Category Archives: Dodge

Tekno Dodge Ambulances for Sweden

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

In response to two articles on Tekno Jaguars and on Vilmer and Tekno Dodge trucks, I want to tell you about two Tekno ambulances made for Sweden. These Swedish ambulances not only have different labels but also are constructed differently.

When Tekno introduced the #733 Buick (Dodge) Ambulance, they included a steering loop in the front. Both Buick and Dodge wheels were used on the ambulance; hence, either name is used to identify it. This loop was already standard on the Dodge (Chevrolet) lorries. A child could use a string or stick inserted in the loop to pull the car along when playing. The photo below shows the normal version with the loop sticking out the front (under the grill). The loop could be pulled left or right to change the direction of the front wheels.

photo: https://www.teknosamleren.dk

I think this steering was not so popular in Sweden. Often you will find it is broken off on the Svensk Räddningstjänst ambulance (below left). As the Red Cross version (below right), there is also a variant made without steering at all for the Swedish market.

The underside of the two Swedish versions are shown below. The Svensk Räddningstjänst version has the steering that moves although the loop is broken off. On the Red Cross version, it is stationary (does not rotate left or right) since there is no steering. This car rolls very well.

On the right above, you can see an old, worn ambulance model. It belonged to the former Crown Prince and now the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf. This model has a gray front as older ambulances were gray in Sweden. This and many other toys are on display at the Stockholm Toy Museum.

Per Schönning, via Facebook

Egeskov Castle – 1947 Dodge Ambulance

By Eugen Pedersen

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

Although listed as a 1947 vehicle it must be based on an early 1930‘s chassis which was perhaps re-bodied as an Ambulance in the period when new vehicles were very scarce after the Second World War.

Its resemblance to the Dodge cars made in 1932 is strong as the brochure image below shows. From 1933 onwards the Dodge radiator shell was changed to a sloping curved design so the chassis is unlikely to have been made after that.

Catalogue image for a 1932 Dodge from Classic Car Catalogue website

We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.

Corgi’s Mysterious Dodge

By Pat Conneally

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

Well, this is a bit of an oddity, something not altogether unusual in the Corgi catalogues of my youth which frequently delighted me by including models of previously unknown exotica such as the Ghia L6.4, Fiat 600 Jolly, Chapron-bodied Citroen ‘Le Dandy’ and the Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato with side-opening bonnet alongside more famliiar everyday car, commercial and agricultural models. We even had an exotic truck in the form of the American Ford Tilt Cab H but, even in such company, #484 Dodge Kew Fargo is something of an outlier. I have often thought that Corgi’s designers and engineers must have enjoyed their work and part of the fun was throwing in the occasional curve ball and an exotic cattle truck does take some beating.

Regular readers will know that I like to include some information on the full-size vehicle in these pieces and this is where the Dodge Kew Fargo becomes interesting or even enigmatic. The thing has the internet footprint of a monk in an enclosed order. Do an image search for ‘Dodge Kew Fargo’ and pretty much all you get is Corgi models with a couple of Matchboxes thrown in and the occasional teaser which suggests that there is more out there if only one could find it.

All I have been able to establish for sure is that the American Dodge company, established in Detroit in 1900 by brothers John and Horace Dodge, and with a reputation for building quality trucks and cars, began to assemble trucks from knock-down kits in the U.K. in 1922, initially in Park Royal before moving to Chrysler’s plant at Kew in 1928 when the company became a subsidiary of Chrysler and the trucks became popularly known as Dodge Kews. Wikipedia tells me that some trucks were badged as De Soto or Fargo but better known Kew Dodges included the likes of the much-loved Dodge 100 ‘Parrot Nose’ and the Dodge 300 which was a familiar sight through the 1960s and utilised the LAD ‘Vista Vue’ cab also used by Albion and Leyland. Dodge truck production in the U.K. was merged with Commer/Karrier in 1965 and moved to Dunstable and, following subsequent consolidation, the Dodge brand, passed into Renault ownership and latterly to Volvo.

Fargo was small Chicago-based manufacturer of light trucks which was bought out by Chrysler in 1928 with the Fargo name becoming a Chrysler brand in the Canadian, Argentinian and Australian markets with the Argentinian, Australian and Indian markets being largely supplied with vehicles built at Kew but frequently badged as Dodges or Commers. The Fargo brand was sold to Turkish manufacturer, Askam in 1978 and Fargo trucks continued to be available in Turkey until 2015.

So that’s Dodge, Kew and Fargo – what about Corgi’s Kew Fargo? As I said, information is sparse to put it mildly but it seems that the truck on which #484 is modelled was a Dodge/Fargo D400 Series medium-duty truck of early Sixties vintage. According to the informative Allpar.com website, the Kew 406/407 used U.S. cabs on a British chassis and featured Perkins diesel engines with the bulk of production going for export. U.K production seems to have been short-lived lasting only from 19631965 in spite of Dodge UK having high initial hopes for its new truck, promoted as ‘a truck for tomorrow’ in contemporary adverts, with Wikipedia stating that production of the 400 Series was discontinued due to declining sales of normal-control (bonneted) trucks when Dodge production moved to Dunstable.

So what we have here is something of a rare bird and I can’t help wondering how many Kew Fargo D406/407s were actually sold in the U.K. Certainly, I never saw one in the tin in Ireland and an English friend, Mikaela, who has forgotten more about U.K. truck and car brands than most of us will ever know, tells me that she can’t recall ever having seen one either. On the other hand, I do recall seeing a photo on Flickr some time ago of one decomposing in an English field. The owner of that photo wondered what sort of truck it might be so my knowledge of old Corgis paid off for once and we know that at least one Kew Fargo must have seen service in the country of its manufacture.

But the puzzle remains as to why Corgi selected this particular truck especially as it had been discontinued two years before the model made its debut and considering that it seems to have been little known in the U.K. anyway. And the mystery deepens when one considers that Matchbox also modelled the D Series Dodge Fargo in no less than three different configurations and in both its 1-75 and Kingsize ranges.

Introduced in April 1967, #484 Dodge Kew Fargo Livestock Transporter with Five Pigs is a Corgi I didn’t actually own as a kid but I did admire it in the catalogues. It looked right and, as a model of a truck I didn’t recognise, it had obvious appeal. Initially, I took it for an American truck and wondered at its inclusion among Corgi’s largely UK-stock farm models, with the obvious exception of #64 Jeep FC conveyor, of course. Still, I thought it possible that larger British farms might have the odd American vehicle. I never actually bought a Kew Fargo when they were current as I would have been eleven or so when #484 made its debut in the Corgi range and my pocket money was being largely devoted to the purchase of Biggles books and my new favourite thing, Airfix aircraft models.

So I didn’t actually encounter a Kew Fargo in the Mazak until some years ago when I happened across the near mint tipper in the accompanying photos at a toy fair. It is a fine survivor but, to be honest, I have never really warmed to it for pretty much the reasons cited by Andrew Wood on his chezbois.com website. The tipper looks off to me, largely because as Andrew Wood says ‘the balance is wrong’ and ‘the model is too long and low.’ I assume by the balance being wrong, Mr Wood means the issue that I have also encountered with this model – it just doesn’t sit right on the suspension, wanting to tilt to either side no matter what one does with it and it also seems to me that the tipper body is just a bit too tall for the low Kew cab. This is a shame because otherwise it is a fine piece of modelling with chassis rails, drive shaft and tipper rams all very well executed. The second model in the photos, which Corgi aficionados will instantly recognise as a cut and shut job of sorts, is better in every way and, in spite of the fact that it is my own combination of two separate elements with a repainted cab, I still like it very much better than its pristine sibling. And it sits up and takes notice as a good truck should.

As well as having a love for their craft, Corgi’s designers had an eye for a good re-useable casting or component from the company’s earliest days and dropside, platform and tipper bodies were recycled to good effect through a variety of Commer, ERF and Bedford lorry models. So it was no great surprise to find the body section of #58 Beast Carrier being recycled, in green, as the body of the company’s new Kew Fargo model. As I have already suggested, I think this pairing works well. The weight of the body is just right to allow the complete model to adopt what reviewers like to call the correct stance and it looks pleasing. The Kew Fargo truck cab, being low, needs the contrast of a higher truck body to make it look right, for my money anyway.

Writing in his New Great Book Of Corgi (New Cavendish Books 2010), chief designer Marcel Van Cleemput tells us that #484 is ‘a totally new model in similar scale (1:56) to the early Commer and ERF lorries, but now of a new breed with opening bonnet feature to expose a fully-detailed engine. The cab unit was separate from the chassis and included spring suspension, working via a separate cast transmission shaft. The rear body was a separate diecast slatted animal cage with hinged diecast tailgate.

The model came with three adult pigs (two white and one black) and two white piglets and had a straw-effect cardboard base in the load area for the pigs to clip into. #484 retailed for 9/6 or 47½p and remained in the range until 1969 selling 136,000 examples plus the unknown 1969 sales. It was also included in Gift Set #5 (Agricultural Gift Set), in October 1967 along with a Land Rover (without tilt), MF 165 Tractor with Shovel, Farm Tipper Trailer, Tandem Disc Harrow, the elusive Skip and Milk Churns, a farm hand and tractor driver, five pigs, four calves, a dog and some sacks. Plenty of play value there to entertain a young farmer on Christmas Morning. Gift Set #5 cost 36/6 (£1.82½) and remained in the catalogue until 1973 selling 56,000 plus unknown 1969 sales.

As mentioned, I like #484. It is a pleasing artefact in its own right with the modelling and engineering well up to Corgi’s usual standard and it is a substantial model at 5½ inches in length. The variant in the photos came about when I spotted a playworn but intact Kew Fargo cab and chassis on the website of an Irish-based dealer who also happened to have a lightly playworn Beast Carrier with a broken drawbar, both on offer for a few Euro. This was too good an opportunity to pass up and I finally have a Kew Fargo Livestock Transporter but no pigs…as yet.  #484 can be found with either spun or cast hubs but there are no other variations…until we come to Gift Set #14 ‘Giant Daktari Set’ of May 1969 which saw #484 recoloured in blue and two shades of brown and functioning as a transporter for a mother and baby elephant. Gift Set #14, which incorporated the smaller Gift Set N#7 (Daktari Land Rover, two figures, lion, tiger and chimpanzee) and a repurposed #503 Giraffe Transporter in fawn with a giraffe camouflage pattern on the truck body, retailed at 33/- (£1.65) and sold 110,000 units plus 1969 sales before being withdrawn in 1973.

Presumably encouraged by the success of #484 and by its success with grafting an existing agricultural body casting onto the new chassis, Corgi launched a second Kew Fargo in December of the same year. #483 Dodge Kew Fargo Tipper Truck came with a white cab and dark blue tipping body from #62 Farm Tipper Trailer but with the tipping ram mechanism modified to have two hydraulic rams instead of one. It is a fine piece of modelling, well up to Corgi’s best, but as I have already suggested, it doesn’t really work for me because of the model’s proportions and that oddball suspension system. I’m assuming that the tried and trusted Glidamatic suspension method of two longitudinal steel wires couldn’t be applied in this case due to the thinness of the detailed chassis rails so what we get is a variation with one wire running down the centre of the model and applying pressure on the front axle with the rear axle and detailed transmission having a small amount of free play. It was an inventive engineering solution but I don’t think it worked so well in practice and, as far as I know, Corgi never used it again.

My reservations don’t seem to have been widely shared among the target audience, though, and #483, which cost 8/6 (42½p) when new sold well – 362,000 units plus 1969 sales before being deleted in 1972. Like its sibling, #484 can be found with both spun and diecast hubs, although the latter seem to be considerably rarer and the catalogue photo for 1971 shows the truck still on spun hubs.

The good news for anyone wanting a Corgi Kew Fargo is that they are far from the most expensive of vintage Corgis with very presentable playworn examples changing hands on eBay for modest amounts, frequently under £15. Values seem to be roughly the same for #483 and #484 although the Daktari truck seems to attract a small premium, presumably because there are somewhat fewer examples around. Price guides suggest values in the range £60 to £120 for #483 and #484 with the latter being given a higher valuation which seems to be about right to judge from recent auction results I have seen. Bargains can be had, though, and some lucky bidder picked up a mint-in-box #483 on eBay recently for £40 while a near mint but unboxed #484 with four pigs sold for £85 and  a Daktari version with Mummy Elephant went for a mere £20. If you want a Kew Fargo in a Gift Set, though, you will need to dig considerably deeper with Ramsay’s suggesting values of £500-£750 for Gift Set #5 Agricultural Gift Set but even these values can be conservative and I have seen these sets sell for as much as £950 from a dealer although more usual values seem to be in the range £550 to £700. At the other end of the scale, a good condition set, boxed but missing farmhand, sacks and skip sold for under £230 on eBay recently so shopping around really does pay.

My price guides give two sets of values for Gift Set #14 Giant Daktari Set – £250 to £400 for regular- wheeled versions and £150 to £200 for a Whizzwheels version. I have never seen this version and am finding it difficult to image a Whizzwheeled Kew Fargo or Bedford TK Giraffe Transporter. The standard version seems to sell from a little under £100 to £250 for the most part although one, admittedly pristine, MIB set sold for £725 from a dealer some time ago.

One of the fascinations of collecting old diecast models is the interesting byways researching the real vehicles can lead one down. As it happens, this particular byway raised more questions than answers, as the song goes so, if any readers can shed some more light on the backstory of the Dodge Kew Fargo, I’d love to hear.

A note on the photos:- the Matchbox K18 Articulated Horsebox in the comparison shot is a restoration by my friend Mikaela, whose skill in these matters is light years ahead of my own. 

Sources

  • Wikipedia
  • Allpar.com
  • Michael on Flickr

1956 Dodge Conversion

By John F. Quilter

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

Motor City Revival launched a resin model of a 1956 Dodge Sierra four door station wagon in multiple two-tone colours.   Some were even three- tone!  I acquired a two-tone green one a while back.  It is a replica of one with the big high performance D500 “hemi” engine that was an option on all the 1956 Dodges.  

The attractive Motor City Revival model as released – photograph from eBay vendor

When I learned that the distributor of these had rejected a batch of the Chinese made models for errors in modelling the fins I inquired as to what would become of them.  The end result is that since I was going to do some custom work with them, I was able to obtain a pair for my modification work.   The black and white one became a four-door hardtop, which was the first year for the pillarless hardtop for Chrysler Corporation products, Plymouths, Dodges, DesotosChryslers, and ImperialsGeneral Motors also launched this body style in ChevroletsPontiacs  as did Ford in Fairlane 500 and Mercury lines. Dodge produced three trim levels of four door hardtops in 1956Coronet Lancer at $2517 base price plus options,  Royal Lancer at $2662,   and top of the line Custom Royal Lancer at $2772.  The top optional engine was a 315 cubic inch, 260 horsepower “hemi” head V8 known as a D-500.  With dual four barrel carburettors this engine was rated at 295 horsepower, known as the D-500-1.  Lesser V8 engines were 270 cubic inch V8s with Polysphere designs, not the famous Hemi head design that was very efficient, but costly to produce.  The model created is either a Coronet Lancer or Royal Lancer going by the side moulding at the rear quarter panel.

This model chop involved cutting off the rear half of the roof and creating a trunk (boot) lid and re-angling the station wagon tail gate to join the trunk lid.   The most complex part was creating a new roof section as it has compound curves at the rear where it curves down to form the C pillars although these cars only had an A and C pillar.    The 1956 station wagons used the same quarter panel as the 1955 cars but added a chrome fin to the top to give some of the same look as the sedans and convertibles.   To create a 1956 fin for a sedan it was necessary to add a tapered strip of sheet lead to the top of the quarter panel, blend it in and paint it to match.  Using the black and white car made this conversion easier as I was able to retain much of the attractive two-tone colour of the production model.   Black and white are relatively easy colours to match.  The roof and trunk lid had to be resprayed to match.  Reshaping or cutting a resin model is much easier than diecast metal models that I often work with.   White metal being somewhat in the middle.   Bumpers, interior, grill, windscreen, base plate and wheels all were retained.    Side windows and frame dividers were easy to make with clear plastic material that many food products come with these days.  

The converted model in black and white shown next to the original Motor City Revival Station Wagon

I still have a two tone green “substandard” station wagon to work with so am pondering what it should become in order to add to the 1956 Dodge model lineup.   Paint wise this will be more challenging as it will not likely be possible to accurately replicate the two shades of green on the model.

Editor’s Note: I look forward to seeing the next conversion when John completes it. It is a nice idea that these faulty castings which might otherwise have been destroyed can be turned into custom versions which might never otherwise be made.


We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.

Oxford Diecast 1:87 US Models

By Maz Woolley

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

This month’s releases from Oxford Diecast include some models from their 1:87 scale range of US prototype vehicles. 1:87 is a popular model railway scale in the US as it is in Europe and I understand that exports of these models have generated strong sales for Oxford. Counter intuitively the 1:87 scale models are more expensive than many 1:76 ones, on a par with the JaguarLandRover licensed models. Licensing may contribute to this but the fine level of casting and the high level of detail on the US cars must also add to the production costs.

Whilst the newly introduced castings in the 1:76 range seem to be shifting in the main to newer vehicles and away from 1960s and 1970s the 1:87 scale range is still focusing on vehicles from the 1930s to 1970s. These are popular years for model railroaders and collectors of US cars. Oxford do not only make cars in this scale but also have produced classic pickup trucks from the launch of this range. German 1:87 scale ranges like Brekina have always produced some US profile classic models, and there are a few ranges in the US like Walthers Scene Master which release newer US profile trucks and van models. Despite this competition Oxford Diecast is now selling well too and is popular with railroaders in the US.

The latest releases are all recolours of previously released castings leaving us still to wait for the previously announced new castings like the 1958 Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe and the 1957 convertible Oldsmobile 88, as well as the 1959 Plymouth Savoy Police cruiser. Hopefully these will be released at some point this year.

87DP48002 Dark Green Dodge B-1B Pick Up 1948

Made by Chrysler Corporation from 1948 to 1953, and branded as a Dodge, the B-1B pickup was a half ton truck powered by a 95hp straight six with a three speed manual gearbox. It seated three in comfort on the bench seat in the modern cab. The rear cargo area had high sides to increase the carrying capacity. The model was improved each year until it was replaced by the Dodge C Series in 1953.

This model complements the Dodge D100 already featured in Oxford Diecast’s range.


The model features brown painted cargo bed and cargo bed side rails as well as a large and nicely printed DODGE lettering over the raised area on the tailboard. To the front the grille bars are neatly printed as is the bonnet emblem and the Dodge lettering. This must be an upmarket version of the pickup as many of the photographed survivors, and original art work, show that lots of these pickups were sold with body colour pressing lines at the front. The bonnet side has tiny Dodge badges printed on and the door handles are silver printed over the raised moulding. Lights are printed at front but are strangely lacking on the rear. Wheels are moulded plastic with the hub caps picked out in silver. The interior is nicely moulded with door cards with moulded in features and a dash with some moulded in detail but no printing and a steering wheel which is at the truck-like gentle slope. Sadly, the wipers are printed on rather crudely which detracts a little from the otherwise fine detailing.


87IC59002 Highland Green-Ballad Green Imperial Crown 2 Door 1959

From 1955 Chrysler Corporation span out Imperial as a brand in its own right designed to compete with Cadillac, Lincoln, and Packard. By 1959 production had even been moved into a dedicated factory unit. The 1959 model year car modelled here continued using the second generation Imperial platform introduced in 1957 but with a revised grille and side trim. Inside swivel out seats arrived.

The Imperial Crown featured the ‘Chrysler ‘FliteSweep Deck Lid’ with its faux wheel cover pressed into the deck lid. It also had an interesting roof with part body colour and part contrast painted.

The Oxford model captures the car well with a thin cast lower section and the upper section including roof and windows in plastic allowing the glazing to be flush and its chrome edging to be printed accurately and finely. The lower body colour is well matched with the body colour painted section of the roof.

Inside the car the door cars, seats and dash are all moulded with basic details though with no printing. The steering wheel is in black to contrast to the body colour finishes inside. The wheels are plastic and feature a nicely moulded hub cap and rim embellisher as well as a neat whitewall tyre.

87CB42002 South Sea Blue Chrysler T & C Woody Wagon 1942

This car was only made for a short time from its launch in 1941 as the advent of the US entry into the Second World War in 1942 disrupted civilian car production. The model is based on a 1942 car with an Indiana registration. Only a small number were built before production of civilian cars was restricted by the US Government.

The model is extremely finely cast and the complex printing of the wooden panels at the side and rear is excellent as is the chrome work printed on the side of the car. To the front the grille, badging, emblem and lights are very neatly printed too. The rear registration plate is a separate fitment and the bumpers front and rear are well reproduced. On the roof the roof rack consists of a ‘wood’ effect insert and quite delicate chrome bars which whilst slightly overscale do not detract from the model in any way.

Inside the seats are nicely moulded and are in a dull brown which gives a slightly matt leather look. The rear of the car has the permanent rear seat and the fold down seats at the rear of the front seat are in a closed position. The dash and door cards are moulded in and a neatly modelled steering wheel in a contrast colour has been moulded with some detail. The wheels are nicely moulded in plastic with the body colour rims contrasting with the domed chrome hubcap and white wall tyres.

The roof rack was needed as this was a nine passenger car with limited space behind the third row of seats. It was powered by a four litre straight six engine with either a three speed manual or three speed automatic gearbox.


All in all a very nice set of small models expanding the 1:87 range with some attractive re-colours whilst we wait for the previously announced new castings to appear.


We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.

Latest Models from KESS

By Maz Woolley

Kess are an Italian based brand which has all their models made in China in resin to 1:43 scale. Their marketing strategy seems to be very much to leave it to wholesalers and retailers to publicise their models as they have a Facebook page which hasn’t been updated since 2018 and a web site that simply crashes refusing connection to the database. All strange when some manufacturers, Goldvarg for instance, put considerable effort into building brand loyalty and awareness through Facebook, regular mailings, and an evolving website.

Having said that KESS seem to regularly produce an interesting range of models from classic Americana to European supercars. The models shown below should be available from retailers at the time of writing. The photographs will be of pre-production models and minor alterations may be made before they went into production.

43013021 De Tomaso Pantera SI Targa 1993 Gold

A very rare car in real life with only a handful made all powered by US Ford V8 engines. Perhaps lacking in the glamour of Ferrari or Lamborghini but certainly a show stopper in its time.


43034010 Dodge Phoenix 4-Door Sedan 1968

A pretty conservatively styled car for its time in a three box square style that was also used by Ford, Chevrolet and others. The car was little changed through the late 1960s with annual styling changes but still used Dodge’s 318 Cubic Inch V8. It was fairly similar to the Plymouth Fury of the same year, though many of those had six cylinder inline units. .


43034011 Dodge Phoenix 4-Door Sedan 1968

The same moulding used for a slightly dressed up version of the Phoenix with a matt vinyl roof and a brighter colour. Like the black car it is fitted with a nice rendition of the bonnet mounted decoration.


43053001 Plymouth Fury 4-Door Sedan New York Police 1968

New York City bought 1968 Plymouth Furys and many photographs exist of similar cars, some of which have been restored and are on show today. These police specials with their small hub caps and basic levels of trim were usually fitted with updated suspension and engines.


43053003 Plymouth Fury 4-Door Sedan Mayberry Sherriff Police 1968

Here liveried as a Sherriff’s car the Plymouth looks smart, though I can’t see the car looking so clean after a few hours on the road. Photographs of Mayberry Police Cars show a preponderance of Fords so whether the livery is one of a real car I cannot say, perhaps a reader will know.


43056300 Ferrari 408 4RM 1987 Red

Only two prototypes of this car were built in red, and as seen below in yellow. Powered by a V8 of 3999.66cc. The design was by the  I.DE.A Institute. This was the first Ferrari to be built with four wheel drive though Ferrari himself was not keen on four wheel drive seeing it as just a source of extra weight. So it didn’t appear on a production car until the FF in 2011.



43056301 Ferrari 408 4RM 1987 Yellow

The yellow car is the second prototype to be built and it has been shown in Galleria Ferrari in Maranello from time to time where it is part of the collection. The model has the headlights exposed unlike red model where they are covered.

An interesting model of a not generally well known part of the development of Ferrari road cars.



We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.

AutoWorld 2022

By Maz Woolley

Round 2 produce many well known American model brands. From slot cars from AW, Johnny Lightning and AW diecasts to classic American kit brands like Lindberg and MPC. This article looks at some Auto World new releases in 1:64 due in the course of 2022 .

The AutoWorld brand prides itself on making true to scale 1:64 scale models – a reference to competitors such as Hot Wheels which are only about 1:64 scale in many cases.

1986-89 MITSUBISHI STARION

This pre-production sample shows that this vehicle from the 1980s has been well captured by the toolmakers. The single flat colour is used to help the engineers to assess any changes needed to the model unimpeded by printing. This model is expected later in 2022 after minor amendments when it will be issued with surface printing to recreate the Starion in detail.


2017 JEEP WRANGLER UNLIMITED CHIEF EDITION

Another pre-production sample subject to minor changes on release. This introduces an updated Wrangler for the AW range. This has the new Power Dome hood, revised wheels, and is liveried in the Chief package. This will be available in Rhino colour (Dark Grey) and in Acid Yellow. Both feature a white roof. This model is expected to ship in Q3 2022.


2020 SHELBY GT500

This pre-production sample is a brand new 2020 Shelby GT500 Carbon Fiber Track Pack. It will be available in Grabber Lime or Rapid Red. And will replicate all the options like carbon fibre spoiler and wheels. It will even features considerable detail on the modelled engine – a 760hp V8. Unusually in this scale considerable detail will be included in side the car as well as out. This is due in Q2 2022.


1984-1990 DODGE CARAVAN & PLYMOUTH VOYAGER

These models are due late in 2022 and so are currently at an earlier development stage. The prototypes are 3D printed from the data to be used to create the moulds. This is intended to forma whole family of vans marketed as both Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. These were front-drive unibody designs which were part of the trend for popular suburban utilities with lots of space for family activities. Four different front ends will allow the vans to be released in both brands and in early and later turbo versions.


1973 FORD MUSTANG MACH 1

This model should be available about now. This is a development of the existing Mustang Mach 1 casting. This has been facelifted for 1973 with revised front end features. This will be available in medium copper and ivy bronze poly colours,


1991-93 MITSUBISHI 3000GT

The Dodge Stealth R/T from the 1990s entered the AW range last year. Now the ‘sister’ Mitsubishi 3000 GT is to be produced. The opening hood highlights the twin turbo engine. This complex sports car will be appearing in the range later in 2022.


We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.

1956 Plymouths

By John F. Quilter

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

Although always reluctant to “chop” high quality Brooklins, I managed to find a sale on the older 1956 Plymouth Savoy two door sedan. As with most American cars of the era, there were multiple body styles offered. In my quest to create some of these variations I took two of these Brooklins and made one into an entry level Plaza Suburban two door station wagon, in fact, a replica of a car of a fellow in one of my local car clubs. The other became a top of the line Belvedere four door hardtop.

All three of the most popular car brands, Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth offered four door hardtops beginning in 1956. Only Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac had them in 1955. The Belvedere got some additional chrome trim to separate the two toned colour scheme of teal and white, which was a common colour choice in this year. To upgrade the small hub caps I added trim rings made from silver wire. The fancier interior was done in a speckled white and blue with white as an additional two tone colour. Speckling was done with a spray can of paint held high above some white adhesive address labels, they were then cut out to fit.

The interior on the wagon was easily replicated by checking my friend’s actual car with is original factory seat covers in a grey and silver vinyl material. Once you get over the angst of stripping and cutting up a Brooklin they are relatively easy to work with, as all parts come off with soaking in warm water (they must use a water soluble white glue for small parts) and cutting in different door seams is much easier with white metal than diecast. The roof of the wagon was a sheet of aluminium moulded in to the existing roof with J B Weld. Not pictured above is the early Brooklin 1956 Plymouth Fury two door hardtop in white, Plymouth’s high performance car for 1956 and the first year for that model name.

The photograph above shows all four Plymouths loaded on a transporter pulled by a Brooklin Dodge COE tractor. Often the tractor for these transporters was from the same company as the cars being hauled, Ford trucks with Ford or Mercury cars, Chevrolet or GMC trucks with GM products and Dodge trucks with Mopars.

As a side note I sure wouldn’t mind finding some cheap Brooklin Studebaker Lark 2 door sedans. I could do a lot of interesting things with a few of these! Always liked these ’59-’60 Larks.


We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.

The Dodge Charger Daytona, An Amateur Builds a Kit #3

By David Holcombe

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

It’s been a few years since I wrote about building the Austin 7, so for something different I recently built the 1:43 1969 DODGE CHARGER DAYTONA by Testors.

The 1:1 car was of 1969; the Testors Metal Body Model Kit was thirty years later, 1999, made in China. As I write this, the spoiler was glued into position minutes ago and is now drying; that was the last step in this kit’s construction.

I like building kits. In the early 1950’s I discovered the Revell Highway Pioneers and destroyed several as I discovered how to hold all those little pieces of plastic together. Eventually, some thirty years later, I settled into accumulating 1:43 models that had been assembled in factories by elves or other types of miracle workers. But earlier and later, I would sometimes fall back into those kits, paint, and glue. More recently, shut out of society by the Covid 19 pandemic, I have turned to a combination of these two activities, building 1:43 models from kits, some even plastic.

Most of these I purchase on the “used” market, sometimes previously and/or partially built, but surprisingly often still in their original packaging and never opened after years of storage.


Steps in construction

  • Consider the cost. As soon as the cellophane covering is stripped off, the value of the kit is largely destroyed. Are you sure you want to make the attempt?
  • Read the directions. Right at the top, usually, is an explanation of detailing the model, mostly the interior. This is what separates the idealist from the realist. Of course, the presence of skills might also play a part.
  • Painting the body is a true level of expertise. This Testors kit comes to me at a time when I didn’t need any more stress in my life. It is factory painted, and rather well done, too.
  • The punishment for your choice to build comes with separating the parts from their plastic trees. You have one piece of plastic with 8 or 12 or more parts cast and embedded in a web of entanglement. And some of those parts are small, tiny, wee, and little bitty. Odds are you will become familiar with searching the floor under your feet with a strong light.

And when the glue dries, the paint is touched here and there, the tools are put away, and the pictures are taken, you check and find that the finished model has been made and/or marketed by Road Champions, Spark, Greenlight, Legends of Racing, Universal Hobbies, Dorn’s, Starter, Eagle’s Race, American Cars, Altaya, IXO, and perhaps more. Here is the black Eagles’s Race version (sold as a built model).

Photo: Harvey Goranson

But the kit version has a little of “me” in it as I place it on display.

Enjoy!

One more, contrasting two Dodges. with the yellow 1968 Dodge Charger from Franklin Mint.


Now I wonder how the Plymouth version would look?


We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.

Magmas!

By Karl Schnelle

Text and photographs copyright of the Author(s) unless otherwise stated.

Ever since Frank wrote about his 1968 Camaro in MAR Online, I have been meaning to fill in the story of these 1:43 Magmas. They were made by Johnny Lightning when they were owned by Playing Mantis. On the back of the blisterpacks, the copyright date is 1999 on the ones I have. They were all identified by name on the black plastic base on which they were attached in the blisterpack. Because they are much larger than the typical 1:64 scale Johnny Lightnings, I think collectors have ignored them, and I can find out nothing online about them. However, many are still for sale online on the secondary market.

The back of the blisterpack lists five 1960’s muscle cars plus a strange mix of three other vehicles. These were meant for the US market and sold in the typical large box stores at the turn of the century. Something happened in the late 1990s in the US – I am not sure why or how it started – but there was a large selection of 1:43 muscle cars for sale next to all the typical Matchboxes and Hot Wheels. All were from US-based companies. I was amazed back then and bought a few of each: Johnny Lightning Magmas, Hot Wheels Collectibles, Road Champs (Road Champions), and ERTL American Muscle. Before long, they were gone from the store aisles, so I never did buy the rest of them. I assume they did not sell as well as the 1:64s so they were soon discontinued. Too bad for an American 1:43 collector like me…

1968 Chevrolet Camaro

I have this one in green, but I have also seen them in teal (or light blue). This is the same casting that Frank showed in his MAR Online article. The first generation Camaro had a wheelbase of 108 in. so this model comes out exactly 1:43rd scale. Some online commenters have thought the Magmas were smaller than 1:43.

All the Magmas have a heavy diecast body with a very shiny chrome baseplate. All the hoods open to reveal good engine detail. The wheels are chrome Cragar-type wheels and the tires non-descript hard plastic. Chrome details are nicely printed on so the only let-down may be the tires.

1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351

The blue Boss 351 came with silver stripes, hood, and large front and rear spoilers; the rear glass on this fastback had the black louvers. Very early ’70s cool! Ford called it a SportsRoof body style, my favorite style of Mustang when I was a kid. The wheelbase was an inch longer than the Camaro so Johnny Lightning got it right again at 1:43 scale!

I did see one black car with the same silver details online, so blue seems to be a much more common color.

1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1

The Mach 1 is really just a decal option on their Boss 351 and came in red or the rarer metallic blue.

1970 Dodge Challenger T/A

The Challenger came in bright green or orange, great 1970s colors. With the black hood and stripes, it pretty well matched the others in this series.

1971 Plymouth Roadrunner

The reason I was attracted to the Magmas was due to this purple Roadrunner. This color was what I loved when I saw my first one years ago, so this is the one I had to buy! It even has a small roadrunner on the B pillar!

Three oddballs

The last three listed on the back pf the blisterpacks were the Munsters Drag-U-La, Al Unser Johnny Lightning Special, and the T’rantula.

The Drag-U-La came in three color choices this time: gold, red, or purple. All of them had gold trim. The full size car was built by George Barris and designed by Tom Daniel for the Munsters TV show.

Photo: Mark Silverberg

I can guess why they added the Johnny Lightning Special, but the other two must have had special reasons. Al Unser won the 1970 Indy 500 in the “Johnny Lightning Special“, the number 2 car in blue (Some people call it purple.) with yellow lightning bolt graphics. The Magma came in blue or purple.

Photo: Mark Silverberg

The third one, the T’rantula, had been previously modeling in 1:43 by Gran Toros (Mattel Mebetoys) and also designed by Tom Daniel. Perhaps Playing Mantis had some relationship with him? This one came in three color choices: lemon-lime, metallic green (close to the Gran Toros) and metallic charcoal.

Some Nintendo Magmas

In researching these Magmas, I came across three others in the same packaging, all branded Nintendo on the black baseplates. Legend of Zelda, Yoshi’s Story, and Donkey Kong all use the same NASCAR looking model car. I wonder if there are other Magmas out there…


If anyone knows the story behind Magmas or has photos of other colors, we will be happy to add to this article. Please let us know.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Robert and Mark for supplying their photos.


We welcome your comments and questions.   Please go to our Model Auto Review Facebook page or email the Editors at maronlineeditor at gmail.com.