[chascbv]

Some of you may have already visited the threads I started to review armour models (under the Dragon and Hobby Master headings), and I was wondering whether a similar, non-military thread to review 1/43rd scale road cars would be of interest in this forum. Most of you are North Americans, and 1/43 is not as popular in the US or Canada as the larger 1/18. On the other hand, American cars are sadly seriously underrepresented in the smaller scale, so... Maybe this is not the right place for such a thread, or is it?

For those of you with an interest in road cars and not familiar with 1/43, this is the scale with a higher number of models available, and also the most traditional gauge in model car collecting over the decades. Quality varies from one manufacturer to the next, but can be extremely high in both hand-made resins (e.g., BBR) and standard-production diecasts (e.g., Minichamps). Also, their size will allow you to have virtually "zillions" of models on display.

Any votes? Any other potential reviewers?

[Berkut76]

I'm primarily a 1:18 guy, but have more than a handful of 1:43 models. Honestly, until one gets into high end handbuilt models beyond BBR, it's not a good value for the money vs. 1:18. 1:43s that I have include, Minichamps, IXO, Spark, Bizarre, Biante, Classic Carlectables, and AutoArt, and in terms of level of detail 1:72 Dragon Armor stacks up quite nicely and is cheaper. I only collect race cars, though. Here is a link to pics of a few models in my collection:

Selected Models from Berkut76 Collection.

Regards,

Sergey

[MULE]

I have about 600 1:43 F1 and road cars. Models from Minichamps, Spark, IXO, Onyx, Best, Brumm, Bang and others. Mostly Ferrari and LeMans cars, with many Senna and Andretti versions.

I have been collecting for about 15 years and could help with reviews.

[chascbv]

I have been terribly busy moving house, so sorry for the delay. As I expected, this does not seem like the right place for this sort of thread; however, I'm grateful to Berkut76 and MULE for their kind replies.

Before I started moving I began a draft review for a couple MGs by AutoArt, so here it is anyway. AutoArt is one of the best manufacturers out there, both in 1/43 and 1/18; their quality is excellent regarding assembly and finish, but then they have their blunders...

Their MG MGB Roadster represents a Mk.II model as manufactured from 1967 to 1969 (before the new simplified grille). The car is a classic worldwide, as it had style, beauty, and was fun to drive for a reasonable price. It was fitted with a 4-cylinder 1.8 Litre engine capable of 94 HP at 5500 rpm, for a maximum speed of 103 mph, and an acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds. My colour choice was Pale Primrose, and the paint job is very good, as is the detailing, and the general shape and proportions. The model has wire wheels, which are very fine PE representations given the constraints of this small scale. Also the interior is finely done. My only complaint is that no soft-top is provided (Norev and Kyosho do include sof-tops and even hard-tops for their convertible models; the rest of manufacturers should follow this practice too!).



Together with this beauty AutoArt also offers the coupé version of the car - an MG MGB GT Mk.II, again both in 1/43 and 1/18. My choice for my 1/43 collection would have been the Tartan Red version... But I never bought this one. See the pictures illustrating the model and the real car side by side and you'll see why - there is some serious error in the overall shape and proportions, which simply fail to replicate the graceful lines of the original Pininfarina design. The roof should have reached higher at the front, with a taller windscreen and side windows (particularly at the front end). The characteristic curve followed by the roof and upper side-window contour lines as seen from the side is also absent, which also contributes to the fact that the resulting "image" simply looks absolutely wrong. In contrast to their excellent roadster, AutoArt did not do their homework on this one (any manufacturer interested in filling the resulting gap with a fine MGB GT?)

The GT version had the same engine as the Roadster, but was 1 sec slower in acceleration due to its increased weight, and 5 mph faster in speed as a result of better aerodynamics. It was also a better drive because of improved rigidity.



Model pictures were borrowed from the Modelcarworld.com site, and those of the real cars from ClassiCarImages.com. Hope some of you will find this of interest!

Cheers!

[bsmith13]

I dabble in 1/43 now and then (like I dabble in everything else). I mainly purchase Porsche and Aston Martin.

[smartd]

Originally Posted by chascbv

I have been terribly busy moving house, so sorry for the delay. As I expected, this does not seem like the right place for this sort of thread; however, I'm grateful to Berkut76 and MULE for their kind replies.

Before I started moving I began a draft review for a couple MGs by AutoArt, so here it is anyway. AutoArt is one of the best manufacturers out there, both in 1/43 and 1/18; their quality is excellent regarding assembly and finish, but then they have their blunders...

Their MG MGB Roadster represents a Mk.II model as manufactured from 1967 to 1969 (before the new simplified grille). The car is a classic worldwide, as it had style, beauty, and was fun to drive for a reasonable price. It was fitted with a 4-cylinder 1.8 Litre engine capable of 94 HP at 5500 rpm, for a maximum speed of 103 mph, and an acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds. My colour choice was Pale Primrose, and the paint job is very good, as is the detailing, and the general shape and proportions. The model has wire wheels, which are very fine PE representations given the constraints of this small scale. Also the interior is finely done. My only complaint is that no soft-top is provided (Norev and Kyosho do include sof-tops and even hard-tops for their convertible models; the rest of manufacturers should follow this practice too!).

Ah fond memories, I bought a 1970 Primrose Yellow MGB new. Loved the car, but wife, etc got in the way. May buy another one some day,...... I have reached that age of trying to replace old toys after all.

[leeG]

I only have one 1/43 road car. The little girl bought it in Japan gave it to me for Christmas last year. Now I have two of the same car, one in 1/43 scale and the other 1/1 scale.

[chascbv]

Thanks for your input, gentlemen. A gorgeous car indeed, leeG, and lucky you Smartd - a brand new MGB sure was some experience!

I received a couple new models during the weekend, so I thought you might be interested in this Ferrari.




Kyosho models always get a lot of hype from collectors, and indeed their quality is high. Their limited range in 1/43rd scale has been expanded of late with a series of Ferrari models, of which I recently acquired a black so-called "Daytona" - a name that was never official for the 365 GTB/4. The model depicts an early version (1968-70) with the clear acrylic cover around the front end (nicknamed the "plexiglas" Daytona). US regulations banned this front end for safety reasons, and Ferrari replaced the design with pop-up lights from early 1971 on. The car was powered by a 12-cylinder 4.4 Litre engine that yielded some 350 HP; maximum speed was 174 mph (280 km/h), and the car accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. As I do not care much for performance (I love the cruising, landscape contemplation sort of thing...), what I really value is its sheer beauty!

The price you pay is sensibly higher versus Minichamps, Norev, AutoArt, etc., and the product you get looks and feels high-quality. The model is attached to a display case with a plinth decorated with the model's designation and a Ferrari scutcheon. The case is in turn packed into a good-looking, high-quality Ferrari outer box in red. The model is heavier than usual. The paint is flawless, and both the opening bonnet and boot lid are a tight fit. The interior and engine bay are both well reproduced for the scale and certainly look the part. Window surrounds are not painted "chrome", but separate frames in some chromed material, which is a nice touch of quality. Shape and proportions are very good (in fact this is the best Daytona model in this aspect, even when compared to BBR's rendition). However, one thing could have been improved: the front-end plexiglas cover looks dull and opaque, and the details behind it - clearly visible in the real car, with dual headlamps on both ends and a darker central panel - are simply invisible on most lighting conditions.

What is really wrong with the model is the door handles, which are hardly visible in the real car. For some unknown reason Kyosho decided to include oversized handles that are located too much forward and too low on the door panel, which is a shame as they rather spoil the overall looks of the model. If you can live with them, then the model is pretty good.

[chascbv]

And here's the second model I received last weekend - not a dream car, or a muscle car, or a luxury car, or a cool car. This must be a CUTE car, as I saw the model on the www and instantly fell for it. I would even go for a real 1/1 scale sample if given the chance to do so! Isn't it beautiful, just like some small pet of your fancy? Isn't it deliciously cartoonish? Now let me introduce to you the one and only Panhard Dyna X Cabriolet!



I'm afraid only French visitors may be familiar with this vehicle, the first model released by Panhard et Levassor after WW2 (in 1948) into the low-price market segment in France. It was fitted with an air-cooled 2-cylinder 0.74 Litre engine capable of... 35 HP!!! And then it was faster (75 mph) and roomier, offering a suppler ride and better handling, than its competitors - the Renault 4 Ch, and Citroën 2 CV.

The model by Norev is excellent in all respects (only the shape of the chrome panel at the root of the rear wing is slightly off), and represents the two-door Cabriolet version of the standard sedan - specifically a Dyna 120 (X86) Cabriolet of 1951 vintage. It also includes optional parts to have your soft top up or down.

An ideal toy to move around your suburb or housing estate in (humble) style!