Here are my cars gathered from the garden layout after 300 days. They've been constantly exposed to all weather conditions from June to May.
It's obvious at first sight they're not seriously damaged. They still look like the cars I bought, at least from a distance. Let's take a closer look at each one separately.
Hyundai i30, Welly
Hyundai i30 is the car I drive in my real life. Seems like the model is in a better condition than my actual ride 😅
Some changes are visible after sitting outside for months. The silver bar and the logo on the grill have lost their paint, and there's some slight discoloration around the front lamps. But in general - it looks great! Actually, the worst thing that happened was a spider building a nest inside the vehicle. Scared the hell out of me...
VW Beetle, Kinsmart
This model is my souvenir from a holiday at the sea...
It looks very, very good after one season. The blue body is still as blue as it was. The red lamps have faded a little but there isn't any real damage. Good!
VW Bus, Kinsmart
Another souvenir from my summer holidays...
I was very worried about this model. The reason were the stickers present all over its body. I was afraid they would peel off very quickly. But that has not happened. All the stickers are still there. They're a little faded but not really that much.
The chromed VW logo is now partially black and the red lamps are now white. But it looks good overall. To my surprise even the registration plate sticker has survived!
Trabant 601, Yat Ming
This car used to be very popular in Poland when I was a kid...
The only real damage I can see here is the front sticker. This one clearly didn't make it. There's also some loss of paint on the chromed buffers. But the model still looks much better than any real-life Trabant I've ever seen.
Alfa Romeo MiTo, Bburago
I don't recall any personal story behind this purchase. Perhaps it was just cheap...
Alfa Romeo would still look perfect if it wasn't for the varying color fade on different parts. Seems the model have not been consistently painted and the front buffer has aged a little more compared to the rest of the body. It's a pity but is it really a big deal? Don't think so...
Opel Blitz, Pola G
This one was my favorite. A real outdoor model made by a company specializing in garden layouts. It was also three times as expensive as the other cars.
There's no clear damage to the material to be found. The colors are still more or less the same as last year. The plastic did not warp and it did not become brittle.
There's however damage to the structure and that is related to the fragility of the model I mentioned in my review. The truck has lost part of its windshield - easy to glue back, and a side mirror - would be easy to re-attach if it wasn't lost forever somewhere in the gravel.
Another note I have about this car is related to the "tarp" element which covers the bed. I did not glue this part last year and it was a mistake. The cover "flies away" on every single windy night. I literally wake up in the morning and I have to look for it. So this time I'm gluing it for good, even if that lowers the functionality of the model.
Summary
I have to say the cars did pretty well throughout the all-year weather. None of the cars needs to be replaced or significantly repaired. The only doubt I have is about the Pola G model - it was much more expensive than the die-cast toys and... it was the only one that actually required any fixes. But it's also much more detailed and offers the fun of building it.
All in all - none of the vehicles disappointed me so far. Seems one could go either for the die-cast cars or for the dedicated outdoor models and it would work out pretty much fine. At least considering a one year long period...
Next checkpoint - perhaps in 2018?
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