Maisto is a brand of scale model vehicles introduced in 1990 and owned by May Cheong Group, a Chinese company founded in 1967 in Hong Kong by brothers P.Y.

MC produced models of European cars which were not made by Matchbox or Hot Wheels, and the brand became popular for providing the same quality as its contemporaries at cheap prices.

In the late 1980s, MC Toys' vehicles increased their quality, becoming more realistic and accurate to real models, in contrast with other counterpart companies that produced toy-like cars.

By 2000, a whole host of companies like Yatming, Ertl, AUTOart and even Mattel's Hot Wheels had entered the larger scale 1:18 fray and the market segment became more saturated and competitive.

[12] Muscle Machines magazine noted that the 1963 Dodge 330 Hemi was completely devoid of any indication of a gear shift of any type (even push button on the dash).

[13] Collectors wanting finer crafting in this size must look to AUTOart, CMC, or Exoto at the higher dollar end of miniature modeling.

One such line is the AllStarz which features custom rims, special paint jobs, lowered suspension and super upgraded in-car entertainment systems.

Chrysler is a big user of Maisto for promo models - one example was the offering of three different versions of the PT Cruiser (stock, sport and panel) made available first to auto journalists, but later sold normally in Walmart and other stores.