By Maz Woolley
Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.
Releases from US premium 1:64 companies slowed down when the pandemic interrupted normal business activity and although releases have increased steadily over the last year there has been a marked increase in the number of recoloured/re-liveried models produced. M2 for example have endlessly produced the same castings in Coca Cola and several other US brand name liveries. They have also made a number of custom versions using existing castings and of course every release is accompanied by chase models in slightly different finishes. Other ranges like AutoWorld have simply slowed down the number of releases, though this may partly be as a result of now controlling production of Johnny Lightning releases as well. Greenlight have also slowed down the rate of new castings, again using the same casting many times in several different ranges. For example the casting used for the Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon shown below has been issued in five variations in the Estate Wagon Series alone. They also produce special models for sale at Walmart and Target stores.
Greenlight 1969 Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon
Released in the Estate Wagons series 5 this model is of a fairly basic car finished in white with few frills other than the tow hook which allows the model to be used in the Hitch and Tow series should they wish too or to pull trailers from the Hitched Homes series.
The second generation Satellite produced from 1967 to 1970 was built on the Belvedere platform frequently sold to Police Departments and was based on the full size Chrysler platform. The 1969 model was mildly re-styled with a new grille.
The Greenlight model has only one opening feature which is the tailgate which is not engineered well as it only folds out a short way and cannot be opened flat as was probably intended. Glazing is reasonably flush fitting though with rather distorting surfaces. The interior is moulded in black with door cards that do not reach up to window level and fairly basic seats. The dash has some moulded detail but no printing and a steering wheel which is a vague representation of some of those seen on the internet. The white paint is thinly applied so no detail is lost but it thins over the panel lines in some places. Door handles and fuel filler are printed over raised features as is the rear chrome strip. Lights are printed white at the front contrasting with a nicely moulded chrome effect grille with black wash to make the detail stand out. The rear lights, side indicator repeaters and rear lights are all printed on. Vehicle badging scripts are printed on the front wings and are minute.
Greenlight 1986 Chevrolet Caprice Brougham
This model is from Greenlight’s Vintage Ad cars series where the model comes with the backing card within the pack illustrated with a period advert for the car concerned. Here the advert tells us that the the Caprice Classic Brougham is ‘the uncompromised American Classic‘.
The model is of the third generation car which lasted from 1977 to 1990. It was a full size car though smaller than the previous generation of Caprice and the length of time in production reflected the gradual move away from full size platforms in the US so those that remained had less competition and there was less need to update them annually. In fact the 1986 Caprice was the first major exterior restyle since 1980 and the changes mainly consisted of a smoother front end and restyled tail lights. New aerodynamic mirrors were fitted but the model does not have any mirrors.
This casting is extensively used by Greenlight with it adapted to be cast as various model year versions. It appears as a base 1986 Caprice in the Hot Pursuit range for example and as 1981 Caprice from the Film ‘Thelma and Louise’ in the Hollywood series and the ‘A Team‘ 1980 Caprice Classic in the same series.
Here it is finished to a high standard with well painted body finished with the lower contrast chrome finish and the darker matt roof. Window surrounds and trim lines are nicely silver printed. The front and rear Chevrolet badges are printed as a silver shape but with no further detailing. The front bumper has nice black lines amongst the chrome finish and the rear badging is tiny and very neatly done. The wheels are nicely finished with the elaborate wheel covers and the thin white wall stripe. The tyres are much too wide, a failing on many US 1:64 ranges and a fault shared with the Plymouth above.
AutoWorld 1965 Chevy Suburban
AutoWorld have always sold their models as exact scale models and their tyre widths tend to be more accurate though not always as we will see on the Nova below. The Chevy Suburban shown from their Muscle Trucks series is one of the first models produced using this casting. Since its release models have been made in dark blue and white, orange and white , solid red and solid gold.
The Chevy Suburban was basically a large Estate Wagon based on truck frames and production started in 1934 and the model was updated as Chevrolet truck generations were released. The 1965 model was towards the end of the fifth generation which had started in 1960 . Both inline six cylinder engines and V8s were available and the models engine looks like a V8. The same vehicle with mild detail changes could also be badged as a GMC.
This was a large vehicle and had two rows of seats and a substantial load area behind that. It was a little more civilised than a crew cab pickup and was a practical vehicle for a tradesman who needed a vehicle for work and family activities. A 4×4 version was even available for those who needed it.
The model has nice flush glazing with neatly printed window rubbers though by printing them on the body rather than on the glazing there is an incorrect stripe of body colour between rubber and window a defect we also see on many Oxford Diecast models. Another defect is the large intrusion moulded into the rear of the model to provide the fixing into the chassis, totally unacceptable in this day and age when other fixing techniques are available. Apart from this the model is a nice one with nice printed handles, badging and front grille and lights. The rear is neatly finished too with red lights printed on and number plate. The wheels are colour matched to the car with a white centre and red badge circle. Thin white walls that are period appropriate are printed on and the tyres are thick but the closer to scale as the original Suburban had big truck tyres.
AutoWorld 1963 Chevy II Nova Wagon
A much smaller model than the Suburban above, as the real car was a sub-compact introduced to compete with European cars which had been selling increasing volumes in the US in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Though small by US standards it was a large car compared with Volkswagens and other European imports. The model is of the first generation of the Chevy Nova which ran from 1962 to 1965 and which was a very conventional design intended to draw back customers who had been ‘scared off’ by the unconventional rear engined Chevrolet Corvair. The four door estate was available with an overhead valve inline four or six cylinder engine. The Nova was outsold by the Ford Falcon which was introduced in 1960 and became well well established whilst Chevrolet made the rear engined Corvair.
The AutoWorld model of this Nova is in its Muscle Wagon range. It can now be bought in the silver/blue shown in this article, red, azure aqua, and tan with a white roof.
The model is relatively simple with an opening bonnet showing what seems to be an inline six cylinder engine. The silver printed window surrounds work well as glazing is flush and it is modelled with side windows open. This model avoids the incorrect strip of body colour trapped between the silver and the glazing. The badging is tiny but present on the side and rear and the door handles side and rear are printed neatly over raised areas of the casting. The wheels are basic black with small silver hubcaps as befits a budget car. The hubs appear to be too deep for a basic model of the car. Again the tyres are too wide, photographs of the original car show them to have tyres about a scale two thirds the width of the model.
The interior of the model has nicely moulded seats and rear load area, as well as moulded door cards and a simply moulded dashboard with some evidence of dial shapes and an appropriate steering wheel moulding. The top of the dashboard even has moulded in vents. Like the other models here no attempt is made to model the indicators, gear shifters and other levers which would be attached to the steering column, or to provide exterior mirrors.
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