


Moderators: Matthew, neps, Michael Pajaro
Tannim31 wrote:VERY good, they actually used a turbine engine instead of the factory cross-fire engine found in a stock Firebird and in the Ashioma and first 1/18 scale....Color me impressed!
Motor_Head wrote:Hey Chris,
You seem very confused. This has nothing to do with the 1/18 KITT produced previously by Ertl/Joyride or Aoshima. This is by Hot Wheels (a completely separate company) and this is called an ELITE because that is the name of the line of higher-end adult collectibles they offer. It has been used to separate models by their quality level before but this is now a thing of the past. Just like the A-Team Van and the Ecto-1 this will most likely be the only "level" that this car is released in. Also, don't be surprised if there are no "gadgets" in this release. Neither the Ecto-1 nor the A-Team van had any electronic surprises in them. Some Ghostbusters fans got all in a tizzy speculating what the Ecto-1 would include such as the theme song, siren, lights etc and the Ecto-1 got nothing. It is a perfect replica of how the Ecto-1 is today but does not have an electronics. Now, the only thing I have noticed is that this release has a slightly higher price-point than the two previously mentioned vehicles. The A-Team had the lowest price-point and this was evident as it had dog-leg hinges on the front doors. The Ecto-1 came in a little higher but every door on that car had real aspect hinges. KITT comes in a little higher than Ecto so there is a chance that it may have a couple of features such as the hinged T-tops, possibly pop-up headlights, but I highly doubt they are going to have a functional scanner or a voice box. I hope I am wrong but let's look at the history of all Hot Wheels 1/18 cars. The Big Daddy was the 1966 Barris Batmobile. It was released in three trim levels and there was huge speculation of what the "Super-Elite" was going to include. A lot of fans were disappointed that their extra $200 got them some more photo-etched parts and a fancy base rather than the Batman theme song, working lights, sounds etc. If Hot Wheels didn't do any electronic surprises on a $300 die-cast I'm skeptical they are going to do any on a $150-$160 one.
There is no sense in being disappointed in this news as I'm sure this will be the very best rendition of KITT in 1/18 scale.
Just my 2 cents.