  The real thing: Kyle Larson rolls through the corner at Daytona in July of 2014. (Photograph by Chris Owens).
Paint and Printing: (1 Points/3) Kyle Larson's number 42 CGR Chevy SS in 1/64 scale features an all white base coat. The paintwork is neatly applied and bares no stand out imperfections. Things get more interesting after that. The car has some very tricky details that had to be replicated. The original version of this livery has a white coat that fades to red from the rear mid section to halfway over the rear wheel fenders. Lionel Racing, the company that produced the model has shown in the past that it really struggles replicating Target liveries that have this faded effect, but that issue is not apparent here.  Other painted features include white roof rails, and a black spoiler. The paintwork on each of these components is equally crisp and generously applied. There is a problem on the front section of the car. The red paint on the splitter does continue farther up the nose than it should, and covers some of the stars. The way a car looks from the front is really important, and that's significant enough of an issue to justify taking a point away. (-1)  The print work on the car has a high degree of difficulty. There are a lot of logos, and the red, white, and blue stars are copiously applied. The Chevy SS also has important decals that illustrate the car's main characteristics. Starting there, the two fog lights just below the front bumper are good, and level enough. The insert for the fog light on the left side does have a small indentation which is noticeable in the photo above. Also visible in the above illustration is the sight upward angle of the lower grill and air intake. To me, that's the bigger issue because it takes away from, and distorts what the front of the car should look like. (-1) The top grill, and headlamps are good. The car also has the more rare feature of a printed, and full color name banner across the top of the front windshield. This is one area that Lionel really excels. Larson's name, along with the read white and blue banner, and Chevy logos are all printed on the plastic insert, and the detail is effective.  The print work is somewhat redeemed when you turn the car sideways and look at the left side. The logos on the car from Target's various partners are all present, and for the most part are all easily identifiable. Things get a little less clear on the B-post and the C-post, but that is very small printing that deserves some tolerance. I might also add that there are the correct amount of stars, I counted.
Things get bad again however on the right side of the car. All of the print work is on an upward angle starting from right rear wheel and gradually goes higher towards the front. The line of stars that should stay level with the side skirt is quite a bit higher by the time it reaches the right front fender. This discrepancy is also evident when looking at the door number, and is accentuated in a worse way when looking at the contingency stickers. (-1) Yikes.  Mould and Assembly: (3 Points/3) Since Lionel has taken over as the primer 1/64 scale producer in Nascar, they have utilized two different castings. There's the widely accepted EL mould, and the scorned PTC mould. The majority if not all of the 2013 and 2014 1/64s were made on the EL mould, and thankfully, that's the casting used for this example. Each of the model components meet the industry standard for the time. The metal body was cast without issues, and the body shell is in like-new condition over 10 years later. The plastic chassis comes in two separate parts. The floorboard, and suspension of the vehicle are made on a standard gray piece of plastic. That portion is good, and is nicely detailed with the usual exhaust pipes, drive shaft, suspension frame, fuel tank, and track bar among other components. Each of those are easily identifiable. Lionel was able to get good milage out of this component (2013-2017).  Unlike the all too common issue with currently produced Gen 7 cars, cars produced on this tooling were almost always dependably level. The metal frame snaps together nicely with the plastic sections to create a snug fit, and a level stance.
The one major difference between the 2013 and 2014 Gold Line cars is the roll cage. The 2013 cars contain a gray roll cage and driver compartment, while the 2014 Gold Line cars have a black roll cage and driver compartment. This was a needed upgrade to the collectors line because the gray roll cage equated to a gray window net which severely impacted the realism of the scale model. Today, that is frequently one of the only differences between Lionel's Gold Line, and Main Line, or Retail Line.  From almost any angle, the car shows great casting/machining, and real quality and accuracy to the 1/1 version. The Chevy SS mould is a good one, and it's the paint and printing that have a negative impact on how well it replicates the original. It is also apparent from virtually every angle, that the car was assembled well. Each of the model's ten or so parts were put together correctly. There are no unsightly gaps, the windows all fit snugly in their frames, and best of all, the car rolls well!  Historical Significance and Cool Factor: (2 Points/3) How much does this car really matter historically? Honestly, the answer is probably not a lot. There was a flurry of liveries from Larson's rookie season that are probably far more memorable. The Energizer car, the Axe car, even the Target 25th anniversary car that was silver, probably all have more notoriety than this one. Add in the anticlimactic spin through the Daytona infield, and you've got a bit of a historical dud. The car is mostly just a short chapter out of Larson's rookie campaign. (-1)  Defining Moment: Larson helplessly spins through the grass at the end of lap 20. See the whole race: here.
But is the car cool? I think it certainly has some things going for it in this category. Not everyone who collects 1/64s is into patriotic liveries, but several people are. The Target colors plus a little blue really lend themselves to patriotic schemes, and while some are over the top, this one sits around 'just right' in my opinion. It's a nice variation of his standard 2014 livery, plus a little extra. The white rims, are a nice little bonus as well, and you can't ignore that it is a Kyle Larson rookie car as is indicated by the yellow rookie stripes on the back bumper. So, for any Larson fan, or any patriotic paint scheme fan, this car certainly has some cool factor to it, no doubt.  Conclusion and Recommendation: (1 Point/1) This was a close point. I wasn't sure how I felt overall about the car until I parked it next to one of Larson's more recent Gen 7. It had me thinking about how far Larson has come, he's a Cup champion, and he's 30th on the all-time win list with as of February 2025, 29 victories. There's no doubt, he's already a Hall of Famer, and there's also no doubt in my mind that he has more winning in front of him, than behind. One other consideration I might make is the Chip Ganassi Racing connection. The Ganassi brand will forever be enshrined as a major contributor in Nascar, and as they are gone now, only pictures, t-shirts, and diecast commonly remain to tell the company's story. If you're a CGR or Larson fan at all, this car has to be a consideration if you don't have one already, so I'd recommend it. The car can be found on the second-hand market for a little over $30 USD. There were a few other Kyle Larson 1/64s from 2014 produced, a yellow Clorox livery, a standard Target livery (red white), and Axe livery (white red), and the silver Target livery. There's also the Rookie of the Year logo car to consider as well. So completionists should look those up too. 
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