Brian Austin

As envisioned in 1925

Studebaker Museum in South Bend, IN.

Note the promo and diecast Studebakers are coupes while the movie car is a 2-door sedan.

The chip shortage thing is a complicated story. From what I've heard, the chip manufacturers were caught off-guard by the dynamics of the pandemic just as the other manufacturers. Auto makers shut down production and cancelled their orders for chips. The chip makers then anticipated lower demand for automotive chips, so they then turned to other buyers. Meanwhile auto production ramped back up, but those manufacturers had to get back in line for the chip production that were now going to consumer electronics and such. On top of all this, there was a fire at an auto chip plant in Japan!

Thanks guys, I did manage to remove the axle. I used a tool that had a claw, and gently pried the wheel off. In the end, I'm experimenting with the AutoWorld chassis for model railroad use, but I might just set one aside with my old Aurora and Tyco cars. In digging out my old track, I wished Aurora had come up a stronger connection system. Some of my sections have broken tabs. I did come across some good websites discussing the history, maintenance and tuning of the AW chassis, and I"m on the lookout for the AW parts packs, in the hope I can use the brushes and such on my old cars.

Maybe It'll be the Goldfinger Continental...in its cubed form. ?

At first I thought these were going to be of the type included in the Cannonball Run "ambulance" van.

In the late '80s or early '90s I used the AMT '40 Tudor roof to attempt to convert the IMC/Testors postwar Ford into a sedan. Project was never completed. It's very rough. The AMT kits are great for kitbashing.

That DIVCO is nice.

There was a bunch of unassembled '55 and '56 Pontiacs for sale at NNLEast several years ago along with the Rambler wagons. AMT did a '57 but I'm sure we'll never see that one again. It does seem interesting that this interior is offered when there are other JoHan models without interiors. For the Pontiac chassis, I recommend Revell's '50 Olds. The frame is similar between the two, though IIRC suspension designs differed. Perhaps the "new tool" AMT '57 Chevy floorpan will work though the trunk floor differs between makes.

I Have a couple of those old AMT kits myself with some others from the 1:43 series. I also have a builtup Renwal 1940 Ford Tudor. It's supposed to be 1:48 scale but it's way smaller than the AMT post-war coupe. Perhaps it's actually 1:50. I'm curious how the Tamiya kit fits in with these two kits in regards to size.

I recently started poking around the web looking for info regarding Tamiya's Ford staff car. There are quite a few reviews of this kit, and most seem to agree that there are some issues with this kit, and that it's expensive for what you get. It can be built in civilian trim as well as in military form. Out of the box military https://www.dembrudders.com/tamiya-148-ford-army-staff-car.html Detailed military build, with opened trunk http://www.smallscaleafv.com/inspiration/stefan-landman/ford-1942-staff-car-xviii-us-airborne-corps/page/slideshow Photoetch detail set https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hauler-hlx48262-usarmy-staff-car-1942--109200 Civilian https://modelingmadness.com/scott/cars/street/42ford.htm Civilian conversions https://myp48.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/modeling-more-vehicle-modeling/ Military & civilian https://www.scalemodelnews.com/2011/08/tamiya-us-army-staff-car-visits-crashed.html Taxi! https://baecklund.eu/scalemodels/gig/42ford.html

The Tested YT channel has several other 3-D printing review videos. Very informative.

Oddly enough, I just found some info right on Round2's website: "In 1956, Erik Erikson established SMP (Scale Model Products) as a subsidiary of his own Detroit Plastic Products, but with considerable financial interest held by AMT. " https://www.round2corp.com/amt-4/

While I don't think it's unique, a snow-covered diecast model is unusual. Kinda looks like blobs of paint though... https://livecarmodel.com/products/1-43-ist-ixo-warszawa-203-kombi-snow-covered-diecast-car-model.html#gallery-4

I recently came across a reference to an Erik El Erikson who founded this company in 1949. I can find no info regarding any models they may have made. From the linked article: "Under his direction, Detroit Plastic Products Corporation pioneered the conversion to plastics of components such as pillar garnish moldings and heater and air conditioning louvers. His company also was important as a custom injection molder of toys and housewares and as a blow molder of bottles for consumer packaging applications. ...Detroit Plastic Products also specialized in molding scale-model cars and model kits. After selling Detroit Plastic Products in 1977, Erikson worked to upgrade the molding technology for other automotive molders. Shortly before his death in 1993, he was developing a new process known as gas-assist injection molding, popular today." Would any of you happen to have info? https://plasticshof.org/members/erile-erickson/

Tires sticking out a couple of inches from plain wheelwells looks pretty stupid as well. ? I've seen 4x4 pickups with these and wonder how they get away without fender flares. (I thought there were laws governing this.) Face it, trends come and go. Oldtimers grumbled about tailfins and chrome in decades past.

I don't think we're exactly the intended market for these collectibles. ? Those close up pictures are fascinating. I had a hunch there might be compromises, but those attachment points are unfortunate. For fun here are some more pictures of each model along with an illustration that inspired it. Text is in French. http://www.aquitaine33.com/atlas/index.htm A description of the production process: https://www-aquitaine33-com.translate.goog/atlas/edition12.htm?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp In short, the 1:43 range was mastered in 1:14 scale to be reduced 30%.

There have been a few series of diecast cars in 1:43 and 1:24 based on vehicles seen in the Tintin books. American and European subjects. Note that these models are 3D interpretations of the book illustrations, and as such some models might look fairly realistic, while others are quite cartoonish and generic looking. I don't have any myself, so I can't comment on scaling accuracy. It should also be noted these aren't particularly cheap. Some of these may also be out of production, I don't know. The series has been running for years, it seems. Posed figures are included, and some of the vehicles are dramatically (and rather dynamically) posed. The beat-up 2CV is a hoot! In this linked discussion, scroll down to the replies from 2021, then keep going for the rest of the thread. Pictures of much of the range are posted https://www.hobbytalk.com/threads/en-voiture-tintin-model-car-collection.213899/ More info and pictures: https://www.tintin.com/en/news/5440/the-tintin-car-collection-continues-its-journey I think my faves might be the '39 Lincoln Zephyr, '50s Buick and '47 Studebaker...

As well as this fascinating thread was revived, I'll comment that there was a time when the old Classic luxury cars were out of fashion and considered white elephants. They could be found in used car lots. Further info regarding the Duesenberg can be found in this discussion: https://forums.aaca.org/topic/292449-is-howard-hughes-duesenberg-still-alive-and-well/ That model build is well done.

Barbie and G.I. Joe are nominally 1:6 scale. ?

Iacocca's minivans were shrunken down van of the era, complete with sliding side doors, so there is indeed logic to the claim. Oddly enough, I don't recall VW buses being considered minivans back then. Automobile woodie wagons don't count as SUV's. They're just station wagons. Pickup trucks are not SUV's. They're just trucks. There were indeed coachbuilt wagons on truck chassis offered in the '40s and '50s, and those could be had with four wheel drive. Would these be considered SUV's? I wonder what the intended market was for these. I doubt many were driven by suburban moms. ? http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/h/hercules_campbell/hercules_campbell.htm Speaking of terminology, remember the term that used to be popular in the '50s and '60s, the Caryall?