Brian Austin

My point was that quote is often misquoted, and I was just gently correcting it. That's all. I wasn't expecting this to become a major point of discussion. :-)

The responses that say "Zzzzzzzzzz" or similar are the worst.

It is the LOVE of money that is said to be the root of evil. :-)

I seem to recall several diecast manufacturers (along with the model railroad segment) suffered some factory closures in the first half of the 2010s. They were caught off guard. Some managed to hold on to their tooling, while others were not so lucky. Also the cost of zinc had been on the rise as well. I recall forums discussing some manufacturers moving away from diecast to other materials for models. Parts of an article by New York Times from 2014: The decision by the Danbury Mint last month to stop selling die-cast model cars was symptomatic of a more serious shrinkage in a market where the vehicles are already pretty small. The Connecticut company, which still produces jewelry and collectible plaques and figurines, left the market when its last die-cast car factory in China closed down; another of its Chinese factories closed two years earlier. (...) Mr. Fothergill, who said that he has been selling collectible die-cast cars to individuals and stores for 24 years, pointed out that much of the rollback happened during the years of economic downturn. “A lot of the manufacturers did not adjust their production runs,” he said. “They would still make 5,000 pieces. Now, you have production runs as low as 500 pieces. Nobody wants excess stock nowadays.” Most die-cast models are made in China, Mr. Fothergill said, where one factory can produce cars for a number of brands, adjusting the levels of quality and detail to meet the seller’s desired price points. But when one of these factories runs into financial difficulties and cannot pay its workers, he said, the Chinese government will step in and shut it down. “We’ve seen one factory in the last six months that was a mainstay for 20 years, and they ran into some problems and now they’re gone,” Mr. Fothergill said. Part of this can be traced to the upward pressure on wages in Chinese factories. The added labor costs, as well as a jump in the cost of materials, have raised prices on larger die-cast collectibles by 30 to 35 percent in the last two years, he said. Zinc, the metal used for the bodies, has risen in price significantly over the last five years. The Danbury Mint cited an increase in prices, to $250 from $150, in its announcement, according to a collector-car website, Hemmings Daily. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/automobiles/collectibles/a-scaleback-in-die-cast-cars.html

"Mag wheel" is fewer syllables than "aluminum alloy wheel". :-)

Nomads are quite different from standard wagons or deliveries.

You might recognize some large scale kits used in the production of this Gumby episode:

Home Improvement.

I seem to remember some grumbling in the model mags some decades back regarding the seeming glut of '57 Chevy kits available at the time.

Rust In Portugal http://rust-in-portugal.blogspot.com/ Example... a Chevrolet hearse. I think it may have started as a "flat-top" four door hardtop.

This afternoon at the local bank, gazing out the window while I was waiting I briefly caught the rear 3/4 of what appeared to be a Russian UAZ jeep, in olive gloss.

Out of curosity, does the body in the Tom Daniels Garbage Truck show rod resemble any particular unit? It does appear to be lighter-duty than the Garwood. :-)

I know people who still own Saturns. They do seem to keep going. Don't think of it as an SUV...think of it as a station wagon. :-)

I also have a couple of aircraft maintenance manuals dating to WWII that I inherited a while back, one of which for Pratt & Whitney engines. I'll never be called upon to overhaul a bomber engine, but the artwork is lovely...

Also fun are chassis lubrication diagram books and frame dimension charts.

Brief history of this vehicle. http://www.douglasdc3.com/shuttle/shuttle.htm It has been refitted as a food truck. http://airportjournals.com/former-dc-3-airliner-is-now-a-kitchen-on-wheels/ Recent history (changed hands again). https://givemeastoria.com/2021/04/01/up-up-and-away/

Some of my local public libraries have had similar manuals in the stacks over the years. The most random auto manual I'd seen there was for an early '50s Hillman.

They also have this C1100 in various colors.

First Gear also offers 1:25 scale diecast. IHC pickups. As far as the current kit selection goes, I'm excited about what Moebius has been hinting at with upcoming releases in their Ford truck series. Round 2's upcoming Cadillac ambulance could be interesting as well.

One of my club friends brought in an unbuilt example. IIRC it was the Model T. We were impressed with the overall presentation of the kit, including the diorama components. We wondered if the kits were designed and manufactured in-house, as Tonka is known for their steel toys, not all-plastic kits.

There were IHC promos in the '50s and '60s.

I don't know...the cars in that picture don't look alike to me. Anyway, I spotted these shiny things this past Saturday in Peabody, MA.

Yes, it is. I was hoping someone might have better pictures of the car that's somewhat obscured by its hauler. (And rotating display bases are all fun and fine for showing off all sides of a model, but they can make photography more difficult.)

The 4x4 R/C hobby forums have several threads regarding bodies fabricated from aluminum sheet. Here's one example: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/1-9-scale-rigs/147988-project-true-scale-aluminum-toyota-body-24.html

Wasn't there excitement last year that young people were getting introduced to model building and were giving the hobby a much needed boost? Has all that good will already dried up?