Harry P. Posted July 27, 2011 Posted July 27, 2011 I just got my latest Danbury Mint model, a 1956 Buick Roadmaster Riviera. As per usual, DM's detail and quality is absolutely second to none... this model is gorgeous! Well worth the price and then some. But this isn't a commercial for DM. As I was looking over the model, a thought struck me: DM uses "real" hood hinges in all of their newly-tooled models. That is, they are "scissor-type" hinges, with operational tension springs... and they really work (and look) exactly like the 1/1 hinges do. Check out this photo: So I'm thinking... wouldn't this be a cool aftermarket product? I think a lot of people would be interested in a pair of such detailed, functioning hinges. If DM can do it, so can anyone else, right? I mean... we already have detailed pre-wired distributors... photoetched detail sets... seat belt hardware, battery clamps, braided hose, etc., etc. Who is going to step up and be the first to offer fully functional, real scale hood hinges? Any takers?
Joe Handley Posted July 27, 2011 Posted July 27, 2011 Holy cow! I thought that this was going to be a picture of the real car, not a diecast
Harry P. Posted July 27, 2011 Author Posted July 27, 2011 Holy cow! I thought that this was going to be a picture of the real car, not a diecast DM models are freakin' amazing! You should see this thing. I have no idea how they do it, the detail level is just amazing.
Harry P. Posted July 27, 2011 Author Posted July 27, 2011 Only catch-22 I see, but I think it's a big one. Each car, certainly each make, had pretty unique hinges at any given time...whoever did it would have to work up a lot of different sets, or else the generic hinges wouldn't be prototypically shape or scale accurate. True... but I'm thinking that a generic set of fully operational hinges would sell like hotcakes. Certainly they'd be more true-to-life than what most kits offer... which is nothing!
jw78z28 Posted July 27, 2011 Posted July 27, 2011 you could cover alot of G.M. cars with one generic set really there,s not much diff. on alot of the 60's - 85ish models I think you could get away with it in 1/24 1/25.
58 Impala Posted July 27, 2011 Posted July 27, 2011 My family used to live near Danbury Conn. I have been in their main store in the Danbury Mall. I was like a kid in a big candy store with no money. Fantastic stuff. So many diecasts, definitely not enough money.
Eric Stone Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Has anybody seen a built set of the hinges in the Trumpeter Nova? I guess these would have to be pre-assembled...
Harry P. Posted July 28, 2011 Author Posted July 28, 2011 Aren't they a little thick? :lol: Said in my best Moe Howard voice... "Why, I oughtta...
Harry P. Posted July 28, 2011 Author Posted July 28, 2011 Here Harry these are pretty close. Yep, those are definitely in the ballpark... but missing the springs! The springs are what makes them work, and even if the scale ones were just operated by friction and didn't actually need the springs, without the springs they look fake.
Chuck Most Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Another example were the MRC Keystone/Cragar wheel/tire sets. They were nicer than many kit tires, but since they weren't perfect, most modelers passed on them because at the price, it didn't seem the accuracy was there. They quickly fell out of the market. The wheels in those were pretty nice, but I just never cared for the big, blocky tires with light-truck sidewalls MRC supplied. At least they had good tread and decent sidewall detail. As far as the hinges? Yeah, I could see a market, but I think a pre-assembled piece would be a bit above the average modeler's acceptable 'price point'. Of course you could make one available in kit form (there already are a couple I can think of, a few shown on the thread already), but with working tension springs? Can you imagine the agony of getting your scale hinge all put together, all that's left is installing the spring to make it functional, and then you hear the 'twang' and see the spring you've spent the last ten minutes trying to install fly off into the darkest corner of the room, never to be found?
Harry P. Posted July 28, 2011 Author Posted July 28, 2011 The wheels in those were pretty nice, but I just never cared for the big, blocky tires with light-truck sidewalls MRC supplied. At least they had good tread and decent sidewall detail. As far as the hinges? Yeah, I could see a market, but I think a pre-assembled piece would be a bit above the average modeler's acceptable 'price point'. Of course you could make one available in kit form (there already are a couple I can think of, a few shown on the thread already), but with working tension springs? Can you imagine the agony of getting your scale hinge all put together, all that's left is installing the spring to make it functional, and then you hear the 'twang' and see the spring you've spent the last ten minutes trying to install fly off into the darkest corner of the room, never to be found? Preassembled would definitely be the way to go...
Joe Handley Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 but with working tension springs? Can you imagine the agony of getting your scale hinge all put together, all that's left is installing the spring to make it functional, and then you hear the 'twang' and see the spring you've spent the last ten minutes trying to install fly off into the darkest corner of the room, never to be found? I can already imagine what I would be saying....and it's nothing that I can repeat on here
MrObsessive Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Hmmm....................... I could comment more...............but I gotta leave the house now and head to work.
Dr. Cranky Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 I'll tell you how they make them, Harry. They've hired EYEGORE to go to CHINA to scout the insane asylums for bored interns and then they have a factory set up where all they do is build model cars! I did not know you collected diecast, and now you must share a picture of your collection with us, please.
MrObsessive Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Okay, I'm home now so I have time to comment! I have a set of those hinges from MAS..........and while they're not bad, they seem to me a bit heavyhanded for what I would use. The ones I did for my GTO were scratchbuilt from brass, but unfortunately they wore out and broke before I got the model nearly done. (which I never actually did finish). I would do them differently today........coming up with some kind of way to make the hood removable to see the entire engine----and at the same time still having the hinges in place on the body so that they could be seen working as the hood is closing. BTW, I also had a latch mechanism for my hood.................... The hinges were spring loaded just like a 1:1, (springs came from a local train shop) but then I needed a mechanism to latch the hood and keep it shut. The idea was to have the latch exposed very slightly under the front bumper-----all you would need was to brush it with your finger and the hood would pop open. I also had it so that the back edge of the hood wouldn't raise up eventually from the stress of the springs. If I were building this again today, I'd have a different method of keeping the back edge of the hood down. Top THAT Danbury!
Darin Bastedo Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Said in my best Moe Howard voice... "Why, I oughtta... my favorite Stooges quote; Moe: Did you go to school, stupid? Curly: Yeah, and I came out that way too!
Mr. Moparman Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Hmmm....................... I could comment more...............but I gotta leave the house now and head to work. HOW!!! PLEASE TELL US MORE!!!!!!!!!
Dragracer Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 I myself like the Ross Gibson engines, but then I build Drag cars(P/M's & F/C's mostly),the only problem I have with the RG engines are the ones for the Blown P/M's,the oil set-up is wrong,the Blown cars don't run with the dry sump pump & belt system like the Nitrous & P/S engines do, they are pretty much Alcohol F/C engines.
Jeff Johnston Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Hmmm....................... LOL I figured you'd have this all figured out
MrObsessive Posted July 29, 2011 Posted July 29, 2011 HOW!!! PLEASE TELL US MORE!!!!!!!!! I first flattened and then bent brass tubing to make the arms of the hinge........this makes it easier to drill the hole for the rivets that I needed to use. The rivets were small pieces of brass tubing inserted in the holes, and then the edges were peened over to hold them in place. I had no digicam at the time I was building this (I got one later in the build), so it's hard to show the steps that I did. One thing that did help is that I actually had a 1:1 hood hinge sitting in the room that I could copy the details off of, and then "shrink" the details down to 1/25.
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