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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Apr 16, 2022 13:10:31 GMT -5
Cool! Don’t worry Tom, it seems that we’re all moving our threads over here! It’s quite enjoyable to revisit some of the collections, again!
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 13:13:46 GMT -5
Still posting old stuff. Please move on, nothing to see here Away from Porsches for now, but still on Minichamps. Andy is to blame for this one, his array of racing CSLs took down my resolve to keep buying roadgoing cars only and had me weak at the knees as soon as I saw this. In the classic BMW Motorsport colours it just looks so good...Minichamps - BMW 3.5 CSL IMS Sebring 12 hours 1975 AutoArt did some excellent 1:43s. Crisp castings, well-rendered shapes, original colours and nice posable front wheels which add a touch of realism. However, they didn't enjoy the success of their 1:18 ranges and lots of them can still be found at bargain prices. If you can: get some, they're great. Case in point is my next purchase. It had a thick layer of price tags on the box, the one underneath said 64 euros and the one on top said 13. The latter sounded like a bargain to me and I like a bit of colour in my displays.AutoArt - Porsche 911 Carrera S (997)The next one is unlikely to get as much approval as the AA because it's a bit of an acquired taste. I saw it in RT's collection thread first and had to add it to my considerable collection of 2CV models. It's from another partwork and I looked at several vendors before finding one with single-digit prices. There was no excuse, this one was coming home. (Note to self: another group shot, or rather a series of 2CV group shots, is due).
Partwork - Citroen 2CV 'cubiste'
And it's not an imaginary model either... When I'd just started high school Saab came out with the turbo version of their popular 99. After the limited production BMW 2002 turbo this was the first mainstream car with a turbocharged engine, which was really something back then. Most 99 turbos here were black, brown or burgundy and I wanted my model to have one of these colours. The wheels are another iconic design feature.
Legend has it that lots of 99 turbos were written off in multi-storey car parks with those corkscrew ramps to upper levels. It's a turbo lag thing, like 'hmmm, not taking off yet- get on the accelerator a little more. Nothing happening yet, a little more... vroom, crash'. You'd get catapulted into the concrete before you had the chance to react. Not sure if it's true, but an amusing anecdote nevertheless.
Premium X - Saab 99 Turbo Combi CoupéNext model was high up on my wish list, but I missed it when it was released and saw several go for high prices. It's one of two Audi racers I'd love to have and the other one hasn't been released yet- the 5000 turbo quattro 25-valve Talladega speed record car. This one is a bona fide test car, not a figment of someone's imagination. Like the record car it's black which makes it look mean and sinister. Part of the appeal.
Minichamps - Audi 200 Trans Am test carNot entirely done with the batch yet, next up is a model I haven't seen here before. According to the French vendor, it's part of a test for a new partwork. I overheard him speaking French and tried my best at it too. He was so surprised that he gave me a discount without me asking...
Hachette PW - Volkswagen T1 camper vanThe final installment in this batch is the largest. It was sold as 'damaged return' and while the original packaging was there it had clearly been opened. But apart from a loose airline and a wonky wheel which were one minute fixes, I can't for the life of me figure out what the actual damage was. Since I saw it on S143 I wanted this as a display for a series of French classics, of which I have enough. The transport firm actually still exists today and is called Walon BNL.
Altaya PW - Unic MZ-36 TCA 1960This one is from the Opel Collection PW, and it's one I had on my wish list for a while.
Opel Collection - Opel Lotus OmegaNext up is a Whitebox. I compared this to the Triple9 version which for some reason is 10 euros more expensive, but apart from the colour (the T9 comes in red only) there was no visible difference. 'My' trader had the WB version only and this blue was one of the popular colours on this car anyway, so the decision was an easy one. Other popular colours on this were silver, pale green metallic, beige metallic and brown metallic. It's nicely made (in fact the chrome trim looks more realistic than the photoetched trim on more expensive models) and apart from a modification to the rain gutter trim I have nothing to wish for here. Excellent VFM and the Dutch registration is a nice touch.
Whitebox - Mazda 323Another small Japanese car, albeit a decade older. These were everywhere when I was a kid and I quite liked it at the time. It came in three shapes- the basic saloon, a coupé and this estate car. In fact it's the more common saloon version I was looking for but instead I managed to get both the coupé and now the estate... guess I'm easily distracted. The model was made by Golden Oldies, a Dutch-based firm that specialises in small runs of models of cars sold here in The Netherlands. They have an interesting range of DAF models (one or two of which I wouldn't mind adding to the collection) and the Datsun shown here. Usually, they're ridiculously expensive (EUR 80+) but this one was discounted and fitted neatly in the swap deal. Another Dutch registration, 1975 this time.
Golden Oldies - Datsun 100A Station
And this one I bought earlier...
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 13:22:39 GMT -5
More old stuff, please ignoreNext is a very nice model by Oxford that has been on my wish list for a while. It is very nicely made, and this one was in the deal because it was heavily discounted. Shame that it has a French registration, would have preferred UK reg but it doesn't put me off. It was this blue or a white one, and white just looks wrong on this car in my opinion. Too much wedding car.
Oxford - Bentley S1 Continental fastbackNext up is a car I'd been looking for for quite a while. I've always loved this livery and have the 911 RSR in the same colours. Now I need the 935 to complete the trio...
Minichamps - Porsche 934I don't expect anyone outside Europe to recognise this car, it's not exciting or fast... or beautiful, for that matter. It is a significant car for the largest all-Dutch car maker DAF, as it was their swansong as a passenger car maker. Intended to sell as the DAF 77 and bang up to date for 1976 with the hatchback shape, it featured the DAF key technology: the Variomatic continuously-variable transmission and therefore RWD. Engines were sourced from Renault as DAF had stopped making engines when the twin-cylinder was phased out with the DAF 46. In 1975 however, DAF sold their passenger car division to Volvo. Their existing top-of-the-range model, the 66, was renamed Volvo 66 and got Volvo-style bumpers. The upcoming 77 was renamed 343 (Volvo nomenclature for 300 series, 4-cylinder, three-door) and released in 1976. It didn't get rid of the traditional DAF reputation for being a senior citizen's car but it proved to be very strong and reliable and remained in production until 1992 with only slight modifications. Five-door and saloon versions were added later and the 360 powered by the two-litre Renault engine gained an unlikely reputation as an excellent starter track car for amateurs. Ixo again did a superb job modelling it. The Triple9 version is yellow, which I prefer over this red but not to the tune of 50% more, which seems to be the price difference. :roll: Another Dutch registration, rare on model cars and a definite bonus for me.
Whitebox - Volvo 343
This model replaces a hard-to-find Mattel version in my collection- I bought it as an upgraded model, but it doesn't hide the toy origins of this simple casting. However, models of the 343 are a few and far between. I'm therefore happy that Ixo decided to remarket this ex-Volvo Collection PW model for general release as a Whitebox.The next one is another no-brainer. Years ago I bought the 1995 Volkswagen Polo in red, and I've since added every generation in that same colour. This one was missing, glad that I found it.
Minichamps - Volkswagen Polo
On my to do list is now a group shot. Still looking for a red mk.I and mk.II Polo.Next is another red one. My brother had the real car once, a 1990 Nissan 200SX. With the 16-valve 1.8 turbo it was fast (we had the speedo pegged on the German Autobahn once, doing 230+ on the GPS) but his lacked the rear spoiler which meant that the back end got a little light at speeds over 160 km/h. Unfortunately the car had a tendency to self-destruct with bad rust (even when taken out in nice weather only and parked in a dry garage). After some welding to the sills and a filler fix for the rest he sold it to buy an Audi Coupé quattro. The model is the same colour as his old car. This was sold in the US as a 240SX with a N/A engine.
Neo - Nissan 200SX
And yet another Dutch registration! And while I'm at it, a couple of new and old shots.
Opel Collection vs Minichamps Lotus Omega. MC made a weird Omega, something like a civilian race version
Volvo 343, Mattel (customised) vs WhiteboxFinal model of this batch. This was from a separate deal, which was a trade with a Tekno truck model I bought about ten years ago at a truck meet. Don't know why, it was OK but nothing special. In fact, it was so unspecial that I managed not to unpack it in all those years. It was cheap, and I did some research a while back when I put it on the 'sell' pile, and discovered that prices had not gone up by much. So I was very surprised that the guy I offered it to seemed quite eager to take it and offered me what I considered a very good deal, and even better in trade. The next model was on my wish list but prices seemed to vary between EUR 70 and 100, about twice to three times what I was prepared to pay. He had the best colour too (the only alternative was black) so the deal didn't take long to be finalised.
Schuco ProR - Tesla Model S
My opinion on the model- it's my second ProR (the other one's a Porsche 924 Carrera GT) and certainly the least. The side window trim is the main reason, it's too rough and it detracts from the shape of the model. I would never pay EUR 70 for this. Still, I'm happy to at least have a model of this car.I just had to take this group shot of four generations of the VW Polo... one generation is missing but nobody made a model of it. I still need the mk.I (Minichamps) and II (Altaya).
The mk.III looks a bit underscale, it should be about the same size as the rest.mk.III: Herpa - mk.V: AutoArt - mk.VI: Minichamps - mk.VII: HerpaThe first two were purchased at the CD/LP/Collector's fair a weekend earlier. They were so ridiculously cheap that I'd be a fool not to get them.
Opel Collection - Opel Ascona A
A pretty nice model but on closer inspection it's not as sharp as the Schuco. The Schuco does however have annoyingly large wheels that spoil it for me, so I might go for a cheap Schuco and transplant the wheels.
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 13:39:46 GMT -5
Yet more golden oldiesWhen I was a kid, our next-door neighbour had an Opel Olympia in a very dark green. He would go to work, drive the car out of his garage and leave it running for a while while he went back in (for what?). After a few years, the shrubs on the other side of the road where his exhaust would be, showed a distinctive hole and refused to grow back even a long time after he'd moved house. That's my irrelevant memory, but it's planted the Olympia in my mind forever obviously... for those of you who think 'that looks familiar': it's basically a second-generation Kadett 4-door but with a fastback rear body, more elaborate trim and a different grill. Most came with a vinyl roof which was a sign of luxury in the day.
Opel Collection - Opel OlympiaNext up is my first Maxichamps, the label used by Minichamps to re-release old models and compete with Ixo, which the new MC issues obviously don't do being twice as expensive. The 25-30 euro price level is about my max for a 1:43 so recent MC models have been too expensive for a while. The prices of Maxichamps models have been reduced by reusing older moulds, simpler packaging with no model-specific info on the plinth (no colour or production amount) and less detail in the interior. Fine for closed cars, I hardly ever look inside anyway. There are quite a few Maxichamps I'd like to add to my collection- Peugeot 205 GTI, Ford Taunus TC1, Opel Manta, Volvo 240 wagon come to mind. It won't be my last, that's for sure! This Scirocco was a no-brainer. The colour, Viper Green Metallic, makes it stand out and the shape is spot on. I've been close to buying the Whitebox version a couple of times but I'm now glad that I waited, this one's a lot better.
Maxichamps - Volkswagen Scirocco
The Scirocco replaces two models in my display, this Gama and the Joal, both from the 1970s.When Andy showed us this one, I had to have it. Not only is Saturn Metallic (brown or purple, depending on the light) the colour used for the introduction of the Urquattro but it was also the colour used on my ex-Porsche 924. It's a colour I love dearly and MC have nailed it IMO. I looked online for this model but prices were on the high side, until I found a German swapmeet vendor who for some reason offered MC models far below RRP. I needed only seconds, as this is a very limited edition. It was now or never! Very happy with it, nice to be able to strike something off the list that was pretty high up.
Minichamps - Audi UrquattroNext up, you're in for a shock!
What? A caravan? Those horrible white sheds that block traffic every summer and are at the front of every traffic jam? Well, yes. I saw this Lion Cars caravan being offered at very low prices and decided that I would like one in my collection- as I would like a car trailer too. It's a nicely made model of a Chateau caravan that is fairly popular here and for only a couple of euros I felt I couldn't go wrong. There is even some interior detail but you need a flashlight to see through the darkly tinted windows.
Lion Toys - Chateau 450
With a suitable tow vehicleAnother car that was on my wish list, albeit lower down, turned out to be another bargain. An ex-PW model made by Universal Hobbies and in a popular colour for the early 1980s, these used to be everywhere. The Visa was a luxurious 2CV at first, with the same two-cylinder engine. Later versions got a watercooled four-cylinder and that made the car even more popular. In fact, for a French car of this age it's still remarkably common on the roads here. The model cost me only a couple of euros and it's worth a lot more IMO, very nicely made.
Universal Hobbies - Citroen Visa II Super ENow, if you think the Visa is weird... I love oddities and this one's up there. Who'd think that a three-axle stretch van would be made on the base of a luxurious passenger car? Tissier made a couple of these (both on the base of the DS and the later CX) and I know for a fact that they were used to transport newspapers from Paris to Amsterdam in double quick time. I would have loved to have one with signwriting but this was the only one I could find so it came home. It will look suitably weird next to the DS-based Michelin tyre testing car. Another ex-PW model by UH and incredibly cheap at 4 euros.
Universal Hobbies - Citroen DS Tissier Baggagère Onwards and upwards. A little less craziness, though the car known as Le Car in the US gets as little love as the poor Zastava Yugo RT showed us recently. In 1974, my parents traded their 1968 Citroen Dyane for a brand new Renault 5L in bright orange. It was their first car with crumple zones and a passenger safety cage which came in very handy when, six months later, my dad got hit in the rear on the motorway and shoved car and all into the back of a lorry. The car was now sans its front end and the steering column protected him from harm, the engine was pushed into the passenger compartment. The car was a total writeoff and a couple of months later my parents took delivery of an identical Renault 5. I looked at the Altaya Renault 5 (in the proper orange) a couple of times but felt that it was not 100% correct. Norev's effort was much nicer (save for the somewhat too-large wheels) but at about 40 euros it was expensive. Now I found this cheap Norev and it was the wrong colour but I liked it enough to take it home. Perhaps I will find an orange version at the right price later, if not I can live with this too. There were few of these left at the swapmeet, I feared that I would miss out on this. Now I would like to add a second-generation R5...
Norev - Renault 5TL
This model replaces not one, but three models in the display (great way to make room). The old Norev releases in orange and yellow were gifts to me in the mid-1970s and have survived lots of play. They've been with me for decades but now it's time to replaced them, and the Solido version I got later, with this new Norev. They will probably be relegated to a 'secondary' display together with other 'replaced' models. Toys they might be, but charming ones.In the news recently: the Dutch police want faster chase vehicles. In the 1980s, the chase cars were Porsches driven by the motorway police. Regular patrol cars were rather more pedestrian and they don't come any more pedestrian than the Volvo 343. If, like myself, you rode a moped here in the '80s you will have been stopped and perhaps even chased by one of these. Chases were limited to cyclists and mopeds, though the mopeds couldn't have been too highly tuned.
Altaya PW - Volvo 343 gemeentepolitieA couple of pictures I took to do comparisons.
The Citroen DS Tissier Baggagière vs a Rio DS of the same generation. This shows two things: that the Rio is oversized and that I need a better model of the regular DS, on my list now (and opinions needed on the best late DS to get- probably a Norev). It was intended to show how much longer the Tissier was, though
Another side-by-side I'd intended to do for a while. The Opel Corsa by Schuco (white) and Ixo/Altaya (red). It's hard to say which one is the more correct model, as there seems to be quite some differences in scale... both are nice models though, decide for yourself which one you preferFound another vehicle to hook up my new caravan to. This Matra-Simca Rancho, the first SUV crossover ever, even has a towbar
All my 356es in 1:43. I failed to reset the soft top on the blue DetailCars, which I didn't notice until the models were back in their displays. Left to right: silver Dinky Collection coupé, silver DetailCars coupé, green HighSpeed coupé, blue DetailCars convertible, top up. Front row: yellow DetailCars convertible, beige Brumm speedster (the model that restarted my collection in the mid-1980s)
Finally: my two bad choices for models of a stunning car. I have the DeAgostini (brown) and the Norev (orange) PW versions, now it's time for the best one, which is the MCMy Secret Santa made sure that he gave me something I didn't have but that I would like a lot. He succeeded wonderfully. I've been trying to avoid classic American cars for a while because I don't have a good working knowledge of the real cars and find it hard to determine which are good reproductions. I know what I like however: oddities, excesses and bright colours. This one manages to hit all criteria... it's wonderful. And leave it to Spark to do a fantastic job on every detail and finish it perfectly. A perfect start of a great sub-collection
Spark - Cadillac Sedan de Ville 1959And another Christmas gift that I love dearly, three models that all hit the spot. One scratched an itch that had been bothering me for some time thanks to the temptations of S143, one that had my name written all over it and another that made me realise that I have another sub-theme in the works... I had the civilian version of the Stratos, another supercar from my youth. However, after seeing many rally versions here (and especially the classic Alitalia-liveried version) I really wanted to add this classic rally weapon to my collection. The fabulous HPI model, and the Safari version with night-stage lights: best of the best. Another one I could look at for hours (and have been, in fact). Such a shame that HPI aren't making these anymore, it's wonderful HPI Racing - Lancia Stratos Safari Rally 1975 I had two models of the Mazda MX5 in my collection, the first (NA) and third (NC) generation. This gift adds the very nice second generation (NB) and also makes me want to add the fourth generation... such nice cars, worthy of a place in the display. I made a group shot with the other two, watch this space for an addition to the group
Maxicar - Mazda MX5
And with its predecessor and successorThe third of my fantastic gifts is this. The ultimate roadgoing Porsche 924 was this homologation special 924 Carrera GT with a 210 hp turbo engine. Only 400 examples of this car were built and there are two in this country. This Maxichamps version will accompany a silver Schuco ProR I bought earlier. I will do a comparison of both models later, but I love this one. You can't fault MC's quality and red looks perfect on it, better than the silver on the Schuco
Maxichamps - Porsche 924 Carrera GTI took advantage of the Cyber Monday sale and ordered these from Germany. The prices were incredibly low, about half what I usually pay... so I ended up spending far too much money on diecast. The result is very nice, though. Since the Saab and Volvo PW collections were released, I've put quite a few on my wish list. They fill holes in the collection and the models are really good. Now a couple of them have been released as mainstream Ixo/PremiumX/Triple9 models in different colours and for those Cyber Monday prices they were impossible to resist.
The Volvo 480ES was released in 1986 as the sports coupé of the 1980s, the spiritual successor of the 1800ES. It was designed and built in The Netherlands (I visited the plant once). Later, there was a 480 Turbo and Volvo released the 440, a five-door hatch sharing the floor pan and drivetrain. I loved the 480 and when AHC released their 1:43 I bought all colours they released. Still love them, but the Minichamps turbo released later and now this Ixo are in another league. The MC was too expensive at the time as was the Volvo Collection but at sale prices this is an unbeatable bargain. If the red version wasn't a third of the price I'd have probably bought another colour, but it looks good in red. A Dutch registration (though one that is no longer in the registry) is very nice on a 'Dutch' car
Triple9 - Volvo 480 Turbo
The 480 was a success, and making a cabriolet version was an obvious decision. It was designed in The Netherlands and one prototype was made (in an unusual shade of purple metallic) but the Volvo mother corporation in Sweden didn't give the go ahead to build it. So it remains a one-off and this red one is a fantasy version. I would love to have a model in the original purple with its special wheels
PremiumX - Volvo 480 CabrioletLast model I will show in 2016 and last of the Volvos for now, this very elegant P1900 roadster. I've only seen the real thing once and with an estimated 50 remaining that's to be expected. Volvo had Glasspar in the US build the attractive fibreglass bodyshell for this car, which was to have a production run of 300. In the end the disappointing quality and high price (twice as expensive as the PV444 that donated its powertrain) caused production to stop after only 68 cars were made. A real rarity. PremiumX made an excellent model in a very nice shade of yellow. Bonus: Dutch registration... although that seems to belong to a Porsche 356
PremiumX - Volvo P1900On to other Swedish matters with Saabs. When I was five years old, we moved to Utrecht. It was a relatively new development with highrise buildings and because the roads there were dead ends it was quite safe to play there so I was outside a lot. The sandbox and swing set apparently didn't interest me much, instead I concentrated on the parked cars. Back in the early 1970s it was still considered normal to park a car that had come to the end of its life, and leave it there. There were two such cars on our street, an 'oval' VW Beetle in black and a Saab 92 in ivory with 'chequered flag' decals. Both cars were unlocked so we just played in them, heaven for a car-mad kid. I loved the Saab so much that over all those years (45 years, in fact) I wanted a model. Now it's there and it's great! This replaces a very low-tech ill-fitting 1980s white metal kit by BdB that I'd bought and built but that never quite looked at home in the collection
PremiumX - Saab 92
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Apr 16, 2022 13:49:08 GMT -5
Lots of cool models, Tom! But, that VW T1 camper is hard to beat! Fabulous model that proves one doesn’t have to spend millions to have great models!
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 13:50:53 GMT -5
OldI bought the Saab 96 as a PW version from the Saab Collection a while ago and whilst the shape is great, the white paintwork somehow never looked quite right. Luckily, the PremiumX version was now even cheaper than the PW used to be, more detailed and it looked just perfect. In fact, those PremiumX models are so well made they put much more expensive makes to shame
PremiumX - Saab 96This might be the gem of the batch! The Saab 94 Sonett (from 'so nett', Swedish for 'so pretty') is a real beauty that -much like the Volvo P1900- doesn't look like the average product of its maker. It was based on an aluminium box construction with a fibreglass cover and powered by the two-stroke Saab engine of the time. In 1956 the Sonett won the Swedish speed record for cars under 750 cc. Only 6 were built. I love the detail on this, have only seen the real car at a car show once but it looked as good as this nice little model. Red suits it
PremiumX - Saab 94 SonettFrom Sweden to Germany. Porsche has been one of my favourite makes for as long as I can remember, a Brumm 356 relaunched my collection in the mid-1980s and several models have followed to the point where it's now the second most common make in my collection, after Audi and about on a par with Volkswagen. I have a soft spot for the transaxle cars having owned a 1980 Porsche 924 for a couple of years. Despite it being my least reliable car I loved it dearly because it was a beautiful shape and a delight to drive. I have all different colours Minichamps released on this model and am very happy that for their Maxichamps budget range they decided to do this brown version, which is close to the colour on my old car- saves me from repainting a model
Maxichamps - Porsche 924Final Cyber Monday buy is this, another Dutch connection. Joop Donkervoort built a small but high-tech company developing the Lotus 7 concept to a modern-day sports car, with versions looking less like the original than Westfield's and Caterham's products. Recent versions have used Audi turbo engines. This D8 GTO is a very radical carbon fibre car, with a 340-400 hp version of the Audi 2.5 TFSI five-cylinder engine in a very light (720 kg) body shell. Ixo did a very nice model, I love it. I've seen the real car on the road only once and several times at car shows
Ixo - Donkervoort D8 GTO
From the original Lotus 7 to the Donkervoort D8 GTOI'm not sure when I saw my first real Alfa Montreal but it must've been in the 1980s. They weren't on the streets here in the '70s, but a picture cut out of a magazine was on my bedroom wall next to that of a Miura when I was about seven years old. For me, it's one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Somehow it took until about five years ago for me to buy my first model of the Montreal, the Norev I showed earlier. Its shape was OK but the casting had its origins in the '70s and it shows. The windows are inset too deeply and the frame for the triangle window in the doors is too thick. The DeAgostini model was in a batch, sort of a box filler and almost free. I thought it had to be better than the Norev. I was disappointed. Enter the Minichamps and I'm happy, finally the model that this iconic car deserves. A good '70s hue and the correct stance, nicely made wheels and good detail
Minichamps - Alfa Romeo Montreal
Minichamps vs DeAgostini and Norev PWAnother victim of an earlier misguided buy was this Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. I was in love with the real car since, on a warm summer night, I drove behind one for a while and tried to work out what made this glorious noise and had these fantastic curves. A model had to be in my collection and it had to be in this fantastic metallic red. I bought this cheap Cararama and when it arrived it was clear that it was a mistake. It was plain red instead of the fantastic metallic red and looked cheap, never mind overscale. It never even made it to my display because it stood out. A Spark model was somewhat too expensive for my taste, but Minichamps had the answer once more- great quality at a decent price (a reduced price, like the Montreal). It was the model that made this deal hard to conclude because the guy I traded with couldn't find one. He did in the end, and I'm a happy man. The right shape, nice detail, great stance and the correct colour
Minichamps - Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
And the old Hongwell Cararama
I know that one is the prototype and one the production car, but the difference in quality is the main issue. I love the 8C enough to upgrade.Final model is one I wanted since I saw it on S143. I don't recall who showed it but I'd never seen it before and I loved it immediately. I bought the Rio version when it was released in the early 1990s and I was happy with it at the time, it was a nice model for the (pre-Minichamps) time and the shape was largely correct. However, diecast has evolved over the last 25 years and the old Rio was getting a little long in the tooth. Going over my collection I decided that this would be a model I would like to replace. This was the obvious candidate and the opening features without the accompanying panel gaps (love that classic engine with the twin orange Fram oil filters) clinched the deal. Seeing it for real convinced me that this was the right decision. The Rio has been retired, which I did earlier with the misshapen GTS
Kyosho - Ferrari 365 GTB Daytona
Kyosho vs Rio Cars with numbers are few and far between in my collection. Not that I don't like them, it's more of a question of where to start. My heyday of rallying was the 1980s, when I watched every second of footage I could and loved it. In the '90s my interest waned and the last couple of years I had no real favourites. However, I did enjoy seeing the WRC version of the Volkswagen Polo win, I loved its looks and rooted for them in the championship. To remember a great time I wanted this very nice dealer model of the WRC car made by Spark
Spark (dealer edition) - Volkswagen Polo WRC 2014
With its bread-and-butter cousinAfter my Cyber Monday buys there are still lots of Saabs and Volvos I would love to own a model of. Douglas' recent buy of an HPI 850 T5-R made me recall an exhilarating drive in one and an admiration for what I consider to be the best-looking 'modern' Volvo. 'My' trader couldn't source said HPI but this Triple9 version is in my favourite colour for the car and really nicely made. Dutch '95 reg too
Triple9 Premium - Volvo 850 T5-R I was a completist Audi collector until a couple of years ago. Though many recent Audi cars have left me somewhat underwhelmed, I still like to add the odd one from time to time.
The Q3 is one of my least favourite modern Audis because of the weak rear end design, Jeremy Clarkson's 'defecating dog'. I do however have models of the Q5 and Q7 and this was sort of thrown in to sweeten the deal. Bonus: it's the hot RS Q3 version and a fabulous colour. Also, the model is nicely made. Guess I'll display it facing the front
Schuco - Audi RS Q3Another recent Audi still missing in the lineup was the coupé version of the TT. Judging by the ease with which it was included in the deal this is also being dumped- the online stores have it on sale too. Albeit in a less exciting colour than I'd like (popular choice on the real thing though), but the model is at least nicely made. As we've come to expect from Spark
Spark (dealer edition) - Audi TT coupé
(it was listed as a Spark but it seems to be diecast... might be another Schuco)
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 14:17:31 GMT -5
Old but goodThe last couple of years, my brother has been running Volkswagen Passat Variants as company cars. I've driven many of them for work and like them very much: roomy, comfortable, well thought out and available with state-of-the-art option packages. I'd been looking for a model -preferably in a nice colour- for a while, but all available colours were boring. Finally decided that this silver looked best and would at least show off its design properly. Another excellent model by Schuco, love the panoramic roof
Schuco (dealer edition) - Volkswagen Passat Variant I love Porsches. The 911 is one of few high-performance sports cars I could live with every day, it's capable of a quick lap of the track but it works equally well as an everyday driver and bits don't fall off when you use it as intended. The most eyecatching version of the current 911 is the targa, whose design is a nod to the first generation with its attractive brushed steel targa rollover bar. Shown on S143 before and in easily the best colour for it IMO. Would love a matching colour first generation targa to display alongside it. Yet another very good Schuco effort
Schuco - Porsche 911 targa 4 GTS A couple of years ago, when I was unemployed, I happened upon a seller who had very nice PW models of the early Lancia Delta but not the usual HF or Integrale version. It was a bread-and-butter 1.3 and I bought it as a gift for a friend who owns several 1:1 Deltas. He loved it and I thought I'd find one for myself soon... unfortunately, that never materialised. An unexpected connection has solved that now. The Delta was sold in Scandinavia as the Saab-Lancia 600 (a bastard child, as it didn't share any Saab design features) and a model of this car was in the Saab Collection PW. This was later released with more detail in the PremiumX range, and it's the PX version that has been added to the collection. Everyone makes Integrales, but the regular versions were common here in the '80s and I really wanted a model. However, this makes my ancient Vitesse HF 4WD and Integrale look very bad... hmmm
Premium X - Saab-Lancia 600This violates my rule that I need to have seen the real car at least once in order to add the model to my collection. I've seen this in magazines only and until the model was announced, I'd all but forgotten that the car ever existed. However, it has such a quintessential '80s look about it and the model is so well-made that adding it to the deal was a no-brainer. Unpacking it confirms that it was a good decision. Love it
Premium X - Lancia Delta Selene semi-convertibleLast of this batch wasn't quite what I expected it to be, it was in his stock list as a dark blue Ixo 2002. Now I don't like black models but this looks very good indeed, so I won't send it back. I could always add a later version in the future.
Minichamps - BMW 1600First model of this batch is part of the Presidential Cars partwork and made by Norev. I don't know if it's actually the PW version because it was in a nice display box with outer carton. I haven't seen it in use as a presidential car but on holiday in the UK I photographed a similar car being used by the mayor of Coventry (Gary informed me that this was the Queen Mother's car)
Norev - Daimler DS420Second model from the same series is this Citroen DS. The more I looked at the old Rio model in my collection, the more I wanted to replace it. This was a good replacement, great shape and nice detail. It's black, but that was a popular colour on the DS. This being a mid-1970s DS might make it Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's.
Norev - Citroen DS23We've been shown the very nice models from the Maserati Collection a couple of times, and the excess production finally appears to have landed here. As usual, fantastic prices for very good models.
Perhaps this is the most beautiful of the collection. A classic Pininfarina design, very elegant to look at and reminiscent of several classic Alfas. Leo Models did a fantastic job here IMO, the model is superbly finished and very delicate
Leo Models - Maserati A6 1500 PininfarinaThe opposite of the A6 1500 is this Quattroporte 1. A large saloon, but very elegant and a typical Italian design. Makes me want to complete the entire collection of QP generations
Leo Models - Maserati Quattroporte 1I had a hard time choosing which models to buy from the selection available at the store. In fact I had an even harder time not returning for yet more from this great series. This was one model I recalled seeing here (probably in David's thread) and I loved it instantly. The shape, the beautiful colour combo... IRL it's as beautiful as it looked in the pics
Leo Models - Maserati 3500 Vignale SpyderAfter those nice classic rounded shapes it's time for some '70s boxy design. The Kyalami really appeals to me because of its elegant lines and colour. I know the wheels aren't its strong suit, but they will more than do for me.
Leo Models - Maserati KyalamiAnother boxy one, and the closest that I came to ever owning a Maserati. I worked close to home and cycled to work at the time, so I wanted a car for fun only. I looked at several different cars and beautiful two-tone silver and grey Biturbo with burgundy leather was one of them. It didn't fancy a test drive however and objected violently by blinking all its warning lights on the dash. That scared me off, and from what I've learnt it's for the best. Still a beautiful car, though.
Leo Models - Maserati BiturboBack to classic rounded shapes. The A6G CS Berlinetta Pininfarina is purposeful-looking if not exactly a true beauty. It really appeals to me, though. Wheels are not this model's strongest point and could use some work. I wish quality and attention to detail were a little more consistent in this series
Leo Models - Maserati A6G CS Berlinetta PininfarinaBoth Pininfarina and Frua worked their magic on the A6G chassis. Both are classics, though the Frua effort might be a little easier on the eyes with its classic proportions. I agree Andy, wheels could do with a little de-blinging
Leo Models - Maserati A6G/54 Frua Coupé 2000This violates my rule that I have to have seen the real car for the model to get into my collection. It's a case of love at first sight though. Also the smallest model that I've bought in this series... love everything about it
Leo Models - Maserati A6G CS 'monofaro'The only model of a modern car that I bought from this series.Very attractive IMO and quite successful here, lots of upwardly mobile managerial types running these as company cars. With a turbodiesel engine. The model is very well-made but the metallic paint has a structure that tends to look too coarse under bright lights. It looks much more realistic in the hand than it does in my pictures
Leo Models - Maserati GhibliAfter those Italian beauties it's time for some solid, no-nonsense Swedish engineering.
The 140 series were Volvo's mainstay in the late 1960s and early '70s. Successor to the classic 120 series Amazon, and available as a two-door 142, four-door 144 and five-door 145 estate. For the high end there was a 164 six-cylinder. Triple9 makes the 142 and 144 and the high-roof 145 Express. After some deliberation I chose the 142 because of its bright colour and Dutch registration
Triple9 - Volvo 142
And its predecessor, a 1990s reissue of a 1960s Tekno. If you're pedantic it's the pre-facelift version vs the facelift, but the contrast is obvious in every respectLast of this batch, and one that had been in my crosshairs for a long time. The 240 series came in 1975 as an updated 140 and were the first to sport the iconic large bumpers. Volvo wanted to do something about their boring image (family car or work vehicle) so they introduced this sporting version of the 240, based on the less popular (at least here) two-door saloon. It was available in silver only and featured a colour-coded grill with extra lights and black/red striping. I guess the uprated appearance was perceived as enough to make it sporty. Made me notice, at the time... The real cars are pretty rare nowadays though there are two in my neighbourhood, a wreck slowly decaying in someone's drive and another languishing in a back alley, hopefully awaiting restoration
Triple9 - Volvo 242GTA comparison between the recently added Volvo Amazon by Oxford and the 1960s Dinky Toys it replaces in the displayThe Volkswagen up! as purchased from China. How weird that a package from China can reach me within 8 days, when a package I sent to the US took 8 weeks! The colour is a pearlescent orange which I think really suits the car. The silver bumper inserts are normally on the Cross up! only, and no amount of searching has turned up these models in Europe. It's likely a China-only issue... really happy with it especially since a dark red is the most interesting colour on the up! models you can find here
Schuco DE - Volkswagen up! A car from the former German Democratic Republic, this Wartburg. These were sold in The Netherlands for years without much success, this is the facelifted version which was not sold here- it was in Belgium though. In the 1960s it could pass for a modern car but this lasted into the '80s with only a mild facelift and it was really outdated. It is however a familiar car to me as a couple were imported. This brown is exactly what the Communists thought might appeal to customers. The customers had little say in this, they were generally happy to have a car at all. This Atlas model comes from a partwork and is well made down to the reversing light and mudflaps
Atlas - Wartburg 353WFinally got the model that was on top of my wish list! When PremiumX released this I was still recovering from two years of unemployment and the limited edition disappeared off the shelves quickly. However, I'd seen a real one at the Techno Classica in Essen years ago and loved it very much, so I wanted the model... Luckily a deal came along so that I was able to add this to the collection. I love it, great model and colour
PremiumX - Porsche 924 ArtzThe next one isn't likely to get as much positive acclaim as the 924. It's a very odd creation. I never thought I'd get an Autocult model. They're expensive and very limited edition, but nicely made and I like a lot of their subjects. This Audi however was made for me, it's nice and weird and I've seen a few of them at Audi meetings. Love the 1980s decals
Autocult - Audi 100 Bischofberger
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 14:41:39 GMT -5
Back in time continued Now it's back to the Maseratis I like so much. I've just added all the street cars he could source to the deal.
The current generation of Quattroporte, while not as beautiful as the previous gen, is still a very attractive and elegant sports saloon. However, the shapes of recent Maserati models do not look good in pictures. Much better in hand
Leo Models - Maserati Quattroporte VI GTSThe A6G chassis was host to a number of stunning body designs. This Frua product is among the best
Leo Models - Maserati A6G/54 Frua coupeAnother A6G, another attractive design, with a little Corvette in the rear wings. The wheels need a little toning down with silver paint and the grill could use a blackwash
Leo Models - Maserati A6G/54 Spyder ZagatoFrom the age of wedges, a very different but equally pretty design. Love the colour too
Leo Models - Maserati Indy coupeMore colour!
A gentleman who lived a street away from me used to own a yellow Bora very similar to this. On nice sunny days he'd take it out of his garage, warm up the engine and clean it to take it for a ride. He lived on my way to the supermarket so I passed this lovely car regularly and talked to the owner a couple of times. The Merak is a step up, love this car
Leo Models - Maserati Merak 3000 SSI've driven a few of these and I'm impressed. Very capable, very beautiful. As far as I'm concerned, the current Quattroporte is no improvement over this designwise. Leo captured the elegant lines very well and the burgundy metallic looks fantastic, a lot better than the black or dark grey I usually see on the roads here
Leo Models - Maserati Quattroporte VLast of the Masers for now.
Starting to work my way through the generations of Quattroporte. This gen.III is a very imposing, if not elegant car. I like it though, it does impress
Leo Models - Maserati Quattroporte IIINext is a tiny rear-engined car from France, the sporty version of the rather pedestrian 1000. Made in true '70s fashion: a matt black bonnet (or bootlid in this case), no wheel trims, bullet mirror and some go-faster stripes. Hey presto, the Simca 1000 rallye was born. It was available in white, green and orangy-red (the model is a little too red) and later rallye 2 and rallye 3 generations added a little more go to match the appearance. These cars were everywhere when I was young, and I became quite good at distinguishing the real rallyes from fakes made by creative owners. Atlas released the simple model, probably made by Ixo
Atlas - Simca 1000 rallyeThe Simca 1100 was a popular family hatchback in the late '60s and remained so until its demise in the early '80s. A practical and roomy car, but far from sporty. With the TI version, introduced in 1974, Simca tried to remedy this. An 82 hp 1300 cc engine, matt black grill, driving lights and Dunlop alloys made the difference. TI versions were not too common on the roads where I lived and I liked to spot them. My neighbours across the street used to run 1100s and they actually had a TI in the same green for a couple of years. I still recall the characteristic rattle of the engine, they sounded like someone had substituted the oil for ball bearings. Later, the van version of the 1100 became the base of the Matra Simca Rancho
Ixo - Simca 1100 TI
The 1100 and Rancho
The 1100 and the model it replaces, a late 1960s Norev showing the typical warping for these plastic models Staying with French cars, this is Citroen's take on the theme, done in their usual unorthodox fashion. The GS was designed to have a rotary engine but after a trial series (GS Birotor) they decided to go with a conventional piston engine. The GS had an instrument panel with scrolls behind magnifying glasses and a novel way to position the switchgear. With Citroen's classic hydropneumatic suspension the ride was really comfortable. The GS X and later X2 followed the proven '70s recipe: a slightly more powerful engine (1.3 with 65 hp), no wheel trims (in this case faux knock-offs) and some matt black bits on the outside. A few years later the GS was facelifted with larger plastic bumpers and a large rear hatch to become the GSA. My favourite however is the GS. When I was young, neighbours a few houses from ours had a GS X in the same colour, I loved that car. A model of the GS has been on my watch list for a long time, this was a lucky find
Universal Hobbies - Citroen GS Last of the foursome is also a '70s car, but not a lukewarm version like the previous three. BMW was the first to use a turbocharger in a production car on a larger scale, and it became a huge success that boosted BMWs image as a maker of sporting saloons. As with all successful sporting versions, this led to several owners of lesser 02s taking off the bumpers, adding a front air dam and wheelarch trims and putting 'turbo' lettering on the front. However, the oil crisis limited sales of the actual turbo version and it was eventually discontinued. I can't remember ever seeing a real 2002 turbo until it was an established classic in the late 1980s. It was however a source of childhood dreams for me and introduced many to the phenomenon that was 'turbo', the magic word that made everything faster and better in the 1980s. The model is by Maxichamps, the Minichamps budget range with limited interior detail but all the exterior attributes of the regular series. An excellent model, it was tough to choose between the white and silver versions. I chose silver because it's easier to photograph
Maxichamps - BMW 2002 turbo
The 2002 turbo was a facelift of the original 1600
This replaces a Solido, 1980s reissue of a '70s model. Not before timeWhen Matrix released their model of the Eventer, I was really happy. Finally, a great model of this beautiful car. However, Matrix models cost three times as much as I'm willing to pay. Then BoS released their knockoff and PremiumX came out with their own version. Tough to choose, but the PX turned out to be an excellent choice. Seen here before, glad to have it in my collection
PremiumX - Jaguar Lynx Eventer
What's with the new PX boxes? More hole than box...
Now my DetailCars XJ-S models look more than a little long in the tooth. I prefer the early cars anyway, so I'll wait for the IxoI have been adding some DAF models to the collection lately. I'd noticed the excellent Matrix DAF 44 but wasn't prepared to pay RRP. At an impressive discount and included in the trade however, I was prepared to reconsider... this is my first Matrix and I'm really impressed. It's correct in every detail and incredibly well-made. The colour is identical to the 44 I see in my neighbourhood regularly and the registration is period-correct. The only thing I didn't like was the whitewall tyres (those were well out of fashion before the 44 was introduced in 1967), so I just reversed them. Fantastic model, one of the best in my collection (some might say 'so much quality wasted on a mundane subject' though)
Matrix - DAF 44
Seen here with one of the first models I got as a kid, the Lion Toys DAF 44. Lion were very conscientious in that they used only proper DAF paints. The example given to me as a kid didn't survive, so I bought an identical replacement in the '80s What, a Hyundai? Yes, when I worked at my previous employer I photographed lots of them and got to like their no-nonsense design -or lack thereof- and their sound engineering. It's basic motoring, very practical and decent to drive. The model is great, typical PremiumX. There are a few more Hyundais and Kias I'd love to see modelled in a similar quality
PremiumX - Hyundai AtosAnother small car, not what you'd expect from Subaru. As a five-door it was quite popular here and I liked to drive one I borrowed for a while. Alas, the basic five-door wasn't made as a model so I went for this three-door turbo. The Vizio was also sold here as the Daihatsu Cuore. Ixo did a great job on the model
Ixo - Subaru Vivio turbo
The turbocharged version wasn't sold here but there's at least one in the country- I saw it last week.Yet another Volvo. There are a few left on my list, high up was the basic 244. Another car that was everywhere in the 1970s and is still quite common. As before, great quality by Triple9, though the colour on the model seems to be somewhere in between the popular orange and reddish brown
Triple9 - Volvo 244
And here's what it replaces, a 1970s Nacoral that was amazingly detailed for its age but a little lacking in refinement. They got the orange correct, thoughEver since it was first shown here, I lusted after this MAN Porsche transporter. It was well out of reach financially and I expected it to sell out quickly. I didn't even bother to put it on my wish list. Imagine my surprise when it was not only sold at half price but available in large quantities too. I did another trade and suddenly I had this beautiful model in my collection! It's as great in the hand as it looked in the pictures, I love it. Next on the wish list is the 'load', I know that the 917 I used is not period correct (looks nice with the matching colour scheme however). I love the 904, so I will be on the lookout for two of them- they're sort of period correct
Schuco - MAN Porsche RenntransporterI love Aston Martins but most models I've bought so far are disappointing. This Kyosho however is far from that... it's beautifully made and looks fantastic
Kyosho - Aston Martin DB9You can never have too many Minors... especially since most of mine date from the 1980s and diecast technology has moved on. So I got this very cheap but nice Minor Post Office van by Atlas, apparently from another PW collection. It's nicely detailed and tampo printed, quite the improvement over my old Corgis. Very happy to add this to the collection
Atlas - Morris 1000 Post OfficeI've been looking for a 1:43 of the Volvo C30 for a while, so that I could show it alongside a 480ES and the 1800ES that is still on my wish list- they share the glass rear hatch. Also, I liked the C30 in that it was the only Volvo that didn't look boring at the time. Cararama made a really good model and for only EUR 5 it's fantastic value
Cararama - Volvo C30Today was NAMAC swapmeet day. Cycling there is a big part of the enjoyment for me, and it was a perfect day for that. Meeting Ecclesley was another nice part of the day, talking diecast and collections... he gave me this lovely addition to the collection, an upgraded 007 Collection Silver Shadow repainted by himself. Thanks Gerrit, it's found a nice place in the British cars department of my displays!
007 Collection - Rolls-Royce Silver ShadowThis was on my wish list by lack of a better alternative. By coincidence I had collected three generations of the VW Polo in red, so when I spotted the fourth it had to be red too. The two generations still missing were the first and second, and this PW model is a placeholder until someone (please, Minichamps) makes a decent model of this car. Now I'm on the lookout for the MC Polo mk.I in red...
Altaya - Volkswagen Polo mk.IIA couple of weeks ago I showed you the late Wartburg 353W in fashionable brown. When I got the chance to add this early version of the 353 Estate (Kombi) I jumped at it, because that filled two holes in the collection at once (pre-facelift and estate). They used to be fairly popular here until emission standards killed the two-stroke. When the 353 finally got a four-stroke engine it was so outdated that nobody tried to import it. The model is quite nice and mounted on a solid wood plinth
PW - Wartburg 353W KombiWhen I was a kid, the DAF 33 was a pretty popular van. Telephone engineers and mailmen used them, and it was also in use as a roadside assistance vehicle such as this one. I might add the mail and telephone versions someday as they're now available, though much more expensive than this one. Made by Tematoys, a semi-local small business specialised in 1:50 commercial transport, generally commissioned by transport firms. This model was made for the ANWB (the Dutch version of the AA or AAA) in a series of historic vehicles and it's quite charming. Yes Gaz, it did have black wheels in the 1970s
Tematoys - DAF 33 Bestel ANWB WegenwachtA model I wanted for years but high prices (or something else desirable) always put me off. In the early 1990s I worked at a graphic and industrial design agency where the two owners pooled their company car budgets and leased not two mediocre cars but one fantastic (being this Alpine V6 turbo) and a budget filler, a Renault 5 diesel van. They exchanged cars every week, but however fantastic the Alpine looked the slow no-options diesel van soon became the favourite because it meant that you at least arrived at your destination under your own power. The customers also reacted negatively to the Alpine being parked in front of their premises and wanted to know if its upkeep accounted for the hourly rates :lol: . This very nice Norev model came without its cardboard sleeve, which made it a lot cheaper
Norev - Renault Alpine V6 Turbo Mille MilesI've learnt something: Maxichamps production runs are a lot smaller than their Minichamps counterparts, so if you like a particular colour get it while it's available. I wanted the red version of this Volvo 240, because it was the most popular colour on the real car at the time. Luckily there was still one left... As usual, excellent quality for a great price. I've since straightened the antenna
Maxichamps - Volvo 240 Break
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 16:02:06 GMT -5
OldAnother one that's been in my system for years but I've been unable to find the right model at the right price. The Vitesses are a little better but hard to find and expensive, this Maxicar offers excellent VFM. A nice model of the coda tronca Spider, perhaps the wheels could use a blackwash and the steering wheel looks a little chunky in the pics. It's fine in the hand though
Maxicar - Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 VeloceI'd bought a white version earlier because I couldn't find the one I really wanted: this iconic red/orange 5 Turbo. In 1982, I stumbled across a 1:1 in red parked a couple of streets from home. I must've drooled over it for half an hour, couldn't believe my eyes that this fantastic car was here. I've only seen a few since, and they were all at classic car shows or rallies. Fabulous and bonkers homologation special, really nice model
Altaya - Renault 5 Turbo This is another car I can't believe took so long to be added to the collection. There was a Cossie in the same classic colour in my town in the 1990s, I must've taken quite a few pictures of it in the day. This affordable and nice Whitebox model finally gave me the chance to add one to the collection, it replaces a 1980s Solido XR4i
Whitebox - Ford Sierra CosworthHow decent a model can you buy for EUR 2.50? A vendor at the NAMAC swapmeet had a bunch of PW rally car models available for this incredibly low price. The smashed blister pack didn't allow me to see if the proportions or detailing were nice, just if it was complete and more or less undamaged. If it was crap it would join my niece's toy collection so either way someone would be happy... judge for yourself. It's no HPI but it looks pretty decent and it's a night version, always a bonus in my eyes. It will join my existing Stratos and it even has my name on the number plate
PW - Lancia StratosThis purchase was inspired by S143, I'd seen this model here often enough to want it badly. Luckily it's affordable as well as nice, a great addition to my small Lotus collection
Ixo - Lotus EliteI like the MG Midget and buy any affordable model I come across. My brother and I have been restoring a round wheelarch 1973 car for the last 20 or so years, working on it whenever our schedules allow but it's been mostly standing for years. I had the Detail Cars version in green but a white one like my brother's was most welcome, especially at clearance sale prices. Despite being an older release, it still looks quite good (though I wish they'd left the luggage rack off)
Detail Cars - MG Midget mk.IVSomeone had done exactly what I'd intended: bought a 007 Collection Maserati 425 and cut off the bootlid to glue it shut. Not only did he do a good job but the end product was for sale at an irresistible single-figure price. Another great addition to the expanding Maserati collection
007 Collection PW - Maserati Biturbo 425Back to one of my core themes, Volkswagen. A Volkswagen that few people here will probably know. In the 1960s, when the Beetle was all VW had to work with when they wanted a new model, they created this for the German postal service as a practical van larger than a Beetle and smaller than a Transporter. I'd been deliberating between the Neo and Premium Classixxs versions for a while when this PW version came along, from the same series as the Morris Minor I showed earlier and as good as both older versions... at a fraction of the price. Since the Bundespost version was one of my favourites anyway (and the raison d'être for the car in the first place) this was an easy choice- and I love it
Altaya - Volkswagen Fridolin BundespostI briefly dated a girl who owned a metallic orange Honda Accord, very long ago. The car made more of a lasting impression than its owner, it got me interested in what we now call classic Hondas. Neo did a great model of this, now being dumped at Ixo money. I was able to resist it until a friend bought one and showed it to me
Neo - Honda PreludeI've wanted a Tatra for some time now. However, when I had one in hand I always found something to fault it and when online shopping it was always culled when doing the final tally. Seeing a couple of them here I decided that my collection should have at least one Tatra model and I googled images of the Altaya and Whitebox versions for a comparison. The Whitebox got a slight edge and 'my' vendor had a good deal on it too. No escape now, and I'm happy that I finally bit the bullet
Whitebox - Tatra 603Another make that deserves more presence in my collection is Panhard. I recall seeing them on the streets in the early 1970s and my parents telling me what they were. When I was older I had my car books to learn more and I found out that behind the quirky, nothing-like-it looks were a revolutionary aluminium construction and aircooled two-cylinder engines. They were absorbed by Citroen later and that killed Panhard off. A shame, because they really were special (like Tatra). I used to draw Panhard cars as a kid, glad to have this as it's my favourite model of the make
Altaya - Panhard PL17For some reason the Rover SD1 never featured in my collection. I've been wanting to correct that for a while and when Gaz showed this excellent PremiumX version it was on my list. When I got it, it was as good as I hoped it would be. Really, the quality of the PremiumX models surpasses much more expensive limited edition makers' products. I would've preferred this in a metallic paint but the red looks pretty good too- just not a colour that was very popular here at the time. A great addition for my British classics section
PremiumX - Rover 3500 VitesseI'm undecided on modern Rolls-Royce cars. I much prefer the classics (though that goes for most makes) and I think the new cars are just a little brash and OTT. However, they are LARGE and they do have a presence, there's no mistaking them for anything else. Two moments will always remain in my memory- my first sighting of the Phantom at the Dutch Autoshow (complete with 'Phanthom' spelling error on the number plates) and being passed by one while driving my Porsche 924- the Porsche's roofline was below the RR's door handles. Then there's the models: all I found were finished in bright, un-RR colours and all I could find was the Phantom coupé and the convertible when I wanted the saloon version. Then I attended a collector's and record fair not expecting to find any diecast, casually browsing I saw this Ixo version at the bottom of a pile of dusty junk. I offered the vendor a really low amount, not expecting a bite- but there it is! Not only the model, but even the packaging is very nice with a good box and solid plinth that fits RR quality
Ixo - Rolls-Royce Phantom
I think I have just about everything from the Leo Maserati PW that I want. So when I found this attractive-looking model that I didn't know, I had to find out what it was. Turns out that it's from an earlier PW and to the best of my knowledge it wasn't replicated in the new series. It is however another of those great iterations of the A6G chassis, very happy to add this to the line up. It was extremely cheap too, which made for an easy decision
Grani & Partners - Maserati A6G 2000 Spyder FruaBack in the 1970s and well into the '80s, there seemed to be a Kadett B or two on every street here. In secondary school, a friend's parents had one. They were not interesting, but solid and dependable and I rode in quite a few of them. They're still out there, not as plentiful as in the 1980s but more common than its grandson. When I wanted a model in the early 1990s, all I could find that looked decent and was affordable was a resin kit by Hostaro. My choice of paint was a little less succesful however and it never looked shiny despite all my efforts. This model was released by Whitebox and in the online picture the colour looked like the brown that was common on this car. However, when it arrived it was a bitter disappointment. The colour was off... it's a very nice model, but the colour somewhat spoils it for me. I might look for the version made for the Opel Collection, pretty sure that it has a better colour. A common Ixo ailment BTW, the early Range Rover's blue and yellow are nothing like the real thing and some of the Volvos are also off
Whitebox - Opel Kadett
The 1:1
The Hostaro kitI've always liked the 1800 and 1800ES for being so un-Volvo-ey. They're pretty cars, sporty looking even if they're not exactly sports cars and the proportions are just correct. They also resemble nothing else. They're quite popular here for a comparatively rare car and I see at least one a month. One of the first models I bought when I started collecting in the mid-1980s was a Volvo 1800 by Metosul, which was a copy of an old and underscale Dinky. Apart from a really expensive and equally incorrect handbuilt model, it was all I could find in the way of scale models of this car. I wanted to replace the Metosul badly and I'd already seen the Ixo offerings. I found this Triple9 version in a local model store and decided to support the store by buying it. It was only a couple of euros more expensive than the online sources and there was the advantage of instant gratification. I'm not really sure if Volvo did a metallic green version, a plain dark green is more familiar. I quite like it in this shade though, and the etched wipers are a nice touch in this price range
Triple9 - Volvo P1800What, more Volkswagen ups? I just can't get enough of them and they're being offloaded for sub-PW money now so I'm collecting the whole set. Besides, my sis-in-law drives a five-door High up! in Dark Silver, got one for her, one for myself and I couldn't resist the three-door silver one either
Schuco DE - Volkswagen up! 3-door and 5-doorWell, the first one will be familiar to you as you're to blame for it. I saw your pictures and thought it would be the perfect companion for the 250LM that was a very generaous gift from a certain gentleman from Wales. Both non-red Ferraris and both the lovely voluptuous shape of this classic racer. For a PW model this is sooo good, lots of detail and great paint
Ixo/Altaya PW- Ferrari 250LM
Yes, I would've bought this if it wasn't part of the trade. It's fantastic, never mind at the current price.I found this Russian barge impossible to resist. When the Berlin wall came down, vehicles from behind the Iron Curtain were imported here in large numbers. Often not that old but classic-looking and kind of cool. An acquaintance of mine bought one of these huge Volgas for what I considered to be too much money, and immediately started his fight to keep it on the road. It broke down every time he drove it, and he poured even more money into it trying to undo bad engineering and decades of Eastern Bloc mechanics. In fact, he managed to hold on to it for three years but in the end it was a very expensive garden ornament and he got rid of it. I only rode in it once, it felt incredibly uncomfortable and was really noisy. Still, it looked great. The model is nicely done, as crude as the real thing
PW - Volga GAZ M22Not quite done with the Maseratis yet. The PW yielded yet another model that fitted my lineup perfectly. Another beauty based on the A6G chassis, nicely proportioned and a good colour too
Leo Models - Maserati A6G/54 AllemanoI love traditional coachbuilt cars. It's a shame that this art has largely disappeared nowadays.
I've always liked the Opel Monza. The design of the car evolved with Opel's styling over the years when it was facelifted in 1982, the basic shape remained the same but everything was modernised. I generally prefer original shapes but the facelift was done so succesfully that I find it hard to choose between the two generations. So after the excellent Opel Collection PW version of the first generation I wanted the second too. Unfortunately, the Opel PW version of that was painted in an ugly non-metallic blue I can't recall having been available on the Monza. Luckily, they decided to milk the series with a couple of reissues in different colours named after the design directors of the time, this being the Hans Seer edition. Silver looks a lot better than the ugly blue on the Monza, so consider me happy
Opel Collection - Opel Monza A2
This is the A1 version:The 'G-Modell' 911 with the impact bumpers is my favourite generation. I have several models already but some are now due for replacement. When David showed this, I thought it was a great model to add to the collection. It's part of the new budget line from Spark, priced at roughly Maxichamps level and delivering a lot of VFM. The only downside, as previously noted, is the ridiculous 'container' box. Taking the model out without destroying the box is quite hard even if you have a thin flat-blade screwdriver to push the tab down. The end result is worth it, though Who can resist a 911 with a weird canopy on the back, a makeshift windscreen and a worthless convertible top that's tough to erect and take down, doesn't offer much room or visibility at a higher price than the regular Cabriolet? Well, that's what the Speedster did. Its design somewhat referred to the illustrious 356 Speedster and it can be argued that it's a lot uglier than the 911 Cabriolet. However, I think it's really cool and I would love to have one. The model is excellent, much like the one before
Minichamps Porsche DE - Porsche 911 Speedster
And the two togetherTo change the focus for a little while, this one was on my wish list for a while too. I'd like to have a collection of all generations of the Transporter in several configurations. This one is rather special as it's a Brazlian T2. The rear side windows wrap around the corner whereas the German-built version has the air vents for the engine in the C-pillars The vents have been moved to the side panels below the windows, the car is a T2b with high-mounted front indicators but it has the bulbous T2a wheel covers, the rear lights are mounted differently with a more pronounced cutout. I like the colours a lot too
Triple9 - Volkswagen KombiA friend once gave me a 1:1 mk.1 Fiesta. When I got to look at it the next day, I found out why he gave it away- the floorboards were hanging on by nothing but luck and the brakes were nonexistent as a test drive bore out. I parked it and called the breaker's yard to collect it the same afternoon. That was my very brief stint of Ford ownership... I commemorated the fact for years with the Solido 1:43, but now it's time for something better. The floor of this one's plastic, so no rust there. I really wanted the Whitebox because it had the nice '80s graphics but I read here somewhere that the WB version was not the best one, so I decided on this Maxichamps in period (rust) brown. It's a really nice model that will look great in my Ford display
Maxichamps - Ford Fiesta mk.1 The next model is another boxy '70s design, another car that was everywhere at the time. I think there were at least three on my street in the '80s, one of them was in this maroon that suits it well. It was a tough choice between the beige and maroon examples offered by PremiumX, but as you can see maroon won out because of the nice beige interior. I bought the white Altaya PW version of this car earlier, but decided that it deserved an upgrade. This is definitely an upgrade, with the excellent chrome trim. The only thing I don't recall is the chrome wheels.
PremiumX - Toyota CorollaDcast is bound to like this one as well, as he's responsible for this addition. The Audi A5 coupé is a very clean and well-proportioned design. Alas they're mostly silver, grey or black here so this red one is more what I would like to see on the road than a typical example. The model is from Spark's diecast budget line, in Audi dealer packaging and quite nicely executed
Spark DE - Audi A5 coupéEver since Andy showed this, I've been lusting for it. It's one of the most beautiful cars ever and the most beautiful racer. A purposeful shape, no frills and no advertising. Racing as it used to be: your country represented by a colour and numbers on roundels. It's an incredibly expensive model (and rightly so) but there seems to be a batch of them priced down to just expensive. As one of my trading partners had this in his inventory and was willing to include it in the deal, I didn't hesitate. This might well be my best 1:43 model ever. Alas, my current photo setup doesn't allow me to show all its opening features and I lack the time for a proper photo session. The model deserves it however, and I promise I will return to this model with a proper close-up session showing all the incredible detail. In the mean time, a search through Andy's thread will turn up his excellent pictures
AutoArt - Jaguar D-type Le Mans
(yes, the tonneau is missing in these pics- it's still in the packaging)Another classic racer. I wanted a good 917K for a while, and this was offered in trade. Very nicely done by Minichamps, a better effort than the previous Porsche Museum/Welly model which weirdly lacks the sponsor logos (but does look nice and clean as a result). I sold my 1:18 Gulf 917K a couple of years ago, would love to have one of these in 1:43 so this will not be my last model of this car
Minichamps - Porsche 917KFrom the wish list, eagerly anticipated. I am a fan of the Porsche 924 and have been looking for a decent 1:43 for years, but unfortunately most have been disappointing. The Minichamps doesn't capture the shape entirely (though their Carrera GT is spot on, strangely) and don't get me started on the Kess. As my own 924 was a relatively early car without the rear spoiler that became standard fitment on later cars, I wanted one of those. When Spark announced their version as a very early car in Signalgrün I could see that the basic shape was correct. Now that it's here I am quite happy with it, only the wheels are not entirely spot on
Spark Porsche DE - Porsche 924
The real thing
Spark vs MC
I really like the Opel Calibra, its exterior at least. Most have been spoilered and lowered to death, and wrapped around the scenery if the tinworm didn't get to them first. An acquaintance had a red 1991 Calibra which he had restored professionally in 2000, by that time it was almost beyond restoration. And he cared for the car, washed it regularly and didn't fit a bodykit... The shape is still pretty clean and sleek, even by today's standards. This older MC is a good representation in a good colour, a nice addition to my Opels
Minichamps - Opel CalibraI've succumbed to the charms of yet another model from the Maserati Collection PW. This is IMO one of the nicest modern GTs with an attractive voluptuous shape. The model captures it well
Leo Models - Maserati GranturismoI wanted a good model of the second generation of the Renault 5. Alas I've found out that the only available model of the regular version is a PW that is now relatively scarce, none of my vendors could come up with one in fact. They all said the same: get the Spark 5 GT turbo. I'd like that, not as much as the basic car but it would be nice to have one anyway. So I included one in the last swap deal and when it came to conclude the deal, it turned out that it was also sold out and the one remaining model was defective. The Norev version was said to be a good alternative, and when it arrived it looked pretty good indeed. The Spark is crisper and the antenna is better but for a non-crucial model, this will do. The 5 GT turbo was pretty popular here in its day, a competitor for the best-selling Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9. In those days it was possible to buy a three-door car, discard the rear seat and register it as a van. This meant that it was new-car tax (41 %!) exempt and you qualified for cut-rate road tax. I saw more 5 GT turbo vans than regular cars at the time. The same went for Nissans 180SX, Volvos 480, Golfs GTI and more decidely un-van-like cars
Norev - Renault 5 GT turboThe second generation of the VW Crafter is now in the showroom so these first-gen models are priced down to a ridiculous level. I like the Crafter, it's a sturdy and comfortable tool. I helped a friend do day-to-day light maintenance on a fleet of them for a couple of years. Topping up fluids, fixing flats, replacing bulbs and mirrors and other small parts. A Crafter had to be part of my VW van collection, so here it is. Premium Classixxs did and amazing job on it, an extremely crisp casting, great paint and superb detail
Premium Classixxs DE - Volkswagen CrafterIn the 1970s and '80s, these were everywhere in the country. Lots of basic two-door L versions and some four-door upmarket GXL or Ghia trim levels with vinyl roof, but most of them appeared to be this brown metallic. The Minichamps edition came out when I wasn't collecting and has since vanished off the shelves, but luckily now there's the Maxichamps in the right colour. These seem to fly off the shelves too, and from previous experience I know that you have to be fast if you don't want to miss out. Luckily I could get this as part of the trade, I love it
Maxichamps - Ford TaunusThis trade deal was concluded slightly hastily, usually I get a confirmation message with a list of all the models involved in the trade but 'my' trader was in my neighbourhood quite unexpectedly and left the package, taking the traded-in 1:18s with him. When I opened the package I noticed this model we'd been discussing but that I hadn't included in the swap yet because I thought it would be 'over budget'. Boy, am I happy that I got it... I'll leave it to you to decide if it's nicer than the green one, I love the two-tone and the wheels. It's a fantastic model IMO
Spark - Porsche 924 turboI like the early Sierra and wanted a nice model. BoS does the estate, why not get that? A more than decent model (until the Ford fanboys pick it apart, that is), great VFM and it does not have chrome bumpers so no BoS silver chrome. A friend of mine had a hatch in the same colour
BoS - Ford Sierra estateI was a huge rally fan in the 1980s and this car and its exploits added to the admiration I already had for Audis. There was this fabulous-sounding engine and this fantastic car driven by a fellow countryman that did so well. I watched some live rally action and caught everything I could find on TV, which got me quite a few views of this beast being driven in anger. Not as iconic as his Rothmans-liveried car, but almost equally good to look at. I have a few rally quattros, but this is the nicest so far by quite a margin
Scala43 - Audi quattro Circuit des Ardennes '86 Bosch/Bond
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Post by WallOfCars on Apr 16, 2022 16:30:21 GMT -5
This move to to a new platform seems to have a 'silver lining' after all! What fun it is to see the 'condensed' versions of our great collections! So many to love here as I Always enjoy seeing Simcas and yours do NOT disappoint. Also fun to see good pics of the LEO Maseratis. I have 2 and they compare very well for the price. Kudos for being a Gen III Quattroporte fan! I have always admired these, my eyes see them as extremely elegant as I love that era of flat/angular design. One question to yourself or anybody really? How does one reply to 'multiple' quotes in one reply? I haven't yet figured that one out?
Nice work Tom, you have an incredible collection and I know there is much to to follow! BB
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Post by Tom on Apr 16, 2022 16:53:14 GMT -5
More old stuffI wasn't going to add this one, and I'm in fact still not sure. It was however cheap and offered as a sort of box filler in the trade. I wanted to do a comparison of the two versions to see if cheap matches expensive. My first impression of the cheap version is that it's very nice, if I hadn't bought the expensive one already I might even be satisfied with this. It's a concept I've always loved, and having seen it in the metal in Audi's museum I can say that it's really imposing. Will dig out my other version and do a detailed comparison
BoS - Audi Rosemeyer Concept
...and expensive by Inmocar, I think this was at least four times more than the BoS (old photographs)I've been looking to add the next two models to my collection for years. It was clear that I needed both to add to my Audi collection, they're an integral part of the history of the Audi marque. In the 1950s, this was the mainstay of the DKW marque. A roomier and more upmarket competitor for the VW Beetle. Front-engined and FWD, available as a two- or four-door and powered by a three-cylinder two-stroke engine. The 3=6 moniker comes from DKW's claim that a 3-cylinder two-stroke is as torquey and flexible as a 6-cylinder four-stroke. I have never been able to verify that claim but always liked the clean flowing lines and nice proportions of the 3=6. This Ixo-made PW version looks perfect to me, with nice colours to boot
Ixo/Altaya PW - DKW 3=6In 1958, the DKW 3=6 was facelifted and renamed Auto Union 1000S. The engine was enlarged to 981 cc and the front end got a makeover. The old model continued for another year, confusingly renamed DKW 900. I really wanted the two models together, both cars I recall seeing on the road in the early '70s and more recently at the Auto Union meetings (for DKW, Auto Union, NSU and Audi, Horch and Wanderer). This model is from the same PW and has nicely contrasting colours- they look fantastic together. Very nice too that this is a two-door version while the DKW is a four-door. Ixo correctly made the two-door version slightly shorter, though they might have overdone it a bit
Ixo/Altaya PW - Auto Union 1000SThis will make thread views go down spectacularly - I think I'm the only one here who's into these. I love the trio of VAG city cars, the Volkswagen up!, Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo. I already have a couple of up! models in different colours, and wanted to complete the trio. Weirdly enough, all three are made by different manufacturers. Schuco makes the up!, Fischer(?) does the Mii and Abrex the Citigo. Strangely the Seat's still available for RRP only, whilst the VW and Skoda are being discounted to single-figure prices. All are really nice models and I tried to ge the most appealing colours
Fischer - Seat Mii
Abrex - Skoda Citigo
And some group shotsThe e-up! is VW's electric city car, strictly for small trips because of its low range. In fact the province of Utrecht here has a fleet of them. The model, like all less common up! versions, was made by Looksmart in a limited edition. Its original price of EUR 130 was somewhat over the budget of most collectors apparently, which might've lead to it being reduced to Ixo levels. I prefer the cross up! or the GT up! but such a nice model for such a low price was hard to resist. Too hard, in fact
Looksmart - Volkswagen e-up!Wot, a horsebox? Yes, in fact I have a history with these. When I was building custom motorbikes, we rented this exact horsebox several times: a Boeckmann 2-horse. It was built low to the ground, had an anti-skid floor, a good ramp and lots of places to tie a bike to. The bikes remained dry and clean and didn't attract any unwanted attention. Luckily, MC does a great model of this. I wanted this also with a future diorama in mind. Now I need a Volvo XC70 that we had for towing the 'box
Minichamps - Boeckmann 2-horse boxBack to a more generally appealing subject. The Biturbo series wasn't Maserati's greatest creation ever when it came to reliability, but it took '80s angular design to an understated yet classy peak. The open-topped Spider looked better than most of its contemporaries IMO. I had to have this as part of my Maserati subcollection but the MC version is getting hard to find. Never mind, this very nice Ixo matches my Ixo/Leo Models coupé
Ixo - Maerati Biturbo spiderA long time favourite, which unfortunately was released when I was job- and penniless. It proved popular among collectors (which it should be, it's great) and soon sold out. Lucily one of 'my' traders kept an eye out and this became part of the deal. Very, very happy with it and now I want its predecessors, the type 43 Audi 100 and 100 Avant
Minichamps - Audi 100 AvantI can't believe that it took me so long to get this. In the end it was the colour that made it for me, it had to be this or metallic gold. One of my favourite classics ever, with its distinctive glass hatch that was later recreated in the 480 and C30. Of all the Ixo versions of this moulding, the Whitebox ended up having the best features and colour
Whitebox - Volvo 1800ESThe next one is an oddity. It's short for a US car but quite wide. It was designed to be even more of an oddity, as it was intended to be fitted with a rotary engine. The high fuel consumption of said engine put paid to that. Another oddball design feature, beside the rather extreme tumblehome of the greenhouse, is the passenger door which is longer than the driver's door, to allow easier access to the rear seat. Neo did a superb job on the model. It wasn't a popular car here, but they sold a few and there were at least two in my neighbourhood- one of which was in the same colours as the model. I still have the Corgi 1:36 version somewhere
Neo/American Excellence - AMC PacerThe next acquisition will earn me Alfaholic Bonus Points I decided that it was high time that my collection included a good model of the beautiful Lancia Fulvia coupé, better than the crude '90s Progetto K that I had since new. I photographed a 1:1 (badly, from a moving bus) recently, and a couple of weeks later that same car in the attractive shade of burgundy came into my employer's body shop for some work. That helped with the decision of what colour to get. Luckily, 'my' trader had this model in stock. As usual, it's tough to beat Starline when it comes to Italian classics
Starline - Lancia Fulvia coupé
The real carStaying on the Italian theme with the next acquisition. I've always liked this car, such a unique style that does not echo any of their other models yet it screams 'Ferrari' when you see it. Fewer curves than we've become used to on Maranello products, a rather businesslike but well-proportioned design. The model is a basic PW, but replicates the 1:1 nicely IMO. It was shown here before (by Johan or Julio, IIRC) and those pictures made me want it badly.
Ixo/Altaya PW - Ferrari 365 GTC/4A slight break from my recent Italian bias for this German offering. In the 1990s a friend of mine had one of these and I liked it a lot. Pleasant to drive and roomy. A couple of years earlier the saloon version (called Santana) almost became my first car- I passed on it because I wanted a hatchback. The Passat Variant syncro version, called Quantum in the US, is still my favourite body style. It's basically an estate version of the Audi 90/4000 quattro with the same 1.9 five cylinder engine and all-wheel drive. BoS does a nice model of this car, probably a ripoff from the Kess that costs about three times as much
BoS - Volkswagen Passat Variant GT syncroThe next one has been on my list for a couple of months. Ever since Andy showed it, in fact. I love '80s touring car racers, the wide wheelarches really beef up the looks but the basic shape is still easy to recognise. This one has the added bonus of being an Audi and I love the livery, proper '80s style. Neo did a great job on it
Neo - Audi 80 GTE ETCCNext one was inspired by David, though I needed just a little nudge to add this to the wish list. Shame the 1:1 rusted so badly because it was a brilliant little car. This is a very nice model of the facelifted version in the ultimate TI guise. Very happy with it indeed
Neo - Alfa Romeo Alfasud TIStaying with Italian classics... I have been adding to my Maserati section recently with the help of the Maserati Collection PW by Leo Models. However, there are a few gaps in that collection that I'd like to fill. That's when it gets expensive as a rule... for instance, the Quattroporte series was still missing the QP2. The QP2 was the QP that never was. Conceived in the early '70s when Citroen owned Maserati, the 2 was really a Citroen SM saloon, including its FWD. Designwise it was unexciting which was one of the reasons why it never got past the prototype stage. In all, 13 protos were built but then Citroen sold Maserati and the project was shelved. I wanted this because QP 1-3-4-5-6 looks dumb in the display, not because it's visually exciting as a car. The back story is its best feature IMO. BoS makes the model and did a decent job as far as I can verify- because of its rarity I've never seen the real car.
BoS - Maserati Quattroporte 2Leo Models did the QP1, 3, 5 and 6. That leaves some obvious gaps- BoS delivered the 2 but the 4 was a little harder to find. Neo to the rescue! Luckily at a discount too, so I got a Neo at Ixo price! The QP4 is a nice clean shape IMO, and owes lots to late '80s and '90s Maserati designs. This doesn't look stretched to me, in fact I think it looks powerful and classy. I love it that I now have the Quattroporte history complete, six generations where only the last two show some common design elements.
Neo - Maserati Quattroporte 4The entire Quattroporte family
Quattroporte 1
Quattroporte 2
Quattroporte 3
Quattroporte 4
Quattroporte 5
Quattroporte 6The next one is in another universe altogether. From high-end saloons to a rally car based on a popular family coupé. When I was 11 years old, I went to the local 'braderie', which is a fair set on the local high street where local and regional shops show their products, allow you to sample food and drinks and there's usually a grill/bbq and snack booth or two. This car-mad yoof however was mostly attracted to the display of the local Opel dealership who had not only the exciting-looking Kadett Coupé GT/E in white and yellow but also, set in a mock landscape with plants, sand and rocks, the actual GT/E world rally champion's car! They had to drag me away from that, I went home with a couple of stickers proclaiming 'Opel Kadett GT/E, rallykampioen 1977' that remained on my bedroom door until I painted it in the mid-'80s. Seeing this model made the memories flood back. No way was I going to let this one go
Altaya - Opel Kadett GT/E rallyI love the Cadillac 62 and have owned a Vitesse version ever since it was released. However good it was for its time, I always felt that it was a little underscale, made to fit the box. I've been looking for an affordable alternative for some time and decided to give this Greenlight version a try, I have not bought any of their products before. It looks quite good in hand, the shape appears to be correct and I love the colour. It certainly is large, like you'd expect it to be. No, I'm not an Elvis fan- I would've picked this up if his name wouldn't be on it too. Glad that it's not pink though
Greenlight - Cadillac Fleetwood 62I've recently shown the predecessor of this model. The current Passat Variant is a slight facelift, and my brother's current company car. Like the previous generation it's a pleasant and roomy car. Alas, his budget didn't allow for a car this nice, his is a white one without the panoramic sunroof. Herpa made the model and it's spot on. Uh-oh, looks like another series of models I'm starting to accumulate
Herpa DE - Volkswagen Passat VariantAnd another one I had in my collection already. The 959 is the iconic Porsche supercar of the 1980s, I had the poster on my wall and we discussed its merits during breaks at school. Being in the Paris-Dakar helped too. This PW replaces my original '80 dealer edition made by NZG. I've had it since its introduction and I love it, but it's showing its age. The Atlas is no Spark but it's pretty decent and I wanted a silver one like my poster
Atlas Porsche Collection - Porsche 959NZG vs AtlasOne of my all-time favourites is the early mk.1 VW Golf GTI. Even though I already have the best model that exists (a Norev) of that car, I sometimes cannot resist adding another. This Schuco is not bad at all, they captured the proportions well. It appears to have been in a PW, judging from the packaging (clear plastic box in a bubble on cardboard). Given its single-figure price I thought I could always give it away, but it's nice enough to earn a spot in the display
Schuco - Volkswagen Golf GTIand the NorevThe sporty Spanish branch of the VAG company is Seat. Their cars are basically 100% VWs, with the equipment and suspension more geared towards sporty driving. The Ibiza is the VW Polo's brother. Ixo did a great job on this compact hatchback and a great colour helps too. This is the previous generation Ibiza, the newer generation has been out for a couple of years now and in fact there's a successor already waiting in the wings. The '08 still looks good though, IMO
Ixo (PW) - Seat Ibiza SCI really liked the Matra Simca Bagheera with its odd three-abreast seating and sportscar construction, a fibreglass body bonded to a backbone chassis. Its successor was the Talbot Matra Murena. Gone were the classic proportions with the long nose, replaced by a radical '80s wedge shape. It took me quite a while to get used to it but eventually I got to like it. These weren't sold in large numbers here, and nowadays few survive. Coincidentally there are two in the town where I work, one in white and one in metallic beige (the most popular colour at the time). Second most popular was red, which I still like a lot. This PW was intended as a box filler, secondary catch in a deal but I ended up liking it a lot
PW - Talhot Matra MurenaNext up is in another category altogether. It's by no means the prettiest to come out of Stuttgart, but it is a fantastic package. Driving a few of these gave me considerable respect for the engineers who managed to make such a large car feel like a 911 on the road. It's precise, fast, chuckable, predictable and it manages to feel much smaller giving the driver the feeling that it's shrunken around him, revealing its true size only when you're navigating a narrow road. Still it transports four people in comfort over long distances at very high speeds. An amazing car and my tool of choice for a long drive. Shame that the designers tried to make it a four-door 911 which didn't work out that well. One of very few cars that I forgive for its looks because it's so amazing to drive. It took some searching for me to come up with a 1:43 that wasn't black, silver, grey or white but I managed to find this, sold -presumably- as a failed QC victim in a de-marked display case without the cardboard box. No damage though and only 8 euros for a brand new model
Minichamps - Porsche PanameraWhen I bought this, the gentleman behind the stall was really chuffed because he owns a 1:1. I like the car, it looks so friendly and properly British. He reminded me that it was a very capable car in its day, even winning the Monte outright one year. I also love the colour, perfect for the car. Oxford did a superb job on it
Oxford - Sunbeam Talbot 90Yet another model that's unlikely to be popular here is widely recognised as the first proper MPV to come out of Europe. The Fiat 600 Multipla was a modified normal car, and I won't count 9-seater vans with benches. The Espace wasn't intended as a high volume model, which was why it was not produced on the regular line and the body was made of polyester instead of steel. It was designed and produced by Matra (they offered the design to Peugeot first, but Peugeot was in dire straits and declined. History has proved that this was a wrong decision) which made the radically different construction a lot easier- Matra, of Bagheera and Murena fame, was quite experienced in this technology. The model represents the first facelift of the original car, replacing the reverse-rake nose with a more aerodynamic design. I like the first two Espace generations a lot because of their clean lines that have aged well. The '97 and even worse '03 models lost the clean look and adopted a number of IMO less attractive gimmicks. The PW model represents the 1:1 well, including a very characteristic colour. However, it is not a recent model and thus does not have headlights with any depth but instead there are the dreaded attachment stubs. That said it is a very nice model of a historically significant car
PW - Renault EspaceThe next car was intended to bring Volkswagen in the high-end segment. It was made in a purpose-built 'clean room' factory in Dresden featuring lots of glass and super clean lacquered wooden floors. You can see it at youtu.be/sFV5EnsRgvw The Phaeton doesn't share many parts with other VWs apart from the engines. It wasn't built to a price, it's just engineered to perfection. However, the appearance doesn't really break new ground. It resembles the then-current Passat, and that was done for a reason. The Phaeton's buyers weren't into flashy cars that looked expensive, only those in the know would recognise it for what it was. It is said that VW lost a lot of money on every car sold, and I find that easy to believe. It's a very high quality car, relaxing to drive and it makes you feel special. I really wanted a blue one but after a year of searching I gave in and bought this dealer edition for only EUR 10. If I do manage to find a blue one, this will be a nice gift for someone. It's a really heavy and nicely made model
Minichamps DE - Volkswagen PhaetonThe next one was bought to replace my '90s Record model, but I'm not sure if it's an improvement. I really like the Austin-Healey Sprite and MG Midget, and the Frogeye is a standout model in the range. I'd been looking for a good model for some time now and the Whitebox looked good in pictures. It was hard to find one, apparently 1000 examples will sell out cleanly. I wasn't able to look at it closely in the box but back home when I took it out, I was disappointed. The signature front end was too heavy, making the whole model unbalanced but overall proportions aren't correct either. For now, it's in my display and the issue is not that noticeable. Luckily it was affordable, so I will keep looking for a replacement
Whitebox - Austin-Healey Sprite mk.1From the ridiculous to the sublime... or perhaps vice versa depending on your tastes. After the 959 Porsche took their time to come up with another technology leader. Some say the 911 GT1 was the next but IMO that was too limited (only 25 were built) in production. Their new flagship was this Carrera GT with its love it or hate it design. I was more impressed by its engineering than its design, especially after seeing and hearing one roar past. Only 1270 were built, featuring a mid-mounted 5.7 V10 which produced no less than 603 hp promising a top speed of 330 km/h. I already had the quite dedent Schuco Junior version (made by High Speed?) which was OK, but the offer of this dealer edition Minichamps for EUR 10 made me reconsider. The box looks a little shabby, but the model is fine
Minichamps - Porsche Carrera GT
The SchucoIt's easy to see why this caught my eye. The colour jumps up at you (the photographs don't show the proper rich, full colour) and it really brings out the shape. Since I have lots of Aston models in muted greys and greens I wanted something to stand out. This gentleman at the swapmeet had a Spark at an Ixo price and offered 20% off on top of that. Hard to resist? No, impossible. Even if it's not Aston's best shape ever, the model is excellent and the colour is top notch
Spark - Aston Martin VirageAnother Aston and you'd expect another bargain as this is not even a Spark but an MC. It was a 'used' model (never unpacked however) so it was below RRP but it was more expensive than the Spark. I could've had a black one at a bargain price but this was more alluring to the tune of 50% extra... and so worth it. It's my favourite modern Aston by far, such a perfect shape. And a great shape needs a great colour
Minichamps - Aston Martin V8 Vantage
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Post by WallOfCars on Apr 16, 2022 17:54:46 GMT -5
You've man of good taste Tom to cite the V8 Vantage as your favorite 'modern Aston'. It's actually the last model from the brand that I can actually name on the street. I'm just about completely lost on most of what followed...they all sort of look the same to me. Hard to believe that is a 15 + year old design! Brilliant stylists!
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Post by Tom on Apr 17, 2022 6:30:40 GMT -5
Thanks Brooks, when you add enough models there's a considerable chance of tastes overlapping. However, our tastes seem to have quite a bit of overlap already, judging by your thread.
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Post by 105epaul on Apr 17, 2022 7:28:46 GMT -5
Ah the Skoda, they were fairly popular here but you never see them now. They were the butt of jokes such as 'why does a Skoda have a heated rear window? To keep your hands warm when you're pushing it'. I remember that the later ones were badged as an Estelle. They did very well in rallies in their class and for some reason I kind of like them and have a couple of the Abrex models. I think that because they were a very cheap car that they were looked upon as rubbish but they had some good design features such as the two piece grille as mentioned. There are a few here that have had a rather more powerful engine stuffed into them, one that springs to mind was powered by a two litre Lancia twin cam which must have been a hoot to drive.
Nice variety of models Tom, kind of reminds me of er, myself :-).
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Post by Tom on Apr 17, 2022 11:05:03 GMT -5
Thanks Paul! Back to the salt mines, posting old stuff My collection of Maserati road cars is still being added to from time to time. The marque's rich history has plenty of beauties to choose from and whenever I come across one that I like at the right price it's coming home. This Ixo was so cheap that it was bought with the spare change in my pocket. The wheels could perhaps use a blackwash but otherwise I like it a lot
Ixo - Maserati Ghibli SpyderFrom high-end supercars to a low-powered saloon, in police guise too. I cannot claim to consciously recall these (registration says 1967, I was 1 at the time) but they were in all the old pictures, 'my' police cars were Beetles. I suspect the 1960s in Holland were gentler times, with only low-speed chases or just simple stop and slap on the wrist. The horizontally-opposed 746 cc twin with a whopping 28 hp gave this tiny car a top speed of 112 km/h, which took forever to reach. The model is from a Russian PW of police cars from around the globe and came with a Russian 'magazine'. It was offered for EUR 35 the last time I saw it, which was too much for my liking. However, reduced to EUR 12.50 it proved irresistible. A very charming model
DeAgostini - DAF 33 Politie
Together with the DAF 33 Bestel ANWB that I showed earlier. This confirms my suspicion that the Bestel is slightly underscaleAfter I'd gotten the Triple9 Volvo 142 I wanted a prefacelift 144 too. The early Ixo mould is not correct but luckily it was redone for the Volvo Collection, which spawned several partworks versions too. So it was a question of looking for an attractively-priced version in a correct colour. Found this one and was won over in an instant. A very nice model, great addition to my Volvo subcollection
Ixo PW - Volvo 144
The 1990s reissue Tekno it replacesThe next one is unlikely to be popular as it's one of those dreaded battery thingies, with controversial styling too. When I saw my first 1:1, I loved it. It's a combination of high-tech and out-of-this-world design. BMW has played it safe for a number of years, this shows that they still have the guts to release a model that isn't a straight evolution and IMO they managed to come up with an exciting shape too. It is however a car that needs a good colour, as black makes all those interesting details disappear
Paragon Models - BMW i8Martin will appreciate the next model a lot more, I think... It's not a mainstream beauty, an iconic design associated with the prancing horse but it's very elegant and well proportioned. Perhaps it's the fact that it's a little neglected by enthousiasts that attracts me in this car. This was the only affordable model of the car I could find and it could do with some improvement, especially the headlights. The wire wheels are very nice, though. However, the licencing situation makes me think that this one might be a permanent addition to the collection
Fabbri PW - Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2From the day most of these rolled off the dealer's forecourt, most of them met with some kind of destructive modification. Huge exhausts, insane top speed-reducing bodykits with asinine rear wings, stupid wheels... and to add insult to injury most were written off by incompetent drivers with egos bigger than their skill, before the model's reputation for rust could catch up with them. I really liked the basic, unmodified car though. A typical small Japanese coupé, light enough not to need much power, with advanced engines and great roadholding. My memories of a drive in one of these date back quite a bit, but I recall being really impressed. Ebbro made a great model of the early version with a nicely made opening sunroof, which closes better than the pictures suggest
Ebbro - Honda Civic CRX (Ballade Sports)The reason for my sudden interest in the first-gen CRX was the announcement that Minichamps would be reissuing the second generation under the Maxichamps name. So far, I really like the Maxichamps range- they manage to release lots of models that I missed the first time around and the prices are what they should be for new Minichamps releases. They have quite limited production runs however, so I pre-order the ones I really want. Though most 1:1s here were red, white or silver I always liked the metallic blue on the second-gen CRX. The model replicates it nicely. I would have loved it if the headlights had been improved for this reissue, they are IMO the model's weakest feature. Another car that succumbed to the boy racers, It's been some time since I last saw one on the road and unmodified examples are even rarer
Maxichamps - Honda Civic CRX
This is the end of the CRX story for me though, the third generation (Del Sol) looks hideous to me.Seen before, missed by me when they were first released and a much-anticipated rerelease under the Maxichamps label. Much better than the Ixo PW or the Vanguards, this really is the definitive 1:43 of the mk.2 Golf. I've owned one in this colour myself, albeit not a GTI. Now I hope to find an original CL version which is closer to my own car. Meanwhile I'm really happy with this
Maxichamps -Volkswagen Golf GTIThe next one's fairly easy to predict if you've been following Andy's thread. I couldn't choose between the red and the blue. My colleague has an identical blue three-door which he's parked up at work. It has a tweaked 1.9 TDI with 200+ hp, a little wilder than the standard GTI
Maxichamps - Volkswagen Golf GTIAnother one for the Maserati contingent, from the well-known Leo Models Masersti Collection. The shape has been captured nicely, the wheels are good and I like the colour. What I don't like and don't understand is the silver bumpers instead of the chrome, I will look into upgrading that
Leo Models - Maserati SebringA little while back there were PremiumX and Triple9 releases of this model in brown and green, which unfortunately sold out before I got around to sourcing one. With hindsight this is a good thing, as it made me pounce when the next one was released in the Whitebox range. IMO this is even nicer with its lovely two tone paintwork and the shape is captured nicely. Makes me wonder why I'm the first here to show this one, I know there are others who like the car
Whitebox - Triumph Herald saloonYou will probably not expect the next model in my collection. True, I usually collect post-WWII cars and generally not the exotics. However, I've admired the shape of these since I was a little kid and a model of this car has always been somewhere on my extensive wish list. A couple of encounters in museums or at shows like the Techno Classica have put this firmly on my list of favourites. When I found this nice and inexpensive model I decided it was just what I needed. It's from the PW 'Mes voitures mythiques' (my mythical cars) compiled by French motoring show presenter Dominique Chapatte and distributed by Atlas. I assume the basic model's an Ixo, it has the triangular screws
Ixo/Atlas - Bugatti 57SC AtlanticContinuing with the automotive icons... I was recently in front of my displays, looking at my collection. I noticed that I have qite a few models of the Volkswagen Beetle, some '60s and '70s toys and some models from the '90s. I had been looking at replacing a few with better, newer issues and from the models shown here Schuco had my preference as they seem to capture the shape well (the Beetle is apparently hard to model, judging by the amount of misshapen models). However, all Schucos I was offered were either newer than what I wanted or in a boring colour. I was told that the same Atlas series that yielded the Bugatti also had a nice Beetle from the '60s. I decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. The shape was good, as was detail (great mirror and wipers!) and it was a nice colour too. I can recommend this, it's affordable and correct and it will replace a few of the older issues in my collection
Atlas/Ixo - Volkswagen Beetle 1200This was discussed recently as it's one of the models in the Touring Cars PW that have gone on sale recently. It's the only one that I really wanted, racers are not that common in my collection and they really need to 'speak' to me. This one shouted 'add me to the collection, you idiot' so I complied. Not only do I love the mk.1 Escort with the wide arches and the iconic Alan Mann livery that didn't even need the words to be recognised at the time. It makes the Escort really stand out in the display
Atlas PW - Ford Escort touring car racerAnother model in my collection that needed replacing by a better representation was the early Citroen DS. The late version had already been replaced but as they're quite different I wanted the early one too. In fact this is a very early example with the rear indicator pods still in black. It's similar in colours to the example I see parked every day on my bus ride to work. The model is a nice replica of the real thing, another of those shapes that's apparently hard to capture. If you think the DS is a little too familiar a shape and a little meh, just google its contemporaries and be amazed at the way it made everything look dated when it was introduced. No Andy, this is not the civilian version of your CD
Atlas PW - Citroen DS
Last of the cars of this PW for now, and the only one that was a slight disappointment. It was listed as a Citroen SM, without any mention of colour. Now the iconic colour for the time was metallic gold and I was convinced that it would either be that or metallic grey, which I like a lot for the car too. When it arrived it turned out to be a colour that, however good it looked on the car, was not authentic. Google turned up only one picture of an SM in this colour. It will however fo for now, because otherwise it's excellent. Finally I can replace my 1970s Matchbox Superkings, I guess the SM is among my favourites from way back
Atlas/Ixo - Citroen SMFirst I missed out on the green one, which I loved. Then there was the blue one, too bright but otherwise OK- when I got around to finding one it was all gone too. Then they released the yellow. Again too bright yellow, but I wanted to avoid missing out on it once more... so it was in the next swap deal. When I find a green one at a good price, the yellow one gets the boot. Other than the colour it's great, a car that made some impression on me as a kid. I prefer the early, clean two-door with the steel wheels over later versions by a significant margin
Whitebox - Range RoverThe next one is another Maxichamps issue. There are quite a few of the orange boxes in my collection already and I wonder what the future will hold. So far I love almost any release and the series has enabled me to fill a couple of gaping holes in the collection with excellent models for very reasonable prices. The model represents my first encounter with BMW as a driver. A friend bought a 316 fitted with a 323i engine and 316 brakes. As I found out in a downpour it also had bald tyres and a common E21 ailment, broken seat frames. After a brief episode trying to stop it and keep the headlights in front, I was almost catapulted onto the rear seat. A hairy moment for someone who's had his licence for a couple of weeks... Luckily a colleague set this straight later when he leg me drive his immaculate 320.6. I still admire the shape of the E21 and needed one in my collection
Maxichamps - BMW 323iAfter getting the BoS Sierra Turnier I decided that I would like a hatch too, and preferably a Ghia because the Turnier is a base model. Neo was the only available option and they're getting harder to find too. When I unpacked it, I was disappointed by the Neo. The shape is off, especially the glasshouse. I can't really put my finger on where it all goes wrong, but I know the real car well and this is not what it looks like. Luckily, it's much less noticeable in the display
Neo - Ford Sierra Ghia
I will look into shortening the too-long axles first.Next up is another Ford, I have been adding a few to the collection lately... this is a bit of an oddity, a charming classic. When I was holidaying in the UK in the mid-1970s, there were still lots of ice cream vans based on small cars around. They were all replaced by larger versions based on Transits etc, but I thought these smaller versions were really nice. The model is a partwork called 'Commercial vehicles of yesteryear' by Atlas, from which I've shown you a Morris Post Office van earlier
Atlas PW - Ford Thames van
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