Reviews
Funtek Raid Adventure : A low-cost, Land Rover style RC car
Rastar cars bring all the benefits of die-cast detail to inexpensive radio controlled toys. These intricately designed, scale models were so popular over the Christmas period, their inexpensive pricing making them ideal presents. Our latest batch of cars are themed around GT racing cars, perfect for racing fans.
Arriving in display cases, the Rastar cars are ideal for those who like to collect detailed die-cast models. The premium printed, windowed boxes keep the cars safe and dust free whilst also on display, perfect for a bedroom shelf or office.
Most of the models can be removed without tools. Plastic lugs under the car release with a quarter twist whilst the transmitters are secured to the back of the packaging with two wingnut style screws.
These cars are classified as 1/14th scale, this is to say that they are a little over 7% (or 1/14th) of the size of the full-size real cars.
The models you see in this article measure around 30cm long and approximately 14cm wide. They are just the right size to drive around your house or office, just bear in mind that they have scale steering lock and take some wide turns!
McLaren’s track special of the P1, the P1 GTR is faithfully recreated by Rastar in yellow and green, harking back to the Harrods liveries of the original McLaren F1 GTR race car.
The body is finished in a strong vibrant gloss yellow with the green stripes carefully painted on. The black aero bodykit is a mix of gloss canards, matt and faux-carbon textured finish panels to replicate the real car.
This being an officially licensed model, Rastar have included the original McLaren branding and logos, alongside those of its partner/sponsors Pirelli and Mobil 1. There really are so many surfaces on the real car, its impressive that Rastar have managed to capture them all so accurately.
Red towing eyes front and rear offer a strong contrast against the yellow and black panels and alongside the #51 markers, really add to the racing provenance. We particular love the rear of this car which is all ‘business’ with huge vortex generator rear diffusers meeting the centrally mounted exhaust tips and gearbox detail, all of which is murdered-out in black sat inboard of the body panels.
Stretching from the front bumper over the roof and tapering to a split on the spoiler, the racing-green stripe shows of f the roof vent and adds to the drama of that split level rear wing The wing mounts to the rear of the car via large gloss black pylons as with the real car.
As with all the cars in this article, the detailed components on the bodywork and interior have been meticulously recreated to great effect. The thin spoke racing wheels sit over carbon ceramic brakes with gunmetal calipers. The cabin features a huge winged racing seat and that deep wrap-around dash with a sticker display sat behind the racing wheel. Note that it is all for show, the ‘wheel is not connected to the steering rack.
Whilst these cars aren’t going to set your carpet alight, they can be driven around. This model features slick racing tyres just like the real thing.
This model is our pick of the bunch. You can (and really should) pick up one of Rastar’s Mclaren P1 GTR‘s from our webstore today.
Audi’s R8 LMS is an GT3 ‘spec car raced around the world. It’s a stripped out racer sat on slick tyres with a huge wing out the back.
Rastar’s model sports W-racing team livery including its sponsors Zurich, Falken, Eibach, Deutche Post, Bilstein, Gran Turismo and more. Covered in stickers, it really feels like a special racing car.
Much like the P1 GTR, the rear end is very much all business, with a deep lower diffuser, black intakes all topped off by that massive spoiler stood tall from the rear decklid.
Where the P1 GTR is all curves and cuts, the R8 is aggressive in a sharp and clean manner. A huge front air dam is framed by spotlights and headlights sat behind and yellow-tinted lenses. When driven the headlights and taillights on this car illuminate thanks to small basic LED’s behind them.
The side-profile is our favourite angle on this model, with the racing number, R8 logo and Audi sport decals proudly on display across the door and rear intake. The brakes are hiding away in the depths of those multi-spoke racing wheels shod in slick tyres.
The rear wing is mounted on up-and-over mounts from the rear decklid. That interior has a rollcage, stripped out dashboard details, racing steering wheel and deep-winged racing bucket seat. Details continue externally with the fuel filler, black canards, silver wheel nuts, wingmirrors and more.
The party piece on this model has to be the clear rear engine cover, with a fantastically detailed v10 engine model peeking out underneath the rear strut braces.
On the move the R8 cruises nicely, although as with all of these cars the performance isn’t going to blow you away, think of it as secondary in the whole experience. When it comes to powering up, this is one of the few Rastar models we stock that includes a battery and USB charger for the model
The Rastar Audi R8 LMS is available in silver with red and black livery on our webstore as well as a white liveried Audi R8 LMS.
The FXX K Evo was infamous on its release, not least of all for its ridiculous name. Considering the limited usages of the track-only full scale research-and-development Ferrari track car, this is likely the closest you will get to owning an driving one.
Compared to the previous models, this seems quite understated with simple white painted lines and a single race number affixed to the door. Decals are restricted to small details and the licensed Ferrari prancing horse sat on that classic yellow shield on the wings and bonnet.
There is something quite menacing about the design with its low, wide stance and clean rear end. Chrome tipped exhausts frame the wide finned rear diffuser reaching stretching down to the ground.
This particular Rastar model features opening doors, in this case a butterfly mechanism like the real car. The car ships in the box with these displayed open thanks to an easily removable support band across the top.
Arguably the best angle for the FXX-K is from above, with the extensive glass cockpit framed by a pinstripe white line giving way to the curvy bright red bodywork.
Of all the models in this article, this item probably has the most detail/decals of all. The interior is fantastically detailed and you can enjoy it thanks to those butterfly doors. We love how Rastar have retained the front bonnet intake and the fine detail of the spine running to the rear wing over the window to the engine. Inside the chassis tub is textured to simulate the carbon fibre material the real vehicle is made of.
The actual car has a combined output (of its engine/hybrid powertrain) of 1036hp. Sadly this model doesn’t even have 1/14th of that power, but it can happily potter around your lounge on the 5xAA batteries required to power it.
Buy the Ferrari FXX K Evo in red with white graphics on our webstore.
Our first Rastar silver arrow is the long-nosed Merecedes AMG GT3, a race car edition of the road going GT. Its a low, wide GT racer with a few aero enhancements, but beyond that huge rear wing the spirit of the road car remains.
This model has some of the nicest paint we’ve seen from Rastar, retaining the metal flake of the full size car. It is accompanied by thick yellow stripes on the doors, front wings and wing-mirrors, alongside an offset twin strip down the nearside of the body.
Those headlight and taillight clusters are beautifully detailed on this car, like little cut jewels set at all four corners. The former frame the comically huge chromed front grill with large three pointed star. Whilst at the rear a vanity plate and red rear towing eye sit above the deep finned rear diffuser.
From the side you get a real feel for the balance of the GT, with its long nose taking up nearly 45% of the overall length of the vehicle. Exhausts exit through the lower side valances and the front wings feature a huge brake cooling exit duct.
The wide wing dominates the silhouette of the car whilst yellow end-plates highlight it from the side. A whopping great AMG decal mirrors the sunscreen sticker on the front windscreen, should you have forgotten who made the vehicle possible.
Despite the relatively clean lines of the GT3, there is plenty of detail going on here. Note the spindly wheels covering yellow calipers over huge floating disc brakes. The bonnet and rear windows are covered in vents and filler cap decals whilst a roll-cage peeks out of the rear window. Again the interior features a racing seat and steering wheel with limited dashboard.
Despite its GT racing roots, Rastar have fitted this model with treaded tyres, however with the minimal ground clearance you aren’t going to be driving this model outside on anything but perfectly smooth tarmac.
The Rastar Mercedes AMG GT3 is available in silver with yellow and black livery on our webstore, where like the Audi it includes a battery pack for the car and USB charger.
Sharp styling is what we have come to expect from Lamborghini and the Aventador SVJ certainly delivers. More of a race-car for the roads rather than an out and out GT car, the Lamborghini still looks as serious as its brothers in this post.
The white bodywork gives way to black side-skirts and bumpers front and rear, these are tipped with gold stripe details further accentuating the division.
Covered in triangles from the headlights to the stacked taillights, the car is a cacophony of geometry only interrupted by the #63 racing number and a vanity plate beneath the rear tailpipes.
Those gold details extend to the calipers, sat behind large black multispoke wheels (with gold bull centre-caps) wrapped in treaded Rastar tyres. The rear engine cover is a work of art, its stepped design spilling down to a relatively understated carbon-effect rear spoiler.
Like all the cars in this review, the Lambo can be driven, its head and taillights illuminating on the move.
You can pick up Rastar’s Lamborghini Aventador SVJ from our webstore in white.
Lastly we have the factory modified Porsche 918. The factory in Weissach (hence the name) cuts down the weight of the full size car and reconfigured it for a more ‘performance orientated finish’. For the sake of our Rastar model, it results in a different paint scheme and some minor adjustments to the bodywork.
Available in white, or black as pictured, the Porsche features red flame style decals running from the front headlights over the wins and down the side doors to the rear wheel arches.
Decals are restricted to a vanity plate, Porsche badging and an old-school style round race number on the doors.
The rear engine cover is the point of interest on this car, retaining the chrome and silver finish of the base model. We particularly like the detail Rastar as put into the steering wheel, dashboard, centre console and bucket seats.
Here are a few shots of the 918 on the move, those wheels really do look fantastic when spinning.
A fresh import, Rastar’s Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Package is coming soon to our webstore, look for it here.
Each of the transmitters require 2xAA batteries to power them. No tools are required to fit the batteries into the back, it is simply a case of unlatching then lifting the battery door.
When it comes to the cars the Audi and Mercedes include a 4.8v 600mAh NiMH battery pack and USB charger. From a standard outlet such as a laptop or television Rastar claim it will take 4-5 hours to top-up (in our experience it took around half that) with the red LED extinguishing when complete.
Meanwhile the McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche all require 5x AA batteries to power them. We tested ours on rechargable batteries and noticed no real reduction in performance. To open the battery door, flick the power switch to ‘off’ and slide the battery cover rearwards before hinging it open.
Each model includes a small hand-held remote control with two rocker buttons. The left up and down control the forward and backward motion whilst the right pairing actuate the left and right steering. Each features a branded centre decal to distinguish the car it is intended to control.
Utilising 2.4Ghz transmission technology, the Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren remotes have stubby antennas as seen above. The Audi, Mercedes and Porsche use a 27.145Mhz transmitter (seen below) requiring the installation of a 42cm telescopic antenna into the top, ensure this is in place before powering up to avoid range issues or interference.
Each of the transmitters and cars feature a small white boxed sticker denoting which frequency they use. Running two cars of the same frequency will result in cross talk with the transmitters potentially interfering with each other, as such we advise against buying cars with the same frequency. Our listings denote which frequency each car uses to assist your selection before you buy.
Despite the lack of adjustments on the basic transmitters, the cars themselves do offer a steering trim adjuster underneath between the two front wheels. Rotate this to compensate for steering angle should the car not drive straight.
These models make excellent gifts for car enthusiasts of any age. Shipped in windowed display boxes, adorned with branded artwork, we can see plenty being purchased for model car collectors. Their accurate scale depiction means they can be enjoyed as decorative art pieces on a shelf or desk, but one that can be powered up and taken for a drive! Whilst they lack the heft of a metal die-cast model, the paint and finish on the bodies is comparable in terms of finish.
Considering their value, they would also make a great gift for an older child, just note that due to small parts, these cars are not suitable for children under 3 years old.
The models seen in this article can be purchased from our webstore via the following links:
Make sure you pick up some AA batteries whilst you are at it, we stock inexpensive four packs of alkaline’s here.
Beyond these racing models we also sell ‘road going’ models such as the ever popular Audi R8, BMW’s i8 and M4, Bugatti’s Veyron and the Chiron, Pagani’s Zonda, Ford’s GT, Mclaren’s P1, Porsche’s 911 GT3 and the 918 Spyder, Land Rover (classic) Defender’s and even a modern Mini. Alongside the 1/14th scale models we also stock some larger 1/10th scale cars that offer incredible value. You can browse through every Rastar product we sell on the manufacturer page.
Want to learn more about Rastar cars? Check out this article introducing the 1/14th scale cars, see the transforming model in action or read more about the range in general.
These mini-models are the top of the iceberg when it comes to RC toys. Check our reviews section for literally hundreds of in-depth model reviews and tests.
Written by
Tom Begglesworth