Atlas Pathwork - Theme Series

[stanhas87]

Dear All:

The list below been written by Maz Wolley on MAR (Model Auto Review) and states all of the Vehicle Themes as offered by Atlas and sold at the Newstands. Only the themes will be listed,not the vehicles.

Tour de France Parade
Passion Citroen
Les Voitures de Tintin
Concept Car
Bugatti
La Saga des Tractions
Vehicules postaux

Voitures de Rallyes (1/18 Bburago)
L'age d'or voitures Francaises au 1/87
Test Angers area
Les Volumes de Spirou
Camions Coca-Cola
Concepts-Cars (CIJ Europac)
Le route des vacances
DS (Universal Hobbies)
La Saga des Tractions (UH & Norev)
Tractions Courtage (UH)
Traction Courtage luxe (UH)
Le Poste (UH and Norev)
Le Poste Courtage (UH and Eligor)
Le Poste Courtage Luxe
Passion Citroen (UH)
Voitures d'exception
Tour de France

M6 Interactions:

Coupes & Cabriolets (1/24;Welly)
Junior Voitures 3 inches (Norev)
Mythique R4 (Norev)
Dakar (Norev)
Renault (Norev and UH)

The series stated as 1/87 (L'age d'or des voitures Francaises) lists the following:

1.Citroen 2CV grey + 2 CV Sahara Grey 1949/1958
2.Peugeot 404 Berline blue + 404 Rallye 5 Beige (1961/1967)
3.Citroen DS19 Beige + DS19 Police Pie 1956/1956
3C Renault 4 red + 4 Parisienne black 1962/1962

If someone knows if any other series are 1/87 scaled,I will be glad to list the vehicles shown at the article.

[Sylvain]

Thanks Nick, but, in fact, in all these series, I think the only series offering 1/87 models is the one we know, "L'âge d'or des voitures françaises". The all other series are of 1/43 models (except of course the two ones indicated as offering 1/18 or 1/24 models), and only of 1/43 models. Even the 2 ones "Tintin" and "Spirou", which are cars out of comics, offer 1/43 models.

What is interesting for us in these 1/43 series is that the models made by UH for Atlas may appears in the 1/87 series. For example, the same grey and black 1934 Traction of "L'âge d'or des voitures françaises" was released only 2 or 3 weeks before in the series "La saga des Tractions", as a 1/43 model that is.

The "Courtage" series are only different types of subcribtion. For example, "Traction Courtage" and "Traction Courtage luxe" are in fact similar to "La Saga des Tractions", with a few extras.

"Test Angers era" is certainly a test, I wonder for what series, perhaps for "L'âge d'or des voitures françaises". During these tests, only a few models are sold, to see if they found a public. The models are sold only in few french towns (remember the 2cv made by Norev I did find in Brest, my home town?).

But if MAR only listed the 4 first duos of the series, well, they really need to be up-dated! They should look here from time to time…

[stanhas87]

Dear Sylvain:

Very interesting!! They - Universal Hobbies - are doing business as Motormax,i.e., introduces a prototype on a large scale and then reduces it to 1/87 scale. Talk about of a good use of a tooling!!

Ron Ward, editor of MAR,does accept articles and detailed corespondence at all times. As an example,on the same issue of MAR (April 2007) Maz Wooley also wrote about JMK (Jans Miller) limited models. Myself,I also send info,I will write a letter about the new Matchbox Releases for 2007,the Motormax phenomena and this great year as far as 1/64 and 1/87 scales are concerned.

Thanks for the reply,

Nick K

[Cor_DutchArt]

stanhas87 said:

Dear Sylvain:

Very interesting!! They - Universal Hobbies - are doing business as Motormax,i.e., introduces a prototype on a large scale and then reduces it to 1/87 scale. Talk about of a good use of a tooling!!

Ron Ward, editor of MAR,does accept articles and detailed corespondence at all times. As an example,on the same issue of MAR (April 2007) Maz Wooley also wrote about JMK (Jans Miller) limited models. Myself,I also send info,I will write a letter about the new Matchbox Releases for 2007,the Motormax phenomena and this great year as far as 1/64 and 1/87 scales are concerned.

Thanks for the reply,

Nick K

I think it's different of what you think.
Not Universal Hobbies is the seller but Editions Atlas.
They will test the market! Like for instance Sylvain's 2 CV Sahara from Norev is an example of it. Then they makes a decision about what model from which manufacturer fit in their point of view. But nothing about a test in other scales! The Norev Citroën also was 1:87 scale!

[Sylvain]

dutchart said:

I think it's different of what you think.
Not Universal Hobbies is the seller but Editions Atlas…

I agree, the tests are not made by UH, but by Éditions Atlas. It's not UH that is selling the models, but Éditions Atlas. And I may be wrong, but new models in the series are I think Éditions Atlas choice, and not UH (or any other manufacturer). Perhaps it's more complicated, but it appears to be so.

That's why the models of a same series can be made by different manufacturers, like for example again, in "La saga des Tractions": the models are made by UH and Norev. Remember that among the 4 models of the test for "L'âge d'or des voitures françaises", two were made by UH (404 and DS) and two by Norev (2cv and R4).

That's also why models available through Atlas series can not always be found elsewhere, I mean not in model shops. Like Norev's 1949 2cv, that so far has disappeared (The red R4 made for the series by Norev is now sold as a special model for Renault).

[stanhas87]

Dear All:

Since eBay will make the purchases of these quite unafordable,Jack may try to get some of these for me.If he is unable,then I will wait until their sale is made to the general public.

Now I see the picture: Atlas markets them,but these are made by different manufacturers (as stated by the listing above).

[JanS]

What could happen is that Atlas themselves will sell the models to retailers, as they have done and are doing still with some of their 1/43-lines. It's possible they are selling leftover stock, but on the other hand it makes sense if they do it themselves. So far, it still isn't certain that the 1/87-models will be sold separately in the near future.
JanS
www.ho-modelautoclub.nl