super Elite model comes out it will have functioning fog lights but this one should have at least had a set of dummy lights behind the grille. The scanner, well, I'm on the fence on this. The trailing effect is much better than the Ertl one, but the scanner is only 6 segments (6 bulbs/LEDs). Why couldn't they have done a full 8 segment scanner like Aoshima did??? And it seems it is better viewed from a downward angle. If viewed straight on or slightly below (like on a shelf) it seems like it is skipping in the middle. It almost seems as if it isn't bright enough, like the batteries are low. But on a sealed brand new unit??? I'll try some new batteries eventually. I also would have liked a constant on switch like the Ertl Joyride rather than the the slow off function. The lens for the scanner also doesn't have any segmenting. The cut-outs on the nose... well they are cut out... The aren't actual lenses covering the park/turn lights or the front edge of the headlight doors. And speaking of the headlight doors, the pop-up feature is cool, but it seems like they don't open far enough. I got them to open more after fiddling with them but they still seem not totally open. They do close correctly though. The fender and hood vent grilles are a great touch.

The doors open and close smoothly with the realistic hinges compared to the Ertl Joyride's cheap exposed ones. The T-Tops do sit correctly closed on mine. The sit correctly open as well. But the installation and removal of them are a bit complicated. HW's directions aren't very clear on whether the T-Tops have to be in more of a closed position or open position when putting them in. It looked more like the closed position to me so that's how I installed them. It was tight tilting them in. I was afraid of breaking the small pivots on the side being plastic. They didn't break, but one of them on the left T-Top got a little worn down and is a bit looser than the right. I did find removing and installing the T-Tops were somewhat easier removing and re-installing in the vertical position. The right side opens and closes flawlessly. The left side opens easy, but when closing it sticks, you have to pull slightly out to close it. The width of the roof between the T-Tops doesn't really bother me considering the function of them opening.

On the back half, the taillight cover is the correct flat style. The licence plate is the correct colors with the bright metal frame. The changeable plate is a clever gimmick, but wasn't that a onetime thing from season 2??? It is a bit of a chore to flip it over though. The rear hatch surprisingly has the run of the mill cheap exposed hinges, but making a model with more realistic hatchback hinges that aren't fragile probably cost prohibitive and would result in an increase in price. One feature I would have like to see was the opening gas filler under the licence plate from early season one (where Michael gasses KITT up at the sleazy Mom & Pop gas station).

Then there's the wheel and tire issue that cropped up early on. I too noticed compared to the earliest prototype (the all white one) the final prototype the scale of the wheels seem dis-proportionate to the tires. Like the wheels were too small. When I saw the actual production model pictures it was kind of confusing and hard to make out. Some pictures looked like the wheels were still too small. Others looked like they were right. After seeing it in-person on my own the wheels are the right scale. The tires look OK too. If anything, maybe the tires could be a lower profile (shorter sidewall), and/or maybe the bowling ball cap's size could be tweaked a little to fill out the wheels some more.

On the inside, The interior is better than the Ertl Joyride. The seats are less plasticky and more realistic looking, right down to the PMD badges. But the ejector seat function seems really chintzy. Pushing the seats down it seems like you're going to break the seats. On mine, the fold forward feature didn't work well on the driver's seat at first. The seat would pop up when attempting to fold. After working the seat a bit it was better. The rest of the factory Pontiac Trans-Am interior components are faithfully re-produced. Missing is the cargo shade that attaches to the hatchback, hopefully the Super Elite model has it. Something I noticed about the dash when looking at it compared to the Ertl Joyride's one. The center-right of the dash doesn't come out as far as it should. It doesn't curve as much as it should in the monitor area. The monitors aren't exactly right, but better than the Ertl. Overall, the HW Elite dash does look better than the Ertl Joyride one. The gauge graphics are good, the consoles are great, the steering wheel is more realistically shaped. Two more things noticed. First and foremost, the season 3-4 lighted gas pedal. It's supposed to be modeled off of a season 1 car, so this is incorrect. Second, the Pursuit light under KITT's modulator is Red. This would be correct for a Season 2 dash, but a Season 1 dash has a Blue Pursuit light.

Now let's talk about the undercarriage and underhood area. HW really shot the moon making a story or Knight Rider Universe correct drivetrain and undercarriage. The turbine engine is extraordinarily detailed. The rest of the underhood area is too, right down to the warning labels and the Alpha Circuit cover label. Underneath, the rocket boosters, turbine exhaust ports and all of the other details are great. My mere gripe on the undercarriage is the steering linkage looks un-realistic compared to the Ertl Joyride model, which is more realistic and closer to an actual Pontiac Trans-Am. I thought about it having a tow bar on the front having a Season 1 nose, but I believe the tow bar was more for the TV show's production and serves no purpose in the Knight Rider Universe. i also thought about a real working grappling hook like the Ertl Joyride model, but why bother??? The one on my Ertl Joyride KITT model broke right after I bought it, and because of that I never touched it on my KARR model.

So to conclude, the Hot Wheels Elite KITT is not perfect, but is much better than the Ertl Joyride KITT. In my opinion, the Elite model should have been a Season 1 car, but the Super Elite should have been a Season 3 car. It would have been the closest thing to having every generation of KITT in a die cast model.
Last edited by Tbird100636 on Sat Mar 09, 2013 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Sat Mar 09, 2013 7:58 pm

Wow... A very good write up there my friend.. I call that a good review! A great read! I have to agree with every point you made in that post. No doubt, it is better and a big improvement over the Joyride KITT, but its not without its own flaws... I still need to figure out why the rear seat on mine can't lean back all the way since its in an awkward 90 degree angle right now..haha

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by sinhoc » Mon Mar 11, 2013 12:16 pm

to Tbird100636 ,

i saw super elite version in youtube
you said is based on season 3
and elite version based on season 1
however i cant see any differences
is it mattel officially claimed that super elite is based on season 3?

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by Skav » Mon Mar 11, 2013 3:06 pm

The Aoshima looks to be the best of them all and if I didn't have to build it then I would have collected it. The HW model is better than the Elite but I don't like the scanner. It's like the Ertl one in that there is no trail and you can barely see the individual LED lights unless you look at it from above. Even then it's not that clear. But whatever. It's a model car.
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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:53 am

The scanner is miles better than the one on the ERTL.. Its nothing like the scanner that was seen a few months ago on the prototype model. The final version they released on the models looks a lot better and there is actually a trail. Here is a video I did to show the scanner >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RDT6xCWxnM

I also took a photo of my Aoshima 1/18 KITT and the HW 1/18 KITT side by side..... I think at the end of the day, both look good, but I feel the HW version edges out the ERTL KITT. I especially like how HW did the interior with the dashboard and the realistic looking seats...

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by sinhoc » Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:12 pm

is the HW version obviously longer than the RC2/Aoshima?

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:57 pm

No.. Both of them are abt the same length..

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by Tbird100636 » Wed Mar 13, 2013 1:06 am

sinhoc wrote:to Tbird100636 ,

i saw super elite version in youtube
you said is based on season 3
and elite version based on season 1
however i cant see any differences
is it mattel officially claimed that super elite is based on season 3?
No. I said in my opinion, the Elite should have been a Season 1 car, and the Super Elite should be a Season 3 car.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by Pierre » Wed Mar 13, 2013 10:05 am

the easy way would be to scan a real car and then use a 3D printer so the car will be perfect

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by DanielB » Wed Mar 13, 2013 10:50 am

Pierre wrote:the easy way would be to scan a real car and then use a 3D printer so the car will be perfect
How many original cars are there left and are any of them from Season One that HWE wanted to model? Even in the same episode multiple cars were used for different shots.

If you're going by somebody's replica, they're just that - replicas. There can be many differences from one car to the next.

HWE released the car with a turbine engine and rockets etc anyway - they were completely fictional items, so it's never going to be screen accurate with items like that on it.

It's a better model than ERTL in every respect. It's not perfect, but unless you build a model yourself, you never will get 'perfect', because it's entirely subjective on a car that had so many variations and changes.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Wed Mar 13, 2013 11:26 am

I agree with Daniel..

Also, now that you've mentioned it, I really like that the model has a chassis and an engine that can only exist in the Knight Rider universe and was never ever seen throughout the series. Only now on this model can we get to see what the engine of KITT could've looked like or how the car's undercarriage was supposed to be. At first I didn't like the idea of it, but the more I look at the details they did on the model, from the detailed engine to the chassis and to the interior of the car, the more I appreciate the model and what Hot Wheels/Mattel did to make the KITT model their own and not a rip off of the ERTL 1/18 model.. Loving mine more and more every time I look at it....

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by andy-kitt » Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:02 pm

Collector Diecast;
1. Hot Wheels Elite KITT (1:18) - Most accurate cast and detail of them all.
2. Skynet (1:43), and still the only official diecast Season 3/4 car.

Toys;
1. Kenner talking KITT - For its time it is a proper KITT that talks and comes with Michael figure (when most toys were just Firebirds).
2. Corgi - loved how the scanner moved when the car was pushed, and well detailed for a Corgi toy car.

Plastic kits;
1. Aoshima for its accuracy and variety, SPM, Season 1/2 or Season 3/4, and to date has the best scanner operation/light display.
2. Original AMT kit.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Wed Mar 13, 2013 8:24 pm

Skynet (Aoshima) actually released two variations of KITT, one from Season 1 (but with the wrong dash) and the other one is actually the Season 4 car because of the different nose and the foglights which they released a few years after they had released the other KITT. Photo below of both the 1/43 Season 1 and Season 4 KITT from Skynet which I have... Great looking models of KITT I must say that came with a nice display base as well as light up scanner. And in the small scale, perhaps one of the best KITT models made in that scale and it looks better than the Hot Wheels 1/43 >>>

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Don't forget about the 1/43 KARR, looks great, but such a waste that they missed out the silver paint around the wheel wells....

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by tuske427 » Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:34 am

Did anyone notice the latch and other mechanical details on the inner sides of the doors, hood and trunk on the HW Elite?

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:54 am

Define mechanical? Those areas mentioned are detailed, especially the inner side of the doors...

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by andy-kitt » Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:13 pm

Do you meen the catches that were used to secure the bonnet and tailgate during initial transit?

The only thing that disappoints is the hole that is left in the boot floor due to this design to hold the tailgate down during initial transit.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:38 pm

andy-kitt wrote:Do you meen the catches that were used to secure the bonnet and tailgate during initial transit?

The only thing that disappoints is the hole that is left in the boot floor due to this design to hold the tailgate down during initial transit.
Hmmm.. Yes... You mean those bendable twisty metal wires that kept the hood and trunk locked in place? When I first opened it up, I was wondering why the trunk and hood couldn't open..haha.. It was then that I realized from the bottom that it was being held by the twisty metal wires.. How annoying but good idea at the same time. Still its better than using tape to hold the parts in place I suppose (like some other manufacturers do) since tape would leave some marks on the metal.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by tuske427 » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:11 am

No, I meant sculpting detail of the inner sides of the doors, hood and trunk. Instead of being flat pieces of metal, there is sculpting detail to indicate the latches, weatherstripping, structural details, etc.

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by tuske427 » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:13 am

imranbecks wrote:Define mechanical? Those areas mentioned are detailed, especially the inner side of the doors...

Yes. I hadn't seen other brands capture this level of detail...

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Re: So what's the verdict...who makes the best diecast KITT?

Post by imranbecks » Fri Mar 15, 2013 5:17 am

Even on the inside, you can actually see the seatbelt hook on either side of the front seats, very clearly seen throughout the show, and its replicated nicely on the model...

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