1/18 Die Cast KITT Coming In December

Skav · Post by **Skav** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:40 pm

only reason why i suggested it to be a convertible was because i couldn't estimate the height between the back part of kitt that goes down flat and the windscreen, which is what i was comparing it to.

however, i just about see the back window now.

still looks rubbish...anything with those mistakes is rubbish to me.

btw, the material looks cheap. still plastic looking. either that or they used very good polish.

also, just why would they have removable t-tops as a feature, anyway?

corlando52 · Post by **corlando52** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:07 pm

OK everyone, I might have a chance to actually email the RC2 product manager in person. I'd like some really good questions to ask about this model, and, since they seem to deny having any affiliation with Aoshima, some solid examples of cars (like the Back to the Future) that both Ertl and Aoshima have produced exactly the same.
Thanks!
Chris

DanielB · Post by **DanielB** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:25 pm

Skav wrote:btw, the material looks cheap. still plastic looking. either that or they used very good polish.

also, just why would they have removable t-tops as a feature, anyway?

The material will be exactly the same as the Japanese counterpart - diecast metal painted gloss black. Not plastic! How can you say that this model looks crap, and critise things like the materials, when all you've seen is a small photograph on a webpage? Give ERTL a chance at least - the Japanese version might turn out to be a disappointment yet!

As for the T-tops - why not? They were a feature on the original, and it will allow you a much better view of the detailed dashboard.

As for questions to ask ERTL - say thanks for actually making the mould! I've been waiting years for this, and 2 orange fog lamps aren't going to put me off now! Also, ask when it'll be out in the UK!

Skav · Post by **Skav** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:39 pm

The material will be exactly the same as the Japanese counterpart - diecast metal painted gloss black. Not plastic! How can you say that this model looks crap, and critise things like the materials, when all you've seen is a small photograph on a webpage?

maybe that's because the pic was posted for us to make comments and those were mine? and remember, i said it looks rubbish for the mistakes..some ppl can tolerate em, others can't. and as someone already said..it just doesn't look right...can't put my finger on what it is.

Give ERTL a chance at least - the Japanese version might turn out to be a disappointment yet!

i am giving them a chance but now their is very strong evidence that the mistakes that we saw right from the beginning are being carried over to the final version. obviously, this cannot be proved until the final version is released, but the evidence is overwhelming, considering the release date is nigh up on us, nevertheless.

As for the T-tops - why not? They were a feature on the original, and it will allow you a much better view of the detailed dashboard.

actually, i kinda screwed that one up. i didn't mean the t-top specifically, where is the bar that is in the middle that supports the t-tops? it doesn't seem to be on the model, but then that could be due to the pic, more than likely.

PBH · Post by **PBH** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:19 pm

http://www.scale18.com/cgi-bin/album?na ... s04&pic=88

I must say that if this photo (and the photo the link leads to) will be the actual released Ertl version, I am very disappointed. Cheap looking box, fender decals, no overhead console, white tire lettering & worst of all... AMBER LENSES!!! Now, we all know companies make mistakes. Take the Knight Rider - Season One cover art (Region 1) for example. The producers cared enough about the fans to listen to them & constantly change the cover to satisfy us. As far as my own personal experience as well as what I've read from many of you, Ertl has yet to reply to any of us on the errors that we've pointed out well in advance. As it stands, I am still hopeful that Ertl will do the right thing & make the corrections to satisfy the very fans who would be buying the product. Otherwise, if this is the final version, Ertl will lose my business & Aoshima will gain it.

pewter 02ws6 · Post by **pewter 02ws6** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:19 pm

As for the T-tops - why not? They were a feature on the original, and it will allow you a much better view of the detailed dashboard.
actually, i kinda screwed that one up. i didn't mean the t-top specifically, where is the bar that is in the middle that supports the t-tops? it doesn't seem to be on the model, but then that could be due to the pic, more than likely.

it is there. take a closer look,i almost missed it too.

imranbecks · Post by **imranbecks** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:47 pm

themarvelous3 wrote:
Skav wrote:looks crap. but if it IS a convertible version, it might be worth getting...i'm getting the aoshima in any case now cos i'm not impressed.
maybe you people should turn up the brightness on your monitor. not only is this NOT a convertable but there is definitely a overhead consol. i think this will probably be the exact same as the Japan version because from the looks of it, they used the same mold. look at the rear window, same oversized frame around the hatch glass. two companies creating their own seperate molds wouldnt have made that mistake identically. other than the amber lense i would say this is the same car.

Yes.. It is obviously the same mold, but on Aoshima's mold, the words "Transam" and the firebird logo on the panel behind the door windows have been removed. Even the amber foglights have been removed on the Aoshima model.. As for the features, i'm sure they will be exactly the same as the ERTL version..

We can only wait till both models are released, thats when all our questions will be answered on the differences or similarities between the ERTL and Aoshima version..

themarvelous3 · Post by **themarvelous3** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:14 am

as for this being a dissapointment...it shouldnt be. as said above, this MAY NOT be the final. this is probably the EXACT model (and probably only being a prototype) that they used for the original press pics first posted on this thread.

HondaSiR · Post by **HondaSiR** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:45 am

DanielB wrote:the Japanese version might turn out to be a disappointment yet!

I don't think so. Aoshima has overwhelmingly proved themselves in the past in terms of accuracy and customer satisfaction. So far, we have already seen a clear pic of ERTL's KITT in very poor packaging together with the Trans Am emblems. As far as I'm concerned, I am completely convinced that that is the finished product. ERTL has done us fans a great dishonor. While this company has done great toy replicas from other the other TV series, it is a shame they did not do their homework in Knight Rider.

imranbecks · Post by **imranbecks** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:53 am

HondaSiR wrote:
DanielB wrote:the Japanese version might turn out to be a disappointment yet!

I don't think so. Aoshima has overwhelmingly proved themselves in the past in terms of accuracy and customer satisfaction. So far, we have already seen a clear pic of ERTL's KITT in very poor packaging together with the Trans Am emblems. As far as I'm concerned, I am completely convinced that that is the finished product. ERTL has done us fans a great dishonor. While this company has done great toy replicas from other the other TV series, it is a shame they did not do their homework in Knight Rider.

Yup.. I have to agree.. From what I know, Aoshima never disappoint fans when it comes to their products... Especially their line of Knight Rider models.. Just take a look at the previously released 1/43 KITT/KARR.. It is so detailed...

The 1/18 KITT and KARR that is coming soon from Aoshima really looks promising as we have all seen from the pics taken at the hobby shows in Japan.. And I wouldn't mind paying more for quality..

DanielB · Post by **DanielB** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:42 am

I wouldn't say manufacturing a detailed mould of the car we've all wanted for years is a dishonnur. If it wasn't for ERTL making the mould, you wouldn't even be having this conversation about Aoshima vs ERTL now.

Skav · Post by **Skav** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 10:57 am

it's a conversation we wished we never had, either.

we hoped ertl would have cared enough for the fans to respond to our requests in a timely manner and correct the bad things about it but it's obvious they don't care.

as someone already said, aoshima have provided plenty of evidence to show that their model is far superior and HAVE corrected the amber fog lights that would have been placed on their model, amongst the other mistakes.

i, for one, don't care about packaging, but the model itself and what have ertl provided but a poor representation?

how do you know the ertl car is detailed aside from the outside of the car? we're still speculating that they could be stickers for lights as someone else already said it looked like so.

we don't know anything about the dash amongst other things.

we're just going by what we see in that pic, and from that pic alone, it doesn't look great. that must be a bad sign.

DanielB · Post by **DanielB** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:25 am

I'm a fan, and I can see past 2 amber foglamps and decals which I can remove in a matter of minutes if I so wish.

ERTL have provided an excellent representation with some minor errors, which I am more than willing to tolerate in order to have the model I've wanted my whole life sitting on my shelf.

There's photos of the prototype dash on page one of this thread, and it looks excellent, as do the pics of the dash I've seen of the Aoshima model, made using the moulds from ERTL!

PBH · Post by **PBH** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:33 am

It's not a case of "slagging off ERTL". Simply, why is it that Ertl has yet to reply to a single person here? I am still hopeful that Ertl will produce a good product, but it frustrates me that they don't have the common courtesy to reply to the very target market of the product. I'm sure that I'm not alone.

sarfraz · Post by **sarfraz** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:53 pm

DanielB wrote:I'm a fan, and I can see past 2 amber foglamps and decals which I can remove in a matter of minutes if I so wish.

ERTL have provided an excellent representation with some minor errors, which I am more than willing to tolerate in order to have the model I've wanted my whole life sitting on my shelf.

There's photos of the prototype dash on page one of this thread, and it looks excellent, as do the pics of the dash I've seen of the Aoshima model, made using the moulds from ERTL!

...you really can't say excellent representation and minor errors in the same sentence. At best its a good representation. I think why some of us are up in arms about ERTL is because of what Aoshima are doing with the exact same mould. Some of the additions are just unnecessary. I've just noticed a silver rim along the front windscreen of the ERTL car....its more work and less accurate!

If you have been wanting this model all your life then wouldn't you want the best??? ...and if thats the case, the choice is there... pay more for accuracy. I'm abandoning the ERTL car altogether. I have seen enough ERTL cars in the past and compared with other 1:18 car makers then are really not that good. I have 1:18 and 1:43 cars from AutoArt, Minichamps, Aoshima and even Sun Stars BTTF Delorean and Yat Ming and they all trounce most of ERTL's efforts.

...and how do we know ERTL made this mould all by themselves. Aoshima have been doing more KR releases in the last few years than ERTL have in the last ten. Its more than likely that this was a joint project. Many companies do this to save money and share the production costs.

Sarfraz

PBH · Post by **PBH** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:50 pm

By the way. I came across the below photos while messing around on-line. At first, it looked like the Trans Am in the above photo over the Ford Gran Torino is actually from 'Smokey & The Bandit'. But looking at them side-by-side, I'm not so sure anymore. What grabbed my eye was the amber reflector on the front fender which is absent from the earlier Trans Am. Anyone have any thoughts on another K.I.T.T.?

http://www.diecast.org/diecast98/html/a ... iewpix.htm

corlando52 · Post by **corlando52** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:47 pm

My friend said there was a poster at the Ertl booth at the Chicago show that said Knight Rider and had 2 dates. He only remembered the second one which was February 2005. He was under the impression that maybe they were going to do a Deformed KITT because they are doing a Deformed General Lee.
I wrote to the Product Manager at Ertl. I had to make it short or they don't bother reading it. I stuck to the main topic....here it is:

I read an internet article by Frank Bonilla about one of your products he took pictures of at the Chicago Hobby Show last week. I am referring to the Knight Rider 1/18th scale KITT car.
There was an identical diecast model of KITT at the Japanese Hobby Show by Aoshima. I have attached some pictures taken there. Is Aoshima the overseas division of Ertl, or are these two totally different models? They look identical and even have the same features, like the lighted scanner, the grappling hook and the ejector seat.
Speaking for all the fans of Knight Rider, I would like to thank your company for (finally) making a great diecast of this car. It has been much anticipated and we all want to express our appreciation.
Thank you for you time.

Sincerely,
Christopher Orlando
member:
- Knight Rider Online
- Knight Registries
- Knight Foundation

I included the box art picture and the pictures taken at the Japanese Hobby show. I'll post the reply (if I even get one).
Oh, I put down that "member" stuff at the end to give myself more credibility. Wonder if THAT will work...???

DanielB · Post by **DanielB** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 6:14 pm

It's got the correct nose, bonnet, rear end, interior, scanner, wheels etc. Two amber lamps and some small decals on an otherwise superb representation qualifies, in my books, as an excellent representation. Not perfect, but damn near good enough to keep me happy.

The choice is there, but the extra price isn't worth the difference IMO. Also, not everyone can afford that for such minor gains. There's no doubt the Aoshima looks the better of the two from what we've seen, but I think some of the statements on this forum regarding the ERTL example are rediculously over the top, and are unjustified.

On the subject of ERTL models, I know they aren't the best, but that's the manufacturer who has taken this example on. If Minichamps were making this it would be stunning, but they aren't, and whether you pay for the ERTL or Aoshima you'll essentially be getting the same product, so I don't quite know what point it is you're making?

At the end of the day, get the model that's best for you. If you can stretch to the Aoshima, then by all means go for it, it looks better. I just think some of the doom and gloom reactions to the ERTL product on here are unfounded, and are quite harsh.

Skav · Post by **Skav** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 6:40 pm

I noticed the silver strip around the windscreen too, Sarfraz, but not sure whether it's just light effect.

We'll havta see more pics to make sure.

also, i turned up the contrast on my monitor and never noticed the TA logo, which is there, on the side of the car, on the black part just to the back of the seat.

and look right at the back, there are, what i can only call these spotty things on it, leading round to where the back lights are, starting from above the side back indicator light.

what are they?

DanielB · Post by **DanielB** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:01 pm

Skav wrote:and look right at the back, there are, what i can only call these spotty things on it, leading round to where the back lights are, starting from above the side back indicator light.

what are they?

Light reflections.

HondaSiR · Post by **HondaSiR** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:47 pm

DanielB wrote:It's got the correct nose, bonnet, rear end, interior, scanner, wheels etc. Two amber lamps and some small decals on an otherwise superb representation qualifies, in my books, as an excellent representation. Not perfect, but damn near good enough to keep me happy.

The choice is there, but the extra price isn't worth the difference IMO. Also, not everyone can afford that for such minor gains. There's no doubt the Aoshima looks the better of the two from what we've seen, but I think some of the statements on this forum regarding the ERTL example are rediculously over the top, and are unjustified.

On the subject of ERTL models, I know they aren't the best, but that's the manufacturer who has taken this example on. If Minichamps were making this it would be stunning, but they aren't, and whether you pay for the ERTL or Aoshima you'll essentially be getting the same product, so I don't quite know what point it is you're making?

At the end of the day, get the model that's best for you. If you can stretch to the Aoshima, then by all means go for it, it looks better. I just think some of the doom and gloom reactions to the ERTL product on here are unfounded, and are quite harsh.

Everyone who is interested in purchasing this upcoming KITT model has his or her preferences. As for you, you are quite happy with the cheaper ERTL with its inaccuracies. That is good, as long as you are happy. But most of us here really are picky and don't quite mind paying a little higher in price (and shipping fee since Aoshimas come from Asia) just to get the most accurate representation.

If ERTL was the only choice, then I have no doubt that all of us here would definitely buy it. But there is an alternative, albeit a more expensive one. And since KITT holds a very special place in our hearts, wouldn't it be a greater tribute to him if we dig deeper into our pockets and purchase the product that best represents him?

imranbecks · Post by **imranbecks** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 1:08 am

I'm still waiting for the ERTL KITT model to be featured soon at the Joyride Studios website.. http://www.joyridestudios.com/ent.asp There should be a better pic of the model there soon...

DanielB · Post by **DanielB** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 5:30 am

HondaSiR wrote:Everyone who is interested in purchasing this upcoming KITT model has his or her preferences. As for you, you are quite happy with the cheaper ERTL with its inaccuracies. That is good, as long as you are happy. But most of us here really are picky and don't quite mind paying a little higher in price (and shipping fee since Aoshimas come from Asia) just to get the most accurate representation.

If ERTL was the only choice, then I have no doubt that all of us here would definitely buy it. But there is an alternative, albeit a more expensive one. And since KITT holds a very special place in our hearts, wouldn't it be a greater tribute to him if we dig deeper into our pockets and purchase the product that best represents him?

That's fine. It's a personal choice, and anyone wh wants to spend the extra is perfectly entitled to do so. All I was saying was that despite the niggling little errors, some os the reaction and critism of ERTLs product here is way too harsh.

theknightrider · Post by **theknightrider** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 7:40 pm

sarfraz wrote:
If you have been wanting this model all your life then wouldn't you want the best???

Sarfraz

Nah actually I'm just "THANKFUL" its being made myself.

pewter 02ws6 · Post by **pewter 02ws6** » Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:56 pm

DanielB wrote:That's fine. It's a personal choice, and anyone wh wants to spend the extra is perfectly entitled to do so. All I was saying was that despite the niggling little errors, some os the reaction and critism of ERTLs product here is way too harsh.

the criticism may seem harsh,but the point i was trying to make is that ERTL isn't some "mom and pop" operation struggling to produce a product at low cost while trying to make some profit in the end. they are a big company and they have money.before releasing a product,they should at least do some research to make sure it is accurate.i am 99% sure they had to have based their car off someone's KITT replica and a poor one at that. they should have contacted universal or even watched the damn show to get an accurate product design. to me, this tells me ERTL is just trying to make a buck on the "knight rider" name rather than to take the little effort to please their customers by making a product as it should be made.it also bothers me that so many people emailed them to inform them of their mistakes and got nothing in return.i would have been happy with a reply saying;
"glad to hear from you.the pics you have seen may not be the final product.this may have been a prototype design and often we incorporate changes/corrections to our products before their final release.we will take this information under advisement upon completing our final design. thank you!"
but... i believe most of us got jack in return and our emails just fell on deaf ears.
another perspective i look at is....."why do more?"
they did more work making one set of the fog lights larger and amber rather than have all three be the same.they did more work adding white lettering to that the tires rather than leaving them alone.they did more work making the trans am and eagle decals rather than not making them at all. all of the stuff they did increases production cost which drives the purchase price up for us. the really sad thing about all of the cost inflating unnecessary work is that if they didn't do it,we would have an accurate die-cast version of KITT and would not have to come here to vent but only to praise the product.
i still have faith in ERTL because of their previous releases.i am not criticizing them yet.my opinions are only true if the final product has all of the errors mentioned. do i still seem to harsh or did anything i say make sense?

1/18 Die Cast KITT Coming In December

DISAPPOINTED

Maybe

knight rider: original

knight rider: 2008-2009

team knight rider

other knight rider

news

user contributed

videos

photos

follow us