Lindberg San Francisco Cable Car

[Tony T]

I bought the kit today, and found out the scale on the box art was incorrect. The website has been corrected to indicate the correct 1/48 scale, not 1/25 scale that was on the website, and is on the box art on the kit I bought. I got an apologetic email from Lindberg's Ernie Petit, regarding the error in scale, after sending a scathing email. He also assured me the box art has been corrected, but obviously the incorrect box art was shipped out already. This is a reissue of the Hawk kit, by the way. Just thought I would share the error, and also that I did have a positive response from the company. They've done what they can to correct the problem, and apologized for the error. Good on them!

[blubaja]

The kit isn't so bad. But I think, personally, I will not be happy until they upscale it to the 1:24! lol. I was thinking about scratch copying it to scale. Not too hard. Just need some g scale train wheels.

[george 53]

THANKS,Tony. I was REALLY thinkin about getting one,due to it's scale,caz I like ANYTHING 25th scale, an I think it woulda looked cool among my other stuff.But since 48th scale is what I built in the old days,aircraft an such, it woulda been cool to know that back then. Thanks for warnin us,BEFORE we went out an got disappointed! REALLY appericiate you takein one for the team!

[Tony T]

I still bought the kit, because I do think it is cool, but I obviously have to rethink what I was going to do with it since the scale is not what I thought it was!

George-glad to take one, buddy!

[dptydawg]

To bad I missed this post when it originally appeared. I just became the proud owner of on of these wrongly labled kits today. Being the scale biget that I am I guess it will end up as a parts kit. It may serve as a pattern for a 1/25th scale scratch built at some future date.

After reading your post I won't bother sending the scathing e-mail I was planning to send to Lindberg.

buyer beware and all that

Carl

[Rob Hall]

If it had been 1:25th, I would think the box would be a lot larger...

[Jairus]

... along with the price!

[Edward Gore]

Sprue shots please if you can.

Did Lindberg offer a refund?

[Tony T]

I'll get some shots next time I take the camera downstairs to the bench.

Refund? No. I had asked my LHS to order me one, and he pointed out the error, and offered to let me out of the commitment to buy it. Obviously, I bought it anyways.

Edited November 12, 2009 by Tony T

[Chuck Most]

A Cable Car is still a car...right?

SPOILER ALTERT!!!! It's 1:48 scale, despite what the box says!!!!

I think it's a pretty cool kit, despite its scale. Since I'm no expert on cable-driven public transport, I can only speculate on its accuracy compared to the real McCoy, but the built up model depicted on the box sure looks like a cable car to me! The brake levers are pretty cool too, and might be usable in a bi-scale rat rod or heavy equipment project.

The true nut jobs among our ranks could even use the kit as a pattern, double the dimensions and 'blow it up' to 1:24 scale, or do some fuzzy, head-hurting math and do it in 1:25. (NOTE- I just might do that!)

Despite its obvious finished result, many tourist busses are built to resemble old-timey cable cars- one could conceivably use this kit to built one of those, the trick might be finding a 1:48 truck chassis with which to underpin it.

At any rate, I think it's a cool subject, even if it isn't done in my 'typical' model car scale!

[charlie8575]

From commentary I've read, Chuck, this is a pretty accurate model.

To do a 1/25 scale conversion- remember: 15/32"=1'-0". In decimal, it's 0.46875"=1"-0".

This would probably be a very easy conversion with some balsa and sheet/strip styrene. You MIGHT (no promises) be able to find some #1 (Standard gauge or 1:32) or G-scale train wheels that'll work for the wheels, too. Grab a copy of Classic Toy Trains for a list of potential suppliers.

Charlie Larkin

[jeffs396]

I can see you building a rat rod of some sort out of this one Chuck

[Guest madazzskilzkustumz]

What?! No rice-a-roni decals? what a jyp. Ding-fries R done The San-fransisco treat!ding-ding Thanks JIMMY!

Edited October 14, 2010 by madazzskilzkustumz

[Aaronw]

I've always loved "golden age" kits that were done of seemingly insane subject matter like this. Now you may not see kits done of significant cars or aircraft for years, if at all...but back then anything you could mold probably had a big enough audience to pay for itself. Kits like this are great on a lot of levels. I can't wait to get to my old Hawk-molded version of this one.

Hope to see it done up, Chuck!

No kidding, I remember going to some discount store with my grandmother and getting some models from a cheap bin (mid 70s so probably $0.50 or $1). They were models of endangered species, a Komodo Dragon, Mountain Gorilla and a California Condor. That is what this world needs, a new tool Komodo Dragon kit.

Actually they were kind of neat, I wouldn't mind finding the set to build as an adult.

[Chuck Most]

And now that we have an "Other Models" section, you'll have a place to post this when you finish! Along with that Tamiya Triceratops!

[Tony T]

Initial issues of the kit said 1/25 on the box and their website, which was supposed to be corrected to 1/48 (shows 1/48 on the instruction sheet), as per an email exchange I had when I bought the kit in Sept. 09, with Ernie Petit of Lindberg-they had 1/25th at the time on their website, which now shows 1/48. It is a reissue of the Hawk kit.

San Fran still uses them, so their transit website should be able to provide some reference photos.

Edited October 19, 2010 by Tony T

[camaroman]

I'm seeing a hot dog stand from this thing on my On30(1/48) RR line...