|
Post by Tom on Apr 20, 2022 12:31:56 GMT -5
Opel did quite well in rallying in the ‘70s and wanted to continue the tradition in the ‘80s. The class to go for, they felt, was Group 4. The cars were quick enough for some decent competition but based on showroom cars, so Joe Public could slap some stickers on their base model 1.6 and pretend to be Walter Röhrl. Thus came the Ascona 400 and Manta 400, named after the number of homologation cars required. The idea of being able to buy a rally car for the road was good publicity too, it suggested that the lesser versions were sporty too. The Ascona B 1.6 had only 70 hp, the 2.4 in the civilian 400 made it to 140 which, although impressive for a road car in the late 1970s, was still more show than actual go. In full rally trim these made 360 hp which, with 1970s suspension tech and RWD, made for entertaining displays. The aforementioned mr. Röhrl won the 1982 rally championship driver's title in the Ascona 400. I will add a rally version later but wanted a street car first. This Opel Collection PW model is far from perfect, but it’ll have to do for now
Opel Collection PW - Opel Ascona 400
My opinion about the Porsche 356 is ‘the earlier the better'. I love the pre-A jelly mould cars with their smooth shapes and unadorned bodies. So when Spark preannounced their pre-A coupé and cabriolet I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on them. I don't know what happened exactly but before I could pounce they were all gone, and I mean g o n e. No more anywhere, none of my trader friends could find any. I wanted the coupé more than anything so when one was offered to me at a surprisingly low price I didn't think twice. This is as close to my 2020 grail as you can get and I love it! So much better in shape than the Schuco, perfectly finished and in a beautiful shade of red- not bright red, not maroon but somewhere in between (darker IRL than the pictures show). I can't stop staring at it
Spark – Porsche 356 pre-A
Jamie will enjoy my next addition. The 403 used to be quite a popular classic here until the 1990s, when they were common on the streets. They might have sold with glossy paintwork but all had faded to a sort of semi-gloss and all were painted in black, dark green or grey. Most looked like working vehicles with the odd dent and scrape. I wanted a decent 403 in my collection but struggled to find a proper quality model. This is as close as it gets, a bit shiny and showing the casting's age but at least it's in the right colour and it has good wipers. Now I'd love a pickup version and a ‘Columbo' cabriolet
Odeon – Peugeot 403
If you want offroadability, there are few cars that do this well. The Lada Niva is Russia's entry in this segment and it's a typical Lada. Rugged and reliable but very sparse on the comfort. Finish is also typical Lada: if you can see the sunlight through the door gaps that doesn't necessarily mean that the doors are still open. On the road it's devoid of all comfort but in rough terrain it shows its qualities. The Niva has been in production since 1977 and is still being built (though imports here ceased in 2010 because it would be taxed very high based on emissions). The model shows an early 3-door car which is my preferred generation. Ixo did a great job on this model, which might’ve been sold earlier under their IST label. It replaces a 1980s AutoUSSR model that was in my collection for 35 years and was equipped with working suspension, opening doors and bonnet showing a detailed engine. The shutlines were not to scale alas (even by Lada standards) and ruined that model
Ixo – Lada Niva 1600
Though it was conceived as a ‘peoples car‘, it didn’t take long for a fancy cabriolet to be added to the Beetle range, made by coachbuilder Karmann. It was decided that the cabriolet should seat four just like the regular version and the rear-mounted engine left no stowing room for the soft top. This gave the cabriolet a very old-fashioned, pram-like appearance when the top was down. It also restricted rearward visibility to a minimum. The cabriolet's looks and spec changed with the rest of the car over the years and it even lived on beyond German production of the closed car, until the Golf cabriolet was introduced in 1979. This model represents the mid-1970s Beetle cabriolet. It's pretty nicely made though the stark black interior leaves something to be desired. I might change the colour of the upholstery later, some research is required for the correct colours. The model is from the DeAgostini Volkswagen Collection PW and it's Ixo-based. It's available as a much more expensive PremiumX too, but apart from number plates any differences are not immediately obvious. Its predecessors in my collection were bought in the 1970s and 1980s and have been sold before I added this
DeAgostini Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen Beetle cabriolet
First in a line of retro cars and very successful was the Volkswagen New Beetle. People were excited when Volkswagen showed the Concept 1 and demanded that it was put into production. When it was, they discovered that it was basically a Golf mk.4 in drag and not very exciting to drive. It managed to sell very well though, spawning a cabriolet and even a ‘hot’ RSi version. When sales subsided it was facelifted with squarer wings giving it a more purposeful look, but sales didn't recover enough. Volkswagen didn't give in and launched a second generation called ‘The Beetle'. I drove a few of these and the first generation didn't really do anything for me, I always felt a little silly driving one. The new version offered a lot more fun though, and its lower and a little more butch appearance made it look better. When my then employer bought a couple of them from Germany and asked me to drive them to the vehicle approval centre for the import procedure I got to know them well and enjoyed the drive, especially in the 1.4 turbo version with the sublime Fender sound system. It didn't hurt that the weather was beautiful and that I could drive them with the top down all day long, being paid to wait in line, sitting in the sun and listening to the radio- that is a good way to make me happy. The very nice model is by Schuco and a bit brighter in colour than the 1:1s here which seem to be either black or white. It was however the only choice if you didn't want a black or white model
Schuco – Volkswagen The Beetle cabriolet
The oil crisis had a huge impact on the economy and on society. We got limited fuel supply and long queues at the filling stations, fuel ration coupons and ‘car-less' Sundays. The rations on fuel meant that the days of thirsty cars were numbered and rendered large gas guzzlers instantly worthless. Many were scrapped, or converted to run on LPG. The muscle cars were now made smaller and mostly lighter and the demand for fuel-efficient engines came together with more stringent emission regulations. So the ‘muscle’ had largely gone from the 1970s muscle cars and the Mustang II showed its effects. The designers had tried to fit the long, graceful lines into a much smaller Pinto-based car which gave it a somewhat crushed appearance with a large overhang to create a long bonnet. Though down on power due to the emissions-reducing equipment and also heavier because of it, the King Cobra version at least still had a 5.0 V8. In retrospect it probably looked quite good at the time (I recall being impressed as a boy) and they did what they could with what they had. Luckily, Greenlight makes a nice model of this car which enabled me to add the infamous Mustang II to the collection. I just wish the top of the windscreen looked a little better
Greenlight – Ford Mustang II King Cobra
The Peugeot 205 GTI was a huge success, but it was fairly expensive and there was a need for a cheaper version for (young) enthusiasts who wanted a sporty version that was easier to insure and yet had the cred and fun-factor of the GTI. Peugeot obliged with the 205 rallye. It had only a 1.3 engine but the GTI's suspension, excellent bucket seats and bright red carpet. Alloys were omitted, the rallye had steel wheels painted white. All luxury was eliminated leaving a bare-bones car that was not actually fast, but at least quick and suited to spirited driving. It was available in few colours (white being the most popular) and it featured striping in the Peugeot Sport colours. The 205 rallye became an instant hit. When the 106 was introduced as a model that would partially replace the 205, Peugeot repeated the trick by introducing a rallye version. Same recipe, same result. These cars have now become classics and have all but disappeared off the roads. The model is by Ixo in the Odeon series, which concentrates on French cars. It's a particularly good model with nice wheels, wipers, antenna, lights and decals (and look at the proper thickness front number plate) at a very attractive price
Odeon – Peugeot 106 rallye
A model in my collection that was replaced rather quickly. Two years ago I added an Ixo Citroen GS and while nice, it couldn’t hold a candle to this Norev- especially on the wheel front. This one has the added bonus of being painted a green metallic that Citroen called ‘vert noyons', and as a young'un I added to my allowance by washing cars- one of which was a GS in that same green belonging to a friendly lady on my street. I washed that car regularly for years and kept it looking good by touching up any rust spots. Norev did a great job here, it looks just like I remember it
Norev - Citroen GS
The metallic paint looks a lot better in hand- some metallics look horrible under LED lighting
The old Ixo:
The Pantera is one of the cars that impressed me as a kid. When we moved to Utrecht in 1971 we lived quite near a luxury-car dealer, Hessing, which among others imported Rolls-Royce and De Tomaso. They had an impressive showroom, wide but shallow so that you could get off the main road, drive by their building slowly and admire the cars. There was always a Pantera in their showroom, IIRC a narrow body in white later followed by a bonkers wide body in purple. I used to ask my parents to go past their showroom whenever we were going in that direction and couldn't get enough of those cars. Hessing went bust in 2008, their building is now occupied by squatters who are slowly destroying it. I wanted a Pantera in my collection but failed to get any of the Spark versions before they sold out. Greenlight had the Elvis car in yellow but when it arrived it was one of those horrible limited edition versions with green tyres. What's the point? I couldn't exchange it so I decided to experiment with a waterproof marker for rubber. I would've taken the tyre markings off anyway, if it didn’t work I would clean off the marker and sell the model at a loss. As you can see it worked out fine, there’s not a hint of green left. I'm much happier with it now
Greenlight – De Tomaso Pantera
The current A3 generation is no longer available as a three-door. Three-door cars are less popular and Audi is set to make only four- and five-door models (and the odd coupé). Therefore, calling it an A3 Sportback is useful only to distinguish it from the saloon version. When I found that there was a blue metallic model I put in my order right away and it seems to have been a timely decision as it was hard to find already. The only one left now is the black version. The model is made for Audi by iScale (Kyosho) and it's nicely done
iScale DE – Audi A3 Sportback
In the 1970s Opel wanted a model between their best-selling Kadett and the Rekord. For some reason they made a car that's about the same size as the Kadett but with a distinctly different design. The Ascona, as it was called, soon became quite popular as a ‘one step above the masses' car. It only had a short life span between 1972 and ’75 but it was the base for the iconic Manta A. The Ascona proved to be a great rally car into the bargain. I have been adding a couple of Opels to the collection recently and the release of this Maxichamps was very timely as I'd just sold my Opel Collection PW version. This orange was a favourite for many Ascona buyers in the 1970s
Maxichamps – Opel Ascona A
In 1957 Fiat showed the successor to the Topolino series, which had been one step up from a motorbike for generations of Italians. The ‘nuova 500’ was designed to use as little steel as possible to keep the weight and the cost down. The sunroof was incorporated only to eliminate another piece of steel. It had an aircooled rear-mounted two-cylinder engine with an unsynchronised ‘crash’ gearbox and was built to be maintained and repaired by the owners. Drive one of these in traffic today and you know what it is to feel vulnerable. A top speed of 80 km/h, double declutching for gear changes and very uninspiring brakes, it's hard work to drive one and the limited visibility does not help. I wanted a better 500 in my collection and Vitesse obliged with an updated version of their old casting. I wanted one in this colour (it looks more orangy in the pictures, the model is more ochre) with an open sunroof so my choices were limited to one. Weirdly enough this has a UK registration
Vitesse - Fiat 500
I got the Vitesse 500 but somehow wasn't quite convinced by it. However nice is was, colour and all, it didn't look quite right. Then there was the Maxichamps version which did not have the open sunroof but it looked better in the pictures. Alas, no more of my preferred pale blue version, so a red one it was. This immediately felt like a lot better reproduction of the old 500, with better proportions, better wipers and a better track width. I'm going to display both side by side for a while to see which one will be the winner. What a shame that nobody does a 1:43 of the ultimate mid-‘70s 500R with the wheels of the 126. Perhaps I'll make one myself at some point
Maxichamps – Fiat 500
Together with the ‘Steilheck’ shown earlier, the second generation of the Volkswagen Polo came in three body shapes: the Polo Classic or saloon that replaced the old Volkswagen Derby, and a sporty-looking coupé version. It was more a matter of looks than performance actually, because it was available with a 1.0 or 1.3 engine only. However, even the lowly 1.0 was a lively engine that enabled you to keep up with traffic well. In 1990 the Polo was facelifted with thicker bumpers and became available with a 1.4 G40 engine, charged by a smaller version of the Golf/Corrado G60’s G-lader. Neo made a model of the G40 but the early version with thin bumpers was available as a crude 35 year old Conrad only, until this appeared in the Volkswagen Collection PW. To make it even better they released it in red (I'm collecting all generations of the Polo in red) which made my day. A very nice model, really happy with it
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW- Volkswagen Polo coupé
When the time came to pick my first car, I made a shortlist of what I liked and was available for reasonable money. I then proceeded to visit the local breaker's yards to determine what had killed off the cars of that particular model. I loved the Renault Fuego, but the one for sale locally got discounted as soon as I found out that all Fuegos around me had succumbed to rust. Shame for that particular car, a 1982 1.7 TL for sale for a very attractive price. On inspection it turned out to have rust in the same places as the scrapped cars did, some of it quite advanced. I still like the Fuego's shape though and this Maxichamps has the same colour as the car I was looking at in the 1990s. It replaces a silver and a blue Ixo/Altaya model
Maxichamps - Renault Fuego
A while ago I added the reissue of the Aston DBS to my collection. A beautiful car indeed, but somehow I prefer the later V8 because of its more aggressive front end. That's another Minichamps from the time when huge production runs were snapped up in a matter of weeks, and anyone who missed out was out of luck. I was resigned to waiting for a reissue when I was offered this original Minichamps in grey. It was in as-new condition, never unboxed and the grey is not just boring grey but has a hint of green. Very classy and a beautiful model. Another one ticked off the lengthy wish list
Minichamps – Aston Martin V8
It's only recently that I've noticed that 1990s 6th generation Celicas are almost extinct. There's one left in my town that has a stupidly large rear wing but otherwise looks decent, otherwise this once popular car has largely vanished. Made between ’93 and ’99, this used to be a favourite on the Jap Tuning scene and I suspect that they have been used up by the owners who didn't go easy on their cars. I had been looking at cars I wanted to have a model of, and this came up on the list. So I was very happy when the Maxichamps reissue was announced and knew that I wanted one- a friend has the original MC issue in his collection and I‘ve always admired that. The choice between black or red was an easy one, very happy with this indeed
Maxichamps – Toyota Celica mk.6
No fancy intro for the next models. For some reason the 1:43s of current Audi models are being discounted. So for the price of a PW, I was able to add two more that were missing from my collection and one of them even has a nice colour! Shame that the black paintwork hides the allroad-specific details, this would've been great in a lighter metallic grey. The models were made by Spark, but I don’t know what that means when they're diecast. There's nothing wrong with the quality as such, they look a generic Minichamps/Schuco/Kyosho quality. Perhaps Minimax has these made to spec at the same diecast plant where all the others are made
Spark – Audi A4 Avant
Spark – Audi A4 allroad
I don't really want a convertible version of every generation of the 356 but it was impossible to ignore this fantastic 356A in Meissen blue. When I received it I regretted my impulsive decision a little, because the cheap Maxichamps reissue has a money-saving interior in featureless black. The model does come apart, so in the future I might treat it to a detail job with a nicer colour for the seats. Internet says Meissen came with black, beige, maroon or dark blue
Maxichamps – Porsche 356A cabriolet
A couple of years ago I added a PW Ferrari Dino to the collection. It was the very basic version, which looked fine until you got a little closer and noticed the lack of detail. The cheapo PWs are distinguished from the more expensive ones by less detail in the tampo printing. I didn't mind it at first, but in the long run it stood out in the display somewhat as it became surrounded by better models. I replaced it with the slightly more expensive version which doesn't have the plastic bubble packaging but a proper display case. Looks better now, but when I find a more upmarket version this one goes away again. Thanks to Ferrari's licencing policy, decent models are hard to find though
Atlas Ferrari Collection PW – Ferrari Dino
The Fairlane started out as a full-size model in 1955. Its distinguishing mark was the ‘Fairlane stripes’, a chrome V-shaped trim on the flanks that made a perfect separation for two-tone paintwork. It came as a 4-door, a two-door and a convertible. The convertible (‘Sunliner') was known for its impressive folding steel roof, and the coupé was optionally available with a coloured translucent roof. For 1962, the Fairlane name was put on a smaller car, with the Galaxie now as the top-of-the-range full-sized model. Our annual local classic car event usually has two attending Fairlanes, a 1956 and a one-owner(!) ’57. I've wanted a decent model of one for a couple of years now and this Vitesse was both cheap and attractive. I hope to add a ’57 later but I fear that there will be a scale discrepancy
Vitesse - Ford Fairlane Victoria
Audi were late to the party when they decided to enter the TransAm series for the 1988 season. They had little time to develop a car so they did something unique for the series: they modified a standard steel body shell instead of the usual TransAm silhouette racer on a space frame. The front end was a custom-made affair to house extra wide tyres, the massive exhaust exited through the side and spit huge flames on decelleration. TransAm rules were pretty lenient, so there was no need to follow other teams. The 200 TransAm was powered by a 510 hp inline 5-cylinder turbo engine. Down on power from the rest of the field but its AWD quattro drivetrain made up for that, and Audi won 8 out of the 13 events of that year. The following year, TransAm banned all wheel drive as a result. I went to the US in 1999 for the Monterey Historics as a guest of the US quattro club. Audi was the main sponsor and had brought several fantastic cars from their collection to do demo laps, one of them was a superb 200 TransAm which made quite an impression as it thundered along the Laguna Seca raceway. Looking at the pictures I found online I think it was this particular car, #14, that was used for the event.
I’d collected and later extremely reluctantly sold the fantastic 1:18s of these models, but apart from the all-black test car I had not managed to find a 1:43 version yet, which by now was not that easy to find. Yet another ‘used’ model was offered for a budget-friendly outlay, this one had apparently never been unpacked. An amazing model IMHO
Minichamps - Audi 200 TransAm
Sometimes you add a model, only to be confronted with a duplicate by another maker. I got the Norev version of the Volkswagen K70 a couple of weeks ago, thinking that Norev is a safe choice. Their prices are decent and quality is usually just below or at Minichamps level. However, when it arrived it didn't impress with its thick coat of paint which obscured panel lines and which disguised the 1:1’s sharp lines somewhat. Then I was surprised when my trading partner who usually gets me my partwork models announced that he had a K70 from the Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW. A single-figure price made for an easy decision and when the model arrived it was a pleasant surprise! Although yellow paint generally has poor coverage and cheap models tend to be covered in lots of it, this was well painted. The yellow is a characteristic colour for this car (along with dark green and blue metallic) and it shows the shape well. In fact, I think this has the Norev beat on the shape and build quality fronts. The nose-up stance is due to the model not being fixed to the baseplate squarely
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen K70
The Norev as a reminder
The Norev's front tyre was crooked, fixed that since. I now notice that Norev has the bit behind the front wheels all wrong, too long
One of my trader contacts and I had a conversation about racing cars and what we both liked. As a result of that conversation this was thrown in for the next trade. For me it's the livery that makes the racer here, though there's nothing wrong with a racing 911 there are tons of them and the 996-on cars are sometimes quite samey. This stands out however because of its pop art-like livery, very distinctive and nicely replicated in 1:43. The model is by CMR, a race and rally car line from the Ixo stable. I don't really understand the distinction as there are lots of race and rally cars in the regular Ixo range, but there must be a logical explanation
CMR – Porsche 911 GT3
The mk.1 Ford Cortina was a very modern design for its time and quickly became very popular- in the UK as well as abroad. I recall seeing a lot of these on the streets here up until the ‘70s. When I was about five years old, one of our neighbours in the apartment building had a Cortina in the same colour. They had just returned from a late caravanning holiday when the weather forecast called for storm. It might've been the worst storm I've ever experienced, you could feel the apartment building rock and the tv aerial on the building across the road snapped and came down while we were watching it. The neighbours probably felt that it would be best to keep the caravan hooked up to the car to prevent it from being blown away. In the night we heard a loud noise which turned out to be Cortina and caravan being picked up by the wind and blown into the entrance hall. The car was totalled and so was the caravan. A couple of years ago I saw a Cortina in the same green in the next town over, a rare car indeed. The Maxichamps model replaces a Corgi that I'd sold a while ago, and that was showing its age
Maxichamps – Ford Cortina mk.1
There's always room for an RS model in my Audi collection so this was a natural addition. The 5th generation of the A6 in its ultimate guise is not an unassuming car. It doesn't need to be, the 600 hp 4.0 twin turbo V8 FSI engine gets it to 100 km/h in 3.6s, with a governed top speed of 250 km/h (up to 305 km/h is available for the Dynamic version). The RS6 C8 has a 48V alternator which recoups energy in a mild hybrid setup and can add 16 hp to the engine power. There's an active quattro system that shifts power to the front or the rear depending on the demands and the active suspension lowers the car at speed. The model is apparently by Minichamps and made in matt grey which is not my favourite, but it does make the car look even more aggressive
Minichamps – Audi RS6 Avant
To the other end of the scale... No real need to add yet another 2CV to my collection, I have plenty of them already. However, the quality of this model together with its colour and spec convinced me. It's as close as I've gotten to the 1962 that carried newborn me back from the hospital. It depicts a luxury version (relative for a 2CV) with wheel trims and two door mirrors. I particularly like the fragile but accurate wipers and the detailing belying its low price. I also like and recall the green for the real cars. A quality model by Odeon
Odeon – Citroen 2CV
The Ford Mustang is very well known for its movie roles and those weren't exactly Jacques Tati movies either. Gone in 60 seconds, several 007 movies… but perhaps the most iconic is Bullitt with the legendary San Francisco car chase. This model depicting Steve McQueen's famous ride was added to the latest deal as a sort of padding. It replaces a Yat Ming that looks decent (except for an ugly door mirror), and it was made by Greenlight. Not the version with the ‘could be anyone’ Steve McQueen figurine but the very basic model. Though I feel that GL has captured the shape well, the model is let down by some details like the tampo printed side markers (which is logical given the low price). Luckily, this stands out only under close-up photography and in hand it looks decent enough. I managed to shift the Yat Ming for more than it cost me and this one was ‘free', so I'm still ahead. Should I manage to find the MC version for reasonable money then that will be my ultimate Bullitt-mobile, otherwise I will hold on to this. A nice addition to my theme of Mustang generations
Greenlight – Ford Mustang 'Bullitt'
Cars look increasingly alike and it appears that the once common saloon and estate are being phased out in favour of crossovers and SUVs. Luckily, some makers still sell the old favourites. Peugeot's 508 used to be a pleasant but plain-looking car that enjoyed lots of success in the business car market. When the time came for a redesign, Peugeot decided to make it look like nothing else and IMO they did a great job. The aggressive front end with the ‘arrow' LED running lights and the low roofline, the smoked rear lights that were so popular in the 1980s yet managed to look all fresh in their LED makeover… the design was implemented in all their models and has been important for the marque's regained popularity. I love the way the new 508 looks, especially as an SW where the roofline makes such a nice gentle curve towards the rear. Norev introduced models of the new 508 a while ago but I waited patiently for a better colour than grey or white. Luckily they decided to put this attractive deep blue metallic on a GT with nice wheels and a panoramic sunroof. A really good model
Norev – Peugeot 508 GT SW
This has been shown here earlier and it's yet another Maxichamps reissue. I like this beige metallic on a 944 and MC's model is well made. I don't mind a black interior on an '80s or '90s Porsche either so it sort of fell onto the wish list. Another ex-photography victim, 10 euros cheaper because of a crack in the display case. Though the 944 S2 is a nice car, I still hope to see somebody do an early version with the more basic, slimmer styling
Maxichamps - Porsche 944
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 20, 2022 12:48:39 GMT -5
Minichamps has been reissuing old models in the Maxichamps range. Less detail but still great castings. When I had my model purge I decided to get rid of my cheapo Mercedes R107 by DeAgostini, which was severely lacking in accuracy. A Maxichamps would be a logical successor but those were sold out apparently. Then Minichamps started rereleasing older castings under their own name, apparently commissioned by CK and Modelissimo. Those were even cheaper than Maxichamps releases and had the added bonus of being available in metallic blue which is always a good choice for me. Unfortunately it's a featureless black interior again, this would look great in grey or blue. My first reMinichamps and I'd rate it on a par with Maxichamps but better value. Strange policy, competing with yourself. I liked an R107 for my collection as I’ve driven several when I worked at the car dealership, and found them solidly built and pleasant, if a bit uninvolving to drive
Minichamps- Mercedes-Benz SL R107
And its predecessor
Before the Ro80, NSU was well-known for its small cars and motorbikes. They sold lots of cars that were basically two steps above a bike; four wheels, a proper car-like construction but very small and basic, powered by rear-mounted engines. Eventually NSU moved with the trend by offering more upmarket versions like the 1200C and the TT and TT-S, which gained some fame used by racers in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. In fact it will be hard to find a unmodified TT or TT-S these days, as most have been modified for track use. I had a 1:18 TT and a TT-S racer in my collection for years and reluctantly said farewell to both recently. That gap had to be filled in 1:43 but I did not like the stark white and bright yellow Maxichamps reissues- both were not familiar colours for the TT and I doubt their authenticity. Luckily one of my trader contacts came up with a remaining Minichamps in correct orange, which I like very much
Minichamps – NSU TT
A model that crosses themes in my collection, because police cars have become a theme too (even if I didn't intend them to). I'm a frequent visitor to the neighbouring country to our south, and have been so since these cars were common on the roads. Just like The Netherlands and Germany, the Beetle was popular as a patrol car in Belgium because it was affordable and reliable. High-speed chases obviously weren't a common thing back then (though there were police motorbikes too). The model represents a 1970s Belgian police Beetle from the community of Kraainem east of Brussels. It can stand a little added detail so I will look into refining it
Atlas Police cars PW – Volkswagen 1302 (Belgium)
Panhard used to make interesting cars. They used lots of aluminium in their constructions when it became available and made aerodynamic cars when nobody else was interested. Mainstay of their range in the 1950s was the Dyna, which was replaced by the popular PL17. A front-mounted air-cooled flat twin engine and an all-alu body in a very slippery shape made this car quite advanced. In 1964 Panhard introduced the 24BT, a two-door coupé with yet another aerodynamic shape. The idea was to develop a longer-wheelbase version into a four-door successor to the PL, but overextended Panhard was bought out by Citroen. They had a controlling influence since 1955 but killed the marque off in 1967, because they needed the production facilities for the 2CV van. The model is another Odeon from the PCT stables and this model has been available for years as a two-tone version from Whitebox. The Odeon has etched wipers as an extra
Odeon – Panhard 24BT
There's a 1:1 currently for sale locally in the same colour for a pretty low price, but it's been stored in an open-sided shed for 20 years and it's been vandalised. I don't think it will be easy to get a new windscreen or all the missing trim bits...
The e-tron is Audi's first full EV production car. It became quite a success here despite its hefty price tag when last year it became apparent that fiscal advantages for leased EVs would decrease considerably in 2020. As the corporate lease market driver here is the main target for these cars, Audi NL was lucky that Ingolstadt ramped up production soon enough to meet demand here. Thousands were sold and I see several of them every day. Apart from the regular e-tron there's apparently a Sportback version too, with a more coupé-like rear end along the lines of the BMW X6. The model was made by iScale (Kyosho) in a slightly strange but likely correct drab blue, which will probably not look good next to the bright blue of the regular e-tron
iScale - Audi e-tron Sportback
The Renault 12 was Renault's contender in the playing field of business cars, as driven by reps and managers. It was one step below the 16 and intended for those with more conservative taste. If you needed more room for business on working days and for the family at the weekend, there was also a practical Break version. It was almost as roomy as a Peugeot 504, but cheaper. The 12 was introduced in 1969 and facelifted (mk.2, in French ‘Phase 2’) for the 1976 model year. It turned out to be really popular and continued in production overseas until 2004 (by which time 4.2 million had been made in France, Spain, Turkey, Romania, Australia, Brazil), for the European market it was discontinued in 1979. The Brazilian version was later developed as the Ford Corcel. Like all 1970s cars the R12 loved to rust and few have survived. There's a guy who lives close to me who owns two, a Phase 2 saloon and a Break, both in very used shape. I already had the R12 Gordini in a Route Bleue diorama but the Ixo Phase 1 R12 did not appeal to me, the front end is off. For the Phase 2 this seems to have been fixed and this Odeon release is near-perfect. A great (and correct) colour, the same registration as used in the publicity shots, nice details… This might be my favourite from the recent Odeon additions
Odeon – Renault 12 Phase 2
Another model that I had already but might be replaced soon. Last summer I added the Solido Volkswagen 181 (Thing) in bright yellow to my collection. A basic model of a basic car, it did the job for me. I'd asked my trading partner to include all upcoming models from the Volkswagen Collection PW in our deals without asking (if there were any duplicates I'd trade them with my fellow Volkswagen collectors) and this 181 came along with a new batch. It's obviously identical to the Solido other than the colour, and I think I prefer this beige over the Solido's yellow (it looks yellow in the pictures too, but that's because of my contrast/brightness edits). The Solido cost twice as much and I sold it for that amount too, so I'm ahead here. Apart from better wipers there’s little left for me to wish for on this model
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen 181
As you can see, the Solido uses the same casting
The TC Midget was MG's post-war bestseller. Not a lot distinguished it from the pre-war cars but at least this was a new model in the affordable price class. It provided a way to have fun and forget the austerity of the 1940s, at least if you were able to afford one (in which case the austerity probably wasn't affecting you as badly anyway). Quite a few were exported, I've seen a couple here over the years. I had a 1:18 of the TC in my collection but I need the room so here's its 1:43 replacement. Vitesse did a really nice job with PE wire wheels and good detail. I really wanted the BRG version but couldn’t find one with the top down. This was a good alternative and I like it a lot but for the registration which does not resemble a British plate. Will correct that later
Vitesse – MG TC Midget
It wasn't the first hatchback, that might be either the Citroen Traction Avant Commerciale or the Austin A40 Countryman. It was however a highly unconventional car that found middle ground between a saloon and an estate car. A large rear hatch and fold-flat rear seat made it a useful tool for reps or family holidays. In 1965 that was remarkable and it took until the Austin Maxi in 1969 to get competition in its own class, and the Maxi was not successful outside the UK. There were more clever bits: the longitudinal engine was placed behind the gearbox which put the weight well back and reduced nose-heaviness (and unfortunately made maintenance difficult). The steering column gear shifter, a 1950s heirloom, was intended to keep the floor as empty as possible to get a sense of space in the cabin. The rear torsion bars were made longer to increase suspension travel for a suppler ride, and they were so long that they had to be installed staggered in order to fit under the car. Therefore the 16 has a 70 mm wheelbase difference left to right. The 16 became a huge success for Renault, selling over 1.8 million between 1965 and 1980 (its predecessor, the Frégate, didn’t even manage 10%). It was also assembled in Canada and sold on the US market as the Renault 16 sedan-wagon. The 16 continued in production for 5 years after the introduction of its successor the 20. The very nice Ixo model portrays an early example with the metal grill (a 1974 facelift introduced a black plastic grill) and kite-shaped rear lights. I wanted a model of the 16, which somehow had never been on my wish list before and the colours of the Maxichamps reissues didn't look right to me. This one does, and it's a pretty nice model to boot. Now I want the ultimate 16, a late-model TX with the quad headlights
Ixo – Renault 16
When Audi were celebrating their streak of Le Mans wins, they sponsored the event significantly too. This included an R8 safety car and a TT race control vehicle. I had collected those two earlier, and this was offered as a used model for little money by one of my contacts. I felt that it would look good together with the other two, so here's the 2010 Audi Q5 Le Mans fire safety car
Schuco – Audi Q5 Le Mans fire safety car
The ultimate air-cooled Volkswagen was the 411/412 series with a larger body that replaced the 1500/1600. While a very pleasant, roomy and quick car (available with a 1.7 or 1.8 litre engine) it really was a case of too little, too late and sales never took off. Overall less than 370,000 cars were produced in six years' time, just slightly over the number of Rekords that competitor Opel made every year. There are very few of these left and I haven't seen one on the streets in decades. I really wanted a model of this car and MC's version has been sold out for years. Luckily the Atlas Volkswagen PW came to the rescue with an excellent recreation of this car in a nice period colour
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen 411
In the history of cars Citroen takes pride of place in a list of significant models with at least three cars: the 2CV, the DS and the Traction Avant. The latter two were significant because they adopted cutting-edge tech for mass production. In the case of the Traction Avant both had been used before, but not on such a large scale: front wheel drive and unibody construction. The latter made the car lighter and lower, the former made it easier to make and roomier inside because there was no need for a propshaft tunnel and a large rear diff, both of which encroached on interior room. The TA also used hydraulic brakes in mass production, which was novel in 1934. Citroen tore down their old plant and built a new one to gear up for production in record time but once they were at full steam, WWII intervened. The plant was bombarded and, though production continued, the numbers were obviously down. Meanwhile, the TA had become a favourite of the German Wehrmacht, the French resistance and of gangs of bank robbers for use as getaway cars. After the war, production continued and the TA was sold in a bewildering array of versions until 1957, when the model had become decidedly long in the tooth. It was succeeded by the aforementioned DS. Though the TA was sold in a number of colours, the basic cars in old footage were always black. My model had to be black too, and it replaces a Solido Age d'Or that I bought in the mid-1970s after saving for what felt like an eternity. It was in the local toy store and I was hoping that nobody else would buy it before I had the money. I still recall that it cost 19.95 guilders which was a lot of money for me then, but totally worth it. The model was never really played with and remained a treasured possession. It was one of the few models that I put in my display when I started collecting in 1985. It has escaped the purges for sentimental reasons but its place in my display has now been taken by this really nice Odeon model of the basic four-door short boot short-wheelbase car. Ixo has really nailed it with the Odeon range, let’s hope they'll continue to expand it
Odeon – Citroen Traction Avant
The Bel Air was a staple of the US Chevrolet range for decades and the most iconic has to be the ’56-’57 model. Strangely, there are few models of this car in 1:43. The Neo does not have proper chrome and I did not like the yellow/white colour combo on it. For now I'm making do with the ’55 from Vitesse which is a pretty nice model in good colours. This convertible shows the nice interior off well
Vitesse – Chevrolet Bel Air
(Left front tyre has now been refitted)
From large Americana to a small French car... The Peugeot 104 was introduced in 1972 and while it looked like a five-door hatch it was really a four-door with a short boot lid. It featured fully independent suspension which was usually seen only on larger cars. In 1976 the 104 was facelifted and finally got a hatchback version as an option. That year also marked the introduction of the 104Z, a shorter wheelbase three-door coupé-like version. The Z would later be the base for the Citroen LN/LNA (fitted with air-cooled boxer twins like the 2CV instead of the 104's water-cooled inline four) and with a longer wheelbase become the Talbot Samba. I've always liked the sporty looks (performance was more leisurely though) of the 104Z so I didn’t need much convincing to add this nice Norev model
Norev - Peugeot 104ZS
I wanted to have scale models of at least the first three generations of the Ford Escort in my collection. The Solido model that I'd bought in the 1970s was no longer up to the task and found a new owner, with this Maxichamps as a great replacement. Orange was incredibly popular on the Escort in the mid-1970s so this was a natural choice. It's a good model of the basic Escort, I will add a more powerful version (RS200?) and maybe a rally car later
Maxichamps - Ford Escort mk.2
In the 1970s and ‘80s, Norev had a budget line called Jet Cars de Norev. They featured less detail than the regular Norevs and had generic ‘speedwheels’. This line was recently resurrected with all-new castings. Costing less than EUR 10, they're bargains on the 1:43 scene and this time the wheels won't let them down. The cost savings have been made on packaging, the moulded-in mirrors and wipers and basic interiors. Despite that the models looked pretty decent in pictures so I got one to assess, as it's hard to go wrong at the price. Basic wipers and mirrors notwithstanding, this is excellent. It's a G60 version, with the G-lader compressor and the large bumpers. I love the colour, the black wheelarches are done really neatly (better than MC's effort!), the badging is nice, the red line on the grill and the front indicators are spot on but the BBS wheels are easily its best feature. They're incredibly nicely made and in retrospect I would buy this model for the wheels alone. A dab of black and silver on the mirrors, black on the window seals and the wipers or a wiper transplant from another model will transform this into a very nice piece for the collection. It does not stand out as a cheap model in my display. Not a lot of choices if you want a 1:43 G60, so this might appeal to any completist Volkswagen nut
Jet Car de Norev – Volkswagen Golf mk.2 GTI G60
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 20, 2022 13:04:19 GMT -5
I don't collect trucks as a theme because they take up so much space, and this came with a trailer too. But that trailer is the reason for its inclusion in my collection because the firm is local (imagine a huge Chinese diecast maker deciding that the model they want to make is one that you saw everywhere in your youth, my high school was close to their base). The firm has moved to Zeewolde in the polder in recent years. If you want to expand and go into warehousing, it's a good idea to find a place where it's affordable to buy a couple of hectares, instead of mucking about in the overcrowded centre of the country. The Scania 141 tractor unit is another of those 1970s trucks that were everywhere for the next 30 years. I really like this model, but had to do a lot of mulling before I actually got it because it just takes up so much space. Glad that I finally bit the bullet though.
Ixo – Scania 141 ‘Wolter Koops'
Well, there are a couple of new models still coming in one by one but the backlog is gone. Good, because I'd be considering another cull otherwise. So because I like messing around with photography and I have plenty of older purchases that I've shown previously I've started reshooting some that looked bad in my older pictures. You've seen these before, but I like them enough to do another session
AutoArt Jaguar XJ8
Lighting from above only vs above + frontal fill-in
Norev - Audi 200
Yatming has a somewhat checquered reputation when it comes to the quality of their products. When I first saw this I didn't think it was a typical YM model as scale, proportions and finish all seem to be a cut above their usual stuff. The only negative point I'd note that the windscreen trim and wipers are on the crude side. Otherwise it's very nice, exactly as I remember the car that used to be in my neighbourhood in the 1970s
Yatming - Mercury Marauder
Both the Mercury and the Studebaker were used models, bought from someone who disliked cleaning them. They needed a lengthy soak before they were even remotely presentable and the Studebaker needed complete disassembly.
Franklin Mint has a nostalgic ring for me. In the 1980s they issued a series of highly detailed American classics in 1:43 that you could buy directly from FM only and which, together with a classy wooden display, formed an impressive collection of models. I've forgotten the prices but I recall calculating that it would take me over a year to save up for even one model. They had full opening features and detailed engines and chassis, unheard of at the time. That definitely set them apart from the toys or the Brumms and Rios that were the 'serious' models of the time. I recall having the FM leaflet for years and looking at it from time to time. Of course, a 20 euro Ixo looks a lot better nowadays. No opening doors with the resulting panel gaps, no opening bonnets that would not stay open anyway. It took me decades to find my first FM and it was cheap by then, but had also lost some of its allure over time. However, I have a soft spot for the Raymond Loewy Studebakers and it seems like a decent representation of the shape (although... is the front end drooping slightly?). Now I just need an Avanti to have all my favourite Studebakers together. I've since acquired an early Thunderbird by FM too, so I guess I still have a soft spot for these old models
Franklin Mint - Studebaker Starlight
...and on with the reposts of older models.
The first Fiat Panda was a reinvention of the 500 in its essence: minimal motoring for four and some luggage. Front-mounted engine and FWD make this a more practical package, the glass was flat to keep costs down and the interior was very basic indeed, with hammock-style seats that were easy to take out if you cared for a roadside picnic or needed to move house. Those seats were actually very uncomfortable- I still recall the steel bar pressing on my shoulder blades and the utter lack of support. Leaf springs in the rear were quite outdated too. However, its practicality and frugality made it a great first car for younger, new drivers. As is often the case with basic cars, the Panda had a long life span. Introduced in 1980 and facelifted in 1986, it went on until 2004 when the completely new Panda was introduced.
I wanted a model of the first Panda but had missed out on the MC and Brumm issues (Brumm even did a cool 2-model set featuring a camouflaged prototype and a production version). Luckily I found this very nice PW version made by Norev. It captures the simple shape of the car well and it's nicely finished
Norev - Fiat Panda
There are a few transporters in my collection, and in recent years I've added a couple of trucks that I have an attachment to. The DAF A1600 tops that list. This early-1960s truck was everywhere in The Netherlands, some made it into this century even. Fire engines generally make few miles and always live indoor so they last longer, I wouldn't be surprised if some are still in use in smaller towns. When Yatming released their model of the A1600 they chose a fire engine as a natural subject. I love this model, great quality for a very low price and if there will ever be another A1600 model I will be very tempted
Yatming - DAF A1600
When I was in college in the 1980s, boring days were the norm. Several subjects were taught at a level too low for my tastes so I spent a lot of time looking out the window. Luckily the building was on a busy street with lots of passing cars. Many of those were of the boring modern kind (in the '80s... how I would love to see them now) but one stood out. It was a low, sleek Lotus Europa in JPS black and gold, the best colours for this car. The Europa was rare here even in the '70s, I don't think I've seen more than a handful over the years. When I was offered this Europa model secondhand for a very attractive price I didn't hesitate
Kyosho - Lotus Europa
Another low and sleek car and another Kyosho model. I don't think I've ever seen one of these outside car shows and museums, last one was in the Louwman when RT and I visited. We spent some time looking at it and I love the shape, the nice and unconventional solutions for some design problems (like the pop-up headlights and the main beams for signalling in the nose). Somehow all design decisions seem to work well together and it's a coherent shape. Was it inspired by the E-type? Maybe the basic shape took some inspiration from the E, but there are enough original touches to make it a legitimate model instead of a knockoff. Road & Track preferred it over a 911, nowadays the 2000 GT is widely regarded as the first Japanese supercar and good examples sell for more than a million euros.
The model was very nicely done by Kyosho, a great alternative for expensive handbuilts like the Mark43. I like this a lot, it's in my living room display and gets looked at regularly
Kyosho - Toyota 2000 GT
Though I like their cars, for some reason Fords seem to to find their way into my collection slowly. The Maxichamps series has helped hike up the numbers but it's usually one at a time. When I think of the Capri it's always the mk.1 or mk.3 that comes to mind, in fact I still don't have a model of the mk.2. The mk.3 is represented by this Ixo which I'm told is not the most accurate model, but it's how I recall the car. Dark brown metallic is a good '80s colour and I like the ducktail spoiler. I also like the thin red coachline, another '80s fad. I think it was from some PW but I'm not sure which one
Ixo - Ford Capri mk.3
The Rover P4 was a fairly innovative car for its time with the use of aluminium for body panels. The 'suicide' rear doors were a novel idea too. Inside it was traditional wood and leather, and the car was dubbed 'Auntie Rover' by the public. Styling leaned on the 1947 Studebaker and was adapted over the years, the model was introduced in 1949 and lived until 1964 with a makeover in late 1954 giving it a larger boot and rear window and doing away with the central 'cyclops' single driving light. This Cararama model is fairly simple but it captures the real thing (a post-1954 model) fairly well. The wipers are not cast in, it's the basic wheels and the absence of highlighted brightwork that let it down somewhat but for EUR 5 I can't -and won't- complain. Maybe I'll replace this with a more expensive model (Vanguards or even a Lansdowne) someday, but those are hard to find here and there's no real hurry on my part
Cararama - Rover 100 P4
When I was young I had a poster of a red Matra Simca Rancho splashing through mud on the wall of my bedroom. I wasn't aware at the time that the car wasn't a real offroader with its FWD and road car suspension, I just thought it looked cool.
The Rancho wasn't a common car, it was fairly expensive and the Dutch are usually sober people when it comes to buying cars (or at least they were in those days). It had lots of black plastic on the lower body and wheelarches, it came with a cool roof rack and with spotlights. Never mind that it was basically a Simca 1100 van with a hacked-off rear body and a shed grafted on. I think the last one I saw was a couple of years ago, a matt beige Grand Raid with the spare wheel.
The Rancho was built by Matra between 1977 and '84 and powered by a 1442 cc powerhouse that put out all of 80 hp- another reason why the Rancho was useless as an offroader. Perhaps this could be classified as the first crossover? Interestingly Matra developed another revolutionary car as the successor to the Rancho, but PSA (Peugeot/Citroen/Simca) was strapped for cash and couldn't build it. The design was sold to Renault instead where it became the Espace. Nowadays, the Rancho is mostly know for its willingness to rust between all the joins of the grafted-on plastic bits as well as the usual Simca 1100 underbody rust. The model, despite being a PW, looks great. I also like the fact that it has a tow bar
Ixo PW - Matra Simca Rancho
Rancho vs. Simca 1100
A while ago I showed you my subcollection around the theme of the General Motors T-platform. For some reason I didn't photograph the Vauxhall Chevette and I put it away with the rest awaiting a reshuffle of my displays (I've now sold over 1000 models from my old collection and the displays are quite empty, but I've decided to hold off putting my new models in place until I've added glass shelves and done a count so that I can now make a proper plan instead of running out of room and rearranging all the time). I forgot about the Chevette for a while, unpacked it last week and took pictures. For the history of the Chevette I refer to my thread on the T-platform. I will add that, though I'm happy that I have a model of the car, it's by far the least accurate in the series and it baffles me that no manufacturer like Vanguards has attempted a better version yet. I would love a two- or four-door saloon also. To my knowledge this casting was made for the Polish Cars PW, though it featured in the Opel Collection later. My main criticism is the lack of crispness in the casting, the clumsy and too-heavy wheelarches and the too low stance at the front (which is hard to rectify). However, it's better to have a mediocre model than none at all
Altaya PW - Vauxhall Chevette
Every now and then a new model trickles in. I'm slowly adding models from the Volkswagen Collection PW, because they're excellent value and quite nicely made.
Next installment is a joint production of Volkswagen and Porsche, intended to sell through both dealer networks. This would ensure maximum sales as well as a sporty model to enhance the somewhat utilitarian Volkswagen image and a low-end volume model to increase Porsche sales, because the 4-cylinder 912 was still on the expensive side. The 914 was introduced in 1969 and featured a mid-mounted 1.7-litre Volkswagen boxer with 80 hp. That does not sound like a lot but in the 1970s cars were a lot lighter and 80 hp, a low centre of gravity and great front/rear weight distribution made the 914 a lot of fun to drive and 177 km/h was pretty sporty in those days. The targa roof made the 914 even more enjoyable as a sports car. Porsche dealers got a 6-cylinder 2.0 that put out 110 hp and that enabled the 914/6 to do 201 km/h. After 115,000 were built, 914 production ended in 1976 to make room for the 924, another Wolfsburg/Stuttgart co-production. Nowadays the 914 is quite rare in everyday traffic, though there are active clubs in several countries and many 914s have been lovingly restored. Dry states in the US have yielded lots of rust-free US imports here and when you do see a 914 it's about 50% likely to be a US-spec car. Values have gone up in recent years and after decades of being ignored, the 914 is now a proper classic. This very nice model represents the basic 1.7 as sold through Volkswagen dealerships, recognisable by the Beetle wheels with chrome wheel trims. Porsche versions usually featured either more sporty steel wheels or alloys
Volkswagen Collection PW - Volkswagen-Porsche 914/4
The Variant moniker, which came to be a household name for anything estate-like for Volkswagen, started with this. It was one of the three body shapes they came up with as more upmarket cars than the Beetle, though still equipped with the evergreen rear-mounted flat-four powerplant. All these were called the Type 3. The Variant had its concept hindered by the rear-mounted engine because it limited loading height, but it was undoubtedly the most practical of the three (the other two being a fastback and a notchback). The limited loading height in the rear was offset by a sizeable front luggage space which for weight distribution reasons you'd be advised to use fully. The Type 3 models were built between 1961 and 1973 and in all more than 2.5 million were sold. The Type 3 Variant was sold as a Notchback in the US. While Beetles are still comparatively common, it's been years since I spotted my last Type 3. The model shows an early car, pre-1970, with the slim bumpers. Another Volkswagen Collection model that I like a lot
Volkswagen Collection PW - Volkswagen Variant
When is the limited edition supersports version of a car uncool? When it's based on the Volkswagen New Beetle.
The New Beetle was the production version of the Concept 1, a retro-design model inspired by the classic Type 1 ‘Beetle'. To save money it was based on the front-engined FWD platform of the mk.4 Golf which made the driving experience nothing like the old Beetle -for the better, some say. It was introduced in 1997 and the 1:1 has a rather limited appeal (mostly to female drivers) so secondhand prices are now very reasonable. There is only one exception to the rule: the New Beetle RSi (no relation to carpal tunnel syndrome), the flagship of the range based on the New Beetle Cup racers. No puny 4-cylinder engine for the RSi, but a 3.2-litre VR6 and 4Motion AWD through a 6-speed manual ‘box. The 221 hp output wasn't that special (at least it isn't now) but the second-fastest New Beetle only made it to 150 hp. The exterior featured a rather eye-catching rear spoiler, fatter bumpers, big OZ wheels and a twin-pipe Remus exhaust which barely muted the VR6es bark. The interior was equally eye-catching with Recaro bucket seats upholstered in bright orange leather, and lots of milled aluminium and carbon fibre. Only 250 were made between ’01 and ‘03 and a good example fetches half a million euros nowadays. If you manage to find one, that is. The only one I've ever seen at large was in Amsterdam about 15 years ago, parked on a busy street, languishing under a tree and covered in tree sap and leaves. Unfortunately I don't have the pictures I took anymore. The RSi was modelled in 1:43 by Vitesse and AutoArt but by the time that I became interested they'd all gone. Luckily the Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW filled the gap in my collection with this nicely made model. Perhaps I‘ll find an AA someday, if not I'm perfectly happy with this
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen New Beetle RSi
However well-respected Volkswagen might be today, you cannot deny the rather unsavoury origins of the marque. Conceived by a certain A. Hitler as the ‘peoples car', the nazis introduced a system where you could buy a stamp every month and stick them on a card, and when the card was full you could exchange it for a car, as a basic savings plan. The promised cars never materialised, the money was invested instead in the war effort making Beetle-based military cars like the Kübelwagen all-terrain vehicle and the Schwimmwagen amphibious car. The Beetle passenger cars that were produced all went to the army too, including a rather crude four-seater convertible Wehrmacht staff car built by Hebmüller (later known for their very desirable two-seater convertibles). After WW2, the Volkswagen factory was under British control, led by Major Ivan Hirst. In the war-ravaged buildings he managed to get production going again, so that not only the German people but also the export markets could be supplied with Beetles, earning money for the country to help rebuild it. The British forces who joint controlled the western sector needed transport too, so the familiar Hebmüller staff car was put into production again. The rest, as they say, is history. This model portrays the post-war British staff car, without the wartime blackout covers over the lights and in English rather than German army colours. It has canvas ‘doors' and a very utilitarian canvas roof. The model was made by Atlas for the Volkswagen Collection PW and while the canvas doors could've been done more delicately it's a decent model depicting a time of reinvention and struggle that led to what is now a huge car maker
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen Beetle Hebmüller
Back to old models reshot. I've had this for a long time as it's been one of my favourites since there was one parked near the body shop of a local car dealership. I loved looking at the car that was rusting away under a tarp, as a kid I enjoyed looking at old and new cars and cars being repaired. The pale blue coupé being forgotten and left in a corner left an impression, I guess. The model might be a humble Solido issue of the Giulietta Sprint, but it's leaving only to be exchanged for a pale blue Minichamps if I ever find one
Solido - Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint
Only 19 of these beauties, designed by Ercole Spada, were built in the 1960s by Carrozzeria Zagato. Strangely, though it's now considered to be one of the most beautiful cars ever, the projected run of 25 was never sold. There was a Sanction 2 in 1987 (4 more cars) and a Sanction 3 in 2000-'01 (2 more cars). A few diecast makers have taken a stab at the DB4GT Zagato, but apparently it's hard to capture correctly. The Vitesse is a simple model but pretty accurate, apart from the strange tinted windows. The wire wheels are its best feature. This was one of a batch of secondhand models that I got unboxed. I would exchange for one in green and without the tinted glass but for now I'm pretty happy
Vitesse - Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
What a shame that our resident lover of red cars has been absent for so long, he would like this a lot as it's a model of his first car if I'm not mistaken. In 1976, the two-door Fiat 128SL coupé was succeeded by the more practical 128 3P. The Car of the year 1970 was now available as a two-door and four-door saloon, a three-door estate and a three-door coupé. The 3P always had a more sporting image inside and out with more upmarket trim and sportier seats. Alas, like most cars of the 1970s and particularly Italian cars, these were not well-protected against the tinworm and most disappeared before they were 10 years old. Nowadays they're quite rare, I've last seen one on the street about seven years ago. The model was on my wish list for a long time but I was looking for a mainstream issue. Instead I had to make do with this one from the Polish Cars PW, which is a little unrefined. Would move this on for a more detailed version, and I'd also love to have the older 128SL to accompany it
Polish Cars PW - Fiat 128 3P
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 20, 2022 13:34:43 GMT -5
Born under a bad constellation, the 1970s British Leyland empire, affected by strikes and indifferent quality control. Never mind that some engineer had the supremely weird idea not to fit a round steering wheel, because that shape had served us so well and would be an obvious choice. No, let's do a rounded-off square shape that some genius named 'quartic' instead. The public, which did not take to the Allegro's shape right away, stopped buying them altogether until BL retrofitted a boring round version. When the Allegro was introduced in 1973 it replaced the popular 1100/1300 range. It didn't help that the marketing geniuses at BL decided that contrary to the competition the Allegro would be fitted with a conventional bootlid instead of the popular hatchback- that would be available on the Maxi only. Quality control or lack of it gave it the nickname 'All aggro' and after only 10 years and no more than 640,000 cars it was succeeded by the Maestro. I love underdogs and cars with a back story, so this early Allegro in a typical colour was very welcome here. If I ever find one in a different trim level and colour (perhaps a 1500 Vandenplas) it will be added pronto. Vanguards did a great job on the model
Vanguards - Austin Allegro
The Renault Caravelle and Floride were coupé and convertible bodies based on the platform of the Dauphine, including its rear-mounted 35 hp 845 cc engine. All show and no go. Amédée Gordini extracted 40 hp from the unit, then a switch to the 1108 cc engine from the Renault 8 brought 55 hp. All in all, 117,000 were made between 1958 and 1968. It's claimed that the design of the MGB was inspired by the Floride, and there are some similarities. The model is from the Atlas 'Classic sportscars' PW and it's quite decent given the sub-EUR 10 price tag. The proportions were captured well and the chromework contrasts nicely with the shiny deep blue paintwork (a bit too thick in places though) and red upholstery. All in all I'm happy with this
Atlas Classic sportscars PW - Renault Floride
Made between 1998 and 2005, the Lupo was intended to round off Volkswagen's model range downward. It fitted in beneath the Polo and introduced the 3-cylinder engines. The Lupo was available as a 3L version, but that stood for the fuel consumption and not a 3.0 engine. The 1.2 TDI engine coupled to an efficient auto 'box, some aerodynamic features and lots of expensive magnesium in the suspension and interior helped it attain a very low 3 litres/100 km (94 MPG UK, 78.4 MPG US). The other end of the range was a quick GTI with a 1.6 16V. A more conservatively styled alternative was the otherwise identical Seat Arosa, which lacked the GTI and 3L versions. Costs of developing and making the Lupo and Arosa were never recouped and scared Volkswagen so much that when it came to replacing them they started importing the Brazilian-made Fox instead. The Fox, while a good and reliable car, was a lot more downmarket than the rather chic technology leader that was the Lupo so as a consequence it did not appeal to the same demographic. Almost 488,000 Lupos were made. I hoped that for the Volkswagen Collection PW they'd do either the 3L or the GTI, but instead they went for this mid-range version in Kermit green. Still pretty nice
Volkswagen Collection PW - Volkswagen Lupo
In 1959 Daimler introduced the SP250 sports car. It was supposed to be called Dart, but Dodge owned the rights to that name. It was fitted with their own new 2.5 litre V8 engine and had a fibreglass body on a chassis based on that of the Triumph TR3. The gearbox was reverse engineered from a Triumph unit too. The first cars (known as A-spec) had a terribly flexible chassis which caused doors to open at full speed sometimes. In 1960 Jaguar acquired Daimler and fixed the chassis flex. The 2.5 V8 was transplanted in the Jaguar mk.2 body shell to make the Daimler V8 250, the best-selling Daimler ever. The SP250 meanwhile was intended to sell 3,000 per annum (mostly to the US, they predicted) but when it was discontinued in 1964 only 2,654 had been built. Jaguar's revised design with cleaner styling was never introduced because it was thought to compete with the E-type, whilst being more expensive to build. The SP250 was popular as a police pursuit car, especially after the M1 motorway was opened. Not only the UK police used these, but the Australian and New Zealand forces did so too. The looks of the SP250 grow on you: it looks a little awkward with the 1950s fins and bulbous nose, but at least it's a friendly look. The steel wheel trims are unusual for a sports car too. The model is from the Atlas Classic sportscars PW and might be Norev-sourced. I like it a lot, it manages to capture the car well and detailing is more than decent for a PW (separate door handles and bonnet hinges are unusual in this price range)
Atlas Classic Sportscars PW - Daimler SP250
For the history of this model I refer you to my earlier entry when I grabbed a secondhand Neo version, hitherto the only 1:43 of this car and somewhat flawed in several aspects. That is, until I was notified that Atlas did one too for the Volkswagen Collection PW, weirdly in the same colour as my Neo but much more accurate. There's a difference between the Neo and the Atlas is that the latter features the cover that was sold on most 1:1 Caddies here, which makes it very recognisable but less obviously a pick-up (and sadly not removable without damage) . I might trade the Neo now, or display it back to front next to the Atlas. After the Volvo 262C this is the second Neo replaced by a PW in my collection
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW - Volkswagen Caddy
And the Neo
Back in time again with another older acquisition. The Austin FX4 taxi was made from 1958 to 1997. It was commissioned from Austin by taxi dealership Mann & Overton and the bodies were built by Carbodies. In 1982 Carbodies took over altogether and built the FX4 until 1984 when London Taxis International continued production. Famous feature of the FX4 was its Ackermann steering which gave it an impressively tight turning circle of only 7.6 m (25 ft), useful in narrow London streets. The FX4 is quite a basic utilitarian vehicle and a shape that's recognised the world over, as iconic as the Checker Marathon in the US. I got this in a job lot with quite a few others and it was packaged as a Schuco Junior. Their range consists of products from other manufacturers usually with the maker's info still underneath. This was originally a Welly and one of their better products with no opening features, good proportions and separate wipers. It looks good in my collection, I will compare it to my 007 Collection version later
Schuco Junior - Austin FX4
Several cars are overrepresented in my collection. I have a ton of Volkswagen Beetles and Golfs, Morris Minors and Citroen 2CVs. Yet when another one crops up, I seem to be unable to resist it. I've managed to scrape together a sort of theme for my 2CVs with the locally-built variations on the theme. Some, like the Chilean 'saloon' version, are immediately recognisable as the oddball that they are, some are less obvious. This goes in the latter category. Local production usually existed for one of two reasons: because the requirements for the local market were too complex to implement or to avoid import tax. The tax reason inspired Belgian production in Voorst, which thanks to the Benelux trade zone was source for the Netherlands too. From 1957 to 1978, the 2CV was assembled from CKD kits transported over land from Paris. It wasn't just a 1:1 copy though, as the Belgians saw a market for improvements that could be sold at a premium. More bright trim, more paint colours, larger bootlid, chrome bumpers, the third side window (introduced in Belgium years before France followed suit), the 602 cc engine, windscreen washers... for the 2CV aficionado there were lots of ways to recognise the Voorst cars. In later years, the Belgian cars were basically copies of the French versions and in 1978 local production was no longer financially viable. The Voorst plant shut down in 1980. I saw my first 1:1 Voorst car at the Concours d'Elegance here in 2019, alas very few of them remain.
This model from the AutoPlus 2CV PW (perhaps the most original, high-quality PW 2CV collection ever with lots of unique castings) represents a 'luxury' 1950s Voorst car. Most French cars did not have chrome wheel trims, none had the larger bootlid that extends down to the bumper, the larger trapezoid rear screen... most obvious however might be the rear lights (mounted on a panel below the bootlid on French cars) that were moved to the rear wings. I'd say that was a pretty good way to make them more vulnerable. For those of you still awake I've added pictures of a French version to compare them. The model was bought from a Chinese vendor who managed to get it to me undamaged in a shorter time than it took some shipments from Germany to get here. Like most ultra-cheap Chinese offers this is a QC reject, but I managed to correct most issues easily
AutoPlus 2CV Collection PW - Citroen 2CV 'Voorst'
And a slightly later French car to compare
Another model that's been in my collection for a few years, and one of the superb AutoArt 1:43s that were deeply discounted for years. In fact they were such a fixture at the swapmeets that there was always something else that took precedence... until suddenly the AAs ran out. Luckily this was dug up from a dusty corner of someone's stock for the old discounted price and I was very happy. It's one of those models that is hard to put down once you pick it up, there are lots of details to look at and there's quality everywhere. The yellow version (S143's Gulliver) is very nice, but for me the Esprit has to be either '007 white' or classic JPS black and gold. Reshooting this was a fun job, I love to handle the model and to look at it from every angle. My Lotus collection needs expanding and upgrading, but this will stay
AutoArt - Lotus Esprit Turbo
The stuff I'd ordered from China after Christmas arrived within 10 days. Among everything was one single model, which I found for a great price and for once it isn't even a QC reject. The post-war 'export or die' slogan was picked up by the car industry too, and at the 1948 Motorshow Austin came up with the A90 Atlantic. Likely styled by Dick Burzi and aimed squarely at the US market, the Atlantic was available as a convertible (with hydraulically-operated soft top and windows) and a coupé. Its design might've been influenced by a Pininfarina-styled Alfa that was running around Longbridge (the model that David MG showed us recently?) but the chrome was Pontiac-inspired and if you squint enough you might see some 1949 Mercury. A lovely piece of baroque styling. Between 1949 and 1952 almost 8000 were made, with over half sold abroad. Its 2.7 4-cylinder engine didn't fare well against the V8s in the US. I think I was first alerted to the existence of the model by another of David MG's posts and I really wanted it. However, even after a couple of years none of my trade contacts was able to source one. Imagine my surprise when aliexpress burped up this single model for an irresistible price. It really is a quality piece that I'm very happy to have in the collection
PremiumX - Austin A90 Atlantic convertible
Delivered at the same time was my new lightbox. At about 18"/40 cm cubed this is a much more practical solution to shooting diecast pictures. Even small group shots are now possible, for just over EUR 15
I need to do more photography, but time is scarce and I'm too tired to give it the attention it deserves. Luckily, there are some older models that I reshot still left to show. The Fiat 600 was the 500's larger brother and intended as a family car, though its interior offered barely more room than the 500's. It had a steel roof instead of the 500's canvas. Built between 1955 and 1969, it was survived by the Spanish Seat 600 and the Yugoslav Zastava 750, the latter making it to 1985 even. After Italian production ran out, the Seat 600 was sold here under the Fiat label until it was replaced by the 126 in 1974. There was an early attempt at an MPV (the 600 Multipla) and a 600T van too. This basic Solido model depicts an early car, identifiable by the 'suicide' doors and the small headlights. Later versions had front-hinged doors and protruding headlight bezels allowing for slightly larger light units. It's a very basic older model, but the real car is basic too. The shape is well-captured with the overly large wheel trims as my only dislike. I might replace the model for that error someday but it's been in my collection for years and otherwise it's quite nice
Solido - Fiat 600
Yes, I have a bunch of mk.1 Golfs. I always wanted a very early RHD Vanguards mk.1 but so far I've been unable to locate one. However, when this final version (plastic bumpers, large rear lights) of the mk.1 GTI was offered I snapped it up because a dark green metallic (Lhasagrün) GTI looks great IMO, especially on 'tarantula' alloys. I'll see if I can assemble all my mk.1s sometime for a group shot
Vanguards - Golf mk.1 GTI
The BMW 5-series of the E12 model range was introduced in 1972 and followed in the footsteps of the E3 2500/2800 'New Class' models. It managed to modernise the lines of the E3 while still remaining essentially the same shape. It was powered by 4-cylinder engines at first, the 6-cylinder versions came a year later and by the E12's demise in 1981 there were 6-cylinder cars only. The E12 was designed by Paul Bracq and the first BMW model to be engineered with the aid of computers, the first BMW that featured crumple zones and rollover protection in the roof. The base engine was a carburetted 1.8, next step up was a 2.0, there was an injected 2.0 and '77-on models got a 6-cylinder 2.0, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0 or even a 3.5. Minichamps modelled the most popular 520 and they did a great job. Apparently BMW AG insists on opening bonnets for all their models (which means that this was a factory-commissioned model) and MC made it fit very well indeed (the clamshell bonnet of the E12 is luckily easier to make with good panel gaps). Unfortunately the bonnet does not open more than a small crack- I fail to see the value in that. As most classic BMW models by MC do, the initial run sold very well and the original models are now expensive and hard to find. For collectors like me who missed out, there was a Maxichamps reissue and subsequently another Minichamps version in different colours. The Maxichamps came in silver, yellow and bright metallic green (which I love), the new Minichamps in bright green and pale blue metallic. After some soul searching and looking at pictures I went for the blue version over the metallic green and I'm not disappointed. It's a fantastic model. It would look even better with a dark blue or brown interior though, so I might have a go at upgrading it. Not as though version 3.0 will for some reason become scarce or valuable in the near future. The paint in my pictures looks like the metallic particles are too coarse, a result of going overboard with sharpening in processing
Minichamps - BMW 520
Yes, I have more than enough G-type 911s in 1:43. I also have three or four of the somewhat awkward-looking Speedster, so I'm breaking my resolution to add no more duplicates to my collection already. Will have to rectify this by selling off the duplicate models. The M503 package was intended as a continuation of the 356 Speedster, a simpler version of the 356 intended to improve dwindling US sales. A basic soft top and lower windscreen, removable to enable you to take your car racing, were the main points that differed from the basic 356. In 1989 Porsche decided to repeat that trick, when US sales were once more in decline. The Speedster design was 6 years old already when it was introduced. Available with the Carrera 3.2's 231 hp engine in narrow and wide-body configuration. Only 171 people chose the narrow version, which makes the narrow cars very valuable these days. The model depicts the wide-body version in Guards Red (Indischrot)
Maxichamps - Porsche 911 Speedster
I've shown this before, but it's changed colour. A friend of mine told me his new company car is an ID.3 and that he had a model of it, but in the wrong colour. His was white and the model he had was blue, would I know where to find a white model? Yes, I have one and would not mind doing a swap for his blue model. So he now has a white dealer edition and I have the regular 'hobby' edition. Much better IMO. Not an exciting shape, but at least it now has the colour to speak for it
Norev - Volkswagen ID.3
There are a few Volkswagen models in this batch, I don't think anyone will be shocked. Next up is another reissue in the Maxichamps range but interestingly I don't think this was ever released as a Minichamps. The five-door version of the mk.2 Golf GTI wasn't as popular as the three-door, people considered a five-door a family car and not as sporting as a three-door. Minichamps did the five-door as an ADAC breakdown assistance car but never as a GTI. Might be a first for Maxichamps. This model was released in white and black, and my recently-added Ixo GTI was white so I decided to break my 'no black models' rule for the sake of variety. It looks pretty good in black anyway, but I would prefer a different colour that would make the matt black GTI trim stand out more. Thanks to my new lightbox I can now at least take decent pictures of it. My main criticism is the lack of a black surround around the wheel bolts, but that could be fixed with a steady hand and a fine brush
Maxichamps - Volkswagen Golf GTI
The Tatraplan was designed as Tatra's first post-war car by Hans Ledwinka. It took a while to go into production as after the first cars had been made, the government mandated that Tatra concentrate on making trucks. Production was therefore moved to the Skoda plant in Mlada Boleslav, which did not work out well. Volumes were low as was quality because the Skoda plant wanted to concentrate on building their own new Skoda 1200. Tatra decided not to risk losing their reputation so the Tatraplan was not advertised aggressively. When production eventually got going, the T600 was hindered by its high price (about 2.5 Volkswagen Beetles here in Holland), its reputation for dangerous handling (it was rear-engined and tended to swap ends inadvertently when not driven carefully) and the growing number of different cars on the road. Production stopped in 1952. I really wanted a model of a 'dorsal fin' Tatra, and for me this had to be black. All the Tatras I've seen in old movies are black and most of the cars I've seen in museums and at shows over the years were black. It suits the reputation of Tatra as a car for Czech army officers and government officials. This recent release by Ixo pushes every button for me and I wanted it as soon as it was announced. It does not disappoint
Ixo - Tatra T600 Tatraplan
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 20, 2022 13:51:11 GMT -5
Until recently, we had Schuco and Premium Classixxs for old Volkswagen vans. Great, but unless they were being discounted neither was really affordable. Luckily Ixo is jumping in here too, with a couple of fab support vans for the price of a Maxichamps. Hard to beat. I love the Rothmans livery, and there are lots of cars that can be paired with this support van. However, this was a timely arrival for me as it solidified my plans for getting the accompanying rally car. It's a really nice release by Ixo, who for some reason have gotten around the tobacco advertising laws
Ixo - Volkswagen LT 35 'Rothmans'
I don't want unaccompanied service barges in my collection, I want a matched pairing. So every service vehicle needs at least one race or rally car in the correct livery to accompany it. My fellow countryman John Bosch competed in Rothmans-liveried Audi quattros in the 1980s and I've wanted a 1:43 of one of those cars for a while. However, those are now unobtanium or stupidly expensive, so finding one will be a case of being patient and looking around. Second on my list of Rothmans cars that I wanted was this iconic Paris-Dakar Porsche 959. The 959 was supposed to be a study of how far the 911 platform could be developed and was intended to be rallied in the no holds barred Group B category, until that was suddenly abolished. Me and my car-nut classmates were supporters of the 959 in the P-D because it was such a fantastic high-tech machine, and this Spark is a great representation of the car as I remember it racing in the desert in 1985, when the race actually started in Paris and finished in Dakar. This is the winning car that year, driven by René Metge and Dominic Lemoine. Yes, there are Rothmans decals under the plinth but applying those will take more time and patience than I currently have.
Spark - Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar 1985
Ixo released not one but two Volkswagen service vans, and I was debating which one to get. I had decided on the Volkswagen Motorsport van already when I got an irresistible offer for the Porsche 959, so I decided to get both. Now I need a matching rally car (Golf mk.2) for this, and it's already in the pipeline. Another very nice Ixo release, note that it has the square headlights instead of the round ones on the Rothmans van. A timely release, as Volkswagen announced that their Motorsport division would be disbanded in 2021. No official reason was given but following the diesel emissions scandal they are retreating from motorsport participation and most plans for the future involve EVs so if there's anything in motorsports in the future it might be Formula E only
Ixo - Volkswagen LT 45 'Volkswagen Motorsport'
A model that has made it from the partwork to regular release is this Sierra, which to me is an unexpected choice. I keep being surprised by PCT's choice of models for their different ranges. The Sierra is specific to Argentina with this nose and details, the Rural moniker was used in Latin America only. That might reduce the appeal for the rest of the world who generally collect the cars that they know. We'll see how it'll do. Without resorting to eBay I was unable to source the PW version here and this Ixo release is a great way to add it to my collection without jumping through hoops. I like everything about this and it will look great next to my very basic BoS Sierra Turnier
Ixo - Ford Sierra Rural
One of my resolutions for my collection was not to collect any more different colours on the same casting, because it does not help you keep the collection manageable. However, when Ixo announced their version of the Jaguar XJ12C in burgundy after I'd already gotten the Atlas PW release in green, I wanted to have it. My old 1:36 Corgi was burgundy and I like that colour a lot on this car. Soooo, which one will stay?
Ixo - Jaguar XJ12C
I need to reshoot the green one anyway, that is a bad picture.
I'm still adding to my Corvette and Mustang collection themes from time to time. The casting used for this Corvette C4 has been around in many forms, like the A-team car sold by Greenlight. The Corvette of the 1980s did away with the swooping curves of the C3 for a completely up-to-date look and was one of my favourite cars at the time. Especially the ZR1 and Calloway versions appealed to the car-mad teen's imagination. I probably had a poster of a C4 at some time and among the doodles I did in my excercise books in class when I was bored (which was often) I must've drawn quite a few of them. This replaces an oversized Western Models version
PremiumX - Chevrolet Corvette
And another duplicate in a different colour, something I said I wasn't going to do anymore in order to rationalise the collection... :oops: Notably a car that, given my love for the Golf, has been missing from my collection for a long time (and both Norev and Minichamps have released excellent models of this car years ago). Last year I found the Volkswagen Collection PW version in metallic green and thought that I was done until someone would release a 1:43 of the late model with the fatter 'Quartett' bumpers or an early US version with the 5MPH steel bumpers. But then Ixo brought out their general release version in red, and there went my resolution. Interior detail is a little sparse, but then again not a lot went on in those old Golfs
Ixo - Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet
The PW
There's apparently a shortage of 1:43 Corvette C7 models, last of the front-engined beasts. Spark does a great model in metallic blue that I'm looking out for but it seems to be sold out already. As a stop-gap measure this model from the Supercars PW seemed like a fine idea. I like the colour scheme (reminiscent of the LM racers) and it looked good in the pictures I found online. A price of around EUR 7 seemed like a good deal and when it arrived it looked great when viewed through the plastic bubble. Unpacking it took me back down to earth, it's sort of decent and it'll look fine in the display but close scrutiny does it no favours. Oh well, until I have the ultimate C7 this will have to do. There are quite a few generations left to track down
Supercar Collection PW - Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06
Next up is a classic box filler which was basically free and which, on balance, looks pretty good. It's from a Spanish PW and depicts a locally-built Santana Land-Rover as used by the Spanish telephone company. Interestingly when I worked as a photographer for the car dealership I had three different Land-Rovers in front of my lens on a single day- a UK-built version, a Spanish Santana and an Italian-built Iveco Massif. Nice to compare the three, though to be fair they were all equally awful to drive. The Santana looks much older than its 1989 build date suggests, by then UK cars had the headlights moved to the front wings and a black plastic grill. I quite like the nostalgic looks and this will make it fit in with my older cars more easily. A nice and charming model
Salvat PW - Land-Rover Santana 88
Next up is an upgrade. A couple of years ago a cheap PW Aston Martin Vanquish came as part of a deal. It quickly moved to the back of the Aston shelf because it looked off, though I couldn't pinpoint the exact problem. When my Aston collection grew, the PW car was moved out of the display to the point that I have no idea where it is now. This looks like a good replacement, despite its less chic smurf blue hue the shape is spot on and it's very nicely finished. It was sold to me as a dealer edition made by TSM and while I don't know if that's true it certainly has a TSM level of finish. It does come in a silver Aston Martin box with no other info on it
Aston Martin DE - Aston Martin Vanquish
The Volkswagen Brasilia was a rear-engined aircooled car, built in Brazil and Mexico and assembled in Nigeria using CKD kits. Apparently there are quite a few of them running around in Suriname, where they were sold when new. Two are said to be in the US and one here in Holland, I saw one at the Techno Classica in Germany years ago. The Brasilia ran on a mix of petrol and ethanol. The model is an old partwork issue, and it shows in the crude shape and wheels. There was a PremiumX version a while ago, with etched wipers just highlighting the agricultural nature of the casting. I've looked for a better version of this model for years but finally gave in and got this instead. I really hope someone will do a better model of this car in the future- not holding out for Neo though, which seems to have given up on German cars since its sale
Ixo PW – Volkswagen Brasilia
(Guess this model needed a clean first :oops: )
When RT showed this in his thread recently, it really appealed to me. Kaiser is one of the more interesting US car makers and I love the shape of the Kaiser Manhattan, known as IKA Kaiser Carabela in Argentina. There's another reason why this interested me: post-WWII, Kaiser had an assembly plant in Rotterdam called NEKAF (Nederlandse Kaiser-Frazer Fabriek) assembling Jeeps and… the Manhattan. When I was browsing the Dutch classic car sales sites for fun recently, I came across a Manhattan that was assembled here and decided that this would be a good reason to look for a model. It had been offered to me before along with other models from the excellent Argentinean PW but I didn’t move on it yet, which had to change now. Very happy with this model
Salvat PW – IKA Kaiser Carabela
This one might interest Michael, as it's the result of an unlikely cooperation. It's basically a Ford Escort mk.5 in Volkswagen guise, built by Volkswagen do Brasil under the AutoLatina joint venture, which also saw the Volkswagen Santana rebadged as a Ford Versailles. The Pointer shared few actual body parts with the Escort. There was a two-door coupé called the Logus too. Under the skin it was purely Ford and the engines were Escort units too. The Pointer was built between 1994 and ’97, when the partnership ended. The Logus had ceased production a year earlier. It was succeeded by the Gol. The design language of the Pointer is more Ford than Volkswagen, a proper curiosity when -like me- the model is your first view of the car. It originated in the Salvat Argentinian partwork and seems to be a decent replica
Salvat PW – Volkswagen Pointer
I will try to show some other makes in between my Volkswagen models because I have a lot more coming, in an attempt to prevent boredom.
Another Sierra that I really wanted a model of was the XR4i. It was one of the coolest cars in the 1980s with its twin spoilers and the unique side window arrangement, the lower body cladding, sports seats, special alloys and the red coachline which was the height of fashion at the time. I had a Solido model but it was basically a decent toy rather than a model, and this was a great upgrade at an amazing price. One downside: it was black. Luckily, my lightbox has enough power to take decent pictures, it will just look a little lifeless in the display. If Ixo does a general release in a different colour this one will be gone, otherwise it's here to stay as it's a nice model
Salvat PW – Ford Sierra XR4i
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 20, 2022 14:17:08 GMT -5
mid-1990s Volkswagen Polo 6N was made as a three- and five-door hatch, a small estate and a four-door saloon called Classic, which never gained any foothold here. It might be at least ten years since I saw my last one. Even the Estate, which sold much better, is pretty much extinct. In some countries, like Spain and Argentina, small saloons were much more popular. The Classic was not really a 6N like the hatch but called 6KV. It was even based on a different platform, that of the mk.3 Golf. This platform was developed together with Seat for use as a base for the Ibiza and Cordoba. It continued unmodified as the Classic and Variant even after the hatch was facelifted in 1999. The -quite decent- model is from an Argentinian partwork, and it's a model I never dreamt of adding to the collection. Very happy with this oddity
Salvat PW – Volkswagen Polo Classic
I was discussing the latest PW releases with one of my trader contacts, who -just before we said our goodbyes- mentioned that he had a model of the Fiat Uno EF available. I thought he said ES, the energy saving version of the late 1980s, and decided that it would be nice to have one of those. Imagine my surprise when this winged monster arrived… I’d never seen it before and fell in love with it on the spot, because it looked like an 18-year-old's view of what he could do to his poor Uno 1.0 to give it more street cred. It's so ridiculous that it's sublime. When I got it I found out its history. The EF moniker was given by its maker Edgardo Fernández, an Argentinean engineer who contracted tuner Rafael Balestrini for the engine work and did the body and suspension mods himself, and tested the result for 50,000 km before putting it on the market in 1990. The humble 1.0 was replaced by a 1.6 providing 115 hp, a 180 km/h top speed and a 0-100 km/h time of 9.7 s- not spectacular but it was built for reliability as well as fun. I drove a borrowed Uno 1.0 when I was young and reckless and scared myself to death because roadholding, cornering and braking were incredibly bad. It would take a lot of work to turn that flying dustbin into a road racer, so I have the utmost respect for its creator. Love the model too, it will sit next to my basic Uno 45 in the display as a conversation piece. Very happy with this excellent partwork that gave me so many weird and wonderful cars for the collection
Salvat PW – Fiat Uno EF
I suppose that my collection is starting to resemble -in part- Michael's, as in that I'm documenting Volkswagen’s worldwide production, whereas Michael is doing the same for Ford. I've had my eye on Chinese dealer models for a long time but apart from a single 1980s Passat Variant picked up at the swapmeet, I didn’t manage to find any. I did see several models on Aliexpress but the prices always came in over EUR 22 including shipping, which is the limit here for tax-free imports (over EUR 22 you won't just get hit with customs charges but there's a handling surcharge and VAT too, which can effectively more than double the price), so I ignored them. Also, I'm wary of spending actual cash on my models. I was discussing the issue with one of my trade contacts recently, and he came up with an option: an acquaintance of his who imports electronics and toys from China and who might be able to help me out. Fast forward a few months and I have a batch of Chinese Volkswagen models sitting on the coffee table which I was able to get as part of the swap deals. I was able to connect the acquaintance with a few more Dutch collectors so he could import a larger batch which made it worthwhile for him too.
There are two Chinese manufacturers working under the Volkswagen name to make things more complicated: FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC-Volkswagen. I'm still learning about the history and models of these manufacturers, but reliable information that is not in Chinese is hard to find.
As Volkswagen released their version of the Passat in Europe, there was a long-wheelbase Lingyu version made for China by SAIC-Volkswagen. Longer versions seem to do well there, with the extra room going into the spaces between front seats and rear seat. The resulting LWB platform became the base for the European top-spec Skoda, the Superb. The Lingyu Passat itself was never sold here. This model depicts the 2009 New Lingyu facelift version of the platform, which itself was replaced by the new generation in 2011. There was never a Passat Variant made for China, estate cars are not a big thing there. The model was made by the well-known Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts :lol:
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen Passat New Lingyu
I wasn’t looking for any US pick-up trucks made after the 1960s until I saw this. It might be my only excursion into this territory (apart from a mid-'80s Dodge Ram that's still on my list) and it's fueled by nostalgia as this is just about the only US pick-up that I recall from my youth. I really like this C10, as well as the K5 Blazer and Suburban from this era. The model is incredibly well-made with a very detailed grill and nice chrome, as well as great two-tone paint. I suspect this will be popular here on S143 and I can only recommend getting one while they last- I paid something like EUR 8 and it's cheap at thrice that
Salvat PW – Chevrolet C10
The spare needs a little black paint on the inside, though
The Lingyu platform was replaced in 2011 by the all-new Passat, which features a 160 mm increase in wheelbase over the Euro version as well as a 100 mm overall length and 13 mm width increase. It was internally named ‘NMS’ for New Midsize Sedan and this same model was sold in China, the Middle East and North America. While larger than the Euro Passat, it is lower spec to attain a lower price point, enabling a better market share in this popular segment. There is no estate version and the NMS shares very little with the Euro cars. This model depicting the 2016 model year facelift was also made by Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts and, like the rest, presented as a sort of dealer version. Now I want the Euro Passat saloon to put alongside so that I can document the differences
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen New Passat
After the 356, Porsche decided that it was time to distance themselves from Volkswagen. The new model, called 901, got a six-cylinder boxer engine as a result. Then Peugeot intervened because they'd registered all model names with a zero in the middle, whereupon Porsche did a quick rethink and came up with the classic 911 moniker. After only 82 901s were made, the name was changed. I didn’t intend to get another 901 model but this came essentially for free with the recent shipment of Chinese models and I like the colour. It came in nice dealer edition lookalike packaging, but I've never heard of the maker before. It's a more than decent model given its single-figure original price, though the wipers could use a tweak and the recess for the rear number plate should be deeper
Nuxia – Porsche 901
The Lamando is built by SAIC-Volkswagen in China to serve as a sort of coupé-saloon version of the Jetta, much like the Passat CC. It was introduced in 2014 and produced with a 1.4 TSI engine mated to a 7-speed DSG auto ‘box. Later, a GTS version powered by the Golf GTI's 2.0 TSI was introduced. The model is made by Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts, which might well be a trading firm that contracts development and production out to facilities that produce the models we see here too. The quality is similar to what we get here in the mid-range 1:43 segment, with brake discs as only notably absent item (the wheel designs hide that well though). Interior detail and paintwork are quite good and it won't look out of place in between the Minichamps, Schuco and iScale releases in the display. A nice addition to the collection of Volkswagen’s global products
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen Lamando
A while ago I attempted to replace my ageing Austin-Healey Sprite mk.1 by Record, because though the shape was correct the detailing was very 1990s and the vacform windscreen was fairly brown and opaque. A Frogeye is a basic car but even so the lack of detail stood out. I obtained a Whitebox Sprite in a nice dark red and was disappointed- the shape was all wrong, with a too-heavy, too-long nose. Also, I loved the pale blue on my old model, the best colour for the Frogeye. I discussed this with one of my trading partners and he tried to find an Ebbro, because that was suggested here as a great model. Alas, Ebbros are incredibly hard to find here and time went by until last month, when he sent me a message that he'd solved my problem. Spark had released a great model of the Frogeye in pale blue and it even had the tonneau cover that I like! He managed to get it to me quickly and I'm very happy with it. No desire left to upgrade whatsoever
Spark – Austin-Healey Sprite mk.1
The Whitebox
The Lavida (not ‘loca’, though) is a conventional saloon car positioned between the Jetta and the Passat. It’s built by SAIC-Volkswagen. Not a lot more needs to be said about this, the model is nicely done and I went for something besides silver, grey or black
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen New Lavida
The Mustang sub-theme in my collection is still being expanded and the current generation is a great-looking car. The only affordable 1:43 I could find was the Norev and I think it gets the shape spot-on. However, the only colour currently in the stores is white, which looks bland and featureless on a car like this. Luckily, one of my contacts came to the rescue with a source that let me choose from yellow, orangy red or metallic blue. I'll take the blue, thanks very much! Now that it's here I love it, a great colour for what I think is a great design- retro yet original and up-to-date. The model is very nicely made too, though I'd prefer gunmetal alloys over black. Nitpicking however
Norev – Ford Mustang
The Chinese are not interested in buying estate cars, but the occasional hatch will sell well. This was the reasoning behind the Gran Lavida, which could be Audi’s Sportback take on the Lavida. The result is a rather unconventional car, which I don’t prefer over the saloon, I find the proportions a little ungainly. Nice model though
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen Gran Lavida
There are more Renault R4 models in my collection, I confess to having a soft spot for Renault's view on basic motoring from the 1960s. It was basically their competition for the 2CV and the successor to their own 4CV, but a little more substantial than the Citroen. No canvas roof and a proper ‘5th door', making it a cross between a saloon and an estate or an early hatchback if you will. The hammock-type seats could be removed and used outside the car for a roadside picnic or with the rear seat removed the car could be used to transport loads. It was an ideal student or young family car. Introduced in 1961 it had a very long lifespan- the last cars rolled off the line in 1994! The GTL was introduced as the top-spec model in 1979 and featured plastic lower-body cladding to protect the sides from door dings and other small damage. It also featured the 1.1 engine, the largest offered in the R4. The model is yet another issue from the excellent Argentinean partwork and shows a detail unique to Argentinean-built cars: slimmer bumpers with horizontal rubber blocks. It also features metallic paint, not offered on French-built models of the 1980s. I still have the Vitesse R4 models issued in the 1990s and have no plans to get rid of them, because they’re outstanding. This will be a nice addition and another example of the rabbit hole I managed to get into, with several obscure overseas versions of European cars. This is a great casting, weirdly enough totally different from the 1970s version from the same partwork (which looks off in several respects)
Salvat PW – Renault 4 GTL
Americans might recognise this car as the Volkswagen Atlas, and they'd be right. This mid-size SUV was introduced in China as the Teramont, but for the US introduction dealers refused to sell it under that name. The Atlas, which was apparently the more acceptable alternative, is a larger car than the Touareg but less upmarket in equipment, fit and finish. So, like the Passat, Volkswagen goes for volume rather than image. This is probably a good decision, as the Touareg is a tough sell. The model is very well-finished with a nicely detailed interior (though black) visible through the panoramic sunroof. This model also lacks brakes and its more open design wheels show this omission clearly. If you want an 1:43 Atlas, this model is currently the only option
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen Teramont
A while ago I showed you my Aston Martin Vulcan in matt grey with bright blue striping. I wasn't sure what I liked least about the model: the shape or the colour. When in doubt, add another model... so here's that same Vulcan but in bright orange. Still not sure about the result but it's better than primer grey
Supercar collection PW - Aston Martin Vulcan
And before the top coat
Just like any other manufacturer, Volkswagen has adjusted the range to buyers' preference which has discarded the MPV in favour of the SUV and crossover. The success of the Touareg and Tiguan has prompted the introduction of two smaller crossovers, both FWD-only: the T-Roc and T-Cross. These combine a smaller platform (that of the Polo) with a higher SUV-style body. In China, the T-Cross is sold under the Tacqua name, featuring a different front end design. This model is currently the only way to get a 1:43 of Volkswagen’s smallest crossover, as there is no T-Cross in scale. This in my favourite of the SAIC-Volkswagen batch
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen Tacqua
I was offered a few more Chinese models with the batch from the toy importer. Said no to the current Honda Civic (they forgot to tell the designers to stop working, the result is one of the ugliest current cars and an absurdly large car for a Civic) but the 2017 CR-V in metallic yellow sounded good. I saw one of these in my neighbourhood last week and realised that Honda had dropped from a popular maker to obscurity after the recent growth of Kia and Hyundai. Consulting Dutch sales figures confirmed this- Honda is now in 28th place with only 206 CR-Vs sold in 2020. Pretty tragic numbers for what is a decent-looking modern SUV, a very popular model. Honda's engines, once their strong suit, are no longer leading and their cars don’t get the pollution and fuel consumption figures that keep the purchase tax low. They missed out on the company car market by not doing the modern diesel thing and that takes away lots of sales. The CR-V is a nice car however, and the incredibly low price made me think that I could always move it on if I didn’t like it. It turned out to be quite nice but a little odd in some ways. It's a dealer edition for Dongfeng Honda, no markings underneath and quite basic packaging (a plinth but no clear cover, a simple cardboard box with a foil window). If you can read Chinese there might be a maker in there somewhere but I can’t find it. The model is diecast with decent detail including the non-black interior. The rear glass and sunroof are heavily tinted but not to disguise a lack of features, strangely there is some transparency but it's the darkest tint that I've seen. The wheels are nice with brake detail and the exterior is nicely done too. Not quite Minichamps quality level, but it won’t look out of place next to one. It's staying for now, I quite like it and my Honda lineup previously ended in the 1990s. Not a bad find for 7 euros. The coarse metallic structure is entirely down to my processing, will set this straight
Honda CN DE – Honda CR-V
When Volkswagen was doing great (pre-dieselgate) it seemed like everything was possible- including going upmarket with a car designed for the German Chancellor. The Phaeton was a unique design yet it looked rather understated and could pass for a Passat from a distance. If you had money to spare but wanted to fly under the radar, this was the car to go for. It was hand-built in a dedicated lab-like facility, all glass and hardwood floors, by people in white coats. It shared very few parts with other Volkswagens and was excessively expensive to make. I've driven only one Phaeton and the experience was very un-Volkswagen-like, a proper top class car- even nicer than Audi’s A8. The Phaeton turned out to be a success in China only, so when the time came to replace it the new model was China-only. Called the Phideon, it looked as understated as its predecessor and parking it next to lesser models was the only way to show its size. That is quite an accomplishment because generally large cars tend to look as large as they are. I'm happy to add this to my collection
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts - Volkswagen Phideon
The 1100 was a sales hit for Simca from the late 1960s up into the ‘80s, these were on almost every street. There was a 3- and a 5-door version as well as an estate and two vans, with a high or a low roof. Their rattly engines were instantly recognisable in the days when you could still tell the car by the noise. Alas, they were typical French cars that tended to self-destruct when exposed to the typical Dutch climate and nowadays there are very few left. It might have been at least 10 years since I last saw one on the road outside a classic car event. I had a nice three-door TI already, but the colour on this new Ixo release made me want one instantly. What the pictures didn’t show was that Ixo got the shape of the rear ‘screen wrong, unfortunately. I will display this facing the front only. Also, it has the glass for the five-door so I need to take it apart and trim the glass
Ixo – Simca 1100
Note the shape of the rear 'screen, notably where the lower edge is on instead of above the crease
Last of the SAIC Volkswagens for now...
Volkswagen’s Golf-based MPV is still selling decently, despite the recent replacement of MPVs by crossovers in the public's favour. China of course has its own LWB version, which unlike the European car doesn’t have a collapsible third seating row but more rear legroom instead. The model is very well-made with a panoramic glass sunroof allowing a great view of the nicely detailed interior which isn't black, so it shows all the detail. The paint colour helps too
Shanghai Da Zhong Gifts – Volkswagen Touran L
I'd be hard pressed to come up with a single model that's in as many S143 members’ collections as the BMW 3.0 CS recently released by Minichamps. The model has nevertheless come in for some criticism: while the shape is spot on, the detailing is more 1990s than 2021. Minichamps seems to have somewhat inconsistent quality, which does not relate to their price level. Given Ixo's recent 22 euro releases with better chrome trim and superb wipers, it's a little galling to see a model over twice as expensive with these features clearly lacking in quality. Also I'd have loved to see a beige or light grey interior instead of this black hole. Despite this criticism, we've all bought this model and we like it too. I suspect that it will sell out very rapidly, and I hope that MC will be reminded of 1:43's lasting popularity and will keep introducing new models. So my pictures will add nothing useful to the existing info on S143, they’re just a confirmation that I’ve added this to my collection as well
Minichamps – BMW 3.0 CS
|
|
|
Post by WallOfCars on Apr 20, 2022 17:57:41 GMT -5
Just incredible as every page preceeding this one!!! Standouts are the Simca 1100, VW Cabriolet, 86 Silverado...even the VW Terramont (Atlas in the US). That's really just a few of the great ones here, hard to pick and choose
|
|
|
Post by reeft1 on Apr 21, 2022 4:15:40 GMT -5
Loads to like there Tom
|
|
|
Post by DeadCanDanceR on Apr 21, 2022 8:43:45 GMT -5
What an amazing collection you have, Tom! i need some more time and browse this thread slowly, to enjoy it even more!
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 21, 2022 11:15:29 GMT -5
Thanks for your continued interest in my themeless collection gents. Still 70-odd pages to go, I hope that I will be able to enjoy this myself too soon. We've come to the end of the modern SAIC-Volkswagen models for now.
Another car that has had a long life across the globe is the mk.3 Passat, introduced in Europe in 1989. It got a facelift for 1992 where the somewhat controversial grill-less front end was changed for a more conventional-looking shape. These were incredibly tough cars and they gained a reputation for being hard to kill. In the end most disappeared towards the former Eastern Bloc so very few remain here. The mk.3 wasn’t known as Santana in Europe- that name had vanished with the mk.2 1985 facelift. In China the mk.2 and later the mk.3 were built by FAW, the mk.2 also being offered in Variant form. The car depicted by the model is the 2004 facelift called Santana 3000, the first car designed by FAW completely independent from Germany. It's hard to find out who made the model if you can’t read Chinese, but apparently it’s #42 of 499 made. It has an opening bootlid and bonnet revealing very little detail and adding ugly panel gaps (it's available in white too, which makes the gaps look even worse), but it's apparently the only 1:43 model of this generation
Shanghai Volkswagen – FAW-Volkswagen Santana 3000
The original 3rd gen Passat
The facelifted version
In the same box as the BMW 3.0CS were a couple of Maxichamps models. My favourite in the batch is this Pagoda SL. For some reason this model was still missing in my collection and I'd discounted the Mercedes-Benz Collection PW model because the wheels are not correct. This MC offering has a great colour and the evergreen ‘bottle cap' alloys that MC captured well. The interior is sadly lacking in detail and colour (though the dash is OK) and has been earmarked for improvement, should I suddenly have the time. Still, I like the model very much and it will add some quality to my Benz section
Maxichamps – Mercedes-Benz 230SL ‘Pagoda'
Last of the Chinese Volkswagen models for now...
The Golf and Jetta of the first two generations are among my favourite cars. Luckily we have a few decent 1:43s of the mk.1 Jetta, but the mk.2 was represented only by an ‘80s Schabak which is getting long in the tooth. I know that there’s an Ixo-based Latin American PW version but any attempt to locate one has been unsuccessful. However, much to my surprise this Chinese version was part of the ‘personal import' consignment. The Jetta was the first car made by FAW-Volkswagen and was introduced in 1991 when European production was being wound down in favour of the mk.3 Golf-based Vento. After a few facelifts it's still being produced today though it's become its own make, Jetta King VA3. In 2013, a completely new Jetta was introduced that took its styling cues from the then-current European models. This model is quite rare (SAIC-Volkswagen models are much easier to find than FAW-Volkswagen models for some reason) and it represents the original 1991-2002 version that is identical to the German car, including the big bumpers that adorned the ‘90-on Jettas (making it the only facelift car in 1:43). It's made by a different manufacturer than the SAIC models and it looks pretty accurate. This plugs quite a hole in my collection, though I'm still looking for the PW version
STC/National Automobile Culture Communication Co, Ltd - FAW-Volkswagen Jetta
I need to figure out how to open this model so that I can glue the steering wheel back in place
The ultimate evolution of the Porsche 924 platform was the 968, which took the mid-1970s design into the 1990s. The original design lead of the 924, Dutchman Harm Lagaaij, was given the task to bring the design in line with that of the 911, generation 993. The 968 was initially designated 944 S3 but in the course of the development it became apparent that 80% of the components would change, and the model was renamed. I still find it pretty amazing that they made a car introduced in the mid-1970s look bang up to date for the ‘90s without it looking warmed-over. The front end is a master stroke, it shows a clear family resemblance to the 993 generation of the 911 introduced in 1993. After introduction it became apparent that the 968, despite its ample power (the 3.0 variocam inline 4 put out 240 hp) did not fuel the imagination. To improve its appeal, the Clubsport (CS) version was introduced. A lower equipment level reduced weight by 50 kg and the price was 17% lower. The CS was available in a limited number of non-metallic colours with colour-coded alloys (which neither Minichamps nor Maxichamps replicated). The bucket seats with colour-coded buckets were another feature not seen in the model. I've always loved the CS, which for me has to be smurf blue or yellow. Maxichamps obliged with the yellow version for my collection. Shame that it has such a thick layer of paint though
Maxichamps - Porsche 968 CS
1980s Volkswagens are a staple in my collection and I really like the Scirocco. It will be no surprise that after the Norev, I added an Ixo mk.2 to the display. The incestuous relationships within the diecast world are a frequent discussion subject and this model raises a question too- I see very few if any differences with the Norev. As soon as I find out in what box I've stored the Norev I’ll do a comparison. Meanwhile, this is a very nicely made and well-finished model
Ixo – Volkswagen Scirocco mk.2
This might be a model you won’t expect in my collection, a pre-war car and a rather exclusive one at that. It was part of a batch acquired by one of my trader contacts and he told me to google the model before telling him if I wanted it. He was completely right, I was unable to refuse it after that. It might not be as good as the superb artisan creations of our S143 grandmaster of models but it does not look out of place in my collection. Gorgeous shape, beautiful colour and a very nice model
Ixo Museum – Delage D8-70
It took six years for someone to release a 1:43 of one of the most popular vans in Europe, apparently Volkswagen themselves do not care. Strangely this model was introduced just after Volkswagen facelifted the 1:1 (unlikely that we’re getting the facelifted version too), making this dated before its release. Nevertheless, we finally have a T6! It’s a pretty decent model too, though I wouldn’t have chosen this colour combination myself. I placed an order as soon as Speidel announced its introduction and I'm really happy to have it. When I manage to dig out examples of the other generations I intend to do a group shot, but that might take some time. If Ixo announces more colours, I will probably add at least one more to the collection
Ixo – Volkswagen Transporter T6 Multivan
Having met Mr. Röhrl in person a few times and having watched him drive I have the utmost admiration for this gent and his co-driver of many years, Christian Geistdörfer. He's driven lots of cars over the years but arguably his ultimate drive was the monstrous Group B Audi quattro S1. I have a few 1990s Starter models but when Spark released this 1985 San Remo winner I didn’t hesitate. Rightly so, it's great. Though Spark models are hardly cheap, they offer the quality usually found around the EUR 100 price point for less than EUR 60. It has the full HB livery too, which MC somehow does not seem to be able to do on newer models. This replaces an older Ixo
Spark – Audi quattro S1
I bought the DetailCars 1:43s of the Volkswagen Concept 1 (the Beetle concept) when they came out, it was a real buzz when the cars were shown and there was instant demand. However, when the production version was finally ready much of its shine had been lost and it was basically an expensive, less practical mk.4 Golf. It was OK but it didn’t interest me as a car somehow. I drove a few New Beetles over the years and though I have no real attachment to the car I don’t dislike it. My respect for the NB grew when I met a used-car dealer at my first automotive job, a lady from Russia who bought used cars together with her son and sold them at a profit in the former Eastern Bloc. They drove a NB in the same colour as my model with the ultra-dependable 1.9TDI engine. I asked her how many kilometres the car had done and she told me it was at 600k, and the odo had been wound back three times in her ownership which brought it to around 1.2 million kilometres without an overhaul, just the bare minimum of maintenance. It was dented, scratched and faded but still drove great on the original clutch, head gasket and exhaust. Volkswagen made very good cars in the late ‘90s-early ‘00s. So when I wanted to fill the New Beetle-shaped hole in my collection, it had to be a metallic blue one (my favourite Volkswagen colour at the time anyway) with the factory alloys. Though the AA is nice, it has an odd separation between the bumpers and body, because they made the offroad concept Dune version which used the same upper body. So it was either the MC or the Ixo and when I was offered a cheap Ixo in the right config it was easy. It's apparently an early Ixo and a nice model too, with detailed upholstery and even the flower vase with flowers
Ixo – Volkswagen New Beetle
Built since 1968, the Mitsubishi Delica (Delivery Car) is better known as the L300 in most markets. It's a family of small to medium-sized delivery vans, pickups and passenger vans and they’re de facto taxis in many countries. The model pictured here is the 1990-'99 passenger version called Delica Star Wagon 4x4. It's the fourth generation of the L300. I've ridden in many L300s on holidays and even drove a couple myself for work. When I was notified that there was a really nice 1:43 available in China in the then-popular two-tone colours with the glass sunroof and a detailed 4x4 drivetrain, I was interested in no time at all. When the model finally arrived (a lot later than the rest of my Chinese batch) it turned out to be very much worth the wait. Probably the nicest, most detailed model in my China collection and it has posable front wheels too!
Sunyork Models – Mitsubishi Delica Star Wagon 4x4
As a Volkswagen nut I tend to be very happy when a rarity of the marque gets released and this is one I'd never have expected. Prototypes are rare in scale and this car is obscure enough to be ignored. It might be one of the few castings in this PW that was made especially for the series (as far as I'm aware, anyway). I saw the real car at the Volkswagen display for the Techno Classica classic car event years ago and I looked into its history at the time. In 1969, Volkswagen was convinced that the rear-mounted air-cooled engines had come to the end of their life span and it was time to come up with a new concept. Porsche’s submission, Design Assignment 266, was supposed to show the way for the future with its mid-mounted water-cooled engine. Mid-engined cars were for the sports car segment only in those days and the car was supposed to have handled very well, the 1588cc engine canted under the rear seat enabled it to reach 187 km/h. Apparently it out-handled the design that eventually replaced it, the Audi platform with the transverse engine and FWD used for the Passat and Golf. It’s rumoured that the choice was down to Volkswagen being broke at the time. I'm pretty sure that, handling notwithstanding, Volkswagen made the right choice. Most makers following their lead might've helped prove that point. The car looks pretty decent for a prototype but the shape reminds me more of a small Japanese car than of a Volkswagen
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen EA266 prototype
The real thing on rare archive footage:
When the ‘Arrow' series Hillman Hunter and its derivatives were introduced in 1967, Rootes Group needed a sporting coupé to replace the old Rapier. Thus the Arrow platform was used for the new Rapier Fastback, a four-seater pillarless coupé with a distinctive large rear window. Apart from the rear lights, rear valance and the floor pan of the Hunter Estate it used nothing of the other Arrow cars' bodywork. It had the 1725 cc 88 hp inline-4 that was standard in other sportier Rootes models and featured overdrive as standard. The car remained in production almost unchanged until 1976, with a more basic Alpine and a faster Holbay-engined H120 being introduced later. I've liked the fastback ever since I saw my first one in the UK in the ‘70s and there are still a couple here in The Netherlands too. The really nice resin model was made by British Heritage Models
British Heritage Models – Sunbeam Rapier Fastback
Though I've been filling in the blanks in my Volkswagen collection for a while now, I've been avoiding the rather unsavoury beginnings of the marque. However, it’s impossible to avoid this completely. The Volkswagen Kraft durch Freude (strength through joy) car, as it was known then, was introduced by Hitler as a car for the people. It was priced at 1000 Reichsmarks, affordable for normal families and it made it possible to transport four or five people in relative comfort on the new Autobahn motorways. A scheme was launched where you could get a stamp book and buy a stamp every week. When the book was full you could order your Volkswagen. However, Hitler used the money saved by his citizens for his war machine and had the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg build military cars instead- the Kübelwagen (basket car) and Schwimmwagen (swimming car- the amphibious version). They were the German equivalent of the US Jeep, though less powerful. These cars are not really plentiful in 1:43. There was a Kübelwagen by Victoria (Vitesse's military division) long ago but I couldn’t find any. This Cararama cost only EUR 4.50 and it looks cheap too, though in the display it doesn’t stand out that much. It's not an attractive car but it shows the roots of the later 181 (which I do like) and Iltis (ditto). Perhaps I'll have a go at detailing this, I'll find a cheap Victoria at the swapmeet someday or I'll just leave this in the rearmost row of my display
Cararama – Volkswagen Kübelwagen typ 82
The early Kraft durch Freude cars were all painted in matt colours. Vitesse made a reasonable, if rudimentary, model that I'd like to replace with a Schuco
The wiper is MIA, I won't bother to replace it. I'll find some etched wipers or a better model.
I have a collective aliexpress account together with a couple of friends. We always pay for our orders from our own bank accounts but the increased volume through that single account made it easier to acquire platinum status which allows for a discount, more shipping options and special offers. Now that we’re in lockdown I buy parts for my bike from China and I add the occasional t-shirt or model when I find something that’s dirt cheap. Usually these are packaged really well with lots of foam and bubble wrap, and there’s generally a strap fastening the model to the plinth. So when I got this package in the mail I was surprised to hear the dreaded ‘death rattle' of a model loose in the box.
It might’ve been a cheap PremiumX but this was no fun… the model had disassembled itself over the journey here and the rear axle, the mirror, a wiper and both number plates had come loose. The cover had cracked from the impact, but luckily there were no broken parts. Even the fragile antenna had survived intact. The vendor refunded me 50% of the -very reasonable- price and I went to work with some glue. Much better now, though I took the front plate off again because it wasn’t fixed straight
PremiumX – Ford Mustang
I've had Norev’s Paris-Dakar version of the Volkswagen Iltis for decades and it’s still a nice model. However, when I got wind of the civilian version from the Volkswagen Collection PW, I had to have it. The Iltis was developed for the German military by Volkswagen and a demonstration of the AWD wonder in the snowy mountains impressed officials do much that the Iltis' drivetrain was mated with an Audi 80 body to make a mule that later became… the Audi quattro. That’s enough reason for me to want this model badly. I'd have to put them side by side to compare, but it looks like the Paris-Dakar car was the base for this very nice civilian version
Atlas Volkswagen Collection PW – Volkswagen Iltis
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 21, 2022 11:45:20 GMT -5
I don’t, as a rule, collect movie or tv cars. However, quite a few have found their way into my collection over the years, notably the Bluesmobile from the Blues Brothers, one of my favourite movies. A good friend of mine is a huge movie buff and collects movie-related paraphernalia (including a few models). He is the reason for some of my movie cars, including the latest one. In fact, he hooked me up with car and figurines, which after my recent acquisition of the ‘OUTATIME' number plate was an easy decision. He has the entire set of cars from all the movies and the figurines and he now has the plate too (plus a few more from his favourite movies). The model by Vitesse represents the DeLorean DMC12 from the initial 1985 movie. As the series progressed, the cars became more radical-looking. The movie car will be displayed next to the standard car which has been in my collection for years, with the figurines and with the OUTATIME plate behind
Vitesse – DeLorean DMC12 ‘Back to the future' and Marty McFly / Doc Brown figurines
Left rear tyre has been reset. I need to reshoot this anyway as the pictures aren't to my liking.
I've shown a very basic Volkswagen version of the VW-Porsche 914 earlier, but wasn’t able to resist a cheap Maxichamps model- mainly because of the colour. I love bright ‘70s hues on this design, such as orange, yellow and this lime green. The model features the Beetle ‘sport' wheels which, although still steel instead of alloy, manage to take the 914’s looks up a notch. Porsche fans have now embraced this quintessential ‘70s design and prices have gone up accordingly. A nice addition for my non-911 lineup
Maxichamps - Volkswagen-Porsche 914/4
Seeing an immaculate red 1963 roadster in the UK in the 1980s sparked my love of this car. It was just a perfect shape, gorgeous and sexy. I took some pictures and looked at them for years. That memory is why choosing between a blue or a red ’63 was easy for once: that memory had to be recreated. Luckily, the best model was both available and sort of affordable in the form of this fantastic Spark. It might be my best Corvette model
Spark – Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray C2
(Also pretty happy with the way these pictures came out)
The new Volkswagen EVs seem to be quite the sales success- on my ride to work there’s one ID.3 or ID.4 to every three Teslas which, given the fact that the Volkswagens have not been on the market six months, is no mean feat. I'm pretty sure all but a tiny percentage are leased company cars and Volkswagen has traditionally had a strong presence in the lease market. As with ICE cars however there seems to be a shortage of people (or perhaps companies) wanting to take a chance on an interesting colour- there’s an abundance of white, black and bin liner grey cars on the roads. The only ID.4s in interesting colours that I've seen so far were a metallic blue car on the road and this very noticeable metallic yellow dealer demo. It looked great in blue but I was surprised by how much I loved the yellow- perhaps as a response to all the boring cars on the road. Some makers are combating this- Opel for instance made orange metallic the standard colour on the new Corsa (every other colour, even white or black, costs more) and bright green metallic standard on the new Mokka. Here’s hoping for more colour on the roads… Meanwhile, I quite like the ID.4. It has pleasant proportions and Volkswagen’s new styling IMO works better on this shape than on the ID.3. The model was made by Norev (like the ID.3) and it's nicely done including a good, though dark interior
Norev DE - Volkswagen ID.4
The Spitfire was Triumph's competitor for the MG Midget and B (it was somewhere in between the two) based on a separate chassis Herald/Vitesse style, including its rear swing axle with a tendency to tuck a wheel under when cornering. It was designed by Michelotti and the flip-up front end was one of its defining characteristics. For some reason the early Spitfire was underrepresented in my collection and the recent introduction of this great model by Spark made me realise that I needed to correct this. The choice was between a red RHD and a blue LHD car. I loved the blue so LHD with a French registration it was. Very happy with the model
Spark – Triumph Spitfire 4 mk.2
After the second generation of the Scirocco, Volkswagen thought it was time for a new course. Their designs had entered a new era and the Vento replaced the Jetta. The Scirocco was replaced by a fresh design in a dynamic style that echoed the ‘90s, called the Corrado. It was originally intended to be a cheaper replacement and should have been an image-builder for Volkswagen. However, production at Karmann in Osnabrück wasn’t efficient enough and the car instead turned out to be much more expensive than the Scirocco. This called for a rethink and the car was renamed from Scirocco III to Corrado and equipment levels were improved. With its optional G-lader powered engine or a choice of a more leisurely tourer in the form of a VR6 there were more options than ever and the car was effectively taken up a class. Yet a 16V 2.0 was still available for those who wanted a straight replacement for their Scirocco. The Scirocco was never a high volume model, the Corrado turned out to be even less popular with only 97,000 examples built between 1988 and 1995. Effectively every car was built to order. I had the Schabak model in the 1990s but did not replace it with the Minichamps when that was released. Instead, I kept it until I added the Norev a few years ago. Then this Ixo was released and I couldn’t resist it, it just looked so good in dark blue (my only drive in a Corrado was in a dark blue car) so I now have two models. The Ixo is at least as good as the Norev, so I won’t choose between the two
Ixo – Volkswagen Corrado
I’ve shown the DKW 3=6 and its younger brother the Auto Union 1000 earlier. Neo has the estate version but I was a little hesitant to add it to my wish list because it was pricy and somehow looked a little out of proportion. Luckily the Argentinean PW came to the rescue again with this pretty decent model of an odd car- all curves at the front and a really square rear end. I liked it and a single-figure price did the rest
Salvat PW – Auto Union 1000S Universal
Grill needs a blackwash
The saloon version as a two-door (Auto Union) and four-door (DKW)
New light through old windscreens I've been experimenting with my photography lately and seem to have found the best setting on my phone for diecast shooting. Yes, I have a DSLR but I'm lazy- it's currently set up for a long-running commercial job I'm doing and I don't feel like going through all the setup and adjust the tripod again for a new batch of pictures because I've shot some diecast. Also, my life is currently a succession of working, eating and sleeping so very little time for hobbies. As a result I'm working with my phone which has the added advantage of making me dive into the menus to find all the relevant functions (the phone came with a rather concise online manual). So I've reshot a few older models that I'd like to show you. For those interested: my Samsung A30s has a 'Pro' setting that allows you to have more control over focus, so that it gives you focus all over the model instead of the bits closest to the lens. It also increases the lens opening so that even the dark bits don't drown in the shadows and black models get a decent exposure. You will see my pictures improve over time.
So here's a mix of models that I've shown before and that I haven't, with picture quality slowly improving
Vanguards - Volkswagen Golf GTI mk.2
A decent model, shame that they made the front valance a separate part. Also, the grill doesn't fit completely, the rear is a little too square and the wheels could use more definition. But it's an old model so perhaps I should judge it less harshly
PW - Chevrolet Marajó
For my GM T-model thread, the pre-facelift version of the Brazilian estate car. I had the facelifted car and I like to compare it to this, which is a lot closer to the Kadett that we had here. I'm waiting for the Maxichamps reissue of the Kadett Caravan to compare the two. I quite like the Brazilian version's front end treatment
DetailCars - Volkswagen Concept 1
If you think that there's a significant difference between the sizes of the Concept 1 and the New Beetle production car, you're right. The final design was Golf-based but the concept was Polo-based. The models are mid-1990s Detail Cars issues and while the interior is rather poor, the shallow lights are correct for the first mockups. Minichamps also did the Concepts, but those hardly ever turn up these days
Schabak - Volkswagen Golf GTI mk.3 and Vento VR6 The Dealer Editions of the 1990s, these were about the height of German model technology at the time. If it wasn't for the opening features these would still be good, now the panel gaps make them dated and show their mix of toy/collection origins. Paint was never Schabak's strong point. Shame, because apart from an ugly Fast & Furious version by Greenlight nobody has made a 1:43 Vento and the mk.3 Golf GTI by Minichamps is hard to find if you missed it. For now, these are staying
Schabak - Volkswagen Passat Variant mk.3 Another car that 1:43 model makers are ignoring, with only PremiumX doing the facelift version. The early mk.3 was rather unusual in that it had no obvious grill- the Volkswagen roundel and the lower bumper inlet took care of the intake needs. The design was taken from the Auto2000 concept and while the critics loved it, it was a step too far for most buyers. It took only a few years for Volkswagen to facelift the model and give it a conventional grill. I prefer this version myself. The model itself has not aged well IMO and it's overdue for replacement
Vitesse - Volkswagen KdF-Wagen Another one from the early days of my collection. I was excited to finally have a decent modern model of the early Beetle, but there were multiple things that needed improvement. I took out the headlight lenses, painted the housing silver and added red to the rear lights. I've also made number plate holders to hold the decals but the decals were poor quality and I ended up taking them off. This is the only 1:43 to show the matt paintwork that was used for the very early cars. The wipers were fit-yourself items and one disappeared in the move to my current place in '92. I didn’t care enough to replace it
Minichamps - Volkswagen Karmann Ghia coupé & cabriolet I cannot recall if these were the first MC models to appear on the market but they were the buzz of the swapmeet. Finally, hand-built quality for the price of a decent mass-produced model. In fact the accuracy and quality put many hand-built models to shame and I still recall looking at these models in awe. Taking them out of the display decades later, taking compressed air and a soft brush to remove the dust made me appreciate the quality. These were lovingly crafted, I wish we could say that for all models nowadays
Minichamps - Volkswagen Beetle Hebmüller cabriolet Body builders were in decline after the war as many manufacturers took production of the different versions into their own hands. However, for the special cars that had a limited appeal there were always makers specialising in small-series production. Volkswagen made the four-seater Cabriolet themselves, while Hebmüller came up with this considerably more elegant two-seater that avoided the protruding folded soft-top of the standard car and managed to improve on the rear with a more rounded shape. Another early MC, nicely done in correct two-tone but I notice that it sits a bit low at the front and they forgot to close up the bulkhead so that you can see out through the front wings. Overall it's still very nice though
Minichamps - Volkswagen Lupo Recently, I've shown you the Lupo that was part of the Volkswagen Collection PW. That was a very basic car with steel wheels in bright green. When the real car was introduced, Minichamps did this as a dealer edition. I think it still looks good some 25 years later
Minichamps - Volkswagen Beetle 'oval' Another fairly early Minichamps and they managed to get the shape spot on. The bright trim on the flanks and the centre of the bootlid was represented by self-adhesive chrome stickers which are slowly unsticking themselves. Also, the quarterlight detail seems to be a little crude by today's standards but otherwise it's a nice 1950s Beetle
Göde - Volkswagen Beetle 'split-window' These appeared at the swapmeets quickly and were gone equally quickly, never to be seen again. There was no information on the box which was fairly plain but it seems that Göde was a retailer that had enough buying power to have their own special editions made. The Beetle is a very early model with grey painted bright trim (the post-war nickel shortage means that this was a thing for a couple of years with one year (1952?) where even the luxury models had no chrome) and in a correct colour. While the base says Göde it's clearly a Minichamps casting but simpler in execution. I like it a lot though
Minichamps - Volkswagen Transporter T5 Multivan There are lots of models of the T1, T2 and T3, but the T4 and T5 are quite thin on the ground in 1:43. In fact, only Minichamps did the closed van and passenger bus, and Cararama did a very basic closed van. I missed out on the closed van but managed to snag this on sale a couple of years ago. Not a bad effort at all
Vitesse - Volkswagen Transporter T1 This was probably made in the late '80s and it shows its age. It's a very simple model but at least Vitesse got the proportions correct and I like the two-tone paintwork
Schuco DE - Volkswagen Golf mk.5 I'm not a great fan of the mk.5, but I wanted all generations in my 1:43 collection. I waited for so long in fact, that the mk.5 models went on sale and I was able to pick up this DE for a measly 5 euros. It's some kind of special edition for the football championship (European, probably) and it came in a fancy box. Later I added the R32 version (much nicer) for an even lower sum
Minichamps - NSU Ro80 The NSU Ro80 was a very ambitious project, so ambitious in fact that it almost killed NSU and allowed Volkswagen to buy them out. The revolutionary shape that still looks fresh after 53 years(!) is amazing. The equally revolutionary Wankel rotary engine that was killed off by its underdevelopment (it went through rotor tip seals as if they were consumables) and its thirst combined with the fuel crisis was its coup de grâce. Audi experimented with Wankel engines for a while but eventually gave up. Only decades of dogged determination on the part of Mazda managed to save the Wankel, though it's now all but dead because of the advent of EVs. Minichamps made the ultimate model of the Ro80 and I managed to grab the best colour IMO
Now back to our regularly scheduled programme...
I wasn’t even looking for the Cabriolet version of the New Beetle (many models that are much higher up on the list) but when I was offered the AA dealer edition I didn’t even mind that it was black (it hides the lines between the parts of the casting better). It came at a ludicrously low price (are they still dumping AAs?) and it’s very nicely made. For an open car the interior detail matters a lot, and this one has a great interior. The alloy wheels are superb too and it has posable front wheels. Another one in the line-up crossed off
AutoArt DE - Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet
I was too late to get the Fiat 242 van in Alitalia colours to accompany my 131 and Stratos in the same livery. No swapmeets means no easy way to put this right so I was very happy to find this Fiat 131 support vehicle. With its 1.3 engine (strange choice when it was easy to get a 2.0) it would’ve struggled to keep up with the rally cars, and a trailer would’ve been out of the question. However, it will look great when paired with the rally cars and perhaps someday the van will join the group for a nice parc fermé diorama. The photoetched roofrack is a very nice touch, Ixo have really improved their quality
Ixo – Fiat 131 Panorama ‘Alitalia'
Back to boring modern MPVs.
As soon as I got my Touran model (chosen to look as much as possible like the China version that I had already) I knew there was a significant difference in scale between the two. Putting them alongside (couldn’t find my caliper anywhere) showed a 10% difference in my estimate, the Chinese version being the smaller. As soon as I can get some decent measurements I’ll post them. The Herpa is also the nicer model, as it should be given the bargain price of the China car. The wheels are the most obvious difference with the German car having good moulded alloys showing the brakes while the China car has solid wheels with integral plastic tyres and the raised wheel parts painted in silver. Mind you, it's nicely done and you won’t notice it in the display. Still I prefer the German model (made in China though) for its quality and its weight. I also like the colour better
Herpa DE - Volkswagen Touran
I'm not a great fan of recent generations of the Opel Astra, there are simply too many lines and fussy shapes. The only exception is this pretty nice coupé, which is a rarity on our roads. Reason for that is that the Astra has gone from a 100% privately owned car to a 100% leased company car here, which has made Opel fall from their number 1 spot in the sales statistics that they occupied for 35 years. Few if any people lease a coupé, it's either a hatch or an estate. I wasn’t really looking for an Astra model, it was the icing on the cake for a deal and the nice OPC wheels and great paint (incredibly fine metallic flakes) make it a winner. I prefer this over the latest generation and will look with interest at the plans PSA has for the Astra, son of Kadett (arguably Opel's most famous model)
iScale DE – Opel Astra J coupé OPC
I recently saw a NMS, or a China/North America Passat, on the street here. I was unable to take a picture unfortunately, but it made me realise that I wanted a new Passat saloon to display alongside my China version and to compare details. I did have the Passat Variant, but not the saloon. It was a choice between silver, black or this (hard to photograph) rich burgundy metallic- easy pick. Schuco did a great job on this (coincidentally not the current generation, because nobody makes a model of that) and it looks very classy in this colour. The comparison is clear, the China/NA version is longer and wider than the German car, which it should be. Both are clearly related and from a distance it’s a lot harder to tell them apart unless you see the rear end, where the location of the number plate (in the bumper on the German car, in the bootlid on the China/NA edition) gives the game away. The Passat is the only recent Volkswagen to have the number plate in the bumper, so this is not an obvious choice for the Euro car. Whereas the Chinese model is pretty decent, the German version gets the nod with its better wheels and more detailed interior. It helps that the interior is beige, which contrasts nicely with the dark paintwork. Paint quality is top notch too
Schuco DE - Volkswagen Passat
No, it's not Knight Rider. However, it's the car that the tv star was based on and it looks fantastic. I have the late ‘70s Firebird with the ‘chicken' on the bonnet and couldn’t resist this great Ixo version of the ‘80s car when it was announced. I do not regret this instant decision now it’s here, fab model
Ixo – Pontiac Firebird
The Derby was the saloon version of the popular Polo hatch, introduced in 1977 to appease more conservative buyers. It was a pleasantly-proportioned small two-door saloon with a good-sized boot. However, the Derby never got the sales numbers of the Polo and lived in the shadows of the hatchback version. It did share in 1979 facelift and lived on until the mk.2 version, when it disappeared for a while to resurface as the Polo Classic. My preference is for the early Derby. I have the Neo version of the Derby, which I love dearly because it’s the same colour as the Derby that nearly became my first car. However, when this was announced by Ixo (as a general release of the Volkswagen Collection PW model) I had to have it. I'm still hoping that someone will do the facelift version someday, but I like this model in bright 1970s Viper Green a lot too
Ixo – Volkswagen Derby
While the PW version of the Rancho is one of my favourite models, I did not object to the more detailed Norev version especially since it has this proper 1980s Simca colour and the signature Rancho spare wheel on the roof. Looking at both models it’s obvious that the PW is a simpler version of the Norev model, with the tow bar as a notable common feature of both. I'm very happy with this ‘padding’ of my meagre Simca collection and while the PW isn't going anyhere, this will accompany it in my display
Norev – Matra Simca Rancho
Recently, Maxichamps reissued the mk.4 Golf Cabriolet in white and silver with boring black interiors. I added a silver one because I didn’t have one yet, but both the paint colour and the interior were somewhat underwhelming. I was either looking for a bright blue or a red Minichamps version with a light interior. A while ago I was offered a used red model that was cheap because someone had put it in the box of a blue version. I wanted the model and appreciated the discount. The silver one has now left the building, I much prefer this one
Minichamps – Golf Cabriolet mk.4
I have no personal history with the Ford Ranch Wagon, can’t recall ever seeing one in the metal but seeing the pictures of this model in some collections here made me want it. A behemoth of a car in two-tone paint, and being a PremiumX it's a nicely finished model with great chrome trim. It took a while to get here (I think it's been over a year) but I'm very happy to have it
PremiumX – Ford Ranch Wagon
When Volkswagen redesigned their classic air-cooled platform to make the Notchback, Fastback and Variant, they were always two-door cars. For a four-door version we need to go to Brazil, where they made this somewhat utilitarian-looking car based on the Notchback but with four doors. When I read about this I had to add it to my overseas production collection and after a lot of searching I managed to strike a great deal. It involved a model that I didn’t want to get rid of, but that’s not that hard to replace through my trade connections. It's a fairly basic PW model (with perhaps too large and too chromy wheels), but I'm happy to finally have this oddity
DeAgostini PW – Volkswagen 1600
A car that never was, or was it? When Volvo made the 4-cylinder 140 series, they did a 142 2-door saloon, a 144 4-door saloon and a 145 estate. The 6-cylinder 164 was a saloon only because at the time estates were seen as working vehicles and the 164 was Volvo's move upmarket. Even though the US market demanded an estate, Volvo never built one. The 164 is a 144 with a longer nose so several people built their own 165 by welding the nose of a 164 onto a 145. This model is apparently based on one such creation, made in 1983 (the 164 was made from 1969-’75). Strangely it has a figurine inside which is out of character for 1:43 passenger cars, unless it’s a F1 or a 007 PW model. I assume that the bearded gentleman in question is the owner of the real car. I quite like this model with its sunroof and roof rack, and I like the back story. I assume this is another reissue of a Volvo Collection PW model
Triple9 Premium – Volvo 165
1963 is a desirable year when it comes to the Corvette. It’s split-window year, the only year where the coupé had a two-piece rear window. It was one of the cars that I absolutely had to have but it took a long time to find a model. I had little hope for this very cheap Solido (which might really be an Ixo), but it turned out that value does not equal cost here. OK, it’s no Spark but it’s a more than decent 1:43, even though it's hardly an exciting colour. It will do, for now but perhaps even for good
Solido – Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray C2
The ‘fintail' Mercedes was the much larger successor to the Ponton 190/220 of the 1950s. It defined Mercedes as an upmarket car maker and was effectively the E-class of the ‘60s. It was as solid and dependable as the Ponton and examples were in everyday traffic until the ‘80s, which was remarkable in a time when cars rusted to nothing well within a decade. The Fintail's styling was clearly American-inspired, par for the course at a time when only the small and utilitarian cars did not get their styling cues from the US. For some reason the PW version of this model did not tickle my fancy but this classy maroon Ixo general release was just perfect. A nice connecting model between the Ponton and the newer generations like the W123 in my collection
Ixo – Mercedes-Benz 220
Newest addition to my collection of bespoke shooting brakes is this Bentley Continental Flying Star, created in 2008 by Carrozzeria Touring on the base of a Continental GTC. The car was redesigned from the A-posts back as a four-seater with a fold-down rear seat. Putting the rear seat down resulted in a 1200 litre loading area with a two metre long floor, long enough for a sleeping bag and a good night’s rest. The car was exquisitely refinished with a beautiful wood rear floor and stunning two-tone leather interior and powered by the sublime 560 hp W12 engine. PremiumX made this fab model of the original Touring show car. I love it
PremiumX – Bentley Continental Flying Star
I wasn’t really looking for another TT-RS but this one was offered to me at such an incredible price that it would’ve been stupid to say no. The bin liner grey was the only colour available but in combination with the interior colour it looks quite good. Luckily there are enough brightly-coloured Audi models in my collection to offset this. The model was made by iScale for Audi AG and they did a superb job on what's apparently the last in the TT line
iScale DE – Audi TT-RS roadster
A while ago I added a Range Rover SV by LCD Models to my collection. While a very nice car and model, it was the result of an error as I'd ordered the Velar, a much smaller car. However, I really liked the weight and feel of this hefty piece of diecast and the blue paintwork made it even better. A few years passed and I'd forgotten all about the mix-up, but my trading partner clearly hadn’t as he messaged me if I still wanted it, he'd found one for an irresistible price. I'll have it, sure! So here’s my second LCD, in equally classy packaging and equally nicely made. He couldn’t source a blue one this time so the choice was between black or red. No prizes for guessing my decision
LCD Models – Land-Rover Range Rover Velar
Years ago I found a cheap PW version of the TC3 Ford Taunus, the final generation of the Taunus before it was replaced by the Sierra. The model was plain white and lacked decoration so I took it apart for a detailing job. It’s still in pieces years later, mainly because it really needs paint. I don’t think I've ever seen a TC3 in white, it was mostly beige, brown, blue, red or green metallic preferably with a vinyl roof in those days. Ixo had a blue TC3 but it was non-metallic and the wrong colour, so I decided not to add another until this was introduced recently. The perfect colour, a vinyl roof and Ghia alloys. That was an easy decision, and it looks great
Ixo – Ford Taunus TC3
In the classic series ‘go find someone else to kid' I bring you the concept that wasn’t a concept. The Iroc was intended to gauge the responses of the public for the relaunch of the Scirocco coupé, years after the demise of the Corrado. Even the name was just ‘Scirocco’ with a few letters taken off, and its shape was so close to the production car that it could pass for that. The glass roof and four lime green seats have been replaced by a conventional panoramic glass roof and a more conventional interior layout in standard colours. The Iroc was launched in 2006 and revived the old Viper Green metallic that was a popular Volkswagen colour in the mid-'70s. The final 2008 production version of the Scirocco could be had in this colour too, but few people were brave enough- Sciroccos were predominantly white or black
Norev – Volkswagen Iroc concept
Another unusual find in my collection comes from Greece, of all places. Their locally-built Citroen 2CV might resemble a Méhari, but it’s built on the stronger platform of the AK 2CV van and the body is metal instead of GRP like the Méhari's. It was built in the 1970s and ‘80s as a step up from a donkey for Greek farmers, a go-(almost) anywhere vehicle (despite lack of AWD) and a family car at the weekend. I like it a lot, it will sit nicely among my other 2CVs from all across the world
The Diecast Club PW - Citroen Namco Pony
Some might argue that I’ve gone off the deep end, replacing a high-end model with a cheap partwork version. The reason is that there were two things that annoyed me about the Looksmart- it was a concept instead of the production car and it was in a boring shade of grey. Someone offered me insane money and this PW in exchange and I told him ‘naah, the PW is that godawful Motormax toy thing’ and he assured me it wasn’t. When I got his pictures I was pleasantly surprised. It was no Looksmart but it was red, had good proportions and a correct stance. So apparently when the initial pictures of the PW version were released, they didn’t have the correct casting and took pictures of the Motormax instead. That's the way to annoy your collectors… So now I have this pretty decent model and when I come across the BBR/Blue Moon version in the correct Rosso Competizione, I can pounce and be completely happy. For now I can live with this
Supercar Collection PW – Alfa Romeo 4C
The Motormax
Car #21 was one of the two cars entered by Mercedes in the 1952 24 hours of Le Mans. Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess won the legendary race at the wheel of a 300 SL (W 194 series) on 14/15 June 1952. Theo Helfrich and Helmut Niedermayr were second, also piloting a 300 SL. Because 1950s endurance racers are my favourites, I wanted a model of this successful car for my collection. It was modelled by several makers, but I'd apparently missed out on the more upmarket versions. I didn’t have high hopes for this PW model but when it arrived I was pleasantly surprised. A very nice model of a sleek racer
Mercedes-Benz Collection PW – Mercedes 300SL
(Paintwork looks great in sunlight but my LED studio lights seem to bring out a relief that isn't there)
Though I prefer the R32 and R33 Skylines for their looks, there’s no denying the technical tour de force that is the R35 GT-R. No longer called Skyline, this car is filled to the brim with electronics and it still has the amazing tuneable engine of its predecessors. I had a very nice Ixo model that came in a trade, but that moved on quickly when I got this brilliant Fujimi
Fujimi – Nissan GT-R R35
A couple of years ago there was a Citroen H PW that was being remaindered and quite a few S143 members added these quintessentially French vans to their collections, just as I did. One of them eluded me, a glaziers’ van with two figurines carrying a pane of glass. I got a second chance years later with a similar van from a different PW. Love this one
Les Petits Utilitaires PW – Citroen H Vitrier
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 21, 2022 12:11:37 GMT -5
The Chinese version of Volkswagen’s ID.4 has 4WD and sports suspension, and it’s called the ID.4 Crozz when made by FAW and ID.4X when made by SAIC. There are external detail differences between the German and Chinese models but nothing major. This was a great value model and I couldn’t decide from the bad pictures if I wanted the metallic red or blue- the only thing I was sure of was that I didn’t want the plain grey. So I got them both, will evaluate and move one of them on. It’s not nearly as nice as a Norev but I won’t hide it in my display either. Another maker I’ve never heard of
Aiboully - FAW-Volkswagen ID.4 Crozz
Another one that replaces a model that I had already. The 007 Collection PW version is painted in a very coarse grey metallic and it does nothing for the looks of the model. This is the same casting from a different PW and painted in a silver with extremely fine particles that looks amazing. A change of colour that makes the model for me
The Supercar Collection PW – Aston Martin DB10
When smart released the city coupé, later known as the fortwo, it was pretty clever as a concept. It seated two (most cars have only one occupant 90% of the time), it had interchangeable body panels so you could change its colour and it had a strong safety cage. The compact shape meant that you could park it nose to the kerb and it wouldn’t stick out compared to parallel-parked normal cars, so you could park two smarts in one space. Then it failed the swerve test and had to be hastily re-engineered, it turned out that you would be ticketed for parking the wrong way, those coloured body panels cost a fortune and the car had a habit of eating one engine every two or three oil changes, if the annoyingly sloooooow semi-auto gearbox hadn’t driven you insane yet. And if you bought frozen pizza and put it in the boot, it would be ready to eat in one short drive because the engine was underneath. Meanwhile, someone at smart thought ‘why not make a four-seater version?’ and the forfour was born. The same interchangeable body panels but a front engine and a Mitsubishi Colt undercarriage and engine. Very few people thought that it was a good idea, even though like the Colt it was made in the Nedcar plant here in the Netherlands it failed to evoke any feeling of national pride. It was a lot more expensive than the Colt and those removable body panels were so pricy that nobody would consider a change. The forfour was made from 2004 to 2006 and less than 133,000 were made. It was replaced by the new forfour which shared its platform and driveline with the Renault Twingo mk.3. I'd forgotten that there was a 1:43 so when I was offered this NOS forfour in a swap I thought it might be a nice way to remember one of the less successful Nedcar products. I've driven one or two, and on the road they’re as forgettable as the Colt. The model is a good representation of the 1:1 but most people went for the white, black or silver body panels instead of this more attractive copper. It’s not clear who made it, there are no markings on the model and the forfour was made by Schuco, Minichamps, Newray and Norev. Most sources seem to think this is a Schuco
Schuco DE – smart forfour
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 21, 2022 12:15:27 GMT -5
I've driven a few Elises but I’ve always felt that it’s too hardcore for an open-topped cruiser. I prefer the closed Exige as the perfect track day tool, love its mean looks and the engineering. I was really looking for an Elise to complement my Spark Exige but this came up and it looked amazing in the colour scheme of the classic Elan Sprint. No way was I letting this one go, so it’s part of the collection now
Ixo – Lotus Exige Sprint Edition
A properly weird Japanese car, the small Nissan MPV called Cube. An asymmetric design, a boxy shape and some very interesting styling details. The second generation of the Cube was made between 2002 and 2008 and based on the platform and drivetrain of the Micra. The Cube was always an out-there choice, and while its intention was to appeal to the young and hip crowd this did not work in The Netherlands. The only people interested in the Cube were the OAPs who praised it for its easy entry and high-up seating, spacious interior and good visibility. Very few were sold here as a consequence and I could go for months without spotting a Cube on the streets. When you do see one, it’s inevitably in brown metallic, white metallic or this odd pale blue pearl colour. I've only driven two over my years of working in the automotive sector and they were decent enough to drive but quite bland other than the exterior -clearly made to appeal to as many people as possible. The Cube is interesting enough for me to add to the collection and this First43 is an excellent representation, including the signature pale blue paintwork
First43 – Nissan Cube
Those pesky service vans keep being pushed onto the market by Ixo, and they're utterly irresistible. Not even expensive either, and they add a nice element to your displays. I wanted to stop adding more because room is getting scarce but this one just screamed at me. I like classic rally cars and old vans, and the Ford Motorsport livery... So I took a deep breath and got rid of some more models that I'd intended to keep, just to be able to indulge myself here
Ixo - Ford Transit 'Ford Motorsport' 1986
A support van needs something to support and Ixo had the perfect companion for this. In fact it was a car that I'd wanted to add to my collection for years, and it pushed me over the edge to add the van too. I'd missed out on the Minichamps and HPI when they were affordable but luckily Ixo's version is great. The only thing that annoys me is the wipers that appear to be printed on the 'screen but are actually etched. Love the engine detail though
Ixo - Ford RS200 Blomqvist/Berglund, RAC rally 1986
And the pair together
'Didn't I get you that RHD Mazda MX-5 a while ago? Care to swap it for a LHD?' No problem, but I'd spent some time comparing all 1:43 ND MX-5 models. I wanted one in Mazda's iconic deep pearl red with the titanium-coloured wheels, the correct antenna and the decent wipers. Ixo to the rescue again and now I have a LHD version, and someone in the UK is happy with my old model. Another very nice Ixo model, with a quality interior
Ixo - Mazda MX-5 ND
About twenty years ago I spent my holiday in the Southwest of the US. I'd rented a car and drove around for a bit. Quite a bit actually, it turned out to be over 4000 miles by the time I left my car at the rental place. I looked at the maps, decided roughly what I wanted to see and headed there, staying somewhere longer if I enjoyed it and driving on if I didn’t. Somehow at the end of the day I ended up in Bishop, CA and decided that the local motel would do. Bishop itself was nothing special, with an internet cafe where I could e-mail home (no free wifi at the turn of the century) and Schat's Dutch Bakery, actually a relation of my local bakery. I spent some time in the motel pool where I met some fellow Dutchmen and after finding something to eat I strolled around until I saw a sign that pointed me to the County Fair. I'd only seen those in movies and it seemed like a nice pastime. It was huge, so I looked around and found some snacks, enjoyed the local crafts section, drank some good coffee (the only really good coffee I managed to find in three weeks) when I came to an arena which said there'd be a monster truck show. I wanted to watch that, and the rest of the show (stunt bikes, and buggies racing around a dirt track, pretty good stuff). I spent a few hours there enjoying the shows, watching people have fun and talking to other gear heads. It was quite late when I got back to the motel but it was unexpectedly one of the best nights that I spent there. That night I was awoken by an earthquake, so I got the full CA experience. When this model came up in one of my trading partners' lists, it only took me one google to decide. A belated souvenir of a great holiday
Greenlight - Ford F-250 monster truck 'Goliath'
|
|
|
Post by Tom on Apr 21, 2022 12:21:28 GMT -5
I've already shown you the Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback EVs a while ago. I hadn’t seen this version yet but when I was informed of its existence I thought it would be a nice addition to the collection in its presentation livery (the idea was taken from Porsche who used a similar livery on their racing cars). The design seems random but it really is a collection of e-tron logos, partially fading into the background. According to the packaging it's an e-tron Sportback prototype but I hardly think you’d advertise a prototype like this… so I'd call it a presentation version, probably made for motor shows and publicity
iScale DE - Audi e-tron Sportback prototype
The only recent Mercedes cars that interest me are the powerful sports coupes. I made the M-B dealer magazine for my employer when my favourite, the SLR McLaren, was introduced. Later this was succeeded by the SLS AMG which was in turn followed by the AMG GT. I'm not enough of a fan to buy high-end models and I have one stipulation: they need to be silver, my ultimate colour for the big bruisers. I've now found the first and most important car, so the search is on for the last two. A pretty decent model from the Supercars PW
Supercars PW – Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Another weird Japanese car. Highly regarded by owners and well-known for its build quality, made between 2008 and 2014. It was the Japanese answer to the smart fortwo. The iQ was made as a ‘3+1’, the asymmetrical dash made it possible for the passenger seat to be moved forward so that an adult (although at 6’ I wasn’t comfortable) could sit in the rear seat, whereas the ‘legroom’ behind the driver was sufficient for a small child only. The iQ was powered by the Daihatsu three-cylinder 1.0 that equipped the Toyota Aygo as well. Build quality of the iQ was high and it was never cheap. It was the first small car featuring nine airbags including one to protect from rear impacts (having driven a few, I can attest to its necessity- you feel incredibly vulnerable in traffic in an iQ). It earned a five-star EuroNCAP rating as a consequence. The proportions of the iQ meet no beauty standards whatsoever and I doubt that anyone would describe it as anything better than cute- it's frankly weird. For such a small car it’s surprisingly hard to oversee and I’ve seen many with parking damage. About 90% of the iQs here are either grey or white, choices that don’t appeal to me. When I was offered this metallic orange iQ by Kyosho/J-collection, I went for it straightaway. A great sign of the times, and surprisingly easy to sell as a used car because there are always people looking for one
Kyosho/J-collection – Toyota iQ
From tiny it's back to large again.
The Mercedes G-Class has gone through quite the transition during its long lifespan. From a utilitarian military tool to a rich dudes’ toy, beloved transport of the Russian mob and the oil sheiks. Like the Land-Rover Defender, it's looked virtually the same for decades (though the last facelift changed nearly every panel on the car). It isn’t that hard to make a 1980 G look like a 2015 car. It's well-made, a true offroader as its military heritage suggests. I now have three Gs in my collection- an early SWB with a soft top, a later unadorned LWB wagon and now this fancy widebody LWB wagon from just before the recent facelift. From ‘the car is a tool' to ‘the tool is behind the wheel', in 1:43. :lol: The model is a nameless Chinese issue (I even used a translation app on the box art to translate the Chinese text, but it just came up with safety cautions). It was dirt cheap on Aliexpress and its seems to be a mixed blessing- with some photoetched parts as well as crudely printed details. The plinth has a mock leather insert and the model was in a Mercedes-branded box. It'll have to do, I'm not a huge fan of the modern G and it looks pretty decent overall
China DE – Mercedes-Benz G500
Another movie car that came about not as a consequence of the movie Bullitt (though I did enjoy it) but rather because I wanted a model of this generation of the Dodge Charger. Greenlight made this, it's pretty affordable but somehow it leaves me a little underwhelmed. Maybe it’s the dull black paintwork, maybe it's a feeling that the proportions are somewhat off, the wheels are a bit meh or that it just doesn’t capture the great shape completely. I have the Bullitt Mustang so perhaps I'll do a San Francisco diorama someday, for now I have the Mustang’s famous number plate in the background
Greenlight – Dodge Charger ‘Bullitt'
Yet another Japanese entry in my collection, and I feel that this is a neglected car. The early generations of the Fairlady Z(X) are well regarded and the final 300ZX has earned its stripes too. However, just like the 2+2 Z of the 1970s, the 1980s ZX is largely ignored. Why? On balance it’s a pretty good-looking car with nice, svelte proportions and a relatively timeless design, and the t-bar roof is nice too. The 300ZX TT of the ‘90s was one of the first Japanese cars in my collection yet it took 20-odd years for me to finally add this. The model is pretty nice too, Kyosho managed to capture the shape very well and the pale blue metallic paintwork looks fantastic (though I need to watch out as my collection has turned mostly red and blue in recent years). The fact that it was offered for a single-figure price was icing on the cake, not a necessity. It's very satisfying to hold in your hand, I would say that everyone who has Japanese road cars in their collection needs one of these. Get one before they’re all gone!
Kyosho – Nissan Fairlady 300ZX
|
|
|
Post by WallOfCars on Apr 21, 2022 12:23:35 GMT -5
Tom, very interesting to see your 'D' MX-5. It's a fine model, but I'm most drawn to the color. I'm in-between 1:1 cars right now and I'm seriously consider several models of Mazda for my next vehicle. They have an absolutely outstanding color called 'Soul Red Metallic' which is what I think your IXO has tried to replicate. Have you seen the 1:1 in person? Guess it's sold in Europe/NL? If you have, was curious just how closely IXO matched the color? This is of interest since Mazda really plays up their special/muti-stage process to create this on their 1:1 at an upcharge of about $595 USD
|
|