 I think it caught most race fans by surprise when Trackhouse announced that Red Bull would return to Nascar is such a major way for the 2025 season. Not only would they provide primary sponsorship for Shane van Gisbergen in multiple races; a driver who they worked with extensively in the V8 Supercar series, but they would also help to launch Connor Zilisch's Cup career. Many longtime Nascar fans relish the days when Red Bull was a mainstay in the Cup series garage. The diecast cars from that era are highly sight after. So not only do these new Red Bull Trackhouse Chevy's bring the excitement of a global brand, but they also activate that feeling of nostalgia for many diecast collectors.  The real thing: Connor Zilisch drives during the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 02, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Meg Oliphant courtesy of Getty Images)
Paint and Printing: ( 2 Points/3) Trackhouse Racing provided the photograph shown below at the onset of the 2025 season to showcase the primary livery and the subtle variations that Shane van Gisbergen (#88) and Connor Zilisch (#87) would sport throughout the year. To my knowledge, the red variant has not been raced to this point this year by either driver. The car features a base color of phthalo blue in a matte finish. The car has both red and white accents that also make up the higher layers details and a cyber yellow sun stands behind the iconic clashing red bulls that represent power and vitality. The car has the stylized Trackhouse numbers which also have a red foil outline on the door numbers,... super nice.  The real thing: Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch red Bull machines on display before the 2025 season. (Photo courtesy of Trackhouse Racing).  Upon first inspection, it's hard to argue that this isn't one of the best looking Red Bull cars ever made in 1/64. The design is both bold and simple. It stays true to the formula Red Bull uses worldwide as it advertises across many different extreme sports platforms, and this stock car could park next to Max Verstappen's F1 car and they'd be a pretty pair. But sadly, this car isn't perfect, and there are a few issues in the graphic design department as well as in the QC or quality control department as well.  If you compare the above photo to the 1/1 version, you'll notice that the well known Red Bull catch phrase 'Gives you Wings' is written on the trailing edge of the deck lid. That is not correct, there is nothing on the original version 1/1 version of this car on this area. But, if you look closely at the 1/1 version, you can see that this phrase is meant to be on both sides of the spoiler. This was clearly misplaced at some point either during the design or production process. This is something that shouldn't happen, even though printing details on spoilers in this small must be difficult, it still will cost this model a full point. While I wish that were the only issue, we still have problems on the rear side of the spoiler as well. On the back side, Lionel definitely got the printing on the right part of the car, but it's really crooked. I think there are signs that Lionel remains committed to making a great product, but like my Dad always said when he was teaching me to play baseball, 'it's all in the fundamentals.' If you can't get the basics right, you'll never improve in more sophisticated areas. For what it costs to order and ship one of these models, you should be able to expect printed details that are level.   Aside from the errors around the rear portions of the car, the overall effort is good. The car shoots to the top category of 1/64 diecast cars we've seen this year. The foil borders on the doors numbers are exceptional nice, and the Red Bull logo was beautifully replicated. (2/3) Mould and Assembly: (2 Points/3) This seems like an appropriate time to mention that, like several other cars that market products intended for adults, this car comes attached to a plastic base in order to dissuade children from playing with it. The car is held in place by two small triangular screws that are secured with glue. A little bit of handy work can free the car from the base in a jiffy.   It's been throwing me for a loop all season that even though this is the same Gen. 7 casting we've had for several years, it's no longer referred to as a Camaro since that car has officially gone out of production. While we are due for an upgrade, this casting still holds its own compared the updated Mustang and Camry. The 1/64 scale version is good, but even this model suffers from that awkward angle caused by slight warping of the plastic chassis. Hopefully this is a problem that will go away for good as Lionel switches to all metal chassis in the near future, but that's going to cost the car another point. I explained that issue in a blog post you can find here.   Focusing in on the most important aspects of the car I can report that even after manipulating the car off and away from the plastic base, the important components of the car were all well produced and assembled, aside from the crooked chassis. The car's wheels all spin smoothly, and the interior parts, from the windshield, to the window net are all in great shape. (2/3) Historical Significance and Cool Factor: (3 Points/3) Connor Zilisch is picking up stock car racing at a blistering pace. He's quickly learning, and progressing through the different levels, and he's performing exactly as he should. He's winning, and contending for a championship in the Xfinity series, and he's finishing right where he should be in the Cup series considering the equipment he has, and the logistics of a par time team. He's had three Cup starts thus far, and if it wasn't for a very unfortunate crash at COTA, his average finish of 23.7 would be far better. Connor is learning from the best at Trackhouse, and I can easily see him bucking the trend of winning his first Cup race well before his 100th start.    The fact that this is the first time in about 14 years that we've seen Red Bull in the sport, means that this is an exceptionally cool race car. Red Bull has maneuvered impressively over the last few decades to continuously protect the perception that they are a company to be thought of synonymously with youth, power, strength, success, and of course, 'cool.' The car hits all the right notes for me personally, (minus the production errors), and as of right now, this is my favorite 1/64 from the 2025 season despite those issues. (3/3). Conclusion and Recommendation: (1 Point/1) 
 Sources:
-Jayski.com -Lionelracing.com -Nascar.com -racing-reference.info -Trackhouseracing.com
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Model ReviewsHere, I will investigate the world of 1/64 scale diecast race cars, diecast related news, and conduct detailed reviews. Archives
February 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed