That 2nd Gen Integra coupe in our lead story today is one fine example of how good these cars looked. Honda made their compact, budget grocery getter into a sleek, sharp, low slung piece of art that just become better the moment you put on some decent wheels. The first gen had pop-up headlights which they ditched in the next version by introducing long, narrow headlights. It gave the tapered front a visually lower and wider appearance. Made from 1989 to 1993, this car in its 4-door guise became quite popular among the enthusiast crowd.

Except, if you want to find a scale model of the second gen, there is nothing to be found. Which is ridiculous because the car is quite popular among the tuner culture in Asia. Its combination of sleek lines and well balanced handling makes it a cult favorite. So you would expect someone somewhere to have made a model. Not even in 1:43 scale. That is one scale that contains even the most obscure cars ever introduced to pedestrian fear.  How obscure? How about the absolutely boring Dacia 1410?

So, if you want an Integra, your options are limited to everything other than the 2nd gen with the 3rd gen receiving the most attention especially for the DC2 Type R.

143 Scale DA1 by Mark43

We can start with 1:64. It will also be the cheapest entry to this model. Hotwheels launched their DC2 tuner version first in yellow over a year ago. Big hit. Customisers went nuts. I did a toned down, cleaned up stock version of it. At 150tk, this is the lowest. Kyosho and Revell both make well detailed versions of both the bug eye and the regular DC2 Type R.

1:43 scale offer the first gen Integra in all both coupe and sedan variants by Post Hobby's Mark43 Series. Pricey on eBay at nearly eye watering 1:18 prices converted to about 6000tk plus. EBBRO and a recently stumbled upon company called Hi-Story make brilliant reproductions of the 3rd and 4th gen models in 1:43 scale along similar prices.

118 DC5 Type R by AutoArt

Next would be the 1:24 scale. There's a few of the DC5 models made by various toy companies and prices range from $20-$50 depending on detail. Plastic kits are available by Fujimi and Revell in various Spoon and Mugen editions. The Revell kit is the bug eye model that comes with multiple parts to either rice out or build your car stock. All of them are superb kits but need a bit of fiddling to get the ride height to go down. I was tempted to convert one of my DC2 Type R into a second gen as the head and taillight for a scale model are similarly shaped and would mostly require adjusting the belt line and smoothing the sides down. The plastic kits are cheap at about 1500tk but online parcel services jack up the prices by almost double based on dimensions.

And finally, we come to 1:18. Autroart had a few post 2002 DC5 models within $100-140. But these have been discontinued and prices on eBay are up. I've seen a few inching up beyond $250 but no one is bidding. Sellers are sitting tight hoping these become mega collectibles. Er, no. If you're okay with static wheels and a closed shell, OTTO and Onemodel have a few choice resin models mostly of the DC2. Prices start from $120 and above. Resin models have excellent shut lines because, well, the parts don't open. Panels are etched out cleanly and tightly similar to the real car. But then, prices will make you cry. About $20 will get you the Hotwheels 1:18 Tunerz series. Spelled with a Z, it is obvious the car is riced out to beginning of Fast And Furious levels. But it's cheap and it can be fixed if you're willing to put in the work. Take for instance the blue car. It used to be yellow with tacky bumpers, spoiler and bling, bling chrome wheels. All that has been chopped, cut, sliced, sanded and molded to create a simple, clean version. The biggest challenge was in lowering on the replaced wheels while making sure the wheels still roll.

Well, there you have it. If you want a 2nd Generation Integra, you are plain outta luck. If you know of any, send me a note to ronnyraza@gmail.com

Head to our site tomorrow for more details and a trunk load of pictures.