[AmarPaithankar]

Hey PIMV, thank you for informing me about the site. I was unaware that such a site exists and that too in India. Awareness about scale model collection is definitely gaining ground. Hope we get some more variety and affordable stuff (Sunstar, Jada, Hotwheels, Norev, etc) here also. These companies have some unique models that the high end manufacturers do not have.

Originally Posted by PetrolInMyVeins

AmarPaithankar,here's a link to a website you might be interested in.It is an online forum primarily for Indian scale-model enthusiasts (although we do have a few members from overseas).A few of us like diecast,manishalive,Cyrus43,Arkin evoisrevo and myself are active members.Do consider joining!
ScaleModelCarz - A forum for Indian scale model car enthusiasts
All scale-models enthusiasts are welcome!!

[PetrolInMyVeins]

Don't mention it,Amar.
And you're absolutely right about the need for awareness about this hobby.That,alone,will cause the affordable but awesome brands you've mentioned to take the Indian market seriously.By the way,if you're interested in SunStar,I believe Gift Centre in Mumbai has quite a few in stock.

[Speed-Gladiator]

Here is one from my Side, Audi R8

[AmarPaithankar]

PIMV, I do not think I would ever go to Gift Centre again. After that fellow overcharged me for the Kyosho BMW X5 (1:18 scale) for which I shelled out Rs. 6500/- (without any receipt of course). After that, I bought another Auto Art model from him (Ford Mustang). I go to Mumbai just for scale models and nothing else and when you don't get the model on time even after informing well in advance, it hurts and a lot of time (and money) is wasted.
Only when competition in the scale model retailing business heats up, will such people wake up. Gauging by the amount of posts in Team BHP and ScaleModelCarz, I do not think the day is far.

Originally Posted by PetrolInMyVeins

Don't mention it,Amar.
And you're absolutely right about the need for awareness about this hobby.That,alone,will cause the affordable but awesome brands you've mentioned to take the Indian market seriously.By the way,if you're interested in SunStar,I believe Gift Centre in Mumbai has quite a few in stock.

[PetrolInMyVeins]

Originally Posted by AmarPaithankar

PIMV, I do not think I would ever go to Gift Centre again. After that fellow overcharged me for the Kyosho BMW X5 (1:18 scale) for which I shelled out Rs. 6500/- (without any receipt of course). After that, I bought another Auto Art model from him (Ford Mustang). I go to Mumbai just for scale models and nothing else and when you don't get the model on time even after informing well in advance, it hurts and a lot of time (and money) is wasted.
Only when competition in the scale model retailing business heats up, will such people wake up. Gauging by the amount of posts in Team BHP and ScaleModelCarz, I do not think the day is far.

Hmmmm, I'm actually sorry you feel this way about Gift Centre.And even more that you aren't the only one who does.A lot of us were quite peeved about the pricing of the Kyosho models at Gift Centre.Believe me,I bought over a dozen of the overpriced 1:18 Kyoshos from him because there wasn't another option,back then. But the guy happens to be a very good friend. I must have bought over a hundred models from him over the years. I think, leaving aside the Kyosho and Minchamps consignments which were both disasters even for him (Ask him.He'll tell you why he went and priced the Kyoshos,that way.), the rest of the brands like AutoArt and SunStar are priced quite fairly at Gift Centre. The reason I recommended a visit to the store is because the SunStar lot had quite a few rally cars (which happen to be right up you alley) when it had arrived. Dunno if they're still in stock. All the best,man.

[manishalive]

Well when we are talking about Sunstar, their Lancia is so damn awesome.

And then I was lucky to get 1939 Horch 855 by Sunstar, so damn cheap on ebay. Here are some of the pics off internet site, sorry for the low res pictures available.

1939_Horch_855-Roadster_Black_SunStar_1A pictures from toys photos on webshots

[Rosso Corsa]

I have a total of 5 Ferraris, but here I'll be posting pics of 3 of them taken during an outdoor photoshoot. Enjoy the F40 and the F50s ....

[AmarPaithankar]

Rosso Corsa, some very good Ferrari models. These are not available easily now-a-days. Back in 1995-1996, when Burago (made in Italy) just entered, some very good Ferrari models were available abundantly. In those days, the only source was father power which was limited and now the models have vanished and so have those "quite affordable" price tags.

Hey Manish, if you don't mind, can you tell me the way you order models from E Bay?

[manishalive]

simple, open your laptop connect the internet, go to ebay and order . Actually my sister is in uk, so all my purchases from eday uk go to her address, that is cheap and best. only once I got shipment to India from Hong kong, it took 2 weeks to reach.

[Rosso Corsa]

Originally Posted by AmarPaithankar

Rosso Corsa, some very good Ferrari models. These are not available easily now-a-days. Back in 1995-1996, when Burago (made in Italy) just entered, some very good Ferrari models were available abundantly. In those days, the only source was father power which was limited and now the models have vanished and so have those "quite affordable" price tags.

Thanks Amar ! The F50 Spider is made by Maisto and is currently out of production. I had bought it in '97 when Maisto made highly detailed models at affordable prices. I badly wanted the F50 closed top so had to settle for HW which has poor detailing compared to the Spider. The F40 too is HW, but Kyosho seems to be way better in terms of detailing. I also have a UT Models F355 Spider and a Maisto 348TS. Will post pics soon !

[winzeee]

Originally Posted by Rosso Corsa

I have a total of 5 Ferraris, but here I'll be posting pics of 3 of them taken during an outdoor photo shoot. Enjoy the F40 and the F50s ....

Thats pure exotic stuff there

[AmarPaithankar]

Thank you Manish. Is E Bay. UK the best when it comes to scale models?

Originally Posted by manishalive

simple, open your laptop connect the internet, go to ebay and order . Actually my sister is in uk, so all my purchases from eday uk go to her address, that is cheap and best. only once I got shipment to India from Hong kong, it took 2 weeks to reach.

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by AmarPaithankar

Thank you Manish. Is E Bay. UK the best when it comes to scale models?

Not the best, cause deals are also on US where muscle cars go on cheap, but then the shipping is damn expensive. I got awesome deal for my 1:12 Rover Mini Tamiya kit from e-bay Hong Kong.

I normally scan every where before buying, so to say for my Horch, I looked at ebay US, amazon, private sites and like to decide on the best deal.

Plus point of ebay uk and europe for me is 1.) sometimes I get a deal 2.) offbeat stuff is available 3.) I save on shipping charges (uk only shipping).

[sadnabrina]

Here is my 1998 Corvette 1:18 manufactured by ERTL.

Damaged in transit, it has lost both the rear view mirrors.

[RPMPKDMFF]

I picked up quite a few small scale models on trip to Canada recently... since it was my first trip and I was low on space, I managed to get only a few, a major part of which are going to be for my dad's HO rail setup... I did however managed to pickup a 1:64 scale of the Brewster Ice Explorer used in Jasper to explore the Columbia Ice Fields and Athabasca Glacier; Looking forward to my next trip for a bigger haul :-).