Highway 61 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28/RS 302 LE of 600

In a diecast world where it seems prices keep rising at unreasonable rates and quality goes down, it's nice to know Tom Haverland and the team at Highway 61 keep making steady improvements in their craft while moderating price impacts to the collector.

Their 1969 Camaros - all 23 of them thus far - are evidence of this knack for building a quality piece. The RS Z/28 reviewed here has a good solid feel without the excess weight of the old Evergreen/ERTL Camaros. The paint is well done; orange is never an easy color to do because the slightest variation in paint is easily spotted. You won't notice any lacking here as the finish on this model is as smooth as glass.

The model has four opening parts and several working features you'd expect such as the steering and the functional dirve shaft. What you might not expect is the quality hinges used in that support the hood and the adjustable seats which move easily backward and forward. The chromed and photo-etched elements look like they will last for a millenium and the Bare Metal Foil - while noticeable for what it is -never made me cringe. The filigree of the open grill is more than enough trade off and with that kind of qualty build I'll accept BMF as a necessary evil.

It's been awhile since I reviewed a 1/18 H61 car, and I am consistently impressed with the richness of the finishes, the quality materials and the solid construction. The light lensing has also improved substantially. A look at the well-modeled under-carriage shows this is a labor of love.

I hope Highway 61 gets around to some late 60's Camaro pace cars eventually, but if not their 1969 Camaros are, in my book, among their more successful modeling efforts.

-Rusty Hurley