This arrived from Spain this morning. The 1986 Pontiac Fiero made by Ixo for DeAgostini (or Altaya, if you prefer, Altaya being the DeAgostini distributor for France and Spain).
Lots of people on eBay are currently offering it for between £35 and £50 plus shipping (and up to £80 with the magazine attached!) This one cost just 13 Euros, or about US$14, although shipping added another 18 Euros. European sellers have hiked their shipping prices to the UK since Brexit, and quite a few shops say "No delivery to the UK", so I was happy to get it.
Granted, it isn't the most exciting thing ever to grace these pages, but it is a crisp little model and quite attractive from all angles.
Detailing is nicely done, including the fine amber indicator repeaters on the waistline. Interior detail is simple but adequate.
The wheel pattern has been well captured. I think the wheel/tyre combination is just a touch over-sized - there is much more of a gap around the wheels on the real car.
I think the earlier BoS model got the tyres a more correct size, but made them look like spongy donuts compared with the crisp white-lettered tyres on the Ixo. So, take your pick.
The BoS model also has a rather dull, heavy red paint finish (in photos at least). The Ixo looks crisper to my eyes and the white colour suits it.
Not the world's greatest car, by all accounts, but it's something different, and quite pretty, and it's nice to have a model of it. (And it doesn't take up a lot of space!)
Graeme.M. Ogg
London U.K.
Don't see many on the road over here, but the last few I saw did have that 'dull, heavy red paint finish'! 😉
We see quite a few of these in Ontario, Canada still. I have the ERTL one and will look for this one also. Thanks Graeme.
I wonder what's causing the spike in asking prices for this series? I had a seller that listed these at 20 dollars and fairly reasonable shipping but he hasn't been offering any for a while.