stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Mar 7, 2008 6:16:50 GMT 1
Dear All:
Yat Ming, as Zylmex, migrated to the larger scales in the 1990's; their 1/64 from the late 1970's - 1980's period were decent models or copies (some from Tomica) of other Manufacturers; yet their Malibu, Scirocco and Saab were nice models. By the end of the last Century, the three inch range were just that - cheap toys, but there were such interesting models, such the only miniature of an early 1990's Tercel and Civic, or Alfa Romeo Coupe or RAV4. They would dedicate themselves to 1/72 scale at the beggining of this Century, but by 2007, they came back to 1/64 with high grade diecast. First, there were the Pick Up trucks (all classic, Studebaker included); then the Hot Rods (including a 1940 Chevrolet 2-door sedan) and finally such models as Chrysler 300 (1957 and current one), Mustang Cobra and Corvette. I collecetd their models avidly (including their many,many,many,many pack variations) and I am happy that they are back to 1/64. Listings of the new releases at the 1/64 models thread.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Mar 12, 2008 7:45:37 GMT 1
Dear All:
Some notes:
1. Is interesting to note that someone (Bill C) wants to develop 4-door sedans. Fact is, these are avoided as a plague in virtually all scales and is worth to add that Manufacturers such as Brooklin or limited model Manufacturers, mostly made of white metal (a metal which is flexible and does not waste the molds so easily) came to be because large Manufacturers did not wanted to do, say, that Dodge Diplomat or 1972 Buick Le Sabre that John or Anthony wanted so badly. Of course, these models were done in smaller issues, and they were expensive because John or Anthony were one of the few who wanted these models. In real life, however, these sedans are what families wanted (let's face it, a Convertible and Coupe are ill-equiped to convey a family in confort). Of course, they are boring, but they did the job and were also used as a Public Service Cars. In 1/64, the majority are still coupes and convertibles, but cars such as the Caprice, 1980's LTD, Impala, Dodge Monaco, LTD with the Fox Platform and even some Oldsmobiles were made. Now, the Granada and Diplomat are being developed at this size, which begs the question: are these vehicles so unpopular? Perhaps not, because Muscle Cars pretty much dominates the scene in here, and the collectors are saying enough. The sucess of the 1973 Caprice Wagon is a fact; now there is the 1964 Olds Vista Cruiser in the Horizon, which also may do quite well at sales. To be seen. Alas, Jada, RC2 or Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning, Mattel, Motormax, 1-Badd-Ride, Greenlight and the newer M2 lines are mostly Muscle Vehicles and the sedans are mostly two-door; the Popularity of Police Cars in the end of the last Century bought vehicles such as the Caprice/Vic, but some shotcuts, such as two-door sedans from the lineup were also promoted to the Beat. Be as it may, Motormax is the one which is thinking out of the box and offering sedans which were not Police Units, and the trend may continue. Cars such as the PT Cruiser, Magnum, Chrysler 300 and Charger may had help change what one thinks of four-door cars. I agree wholeheartly that more shoul be bought to life, and chances are that they may, even in 1/64.
2. I sorry to say, but 1/87 and 1/64 is very interwined, and 1/64 models also did evolved a lot, due to the fact that they are sponsored by adults, and that includes the Matchbox Cars. Look at their Vic: separate headlights, a Computer inside the cab, and also such off items such as Donuts and cuffs. And all this for $ .97!! Fact is, Mattel did try to screw with it, but their collectors protested, and now Matchbox is offering realistic vehicles, and this fact is being reflected by their sales; Matchbox is Mattel's more profitbale Brand, and such models as the Alfa Romeo GTV, Bentley Continental, AEC Routemaster, Volkswagen T2 Van, Austin Minivan, Volvo C30, Audi Wagon, 1969 Cadillac Sedan de Ville (here is, anoher 4-door here) are very well received by the collectors and eBay sellers alike; Hot Wheels is keeping their silly creations, but some recent ones such as the 1968 Chevelle are somehow well executed. To be frank, yes, Mattel models look too Custom and silly in 1/87; so Mattel should have a series of 'right-made' models and introduce Matchbox to 1/87. I bet the house (as I do for the sucess of the 1964 Vista Cruiser) that models such as the 1969 de Ville, Bentley or Alfa will simply disappear as they hit the shelfs.
Also, is my thinking that 1/64 is also a small scale, so what makes sucess here may do sucess in 1/87 as well. Why? Because even the 1/64 crowd demands quality. Proof: what happened to Matchbox in 2004, and which was the reaction (and Mattel complied); people complained about the HO Reel Rides here. Likewise, people complained about the large-scaled Rides or the ones which were not so accurate. Also, as of now, most Manufacturers have a basic and premium line (of course, the latter is inteded as Adult Collectable) and items from Greenlight, M2, AutoArt are not toys, period. Neither are the Fresh Cherries or some of the Premium Maistos, but some the latter are not so accurate, I have the sad duty to report. But they did such models as the Volkswagen Notchback, TL and Variant, so they themselves are courting different Markets. Further, if someone says that there are not European models in three inch, I will reply about the Models of Norev, Majorette and Siku and these are still current. There is more, however: Welly have 1/64 Russian Car Miniatures which are made in Russia (and for that Market); and as of 2005, Grell showed up, and they are make East German and Russian 1/64 Cars. So, this scale has the same impact as 1/87 with selected European / World Prototypes and American Vehicles. To be frank, I think that both scales as of now complement each other; 1/64 went for that Worldy approach in terms of prototypes; and it seems that 1/87 will adopt more and more American Vehicles, but - again my opinion - do it faster and look what sells in 1/64.
3. Majorette started the concept of premium diecast; Playing Mantis / Johnny Lightning cemented this ideia. Greenlights are the peak of this concept, M2 will be even better and the ERTL Muscle series were also not bad. Minichamps also did two protos and the ones from AutoArt been stated as having 1/18 scale quality. So, it is true: 1/64 evolved as well and not all of them are toys. Code 3 also can be given as an example: this manufacturer of Fire Trucks started with the concept that one shoe fits all and were avaliable at the Mass Merchandise Stores. But, as special atention was given to the Fire Vehicles, they withdrew themselves from these locations and I would see their reps seling their wares at the ex-George Show. Also note that some of these units are sold at $60.00 per, so again, these are not toys. Neither are the semi trailers from Penjoy or Hartoy and these are also not seen at Wal Mart.
So, this is my two cents.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Mar 13, 2008 4:43:31 GMT 1
Dear All:
Sweeeettttttttt!!!!! Got my first M2 Machines Miniature, the 1954 Mercury Sun Liner. Beuatiful item, and even has that transparent roof. I wanted the 1955 Pontiac Star Chief the most, but since that was not avaliable, I settled with the Merc. Saw the other cars from the range, and they are all nice, nice, nice models!! My Merc is green; a light blue one was also avaliable.
Not only that: Jada does molds a Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion; and Mattel, on one of their Premium Castings, does mold a Beautiful 1957 Buick Hardtop Station Wagon and that is a sweet and gorgeous model; Orange/white collor. On the same series as the Buick, there is a 1956 Mercury avaliable. Mattel seem to be going head-to-head with Maisto, because they themselves offer a miniature of a Volkswagen Variant and TL; Jada also has dibs on the same models. Except that Mattel's versions approach 1/45 scale (Mattel has a series of car that look like 1/43 scale, but these are a tad smaller than that) and Jada are also big.
I got lucky with my M2 find. Supposedly, these will be avaliable in stores only in July. I got that at Frank's and Son Collectable Show at the City of Industry. Contrary to ex-George's Show, most of the model vehicles are from Mattel including series not often seen, such as this one which is a Ferrari (in collors other than red) Series and several of them are offered. The Buick Wagon will be my next one.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Mar 14, 2008 2:28:49 GMT 1
Dear All:
Leave it to the Cars Movie. At City of Industry, I saw the Dodge Van and c1962 Dodge Sedan on a combo pack (the main caracther of the movie sponsored a Rust Protection Compound, and the Dodges were the ones who had used that product) and glad that the Van is on the three inch World. Frank, I believe it is (an all rusted car which always dropped its bumper and was all happy when a Racer Recognized him) seem to be a Studebaker Lark Sedan (4 doors at that). Happy with that, too. Alas, is stated that this movie gave a boost to the diecast World, but I am not quite sure about that.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Mar 15, 2008 6:00:27 GMT 1
Dear All:
I was aware of these RTS's for a while, but I would see them only at eBay since at least 2006. For a while, I wanted to report these as 1/87, but they are not in that scale (eBay dealers are not aware of these matters at times).
CVS Pharmacies, it seems, are bringing back their toy section of 4 inch Vehicles which were stocked by their predecessor, Sav On Pharmacies. Not all cars are at the same scale or size, but some of the Buses (such these RTS and previously, a GMC New Look) are in 1/64 scale; others, such as these MCI E series are 1/87; and there are some trucks such these Mercedes Actros which are also 1/64 scaled. All are pull-type toys / models.
Today I went to Burbank's CVS and there they were - the RTS buses. One in New York Livery and the other in an earlier LACMTA livery. Grabbed them. These buses have its chassis screwed, not riveted, so I got a fair amount of the LACMTA ones (only one New York was left) so Jack can use its skills on it. The ones I saw on eBay since 2006 belongs to this dealer who specialize on model Buses and he did repainted some of these RTS's, so Jack also will be able to do nice modifications to them. They are fairly well shaped.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Mar 19, 2008 21:30:52 GMT 1
Dear All:
New from Mattel (Hot Wheels, new model series):
2008 Ford Focus Coupe 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle 1962 Custom Chevrolet Pick Up Hummer Pick Up
On their Premium Series, 1968 Models, they issued a 1964 Ford Pinto.
AutoArt:
Ford GT Porsche Carrera Porsche 911 GT3
1BaddRide also has models of the new Challenger as a NASCAR racer, a 1969 Charger and a vintage Mustang Shelby, besides the newer model. Jada Toys does offer a Nissan Maxima and Greenlight has another 1968 Impala which comes with engine tools detail.
Regarding Formula 1 miniatures, Tomica and Yat Ming had a good amount of these miniatures, including Ferrari, Brabham, BRM and that racer which had six wheels (by Tomica). ERTL had a series of Indy Racers.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Mar 29, 2008 23:16:48 GMT 1
Dear All: Motormax site been updated and below one sees all the models from the 1/60 scaled Fresh Cherries: www.motormaxtoys.com/category/45 Since Wal Mart pished the Cherries to the discount aisle, that may mean that these new models may be avaliable soon.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Apr 1, 2008 20:37:15 GMT 1
Dear All:
I found it at my late night visits to Target, when I go to my night job on weekends. The Matchbox #002, 1969 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. For one, I am glad that Mattel is reverting Matchbox image towards the Lesney's times, where accuracy (as humanly possible on this type of product) is a rule. This car, on my scale, is four stars out of five, and even the MCCH coolectors group does agree with that. A spectacular model, and I always considered the Cadillacs from this Era to be the most elegant (specially the one with the stack up headlights) of them all. I also added their 1975 Chevrolet Pick Up (nicely done, too) and Volkswagen Thing (181).
The bleak parts from Matchbox History comes from the Superfast Era, Tyco (due to the abberant collors) and the first years of the Mattel era.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Apr 7, 2008 3:43:19 GMT 1
Dear All:
MAR Magazine stated (and a while ago, when its Magazine was big sized) that there were plans for a Speed Racer Movie and sure enough, on May 9th, it will debut (and I consider this movie to be the similar, in terms of sucess, to CARS flick. Mattel is the one who is passing the movie's miniatures (merchandising?). When I went to Target last week, I saw a big empty spot close to Matchbox section; last night, it was filled with the Vehicles from that movie, in literally all sizes. A catch: is difficult to find a three inch miniature of the Mach 5 and Racer X; there is a three pack (silver-colored) which contains miniatures of the Mach 4, 5 and 6. There were plenty of the Mach 6 miniatures yesterday at the store. There were some large models (push-type toys) from this movie, and I saw at least a couple of the Mach 5s. Is interesting to notice that Esurance, the Insurance company, is promoting this movie.
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BillC
87thScale addict
Posts: 2,541
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Post by BillC on Apr 18, 2008 12:28:17 GMT 1
The M2 Machines should be more plentiful soon. I got a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief (red/black), 1954 Mercury Monterey Sun Valley (llight green) and a 1951 Ford Crestline (Sportsman's Green/Black). Talked to the folks at M2 Machines and there are more on the way.
Super-nice cars with opening doors, opening hoods, lots of nice detail. All for five bucks.
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Post by h0collector on Apr 18, 2008 20:29:12 GMT 1
Dear Nick; I think I noticed you did mention a Chrysler Le Baron Convertible in (ca.) 1/64 scale ? Do you know which model year or generation ? And also which colors available ? Last month I bought a 1989 Chrysler Le Baron Convertible in 1/1, dark red (plum) with a white convertible top - just ready for the summer season A very beautiful vehicle in my eyes. Characteristic for the Le Baron from these years are the concealed headlights. (yes, I'm still living in the very rainy city Bergen in Norway... but I enjoy every sunny day here more than ever now ;D) I would love to get models of this particual Mopar in any scale. In fact, I have already a model in our favourite scale 1/87, a resin model made by Martin Fredrich Modelle in Germany - very well made model. But I would love to get also larger models of my dear Mopar cruiser. BJ
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Post by jackfitz1944 on Apr 18, 2008 21:49:56 GMT 1
Looks like they would be good candidates to hydroshrink.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Apr 19, 2008 5:46:47 GMT 1
Dear All:
The M2 Machines are indeed nice and they also have models of 'transparent' vehicles, i.e. miniatures which one can see the interior details. Not only that, they are going for models of Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles. Alas, when I went to the City of Industry, I did not expected to find them and I had plans to grab the Pontiac first, but the Merc suited me fine; Mattel does the 1956 Model year, but the M2 version is better by far. Before them, Johnny Lightning was the standard on above average 1/64 models; now M2 fits the bill. I also understand that more models are planned, including a series of Limos.
They are made by Funrise, who made the Muscle Cars Series which were most caricatures of the real Vehicles but had interesting and unique models at their range; they also made the Miniatures in 1/16 scale that had sound/lights (Emergency Vehicles) and the Fire Units were quite interesting; they were responsable by the very collectable Code 3 Miniatures; they also did a range of Monster Trucks that also had some unique vehicles at the range, such as a Dakota 4-door Pick Up and at this case, the bodies were accurate. Pretty soon I will grab the other of the M2 Machines.
The Road Champs Chrysler Le Baron is a c1984 Model year, Convertible, black body collor and white interior. Granted, is a cheap model, but still unique as of now and does not show up often because it was avaliable for only a short time. They also did a Buick Riviera from the same period and is also scarce and a cheap model but again, unique. This one is red-collored. There are a couple of c1989 model year miniatures as well: one by Tootsetoys, if I am not wrong, in 1/32 scale, red with black interior; other which I identify as such (is a generic model which looks like it) in 1/64 and was made by the Chinese and is equally as scarce. Boy, I need to get a camera!!
Regarding Hidroshrink, the models from M2 and Code 3 are very good candidates for it. The latter made a miniature of the Emergency 51 Dodge Fire Unit and if my memory does not fail, Crown Unit.
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BillC
87thScale addict
Posts: 2,541
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Post by BillC on Apr 19, 2008 13:00:51 GMT 1
... They are made by Funrise ... Um, no they're not. Funrise, which is owned by Matrix Holdings, is a completely different company. Castline is a new venture from the Leong family, which owned Fun line the company that made the Muscle Cars and was bought out by Action Performance in 2003. Contrary to one of the comments on the Hobby Talk forum, the badging is not incorrect on the '51 Crestliner. It just has the "Ford-O-Matic" badge below the crest. What is incorrect is the "Crestliner" on the fender. On the real car, it was gold-anodized. The Crestliner also has major dimensional problems. It's actually about 1/60 scale. I guess the folks at Castline's factory didn't believe the Ford was that much smaller than the Mercury and Pontiac. What's interesting is that the errors add up to make the Crestliner model about the same size as the Mercury and Pontiac. One of the comparisons shown in the Hobby Talk thread was a bit amusing. If the Cadillac Eldorado shown in one photo is the same size as the Pontiac, the Cadillac is way too short! The 1955 Pontiac Star Chief was 210.2 inches long while the 1959 Eldorado was 225 inches from bumper to bumper, over a foot longer than the Star Chief. The Eldorado was also nearly five inches wider. By the way, the M2 Pontiac model is about two scale inches too short. The Johnny Lightning Impala is about right; the real '58 Impala was within an inch or so of the 1955 Star Chief. Don't forget, the Star Chief was longer overall than the 1955 Chieftains and had a longer wheelbase.
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stanhas87
87thScale addict
1978 Dodge Monaco CHP
Posts: 4,906
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Post by stanhas87 on Apr 19, 2008 19:10:00 GMT 1
Dear All:
I always confuse these two manufacturers. Otherwise, I am looking for all the models from M2 and waiting for the new releases.
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