Originally Posted by ram  23rd August 2006, 14:05
Friends:
A few thoughts to share, from my exposure from 1961 to date, to the glittering world of automobile scale-models and construction kits.
I've visited shops in Western Europe, North America and Australia which carry only scale-model cars as opposed to toys. The popular scales are 1:43, 1:24 and 1:16.
Like the world of after-shaves, colognes and eau-de-toilettes(EDTs), where there are
1. grocery/medical store eau de toilettes,
2. speciality clothing store eau de toilettes and
3. perfume store/designer eau de toilettes,
There are
1. toy shop models (Hot-wheels, Mattel, Corgi, Maisto, Bburago(now owned by Maisto), Road-Champs),
2. hobby store models (Schabak, Wiking, Herpa, Revell, AMT, Monogram, Jo-han, MPC, Tamiya, Fujimi, Hasegawa) and then there are
3. specialty collector store scale-models(e.g. Franklin Mint-USA, Schuco-Germany, Box-Italy). Alsohand-built limited edition models made of white metal or resin and one-of-a-kind auction models where you bid and buy.
At the high-end here are the 1:43, 1:24 and 1:16 scale plastic as well as die-cast aluminium kits by companies like Monogram, MPC, Tamiya and Hasegawa,
and at an even higher end are the resin and white-metal models that you cut, trim, file, sand, spray-paint and detail by yourself.
The best kits have incredible levels of detail, body-scripts, emblems and gauges, even in parts you don't see like suspension components, exhaust headers, etc. which are hidden when the finished model is on display.
Specialist aficionados can take a basic model kit and add details (winding windows and working lights and blinkers) making it closer to a real car.
Modern technology today allows use of details in photo-etched brass, wiring for engines, vinyl convertible tops, wheels with separate independent suspension, leather upholstery, adhesive chrome foil for chrome trim and aluminum-billeted parts. A single car can be hand-assembled from upto 1,200 individual parts.
Knowing that Team-BHP has car-buffs from all walks of life, international exposures, focuses and interests, I invite your opinions.
Ram |