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STORE EXCLUSIVES THE TOM DANIEL ››› THE PASSION, PRODUCTS & PERSONALITIES STORY VRMUaiSnTctHeaArVgsEe Automodello WORLD EXCLUSIVE! Mormon Meteor Replicarz Marmon Wasp CHEAP TRICK 119 Make a Hyper- VEHICLES, COLLECTIBLES, Realistic Scale & ACCESSORIES INSIDE! Car Cover IT’S A JAG, BABY! Display until April 1, 2013 AUTOart 1961 E-Type SPRING 2013 | DCXmag.com PLUS Greenlight’s Twilight Chevy CMC’s Maserati 300S TrueScale Miniatures ’54 Buick Century and more!







contents Die CAst x | spring 2013 features 42 | The Artist’s Way 34 | Got You Covered Tom Daniel’s life in design Tom Norpell’s scale-realistic car cover OUT OF THE BOX 22 | Replicarz Marmon Wasp Stung! 26 | Automodello Mormon Meteor Winning streak 30 | AUTOart Jaguar E-Type Roadster Cat power 38 | CMC Maserati 300S Killer curves 56 | Replicarz Indy Classics Back on the carousel ON THE COVER: The golden age of speed is always worth remembering — especially when there are models as sweet as Replicarz’ 1911 Marmon Wasp and Automodello’s 1935 Duesenberg Special to remember it with. Like sports cars? Check out AUTOart’s righteously red 1961 Jaguar E-Type roadster. Classic racers, vintage sports cars — it’s all waiting inside this issue. 4 DCXmag.com

UP FRONT QUICK LOOKs REGULARS 6 | On the Web 46 | TrueScale Miniatures 1954 50 | Driven Buick Century The ultimate diecast portal 48 | Minichamps 1966 Ford GT40 Slot car racing Mark II “1st Le Mans” 8 | Editorial 58 | Hot Wheels Highway 52 | AUTOart 2011 Lamborghini Stay hungry Aventador LP 700 Store exclusives 2012 54 | Hot Wheels Elite Ferrari 458 10 | Scale Mail Italia GT2 66 | Collector Profile: Fit for a King Questions, answers, comments 62 | Sun Star 1959 Oldsmobile Larry Schaffer’s empire just keeps growing 12 | Inside Line 64 | AUTOart Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale Events and industry news 14 | Showroom New releases & first looks Die Cast X (ISSN 1551-854X) published quarterly by Air Age Inc., 88 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897 USA. Copyright 2012, all rights reserved. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Wilton, CT, and additional offices. Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40008153. CONTRIBUTIONS: All materials published in Die Cast X magazine become the exclusive property of Air Age Inc., unless prior arrangement is made in writing with the Publisher. Descriptions of products were obtained from manufacturers or their press agencies and do not constitute an endorsement by the Publisher or guarantee their safety. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Call (866) 298-5652. Outside the U.S.: (386) 246-3323, or go to our website: DCXmag.com. Rates one year (4 issues): U.S. $25; Canada, $28, including GST; all others, $32. All international orders must be prepaid in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. ADVERTISING: Advertising rates are available on request. Please send advertising materials to Advertising Dept., Air Age Inc., 88 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897 USA; phone (203) 431-9000; fax (203) 529-3010; email: sales@ airage.com. EDITORIAL: Send correspondence to Editors, Die Cast X, Air Age Inc., 88 Danbury Rd., Wilton, CT 06897 USA. Email: [email protected]. We welcome all editorial submissions but assume no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. To authors, photographers and people featured in this magazine: all materials published in Die Cast X become the exclusive property of Air Age Inc. unless a prior arrangement is made in writing with the Publisher. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: To make sure you don’t miss any issues, send your new address to Die Cast X magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 USA at least six weeks before you move. Please include an address label from a recent issue, or print the information exactly as shown on the label. For faster service, go to DCXmag.com/cs, and click on the customer service link. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Die Cast X magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 USA.

ON WEBTHE DCXMAG.COM: THE ULTIMATE DIECAST PORTAL DCXmag.com Seeing truly must be believing, because we’ve racked up a lot of believers with Die Cast X TV LIVE, the Internet’s only regularly scheduled model car and collectibles show. We racked up a lot of believers - and viewer minutes - with Die Cast X TV industry to the show. ey’ve also made sure we have new products to LIVE, the Internet’s only regularly scheduled model car and collectibles review - a habit we hope to continue as we make Cup of Joe the go-to show. And now, we’re changing things up a bit, and adding caffeine to source for collectors in the market. the mix with Cup of Joe, every other Sunday morning at 11 a.m. (8 a.m. Pacific). IN CLOSE, IN DEEP We play seriously, and get deep with each model or product, and the Cup of Joe features new models, products, and invited industry guests best part is, it all happens LIVE. Can’t be there for the live stream? Join in a live streaming format, and the show also gives collectors a chance to the thousands of viewers who catch the show in replays, and on demand, interact directly with industry insiders - and each other - in a simultane- just by clicking your mouse ... it’s all free, any time you want it. And, did we ous, moderated chat. We call that “outreach” - you’ll call it fun. mention the frequent prizes and model giveaways? So far, we’ve had Sean Taylor of M2 Machines, Dan Sabato and Tony JOIN US Karamitsos of Auto World, Hot Wheels Guinness World Record Holder To see the schedule for Cup of Joe, check DCXmag.com, or join Die Cast X (and DCX contributor) Mike Zarnock, and Jim Cowen of Automodello as on Facebook for updates and show announcements. Enjoy the show! guests. Each of these top-level designers, model makers, and super- collectors has brought insight into the hobby and inside info about the 6 DCXmag.com



EDITORIAL SPRING 2013 | VOLUME 9, NO. 2 Stay Hungry EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Joe Kelly Jr. MY BEST PAL FRANK AND I SHARE A DEEPLY ROOTED (AND, ACCORDING TO Group Editorial Coordinator Katherine Pierpont OUR SHADOWS, INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS) LOVE OF GOOD FOOD. is attraction Copyeditor Suzanne Saunders to all things savory can be powerful; if the road’s been long and the hour is late, we have been known to exhibit gastronomic prowess sufficient to impress even the most jaded waitress. CONTRIBUTORS Most recently, our enthusiasm for a “pot roast burger” (exactly what it sounds like) was such Bill Bennett, Wayne Moyer, Mike Zarnock that it compelled the short-order cook in a New Jersey diner to leave his busy kitchen to shake our hands. MEDIA SERVICES Vice President Media Services and e point is, real “foodies” can find joy in a simple pushcart hot dog or a high-priced cut of Corporate Strategy Laurene R. Booth aged beef. Whether the setting is a street corner or a fine dining room, the truth lies not in Creative Director Betty K. Nero the money spent, but in that moment when the flavor hits you. In much the same way, a true Art Director Kevin Monahan collector can feed his or her passion with a five-dollar, mass-manufactured impulse buy, or Graphic Designer Gustavo Galicia chow down royally on a limited-run, high-ticket gem. Each has its appeal - its own flavor, if you Staff Photographer Hope McCall will - and each offers the beholder a chance to savor a memory in scale. Content Specialist Joseph Arthur Web Producer Holly Hansen I’m taking the reins here with the pledge that we will continue to represent every level of Traffic Supervisor Tracey Terenzi collectible that we can possibly fit within our pages - and we’ll make room on the web, on video, in our social media outlets, and in our live streaming show (see page 6) for those “in between” ADVERTISING releases that aren’t in print. We’re going to need the extra cyber space: the collectibles hobby Sales Director Mitch Brian 203.529.4609 is changing. New materials, new subjects, and new collectors are appearing on an almost daily Senior Account Executive basis. Small-scale sales are rocketing skyward. 1:24 precision diecast is edging toward the Ben Halladay 203.529.4628 twilight as fine resin models - in both the “mint” scale and in 1:43 - and are starting to assert Account Executive Nadine Buccieri 203.529.4635 themselves in the world market. Sales Coordinator Julie Wolvek 203.529.4630 As seen on our cover, that intriguing material, and all that it has to offer, is appearing virtually everywhere. True, diecasting is still the dominant method of manufacture for collectibles. But if CONSUMER MARKETING and when new trends develop and tastes evolve, we’ll be here to tell you about them, celebrate Consumer Marketing Manager Mike Valanzola them, and add our own spice to the hobby as we relate them to you. Newsstand Director John Morthanos Stay hungry. And thanks for reading Die Cast X. MARKETING Joe Kelly, Jr. Vice President, Marketing Laura Hagan Event Manager Emil M. DeFrancesco Editor-in-Chief Social Media Coordinator Devang Patel PUBLISHING Group Publishers LOUIS V. DeFRANCESCO JR., YVONNE M. DeFRANCESCO HOW TO REACH US EDITORIAL MAIL 88 Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897 USA Phone (203) 431-9000; Email [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION CUSTOMER SERVICE (866) 298-5652, +(386) 246-3323 (outside the U.S.) or DCXMag.com/cs 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED If you are ever dissatisfied, you may cancel your subscription and receive a full refund for all unmailed issues. DCX is always a great gift idea! Just call us, or go online, and give a gift today. Magazine Publishers RCX.com of America PRINTED IN THE USA 8 DCXmag.com



Scale Mail YOUR FEEDBACK | WRITE TO US AT DCX AIRAGE.COM WE WANT TO HEAR Going Beyond suggest you try pimpmybatmobile.com as a starting point. FROM YOU! Good luck! Great magazine. I anxiously await each issue, and my only Tell us what you like, what complaint is that the wait is too long between them. Any Value vs. Cost you don’t and why Die Cast X chance of seeing Die Cast X in my mailbox, as a bimonthly, is the best diecast maga- any time soon? Also, being a subscriber for the better part I am a newer collector who got into diecast when I had to sell zine ever! Send snail mail to of the last decade, I have to say that it was nice to see some my 1967 Fastback Mustang a few years back. ough things “Letters,” Die Cast X, Air Age non-diecast collectible automobilia in your last issue. Reading have turned around since then, I’ve discovered that I find Media, 88 Danbury Road, the Linda Vaughn figurine review brought back some great more enjoyment in collecting diecast. I’m able to relive many Wilton, CT 06897 USA, or memories and reading about the replica hood ornaments led memories simultaneously, instead of concentrating on one email us at [email protected]. me to look into all the versions offered by Signature. I am a full-scale car at a time. I recently subscribed to your magazine We'll edit letters as needed, diecast fanatic, but I am more of an overall auto addict. I hope and find such a wide variety of cars available, that I have to and though we will read them you continue this trend and build more such coverage into the wonder: where does the “quality vs. cost” line get drawn? My all, we don't have room to magazine. Reviews of collectible gas pumps, tin signs, etc., collection is made up of several AUTOart and GMP models, answer or publish every one. would be a great addition to an already amazing magazine. and I have a handful of Danbury Mint Pro Mods cars as well. I Mike Shaller have seen some models by CMC, BBR, and others that carry email price tags well over $500 mark, with some nearing $1,000. Mike, thanks for the kind words. We were taken back by the I can’t yet justify spending that kind of money on a single great response to the non-diecast items we put in the last diecast model. Are these (expensive) replicas really delivering issue, and we’re certainly going to include more in the future. eight to 10 times the quality of an AUTOart or Danbury Mint? Face itwe’re all hooked on cars, and anything that adds to Kyle DiLarano our passion for collecting, whether it’s a model, a piece of email furniture, art, an antique tin sign, or a bit of petrolania for our display rooms is fair game. When we get more auto-related at’s a great question, and it’s one that a lot of collectors ask items in, we’ll be sure to put them right where you can see as they get deeper into the hobby. Here’s what we tell them: them. As for going to a bimonthly publication, we’re keeping buy what you like, and spend what you can afford. We’ve seen mum. If the interest is there  and our presence keeps grow- $50 models that delivered huge bang for the buck, and we’ve ing at the rate it’s beenthe future is wide open to just about seen mega-thousand-dollar works of art that left us cold, any possibility. while others at those prices were incredible pieces we could only dream of owning. Each caters to a certain segment of the Batlist collecting hobby that enjoys themand that’s just fine. It’s all about what folks want to see in their collections, and what anks for reviewing some of the current diecast models seems reasonable. With CMC, BBR, etc., rarity is sometimes available from the George Barris “library.” As a huge Batman a factor, and advanced features and “noble” materialsreal fan and an avid diecast collector, do you know of a cumulative metal, leather, rubber, etc.will bring up a car’s cost, pronto. Batman diecast listing on the web or in print? Some rules of thumb: 1. Don’t lay out the green on a high- Gerold Montiglio ender unless you’ve shopped around a bit, especially if you’re email grazing in the secondary market. 2. Mint in box is nice, but Unfortunately, no - we don’t know of a single site or listing mint on the shelf is what it’s really all about, if you’re looking that will give you all the Batman cars, planes, boats, and scale to simply enjoy a model. 3. Buy smart, keep to a budget, and gizmos. But don’t flame out just yet; the good news is that a you’ll be able to buy the occasional high-ender to put on relatively topical Google search can bring you literally thou- your shelves. Above all, remember the most important rule: sands of sources to build your own. e trick is to be specific Whether it’s five bucks or five-hundred bucks, buy with your enough to filter out the stuff you aren’t interested in, but broad heart. enough to gather some valid info. Try search terms like “Bat- man 1:18 diecast,” or “Bat Boat 1:50.” Chances are good you’ll hit Google gold on the very first page, and you can bookmark the links for future reference, while most likely happening upon forums and fan sites in the process. In the meantime, we RACE DAY I really enjoyed Bill Bennett’s Glory Days Ferrari 512S “Sebring 1970” in 1:18, and I’m planning to purchase that model. I’m a longtime 12 Hours of Sebring Race fan so, what’s the relevance of March 31, 1970? I was there (arguably the greatest Sebring race of all time ... what a finish!!!) and believe it was run on March 21, 1970. I did get to see Steve McQueen up close and personal, and remember his clutch foot being wrapped with metallic tape, over a cast. Barry E. Anderson email Good catch, Barry. You’re correct, it was the 21st of March, 1970 when Andretti, McQueen, Revson, et al. battled it out at Sebring for 12 grueling hours. I envy your being able to attend the actual race. Die Cast X has covered the cars of the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring before; in the Spring 2011 edition we covered the little AUTOart 908/2 Porsche that McQueen & Revson drove to a second-place finish as part of “ e Ultimate Steve McQueen Collection” article, and in the Summer 2011 edition, in “ e Making of Mario’s 512,” we wrote about converting Nick Mason’s 512S Ferrari by Hot Wheels Elite to the #19 car that Andretti used to start the race. If you’re up for a challenge, you could end up with all three protagonists. Bill Bennett 10 DCXmag.com



inside line events & industry news Diecast 26th Annual Events Collectors Convention 1st quarter 2013 Pilgrims drawn to the Hot Wheels flame travel every October January to California - of course - to join fellow fanatics from across the nation and around the world. This year marked the 26th 5 & 6 Des Moines, IA annual celebration of the brand and its most devoted fans, 2nd Annual Iowa Diecast Toy who found their Mecca for mini metal models located in the Show halls of the Garden Grove Hyatt Regency Hotel, which was happily com- Iowa State Fairgrounds mandeered by families, enthusiasts, and traders for a full week start- agfarmtoys.com/scale/model/ ing October 3. From bingo, poker, and auctions dedicated to charity to Toy_Show.html tournaments and downhill racing, there was lots to do - and lots of hands to shake. Autograph signing sessions featured many of the top designers 18 - 20 Phoenix, AZ from both past and present Hot Wheels rosters. There was never a dull DiecastSpace.com Super Show moment—there never is with this crowd. If you’ve never been a part of Location TBA this show, make plans now for next year. Just follow the flame. diecastspace.com/conventions Above: Silly String is a badge of honor at these events. Left: A chance to Jan. 30 - Feb. 4 Nürnberg, Ger- meet Hot Wheels designers and get an autograph is always a big part of the many show. Below: So is in-room trading, where literally thousands of Hot Wheels Nürnberg International Toy Fair and other collectibles are available for a price. (Photos by Bill Bennett) Nürnberg Exhibition Center toyfair.de/ Jan. 31 – Feb. 4 Miami, FL Miami Beach Antique Show Miami Beach Convention Center originalmiamibeachantiqueshow. com February 10 - 14 New York, NY Toy Fair 13 Jacob Javits Convention Center toyassociation.org 16 & 17 Harrisburg, PA Motorama Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex motoramaevents.com 20 - 24 Las Vegas, NV DiecastSpace.com Super Convention Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino diecastspace.com/vegas March 4 Wallingford, CT Wallingford Toy Show Zandri’s Stillwood Inn classicshowsllc.com 9 & 10 Rochester, NY Greenberg’s Train & Toy Show Monroe County Fair and Expo Center greenbergshow.com 12 DCXmag.com



SHOWROOM NEW RELEASES & FIRST LOOKS Name that Hoon AUTO WORLD “Legends” 1971 “Garlits” Dodge Charger 1:18 | $89.99 Gary Bolger was the hotfoot of choice for drag team owner Bud Richter, who put the talented Illinoisan behind the wheel of several of his cars- “Tension,” “Tension II,” and “Gold Digger” among them. When the legendary “Big Daddy” Don Garlits dealt Richter and company in on a deal that allowed the team to use his name on a funny car, it was Bolger - not Garlits - who piloted the 480 V8 Hemi-powered flopper in match races. at being said, Auto World’s 1:18 model of the ’71 Charger-bodied funny is a great follow-up piece for collectors who are gathering up the maker’s “Legends of the Quarter Mile” series. It’s the most simply decorated car in the group (therefore, the most menac- ing) with flawless black paint, tamped and clear-coated decos, and a highly detailed metal and plastic hybrid frame with a giant blown Chrysler slung between its rails. e castings are sharp, and the paint and finish are exceptionally clean; those decos match archive photos exactly, and the removable composite body shell makes displaying all of the plumbed and wired details easy. “Big” may never have stomped this one, but Garlits fans won’t be able to resist. — Joe Kelly Jr. autoworldstore.com Pope’s Atlantic MEMORIAL METAL AUTOART 1938 Bugatti 57S Atlantic coupe M2 MACHINES Shelby Tribute 1:18 | $359.95 1:24/1:64 | $25/$5.99 each e Bugatti Atlantic is one of the rarest, most desired collector cars in the world. Designed by Carroll Shelby’s legacy remains one of the strongest in automotive history. M2 Machines’ “Shelby Tribute” 1:24 Ettore Bugatti’s son Jean in the mid-1930s, only four were built, and only two of the original and 1:64 first-gen Shelby 1965 Mustang GT350s celebrate cars are known to exist. Low and sleek, the two-door coupes featured many unique design the life of the legend, and each car wears the number “89” features; most famous were the dorsal spines that ran over the car’s roof and each fender. (Mr. Shelby’s age at passing), a brace of reproduced Shelby signatures on its roof, and the stylized “CS” logo on its e last sale of an Atlantic (May 2010) brought an undisclosed amount estimated at $30-40 haunches above the numbers “1923-2012.” e 1:24 ’Stang million. AUTOart’s model is of the last Atlantic built, chassis number 57591, as commissioned by has opening doors, hood, and trunk, and steerable wheels; Englishman Richard Pope. Painted a deep sapphire blue with matching wire wheels, the model under its hood there’s a Paxton-fed Cobra 289 that’s been features a genuine leather-covered interior, an engine-turned, supercharged, straight-eight moderately wired and plumbed. e caged interior has the engine, and a full-access body. e car’s positively awash in photo-etched minutiae, detailed correct Shelby-specific instrument pod at the center dash, down to the smallest opening air vent and radiator cap, and the replica shows just how far and a spare mounted under its rear window. e cars all roll AUTOart has come as a manufacturer. No, it isn’t inexpensive, but truly good things - and truly out in combinations of Guardsman Blue and Wimbledon wonderful models - seldom are. Highly recommended. — Bill Bennett White, with opening doors and hoods, sharp tampo mark- autoartmodels.com ings, and very well-done mag wheels with Goodyear Poly- glas tires. Each comes mounted to a display base, and offers a lot of bang for the buck - something Shelby certainly understood. Look out for the 89 clear-coated metal “raw” cars (1:24 pictured) that have been randomly slipped into the cases as they ship from M2’s warehouse. — Joe Kelly Jr. m2machines.com 14 DCXmag.com

WITHOUT A HITCH MOTORHEAD MINIATURES BELLA’S BOMB “Out of Gas” figure set GREENLIGHT COLLECTIBLES’ Twilight Chevrolet pickup 1:18 | $25.99 1:18 | $59.99 Meet Lorraine and Cody, a couple of surpris- Okay, here’s the checklist. She’s a hottie. She likes to ride motorcycles. She drives a beat- ingly cheerful ladies who manage a smile, up, old Chevy pickup truck. And, as seen in the Twilight series of films, she also has a thing despite the fact that they’re clearly stuck. for bloodsuckers. Hey, three out of four ain’t bad. While we can’t attest to character “Bel- la’s” taste in men, we can definitely get behind item number three, as seen in this release by is latest set of figurines from Motorhead GreenLight Collectibles. Based off a Sun Star mold set, this model of the movie vamp-in- Miniatures “1201” line (so named for its limited training’s Chevy truck is painted and deco’d up to look like it’s been ridden hard and put editions of 1,201 pieces/sets) is made from cold-cast away muddy. e airbrush-applied weathering is everywhere, including the moderately resin and includes the little ladies, an “Out of Gas” sign (at- detailed interior and on the spattered old Chevy V8 under the hood. e wheels steer and tached here to “Lorraine” with white glue, for photography), the tailgate opens on the pickup’s rear (we’re assuming a stake bed would have been a and a knapsack/sleeping bag. Motorhead Miniatures has a no-no), making it a great place to stash those plastic glow-in-the-dark fangs you’ve been good thing going with this series; the original “Fast Women” hiding. Yes, it’s a ’65, and Bella’s truck is a ’63, which makes for some differences in the side series of scaled-down babes they offered a while back was so trim; if you’re a movie fan with a thing for brunettes who consort with the undead, you’ve popular that the company couldn’t make enough of them to already bought in. – Joe Kelly Jr. meet demand. e sculpts are killer; realistic faces, free-spirited greenlighttoys.com clothing, and life-like poses make this set a great add-in to just about any 1:18 display. A 1:43 version is in the works, too. Hmmm ... out of gas and still smiling? What’s in that knapsack? – Joe Kelly Jr. motorheads4u.com Massalonzo HOT WHEELS Elite Ferrari F2012 1:18 | $120 Ferrari’s F1 program has generated some of the most exciting race cars ever to turn a wheel, and its 58th single-seater - the step- nosed F2012 - is no different. Despite early handling problems, the naturally aspirated V8 cars were fielded with some success by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Hot Wheels Elite sent along this pair of potent-looking (and oddly aromatic) replicas, and each wears the name of its famous driver on its plinth. e models wear all of the racers’ wild wings and foils attached in a dozen or so plastic attachments to their diecast bodies. e markings are a hybrid of tamped-on color fields and decals, and the un-scuffed Pirelli P-Zero tires are set onto convincing OZ wheels, all located outboard of the cars on carbon-fiber look struts and working steering. at last feature is a kick; tweak the front tires, and the steering wheels slide through the gloved hands of the included “Massa” or “Alonso” figures seated in each model’s cockpit. Fine metal antennas and an almost imperceptible metal flake in their paint will wow model collectors; neat box art with the drivers’ photos and signatures will seal the deal for fans of Massa and Alonso. –Joe Kelly Jr. hotwheels-elite.com SPRING 2013 15

SHOWROOM Italian-American Excellence AUTOMODELLO 1969 Intermeccanica Italia Subie Do 1:43 | $94.95 SUN STAR 1993 Shortly after Italian coachbuilder Intermeccanica signed a contract with Griffith Motors to build Subaru Impreza 555 second-generation Griffith 600 bodies in large quantities, Griffith went bankrupt. With tooling already built, materials on hand, and arrangements in place for Mustang engines and trans- 1:18 | $90 missions, Intermeccanica made the most of the situation by modifying the front of the body, Subaru’s Impreza 555 was born to be a rally car, and its designing their own chassis, and building almost 600 Coupes and Spyders between 1967 and hard-nosed capability on the most torturous circuits was 1969. In a parallel (scale) move, Automodello, who has already made an excellent Griffith 600 proven worldwide. In 1993, whilst star driver Colin McRae Coupe, has now released this superb model of the Italia Spyder. Although the body is similar, was in Malaysia, Bruno Berglund and Ari Vatanen debuted the this isn’t just a top chop with a repaint. Up front, the grille now has a correct chromed surround tough-as-nails sedan at Finland’s 1000 Lakes Rally, bringing with small twin bumperettes, while the Italia’s new scoops (not vents) have been added to the the 300-horsepower turbo flat-four-powered hustler home front fenders. A realistically textured and “wrinkled” boot cover has been added too. Reflec- in second place. e win did much to promote Subaru’s rug- tors, wipers, door locks, top sills, and grille badge are photo-etched, while the Italia rear badge gedness and its all-wheel-drive technology - and this model is a crisp decal. e thin chrome windshield molding has the proper black simulated rubber of that car will do a lot to promote Sun Star’s always-evolving surround; behind it, the realistic upholstery, plated interior handles, crisp decal instrument and lineup. With a parts count that’s bumping ever upward, these radio faces all look just right. Details, shape, and dimensions, too. is is a super piece. little beasties are getting more and more detailed and feature — Wayne Moyer packed. Opening doors, hood, and trunk, steerable wheels diecasm.com and a spring-loaded suspension are on tap, and the cabin is pounded full of plastic details like cross-punched kick plates and metallized control boxes. e paint is good, and it’s fes- tooned with decals for the car’s race day markings. Under the hood, the boxer engine is fully wired and plumbed, the boot holds a strapped-in spare, and the chassis is nicely - if not overly - done. With just a bit more finesse in the details, these models would be barking up a lot of high-end makers’ trees. Rally ’round, folks. — Joe Kelly Jr. sunstartoys.com FIVES AND NINES PONY VITESSE 1955 and 1959 Chevrolets POWER 1:43 | $30 HIGHWAY 61 / ere aren’t too many things more American than a 43RD STREET COLLECTIBLES vintage ‘50s Chevy, and the reds, whites, and blues get 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 even deeper if the car in question is a ragtop. Vitesse - a Portuguese company now being directed by Sun Star - 1:43 | $75 each offers up these 1955 and 1959 Chevrolet convertibles in Highway 61 made the scene several years ago with a slew of muscle cars that carried the their “American Classics” series. e diecast bodies are 1:18 hobby into new, high-detail territory. at shouldn’t have been a surprise: the company’s decorated with an impressive amount of photo-etch, foil, president is Fred Ertl III, heir apparent to the Ertl family’s talent for slinging zinc alloy into desir- and chromed plastic pieces. Real lensing front and rear, able shapes. Now the company is moving into 1:43 resin, and muscle fans who favor the smaller good paint, and authentic colors make the models attrac- scale can be happy. is first car, a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302, replicates Ford’s small block tive; a moderate parts count (only some of the chrome racer for the street - a car that lent itself to road courses far better than its heavier-nosed, big- trim is painted on) and very decent assembly and finish block stable mates - and they’ve done a great job. e casting on this pre-production sample make them worth spending some time with. One big is proportioned just right, painted in a smooth “Acapulco Blue Poly,” and, save for a too-glossy booboo is the ‘59’s nose-dived front end and overall ride hood and deck and missing blackouts around the headlights, it’s decorated very nicely. Photo- height - not an easy fix, either, as the axles would need to etched window surrounds hold butyrate glazing, and though the wheels are too-brightly be placed laterally directly through the metal base plate to chromed, they wear “Goodyear” rubber. A scale-thin antenna and separately cast lenses round be in an accurate position (yes, we had the car apart). On the model out very well. Interior detailing is full on, with a great dash and console, and neatly the plus side, the overall images are better executed than detailed steering wheel and door panels. Even the chassis passes muster. We can’t wait to see in past iterations (the ‘59 has been around a while), and where this line goes next. – Joe Kelly Jr. not too many models offer black-washed grilles, appliqué ffertl3.com badges, and such well turned out interiors for this kind of money. Apple pie, anyone? – Joe Kelly Jr. sunstarmodelcars.com 16 DCXmag.com

CHALLENGE THIS To Infiniti ... and Beyond GREENLIGHT COLLECTIBLES PAUDI MODELS 2012 Infiniti G37S coupe “2 Fast 2 Furious” Challenger 1:18 | $150 Ever hear of Paudi Models? You will. is maker of higher-end, highly-detailed modern ma- 1:18 | $59.99 chinery is becoming a favorite of collectors who favor modern Asian-market automobiles, and 2 Fast 2 Furious, the sequel to the blockbuster film e images like this beautifully presented, newly tooled Infiniti G37S coupe is part of the reason Fast and the Furious, gave screen time to a lot of memo- why. e feature list on the piece is impressive: opening doors, hood, and trunk, steerable rable machinery while doing some unforgettable (and not wheels, a tilt-up sunroof (with sliding shade beneath), working suspension, a working gas filler exactly legal) things. One such scene had this car, a 1970 door (yes, really), and even side-view mirrors that fold for parking. e carpeted interior has a Dodge Challenger R/T, driven by Eric Etebari (playing the sharp center stack and dash, soft-touch seats that tilt and slide back and forth, and an opening role of “Darden”), in a tag team street race against a pair console; under the hood, the 330-horsepower V6 is comprehensively detailed and decorated. of nitrous-tweaked Mitsubishis. It was a thrilling segment Out back, the trunk’s carpeted floor lifts to reveal a spare tire. Here’s another feature: it’s that we’ve watched several times, and the takeaway from heavy as hell, thanks to its diecast chassis. With raised-foil badges, steel brake discs, and neat here (aside from popcorn bloat) is that GreenLight’s done satin-toned wheels, this one’s sharp from end to end. e company is still working out U.S. a great job turning the car out in 1:18. Rolling on American distribution, but we’re sure they’ll get it all locked in, and soon. Keep an ear - and an eye - out for Racing-style five spoke rims and meaty rubber (sans the these. – Joe Kelly Jr. raised white “BF Goodrich” lettering), the model’s well paudimodel.com scaled with good shut lines on its opening doors, hood, and trunk. A moderately detailed 383 V8 has a touch of plumb- ing and sits well between the fenders; opening the doors to the black plastic interior reveals a nicely recreated dash- board and center console, photo-etched seatbelts, and a flocked floor. True, the model is missing the ejector seat featured later in the movie, but it makes up for that with very crisply scaled foil “Challenger” scripts and working hood pins, all wrapped in a neatly decorated box featuring artwork and logos from the film. 2 cool. – Joe Kelly Jr. greenlightcollectibles.com Ghost with the Most KYOSHO 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost extended wheelbase 1:43 | $99.95 e “Little Rolls,” the Ghost, was deemed to be a bit too cramped in the rear compartment, so the Ghost Extended Wheelbase model, with 6.7 inches more leg room for the pay- ing customers in back, was introduced at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Kyosho has already added this beautifully done model to their ”Rolls-Royce Collection” line; its box, its rapid arrival on the market, and the accuracy and quality of the model suggest it’s a Rolls-Royce-sanctioned promo. All references, including the 39-page Ghost brochure (available online), show that Kyosho has the Ghost’s lines and details - all of them, inside and out - right on the money. e authentic Diamond Black/Silver paint is literally flawless and every last piece of trim is done, in scale, with bright chrome. e characteristic Rolls grille has been given a black wash, and the tiny “Flying Lady” is particularly well done. Surprisingly, the model is LHD, with detail to match the exterior. Upholstery patterns match photos, and the wood-grain panels and interior hardware are all neatly printed. ere’s a lot more “wood,” silver-printed trim and knobs, and authentic black-on-white instru- ments on the dash. Chassis detail is molded in high relief with silver-printed heat shields and separate aluminum- colored exhausts. is Brit’s a beauty. — Wayne Moyer carvillemodels.com SPRING 2013 17

SHOWROOM A Bug’s Life Ah, the humble VW. It’s common knowledge that you can’t kill ‘em - but they sure can get funky looking after a while. When GREENLIGHT COLLECTIBLES the time comes for a re-do, the thousands of Volkswagen resto shops that dot the American landscape can revive “Volkshaus VW Repair Shop” set even the fuzziest of these original four bangers. It’s to those 1:64 | $16.99 garages and workshops that GreenLight dedicates this “Volkshaus VW Repair Shop” set of five old school beetles and buses, in various stages of restoration. e painted on decos range from worn and primered to fully reborn, and the castings for the Samba bus, Type 1 Transporter panel van, and three Beetles are sharp and well-scaled. In the case of the real cars - and these scaled-down versions - it’s amazing what a little paint and TLC can do. — Joe Kelly Jr. greenlightcollectibles.com LITTLE MICHELIN, MAN HENRI OTTO MOBILE LE MANS MINIATURES Citroen SM “Henri Pescarolo” Proto “Michelin” figurine 1:18 | $60 1:18 | $29.95 OTTO Mobile’s wedgy Spark’s Le Mans Min- and muscular Citroen SM iatures lineup recently Prototype “Michelin” is a expanded to include great image of a very edgy some neat little historical car - exactly the kind of subject figurines, with a focus on that OTTO does best. is big, resincast famous drivers. is latest (sealed) unit replicates a rolling test bed built circa one is a hoot: it’s Henri 1973. With a 340-horsepower 24V V6 and a terminal Pescarolo, circa 1968, speed of close to 180 mph, the car gave new meaning toting a very large bottle to the term “active suspension” because the driver could of Moët & Chandon after manually adjust the SM’s hydro-pneumatic four-wheel level- his ride for Equipe Matra ing system on the hoof, for everything from a knees-up rally stance Sports at Le Mans - an to a hard lean similar to one witnessed during a motorcycle race. e mustard and ketchup-colored paint is world-class, and occasion made famous by beneath it is a crisp body with the kind of angles, blending, and panel lines that only resin can offer. Butyrate glazing makes the his determination to race most of the car’s airy greenhouse; on display is every nuance of the space-aged dash, gauges, and luxo race seats. Our favorite in the rain, sans windshield things - aside from the “make my day” angled tailpipes exiting the Kamm-tailed rear and the meaty rubber at each corner - are wipers. e figure is cast in the model’s impeccable build and finish. C’est tout bon. Very highly recommended. — Joe Kelly Jr. resin, wearing a convinc- otto-models.com ingly crinkled jumper with the Matra logo on it; Pesca- Savage David Earl “Swede” Savage took the racing world by storm. A natural athlete, he’d first gained rolo himself is smiling and Beast recognition racing motorcycles, then found himself under the wing of Dan Gurney. On his sec- waving a gloved hand, with ond trip to the Indy 500 in 1973, he teamed with Indy veteran Gordon Johncock in an Eagle/Offy ruby-lensed goggles dan- SWEDE SAVAGE’S sponsored by STP and wrenched by Indy legend, George Bignotti. Savage set a qualifying track gling from his neck. ough record and started the race in the fourth slot. During the race, he led for 12 laps but crashed Spark clearly intended the Gurney Eagle/ hard when his rear wing came loose. Johncock ultimately won the race. Although he survived piece to supplement their Offenhauser by the crash, Swede passed away a little more than a month later, purportedly from the effects models, the statuette is so of contaminated plasma. Replicarz is building his 1973 Eagle/Offy in remembrance of his short well done that it works as Replicarz but hugely promising career. Looking almost identical to the Johncock car previously done by a standalone accessory for Carousel1, this well-realized variant is painted in “dayglo” red/orange with bold STP livery. e any display. Race on, little 1:18 | $159.99 top half of the car lifts off to expose the cockpit and front suspension. Sitting behind the driver, man, race on. — Joe Kelly Jr. carvillemodelsshop.com the little turbo-Offy is a wonder to behold; as a “stressed member” for the transaxle, rear suspension, and wing, it was a pivotal piece of engineering - and it’s a major focus on this beautifully done model. Swede would certainly approve. — Bill Bennett replicarz.com 18 DCXmag.com

Wagon Ho! Black Out American Excellence 1974 Buick Estate wagon GreenLight Collectibles 1:43 | $86.95 Black Bandits Series 7 Buick’s last full-size station wagon, the 1971-1976 Estate Wagon, was something of a mixed breed. Officially part of the LeSabre line, it was built on the longer (127”) Electra chassis with the 1:64 | $5.99 each LeSabre nose and its own unique body. From 1971-1974, Estate Wagons had the four rectan- GreenLight Collectibles’ Black Bandit series is in its seventh gular ventiports (“portholes” to most car guys), which usually appeared on the bigger Buicks, release, and like the prior six, the cars all come wearing a but 1975-76 models had only three - like the LeSabre. American Excellence’s new resincast special triple black scheme - black paint, black interior, and model of a 1974 car has the correct 1974 grille, which extends under the quad headlights, but black wheels - which makes even the largest of the group- only three portholes; that’s the only nit we can find with this beauty. The overall shape, trim ing (a ‘76 Dodge B-100 and ‘77 Chevy G20 van) look stealthy details, and look match photos very well, and the model checks out right to scale. The metallic and cool. In addition to the vans, the grouping includes a green paint is flawless - if a bit more gold than chips indicate - while the wood-grain side trim 2012 Dodge Charger R/T, a 2012 Ford Focus ST, a 2012 Ford decal looks just like what you’d see on the real thing. Every single piece of trim is done to scale Mustang GT, and an extremely sharp 2013 Ford Police Inter- with plated or photo-etched pieces; even the tiny, but perfectly legible, Estate Wagon scripts ceptor SUV. All of the castings have awesome detail, rubber appear to be ultra-thin chrome on a clear adhesive strip. We don’t see any interior handles, but tires, opening hoods, and detailed wheels that add a lot to upholstery patterns are correct, as are all the wood-grain trim and authentic instrument panel the appeal. Some of the detail - like the ghost gray “BB” let- details. If you remember the big Buick wagons fondly, you’ll love this one. —Wayne Moyer tering and striping some of the cars wear - only adds to the jmmodelautos.com menace. Fewer than 4,000 of these sets will be made; if the past success of the series is any indication, they’ll sell out fast. Bet on black. – Joe Kelly Jr. greenlightcollectibles.com Super Snake Spark 1963 Cobra 289 “#16 Sebring” 1:43 | $67 Spark’s nicely done model of a 289-powered Cobra represents a pivotal moment: Shelby’s first shot at International racing, at the 1963 12 Hours of Sebring, where the team ran three new racing Cobras, as well as chassis CSX 2002 (the very first racing Cobra), built in late ‘62. For Sebring, the car wore #16, and had been updated with a 289 engine, hood louvers, and bigger fender flares to accommodate Goodyear wider “Blue Streak” racing tires on mag wheels. It also wore an FIA-legal, full-width windshield. The car didn’t have the soon-to-be classic 289 front fender vents. Photos from Sebring in 1963 show that Spark has the basic 289 Cobra body lines exactly right, along with all these details. Driving lights, mesh intake screen, identification lights and number lights, photo-etched hood locks - everything is here and to scale. Interior detail is just as complete, with chrome-bezeled gauges in a correct aluminum panel, 4-point belts, and much more. Paint, assembly, and overall workmanship are first-rate, and the dimensions are precisely right. This one’s a must for any Cobra collection. Now, if only Spark would do a back dated version of this car as it looked in 1962... – Wayne Moyer sunrichtoy.com A Special Buick Buick revamped the Special for 1954, giving it a longer wheelbase and a brand-new standard issue 264cid V8 engine. Buyers responded in record numbers, helping Buick to move past Brooklin 1954 four-door hardtop Plymouth into third place in sales for the year. Other companies model the flashier convert- ibles and hardtops, but Brooklin thrives on models of the sedans that were most often seen 1:43 | $124.95 on the roads during the ’50s - like this very accurate ’54 Buick Special 4-Door Sedan. All our references show that they have the relatively clean lines and subtle double kick-up at the rear exactly right, while dimensions are equally accurate. The authentic two-tone Arctic White/Malibu Blue paint is glossy, with crisp separation lines. Note that while there was a thin chrome strip just above the doors, the Special’s drip rail was painted - just as Brooklin has it. The big “Sweepspear,” handles, hood, and trunk ornaments, and the Special’s identifying three “portholes,” are sepa- rate chrome-plated parts, as are bumpers, lights, and the new 1954 grille. Inside, the darker blue upholstery looks good, but there are no handles, cranks, or armrests. The speedometer face, radio panel, and switch knobs are cast in relief on the silver center section of the dash. “Big, Buick, and Brooklin” make for a great combination. — Wayne Moyer brasiliapress.com spring 2013 19

SHOWROOM Princely Packard Coaster Brakes BROOKLIN 1954 Patrician sedan AUTOART “Brake Disc” coaster set 1:43 | $119.95 As Packard approached its disastrous merger with Studebaker in 1954, there was no money 3.5” | $89.99 for new bodies, so the “senior” models got only new side trim and hooded chrome headlight Nothing says “neat” like a place to put your beverage, and bezels. Brooklin has departed from their norm by releasing this fine model of the topline 1954 AUTOart’s Design/Lifestyle division wants to help you keep Packard Patrician, albeit in its least expensive four-door sedan ver- things tidy with an automotive twist. is set of six diecast sion. is is, I believe, the first model of the Patrician in any scale, brake disc/coasters rests in a red enameled “caliper” base. and Brooklin has done it very well, with authentic Matador Each disc is made from grooved, machined diecast, with a Maroon paint, an accurate shape and details, and dead-on soft, suede-like center and back to give drinks a soft place dimensions. ere’s a wealth of carefully fitted chrome- to land without marring the surface below. e caliper has plated parts on this Packard; the new slim- a sextet of hex-head hardware and six grooves to hold mer cormorant mascot is especially well the discs securely when done and the stowed. ese are a small C-pillar perfect holiday treat medallion is for the car-crazed painted silver. person in your life ... Only the relief- and a great reason cast window to try clever intro surrounds lines about stop- and tiny ping for a drink. Or rear fender not. – Joe Kelly Jr. scripts have autoartmodels. been painted com over. Big wide white walls and hand-painted red Packard “Hexads” in the wheel covers add to the model’s realistic look. Brook- lin has correctly painted the dash in body color, but the silver-painted instrument cluster’s accurate gauge faces and other dash details haven’t been picked out. And while the two- tone upholstery looks quite nice, there are no handles, cranks, or arm rests on the inner door panels. ese are small sour notes against a very well played song; Brooklin’s ’54 Patrician is a great addition to any Packard collection. — Wayne Moyer brasiliapress.com RULE Supercar Collectibles’ Highway 61-sourced 1:18 line of A/FX Altered Wheelbase Plymouth Belvederes and Dodge Coronets, BREAKERS circa 1965, is still turning heads. During the “win at all costs” days of the mid-60s, Chrysler built these crazy looking cars - six Hemi-equipped Dodges and six Plymouths - with their wheels scooched forward for better weight transfer. e NHRA im- SUPERCAR mediately banned them from A/FX racing, but the drivers found they could make a ton of money on the much-ballyhooed COLLECTIBLES match race circuit. Soon, carburetors morphed into Hilborn injectors, nitromethane took the place of gasoline, and the cars were running over 145 mph in the quarter. e drivers had a payday, and the sport a heyday. Only time will tell if Supercar Altered Wheelbase will choose to do the one-off “Mr. Norm’s” blown and injected Dodge, or any more Altereds in the future; in the meantime, Dodges the “Ramchargers,” “Dave Strickler” (also available as a limited edition carbureted car), “Color-Me-Gone,” and Bob Harrop’s “Flying Carpet” Dodges roll the series forward with wonderful detail. Wired engines, plumbed chassis, exactingly-rendered 1:18 | $134.95 interiors, real leaf springs, steerable wheels, turning drive shafts, and beautifully polished, clear-coated paint and liveries make for a line of model cars still well worth looking into. Highly recommended. — Bill Bennett supercar1.com 20 DCXmag.com

BRUISER M2 MACHINES Mopar 75 Years 1971 Barracuda 1:24 | $25 Black and blue set the theme for this 1:24 special edition from M2 machines, commemorat- ing 75 years of Mopar. e ’71 Hemi ‘Cuda has opening doors, hood, and trunk, and steerable “steelie” wheels with - you guessed it - blue streak tires. Open the hood and there’s a decent enough shaker-equipped Hemi hiding below; this pre-production piece offered up a good build and paint, and wears a “Mopar 75” shield on its roof. All of the trim - save for the tamped-on window framing and drip rails - is blacked out, and the blue seats and door panels against the black ... well, everything else inside the cabin … reminded us of a SoHo after-hours club. Yes, it’s a trippy-looking thing, and just the kind of memento Mopar fans can’t wait to shelve. Don’t wait too long because only 5,000 will be made worldwide. “Mopar, or no car?” Here’s yo’ car. — Joe Kelly Jr. m2machines.com CANDY STRIPES Beautiful Bug M2 MACHINES SPARK 1939 Bugatti Galibier Auto Dreams “Tom Kelly” Ford F-100 1:43 | $67 e 4-door Galibier (ga-lib-YAY) sedan, named for a French mountain range, was the most 1:64 | $5.99 Tom Kelly started striping and airbrushing cars under the prosaic of the five Jean Bugatti-designed bodies fitted to the Type 57 chassis, so there are very tutelage of his grandfather, as one of the “Crazy Painters,” few Galibier models available - and absolutely none to match this superb new resincast model along with another “Big Daddy” - Ed Roth. ey’d travel from Spark. How good is it? Suffice it to say, this Spark not only holds its own in terms of quality to car lots and custom shops, where Tom would lay on and accuracy, against a comprehensive 1:43 reference collection of virtually every kind of Type stripes, scallops, flames, and murals ... anything that the 57 made ... it’s actually better than most hand-built models costing several times its price. e customer desired or that Tom could dream up was drawn, unusual color scheme, second-generation headlights (on a third-generation Galibier body) and daggered, or sprayed. M2 Machines’ “Auto Dreams” line overall look of the replica are spot on compared to the actual automobile. e two-tone red and has broken out a subseries dedicated to the artist and his black paint is smooth and glossy, and this pre-production model has every piece of trim, save body of work, and this Ford F-100 is among the first re- a chromed stripe below the doors, with each bit rendered in carefully fitted chrome-plated and lease of six cars, including a ‘58 Impala, a ‘49 Studebaker photo-etched pieces. Behind the excellent wire wheels are authentic finned drums, and there’s truck, a ‘57 Chrysler 300, a ‘58 Belvedere, a ‘49 Merc, good chassis detail in the base plate, too. What really makes Spark’s model stand out, though, and a black and gold chase version of the Belvedere. e is the accurate upholstery, separately plated interior handles and cranks, delicate wood-rim models feature outstanding paint - pinstriped, of course wheel, and crisp, legible gauges in the wood-grain dash. What a beauty. – Wayne Moyer - and have opening doors and hood, full interiors, and sunrichtoy.com engine detailing, all packaged in a specially carded display bubbles. ese lines rock. — Joe Kelly Jr. m2machines.com SPRING 2013 21

out of the box by joe kelly jr. S t u n g !ReplicarzMarmonWasp 1:18 | $229 The Marmon Wasp looks every bit the part of the race car that took the first Indy in 1911. The details have been sweated, and the result, cast in resin, copies the real deal right down to its disc-covered spoke wheels and first-ever rear-view mirror. 22 DCXmag.com

This profile gave the car its “Wasp” moniker; the huge 6 under its hood made the most of the primitive streamlining. T here was so much sand on the track that it looked like it had snowed in May. Mechanics nudged it with the toes of their shoes, grinding the grains against the pavement until the “make-ready” signal went off overhead. Some stubbed out their hand-rolled cigarettes, others muttered prayers as they walked out onto the grid, shouting commands to the drivers and each other as they cranked their spindly machines to life, and climbed aboard as idles smoothed and iron grew warm. The sound of the motors - big, ragged fours and a smattering of sixes - riveted the crowd as the perfume of the lighted engines rose upward; a red flag waved (clear course ahead!) and the cars - 40 of them, carrying 79 men - stuttered and growled away for a parade lap behind a brilliant white 1911 Stoddard- Dayton. The field of specially built Appersons, Nationals, and Pope-Hartford racers, most campaigned by companies who would hardly be remembered decades later, stayed in formation alongside the Buick, Mercedes, and Fiat marques that would, circling the oval until the stately pace car pulled off the course. Then, throttles cracked wide open, and the group gathered and slammed through the first banked turn in a side-spin flurry. The grit atop the bricks pulverized under the tires, and mixed with the oil, smoke, and unburned fuel that came from the cars in a choking, almost impenetrable pall. Spring 2013 23

OUT OF THE BOX One driver rode alone through the smoke and flying sand in a machine that had been brought to the race from a nearby factory. ough the company that had built the racer would not survive the Depression, the driver, Ray Harroun, would become immortal, and far wealthier, by the end of the day. He and his car, a revolutionary single-seat Marmon called the “Wasp,” were on their way to winning the very first Indianapolis 500 mile race. Below (left to right): e Wasp’s rear- HISTORY, REPEATED Ray Harroun: e Stuff of Legend view mirror was revolutionary, and it’s Just over 101 years later, neatly replicated and mounted. Harroun’s car is being presented Ray Harroun was the winner of the first Indianapolis 500 - but that ■ No belts, no harness, and no speedo - to a hobby that will surely was far from his only accomplishment. In the years leading up to that bare bones was the order of the day for embrace it. Even better, the historic win - a race he actually returned from retirement to take Harroun, who toughed out the 500-mile image is coming from a small part in - Harroun had, among other things, set records (along with race solo on this hard leather seat. company - Replicarz, of Rutland, four other drivers) for the Chicago to New York run in 1903, making ■ e car’s truck-like rear suspension VT, USA - that’s taking a gamble it from city to city in 76 hours , navigating across barely paved roads and knee-action shocks kept the top similar to the one the Marmon (where there were roads at all) in a Columbia Motorcar. When the heavy racer on track. Motor Car Company took on that record fell a few months later, Harroun, et al, saddled up again, and in May day in 1911. e gamble is 1904, the Columbia team cut the time down to 58 and a half hours. two-fold; this 1:18 Marmon Wasp is the first all-new tool from the Like most of his era, Harroun was an adventurer as well as a driver, concern. And, the car is being and a tinkerer and a bit of an inventor. Ray’s work with Marmon - in manufactured in resin. between stints with Buick, and a turn at the wheels of the “Harroun Custom” and “Harroun Sneezer” - earned him the name “ e Little We’d been following this one Professor,” and ultimately led to the development of the rear-view closely since Replicarz let this mirror that the Wasp wore the day it won with Harroun at the tiller. big-wheeled cat out of the bag, Add in Ray’s persuasive personality - which came in handy when and a string of factory mockups, making the case for his solo effort at Indy in 1911 - and his winning tooling models, and gray-painted drives at tracks all over America, and you have the stuff of legend. prototypes showed a lot of promise. Early plans were to do Harroun never raced after the Indy win; he worked for a time as an a sealed-body piece, but when engineer for Marmon, then Maxwell, and even tried his hand at mak- collectors expressed their desire ing his own automobiles. Ray Harroun crossed his final finish line on to have an engine under the January 19, 1968, at 79. Wasp’s hood, Replicarz’ owners, Mark and Brian Fothergill - along with legendary modeler/ designer Bob Johnson - gave OUR FIRST SIGHT OF THE MODEL ... WAS AKIN TO SEEING A BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO COLORFULLY ERUPT INTO THREE DIMENSIONS. THE LINES, STANCE, AND FUNKY PART TRUCK, PART AIRPLANE LOOK OF THE MARMON ARE ALL HERE. 24 DCXmag.com

With very few exceptions, every bit of the model - including the tires - is cast in resin. the throngs what they wanted. It brake handle are resin, as are the Jones) - look just right. Six hundred cubes, six cylinders, and would prove a tall order. e real drag link for the locked-down ere are still one or two a thunderous growl came from the car, in its restored state at the steering and the engine crank. Marmon’s “T-head” engine. e original Indianapolis Motor Speedway details to be sorted out before century-old piece was blown up during an Museum, was kept out of reach. e tab that rises off the tail is production goes full bore; plans Indy centennial parade, but it looked very So, the trio had to get creative, thin metal, and perfectly scaled. are to have the car ready to ship much like this before it got fragged. finding contemporary Marmon So are the resin-cast pipes that by January of 2013. We’d like to engines, and using photographs perch on the cowling to hold think that those who have the and interviews with historians the Wasp’s literal crowning model on pre-order will have (and, we’d imagine, at least a technological achievement - the theirs in hand - or at least close couple of spy trips to Indy) to get primitive, but effective rear-view by - when that “make ready” the look, feel, and the guts of this mirror that allowed Harroun signal goes off once again at Indy. famous racer right. to pilot the car solo, without a Very highly recommended. ride-on “mechanician” to keep Which, to our eyes, is exactly an eye aft during maneuvers. As SOURCES what they’ve done. is one-off, for the cockpit, Harroun would pre-production (but production- find it familiar turf - right down Replicarz replicarz.com approved) hand-built sample for to the trio of discs on the firewall. DCX replicates Harroun’s high- No, they’re not gauges; they’re tailed, elaborately pinstriped ride steering gears, and they join the to an uncanny level. Our first fuel pump and pleated seat, all sight of the model - still fragrant cast in resin, to round out the with fresh paint when it arrived area. here - was akin to seeing a black and white photo colorfully Of course, we had to pop the erupt into three dimensions. e hood, and what we found was an lines, stance, and funky part- extremely creditable, beautifully truck, part- airplane look of the painted miniature of the Wasp’s Marmon are all here, and the giant 6-cylinder “T-Head” paint and decorations - the latter engine, wired and plumbed with of which are still being sorted as a mix of resin and metal bits that of this writing - are exceptional. make the ancient, 600-cube With its hair-thin red striping mill come alive. e castings and black straps all over, this are remarkable, and the colors one’s a stunner on the shelf. - borne out by images of the real, one-off unit that was until Off the shelf, and in hand, the recently ensconced in the Wasp car’s fragile details need looking (until it grenaded during a run at after; the external shift lever and Indy, under the foot of Parnelli SPRING 2013 25

OUT OF THE BOX BY WAYNE MOYER AUTOMODELLO MORMON METEOR 1:24 | $299.95 Speed records were big news in the 1920s and 1930s, in the air, on the ground, and on the water. Among the daring fellows who were pushing the envelope - to occasionally fatal levels - David Abbot “Ab” Jenkins was a bit of a celebrity on terra firma, with more automotive speed records than any other American driver. In 1934, Ab took a near-stock Pierce Arrow (and a heavy right foot) to the salt flats, and set time-distance speed records on every notch of the clock, from one hour all the way to 24. is got the attention of one Roy Faulkner, president of Duesenberg, who saw the potential for some much-needed publicity, and offered to build a special race car for Jenkins’ use in 1935. Ab took Faulkner’s offer. e big Duesenberg 8 made 390 horse- power, and trumpeted that power through its straight-pipe side exhaust. Every line, panel, and louver is here, and done perfectly to scale. 26 DCXmag.com

Only one Duesenberg Special was ever built, and Automodello has replicated the restored car in 1:24 resin, in Pebble Beach Concours-winning trim. NEED FOR SPEED and drove it back to Salt Lake last record saw the car travel SPECIAL THING Working out of a lean-to City, where the cycle fenders 3,523 miles and on its final lap, Automodello has just released garage behind the factory, were removed, leaving behind the Duesenberg Special went this stunning curbside Augie Duesenberg himself the “Special’s” aero fairings. past the timing stand at a blazing 1/24-scale resin model of the supervised the modification of 160mph. car in its Pebble Beach-winning a short-wheelbase (142.5”) SJ e split windshield was configuration. ere are dozens, chassis, and the preparation of replaced with an unpainted Period photos show the salt- if not hundreds, of photos of this two special 390-horsepower aluminum wind deflector, and encrusted car stripped down restoration in magazines and supercharged Duesy engines. the passenger headrest was for record runs, missing its on the web, and Automodello’s Neither the car, nor the two removed, to improve air flow all passenger headrest and fender model matches them perfectly. engines, were given serial the more. Nobody called it such tops, and wearing the bare metal While 1935 photos appear to numbers; the racer was listed yet, but the “Mormon Meteor” - a wind deflector. It didn’t stay that show a cast-iron header and simply as the “Duesenberg name the press would soon use, way for long. e “Special” was the tailpipe bending up slightly Special” in company records. conjured up from Jenkins’ faith, now a celebrity; Ab cleaned it just behind the cockpit, the Herb Newport designed a and the car’s incredible speed - up and drove it back East for model is exactly as seen in slender, low-drag two-seat body had been born. publicity photos. He purchased current photos. e big, heavy with a canted-back radiator, a it for the bargain price of $4,800, resin body is literally flawless long tapered tail, a full belly pan, TRIAL BY FIRE and over the years the car was with deeply, yet finely, engraved and a big, un-muffled side pipe Engine failures ended the re-powered for other record panel lines, crisp louvers and exhaust. e body was sleek, but first 24-hour attempts, but on attempts, until Jenkins retired scoops, and rivet head detail, all it was also clever: the fenders August 31, 1935, Jenkins, with the machine from competition, placed as they are on the real car. were designed with removable Tony Gulotta spelling him at the ultimately using it as a daily Automodello’s high-gloss paint is centers that lowered the car’s wheel, set new records on the driver in his duties as mayor of among the best we’ve ever seen coefficient of drag. Bonneville 10-mile oval - 152.1 Salt Lake City. It still exists, with on a model; taking into account mph for one hour (besting an an award-winning restoration all the variables that can affect a Ab picked the car up at Auto-Union race car at Avus), to its 1930s glory. Ab Jenkins color choice - lighting conditions, Duesenberg’s Indiana factory and 135.47mph for 24 hours. at passed in 1956. SPRING 2013 27

OUT OF THE BOX Above left: Ab’s “lab” was this close-coupled cockpit; from here, the daredevil driver piloted the Duesy to record-shattering speeds at Bonneville. Above right: Ab Jenkins’ name is on the car’s cowl, and on Automodello’s replica, in a fine foil script. Left: Herb Newport’s boat-tail body was sleek and slippery; the car looked fast even when parked. Right: e painted trim in the hubcap and at the rim are authentic, and beautifully applied. AUTOMODELLO’S NEW MORMON METEOR IS AS ACCURATELY AND BEAUTIFULLY MADE A REPLICA ON DISPLAY AS ANY WE’VE SEEN IN THIS SCALE. background colors, camera those big block “DUESENBERG” bezels and legible faces. Above it, Meteor is as accurately and settings, the choice of hues by letters are photo-etched; on the a thin, clear windshield fits into a beautifully made a replica on the printing-press operator for right side of the hood, they’ve plated frame; speaking of glass, display as any we’ve seen in four-color magazine prints, etc. been carefully bent to conform the Meteor’s single “cyclops” this scale. As one of the most - and the fact that Automodello to the manifold bulge. e big headlight, set low into the car’s significant and widely publicized had access to the actual car,we’d chromed exhaust pipe is hollow sloped grille, has an accurately Duesenbergs ever built (and a bet their colors are right, all the and its end is correctly “scarfed.” fluted lens. beautiful car in its own right), way down to the body-colored it’s one of many historically ring in the plated hub cap. Cockpit detail is just as Aside from the Meteor’s important - not to mention complete, with dark red unique (for a Duesenberg) beautiful - replicas we hope to All the trim is done with upholstery wearing a very dropped front axle, there’s no see. Automodello is clearly on either chrome-plated or photo- realistic sheen, and a patterned chassis detail, but that would to something very, very good. etched parts, including the “rubber” floor mat. Individual have been covered by the full- Highly recommended. delicate “Duesenbird” mascot, pedals are mounted correctly, length belly pan anyway. Want the segmented hood hinge, a and the plated shift and brake a nit? ere should be a couple SOURCE hand-operated wiper, and a levers are there too. e Meteor’s more thin horizontal bars in the couple dozen scale-size screw instrument panel is described delicately cast grille. Automodello automodello.com heads. e chrome “Ab Jenkins” as dark blue, but it looks black in script on the cowl has an almost photos - and that’s how you see it ere haven’t been a lot of invisible clear protective film, but here, wearing gauges with plated new 1/24-scale models lately, and Automodello’s new Mormon 28 DCXmag.com



OUT OF THE BOX BY JOE KELLY JR. CAT POWER AUTOART JAGUAR E TYPE ROADSTER 1:18 | $250 M ention “Jaguar” in a car crowd, and the first image flashing across the minds of those listening will be of the E-Type - or XK-E, as we Yanks called it. It was the first Jag we bonded with, and the only sporting Brit - save the exotic, twice-as-costly Aston Martin - that actually stood a chance against our hallowed Corvette. at gave the Jaguar respect in stateside car culture, and even earned it a place in pop music lore, when Jan and Dean pitted an XK-E against a Stingray in their surf-beat hit “Dead Man’s Curve” in 1964. Sure, there were Jaguars - leather, sweeping coachwork, top cat from which a new road- had honed in a wind tunnel in astonishingly good ones - that and impeccable road holding at going Jaguar would be spawned. Coventry. As a roadster, it would came before the E-Type. From a time when Americans didn’t It would share the racers’ carry the torch first lit by the 1936 to 1940, when the company believe a car could be luxurious straight six XK engine and semi- SS; in coupe form, the car would was a recently minted division of and still handle like a train on monocoque design, and much move no less a luminary than the Swallow Sidecar Company, rails. of the competition machines’ Enzo Ferrari to proclaim it “the there was the SS100, a beautiful suspension. It would also take most beautiful car ever made.” roadster whose name spoke And there were racing many of its styling elements to its terminal velocity of 100 machines, too - smooth, low, and from the sleek, wind-cheating e year was 1961. e Jaguar miles per hour. After the war, brutally capable, the line ended racing bodies that Malcolm Sayer E-Type had been born, blessed, the XK120 and XK150 promised with the fast, finned D-Type, the and sent out into the world. more of the same, in doses of 120 and 150mph. In between were the saloons, with their aromatic Jaguar’s E-Type set the world on its ear by offering affordable performance that rivaled its contemporary, the Corvette. e model wears the swoopy Brit’s styling well. 30 DCXmag.com

AUTOart makes the most of every op- portunity to skin this cat; beneath every opening panel is great detailing and solid workmanship. WELL CORNERED CAT top, as well as an greatest strengths, and they’re carbs together. ose treble Somewhere, Malcolm intuitively designed pumping the allegorical iron here. throats helped the ripping six Sayer’s ghost is magnifier/panel opening make 265 horsepower and 260 smiling. Maybe tool. e bows and bends of the car’s pound-feet of torque at 4,000 Enzo’s, too. AUTOart’s louvered nose - centered with rpm - pretty impressive stuff new 1:18 E-type You’ll need that last item, that air-gulping open mouth in 1961, especially in a car that roadster is as good a once you get past the model’s and delicate crossbar grille - are weighed only 2,400 pounds. True model of that heart-stopping swoops and lines. Sculpting the dead on, and sweep back over to form, AUTOart has tweaked machine as any we’ve seen, curviest machines well in scale the wheels to a pin-straight shut the plastic pieces inside and debuting as a later-production has long been one of AUTOart’s line at the cowl. e doors are surrounding the metal front 1961 version, and coming across equally well placed, and operate tube frame with neat textures in the maker’s “Signature” line on smooth hinges, as do the - the cam covers are a satin with a heavy menu of features opening fuel filler cap and boot chrome, the big, triangular oil and details. Our sample came in lid. Press down at any corner, and bath air filter is a fine-grain silver Carmen Red; the other available the car’s suspension compresses metallic, and the block itself is colors as of this writing are silver and rebounds; lift the nose and done in a matte black. Each color and cream, and each comes with carefully turn the tiller, and the makes the most of the surface a removable plastic top-down front wheels pivot. beneath. roof cover and convertible up Our first impulse was to e seats need no such tip the long hood forward. e textural trickery - they’re tan 3.8-liter DOHC straight six and its leather, and the hides match environs are very well turned out the surroundings well. Above in a mix of diecast, chromed and a flocked floor, the model’s plated plastic, and there’s even dash and binnacle are turned a smattering of noble materials, out with readable gauges, and in the form of delicately bent and the tiny toggles atop the center placed steel rods for the throttle console look just real enough to linkage that ties the triple SU SPRING 2013 31

OUT OF THE BOX Above left: Crisp castings - especially on the dash - bring the Jaguar’s cabin to life when the top’s off. Above right: Little things - like this working filler door - add a few giggles to the car’s menu of features. Below left: e straight six looks almost roadworthy. Almost. Below right: Few cars look this good from as many angles - and they’re all here, right to the XK’s tailpipes. THE BEAUTY OF THE CAR’S LAID BACK WINDSCREEN, AND THE OVERALL EXCELLENCE OF THE MODEL’S PAINT, POLISH, AND DISPLAY, MAKE IT WORTHY OF ITS ASKING PRICE. flip (not recommended - trust to open the boot lid and fuel resides. And that’s a shame. model’s paint, polish, and display, us). e doors open and shut filler flap, if only to have a quick e Jag we all loved had a large- make it worthy of its asking so neatly and cleanly that we peek; there’s really not much price. Maybe AUTOart will work found ourselves repeating the to see in either case. Go below, pawed appearance with rubber- out better shoes for their future exercise in between discussions however, and there’s fun to be frequently white-walled - that E’s, including the long-awaited on whether the car looked had whonking the suspension nearly rubbed the fenders. It’s a coupe version, someday. In the better with the top on or off. e and watching the struts, arms, double shame because the hand- meantime, we’re fairly certain answer? Both. and linkages all work together spoked wheels are gorgeous, in that the good far outweighs the - especially the quad-coiled front of steel brake discs (missing bad - and that AUTOart’s latest Twin exhaust tips are bored independent rear. calipers, at the rear) all around. cat will cause spontaneous out, and scale correct where they pouncing. Recommended. dangle below the exquisitely It’s the wheels outboard at last bit of business might shaped tail, and they’re joined of those bits - or, at least, the keep some folks from grabbing SOURCES by a pair of multi-part taillights rubber around them - that this otherwise exemplary piece, nestled above the bumperettes, represent the model’s one big and we’d count that as shame AUTOart autoartmodels.com and neat trim and a “Jaguar” flaw: the tires are too small, number three. e covered badge done in hard plastic and and read like low profile pieces headlights, the beauty of the foil. You’ll want to use that tool where a taller sidewall usually car’s laid-back windscreen, and the overall excellence of the 32 DCXmag.com

citteremmeent LoJnugnBee1-a2c,h2, C0A13 It’s the hottest scene, where diecast elite meet and you’re part of the action. Rub elbows with the masters in design, connect with collectors, and soak up the whole atmosphere of “automobilia.” ere’s something for everyone at RCX, so bring your family and friends, June 1-2, 2013. For ticket information and a preview of this year’s show, visit RCX.com “Where Awesome Happens” JUNE 2012 33

Got You Covered Tom Norpell’s scale-realistic car cover by joe kelly JR. photos by tom norpell Tom Norpell is a master miniaturist-and we’ll be show- ing more of his hand-built “barn find” in the next DCX. There’s something intriguing about a covered car ... a magnetic pull that draws our eyes reflexively closer. And if we happen to catch sight of a fender, or a glimpse of chrome peeking out from beneath a folded-back shroud, our motor- driven minds can’t help but run off and start imagining the rest of the machine underneath. It was just that sort of peek-a-boo that drove worth somewhere north of $300 - which meant that professional miniaturist Tom Norpell to focus his tacking a glued-down cloth onto the car was out of considerable skills on a singular effect - a semi-covered the question. The model would have to remain pristine car - for an upcoming diorama project. And because during the making of its custom-tailored coat, and the Tom is obsessed with scale, the results would have to faux cover would have to be removable. be a perfect fit, in more ways than one. “The biggest pitfall in making any miniature accessory is scale,” What Tom did was simple - and simply remarkable. Tom said. “Nothing kills an illusion faster than mixing By using a shop-grade paper towel, some diluted white scales. I didn’t want to merely drop a handkerchief over glue, and a protective barrier made of clear plastic a car because it would convey bulkiness in the material wrap that clung to the surface of the car, Tom was and in its folds. That would be completely out of scale, able to poke and prod a lowly garage hand wipe into a creating an impression that was decidedly fake.” more-than-convincing, scale correct car cover without harming the model. Here’s how he did it - and how you Adding to the challenge was the intended subject for can too. the hand-formed piece: a CMC Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta 34 DXCMag.com

Looks real, doesn’t it? Tom Norpell’s simple, highly effective technique for recreating draped fabric is realistic, and extremely easy to do. fall 2012 35

1 Getting a 2 Next, the car got convincing “fabric” wrapped completely is critical. For Tom, that in clear plastic wrap to meant a plain paper protect its surface, and towel without a printed to aid in the release of or embossed design. the dried cover from the A roll of paper shop car. Tom used a “clinging” towels turned out to be variety of plastic - and a perfect source, right was careful of delicate down to the turquoise elements on the model to color, though Tom avoid damaging the pricey knew that spraying piece. He also placed the piece a different plastic wrap beneath the color would be an car to protect the working option later on. surface while he made the cover drape realistically to the ground. 5 is is the hard part: once you’re happy with your wrinkles, bunches, and sags, you’ll need to let the 3 In a bowl, Tom cover dry for a full 24 hours. Patience, young Jedi ... churned up a fifty- patience. fifty mix of ordinary white glue and water. When it was ready, he immersed the paper towel into the mixture and got it completely saturated. 4 Next, the glue-soaked towel got placed over the car. is is the fun part; get creative. Make folds and creases, drapes and dangles. You can reveal as muchor as littleof the model as you want. While the car is wrapped, try making a couple of covers with varying degrees of “hide.” As Tom notes, “Because we’re working with a paper towel and diluted white glue, material cost isn’t a factor. You can do a few different options, and decide which one you want to use later.” Tom Norpell’s 6 If all went well, the next step will be to take the hardened cover off the car, and then Like the paint and glue architectural remove the protective plastic from the model. What you’ll have is a perfectly fitted he uses so well, Tom’s miniatures have been piece that is formed to every curve of the car beneath - as if gravity, not scale trickery, ideas never stop flowing, commissioned by was at work. Tom has had a lot of luck with trying different techniques, including painting and it’s plain to see that a private and corporate the covers, and giving mixed media a try. “Remember to experiment along the way. I little ingenuity can yield collectors, including a once sprinkled powdered tempera (paint) over a wet car cover, and it dried looking like it great results. Of course, miniature of President was wearing years of dust.” loads of talent help, too Lincoln’s Illinois - and next issue, we’ll be home that is in the looking at the finished permanent collection diorama this “barn find” of e White House in Ferrari will be placed into. Washington D.C. Tom Prepare to be amazed. may be contacted at: [email protected]. 36 DXCMag.com

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OUT OF THE BOX BY BILL BENNETT CMC MASERATI 300S 1:18 | $450 How do you build a killer sports car? It’s simple: start with a winning Formula 1 racer, add a second seat, hammer up a curvy, aerodynamic body, then add just enough safety and comfort items to make it legal - and livable - for the street. at’s pretty much what Maserati did in 1953, and the result was one of the best-looking, best- performing sports cars of its era - the 300S. CMC has taken the little Maser down to 1:18 in their latest high-detail, multimedia model, which has us asking another question: “How do you make a killer replica?” Turns out, that’s not so simple. RACE READY First came the biggest engine mention attractive. When the FIA established the they had ever built, a three-liter e beauty proved to be a Grand Prix /Formula 1 World DOHC 6 based on the powerplant Championship and the World from the 250F Grand Prix racer beast: 300Ss finished third and Sportscar Championship in the but made larger and with lower fourth at the 1955 12 Hours of early 1950s, Maserati decided to compression. e 250F’s chassis Sebring. en came Monza, where join the party that Ferrari, Jaguar, got stretched too, and Carozzeria the cars took first and third in the and Aston Martin were having Fantuzzi formed a new body over Supercortemaggiore, followed by on the road courses of the world. the married motor and frame. checkered flags at the Portuguese It was going to take some doing; Grand Prix, the Paris 1000 km, Maserati didn’t yet have a car that ough the shape was never and the Nurburgring 1000 km. would fit in. So, they got busy. tested in a wind tunnel, it proved Moss, Behra, Schell, and Taruffi slippery and stable - not to were team players; Juan Manuel 38 DCXmag.com

Streetable, but built to compete in sports car racing, only 28 of Maserati’s 250F-based 300S roadsters were built between 1955 and 1958. Once again, CMC is offering a multimedia, eye-boggling replica for collectors to enjoy. Fangio and Carroll Shelby also car’s long-nosed body and low got seat time before development stance look exactly right. Smooth, stopped in 1958, so that Maserati tightly fitted, and pristine, the could turn its focus to the famous replica looks like a concours- “Birdcage” Types 60 and 61. winning restoration; get closer, and the CMC touch becomes THE MODEL evident in the real leather hood We locked eyes on this piece and trunk straps, the stamped with great expectations - and it metal side vents, and a quartet of doesn’t disappoint. CMC seems bare-metal, hand-laced wheels. to be on a mission to up the ante with every new release, and the e body’s a mix of diecast and stamped metal, with real rivets, SPRING 2013 39

OUT OF THE BOX Welcome to the party: everything opens on delicate hinges, or lifts off com- pletely. e details under the car’s hybrid stamped/cast body are incredible. Above: Yes - they’re a little fiddly, but the spring-loaded catches, and a wonderful visual smashup of twin-per-cylinder spark plug real leather straps with working buckles almost impossibly delicate latches cast and painted zinc, plastic, leads end in boots; cables and sure look great. on the boot and hood ... which vinyl, steel, and brass ... possibly wires run through gathers on Below (left to right): From the wired-in operate just like the real thing. plutonium, if CMC required it. No the fender wells and firewall, fuse block to the faux wood steering detail - none, whatsoever - is and everywhere, everything wheel, the dash is hyper-realistic. ■ Real, ose, and the Maserati trident missing. e crisp, metallized is readable, right down to the fine-grain leather is fitted to the metal- cloisonné at the nose - utterly Weber carburetors have tuned non-OEM, aftermarket-sourced framed, riveted-in seats and headrest. ■ legible, under magnification - say metal velocity stacks and legible radiator cap. Pull the straps, tweak the latch, and pull it all: this is a serious replica. metal serial number plates. the trunk lid for a peek at a stainless steel Real leather trim covers the fuel cell/oil reservoir and the strapped-in As such, it takes a bit of e steering shaft, complete seats, and the photo-etched spare tire. concentration (and dexterity) with universal joints, snakes steering wheel spokes set off to appreciate. e doors open its way under the induction the gauges, wired-in fuse block with a simple snick, on nicely system toward the working, and scale-correct switchgear crafted spring-clip hinges, and gear-driven steering box, while on the dash, built in above a shut tightly on spring-loaded up top, the twin, crinkle-finish polished, stamped steel floor. catches. ere’s a tiny vent flap cam covers sport pinhead-sized Frame elements are everywhere; on the driver’s side fender that chromed acorn nuts. Every reflective steel stampings make opens too. Operating those is hose is clamped, and every pipe up the seat backs, and the easy; getting the hood off - which ends in a convincing - if not driver’s seat is further braced requires loosening up leather outright replicated - fitting. e and riveted to the bulkhead straps, working buckles free, and tweaking amazingly scaled cross- drilled latches open - isn’t. But all is forgotten once the Maserati’s inline six heaves into view. Angled to the side (for reduced frontal area and a lower center of gravity), the engine’s THIS ISN’T MODELING IT’S MASTERWORK, FROM THE REALISTIC PALETTE OF METALIZED FINISHES TO THE EXQUISITELY SMALL HARDWARE USED TO HOLD EVERYTHING TOGETHER. 40 DCXmag.com

behind. Go under the car, and view of the rear suspension and though it may occasionally be - Below left: The chassis is the exposed, rear-mounted chassis. make the 300S one of CMC’s most remarkable. The transaxle alone transaxle and its environs are engaging pieces, ever. contains more parts than some realized with fine metal frame Ciao models, and it’s completely castings, articulated suspension There aren’t many models out So - how do you make a killer piped. mounts, and fine-gauge copper there that can entertain like model car? If you’re CMC, one Below right: So is the area and steel piping for the brake this one does, and though it’s glorious piece at a time. Very beneath the big 6-cylinder and fuel lines. Go forward, and expensive, there isn’t an element highest recommendation. engine, replicated to an almost sections of the cooling system are of the car that doesn’t pay the unbelievable level by CMC. fitted with rubber hoses and steel collector back in heaps. The Sources clamps. This isn’t modeling - it’s bare metal, beautifully polished, CMC cmc-modelcars.com masterwork, from the realistic fine-scale detail and sheer palette of metalized finishes to wonderment at some of the the exquisitely small hardware gadgetry - tangibly challenging used to hold everything together. Spin the laser- etched “Borrani” knockoffs - threaded correctly for each side - and you can heave the Dunlop-emblazoned tires and spoked wheels for an even closer look at the finned, cross-drilled brake drums and working suspension. The show ends out back; another pair of leather straps and a single lever open the boot. Inside is a stainless steel fuel tank, a strapped- in spare, and a birds-eye 1/2H.indd 1 11/27/12 10:22 AM

aThREtIsT ’s WaY L ike many accomplished automotive designers of the past 50 years, Tom Daniel graduated from Pasadena, CA’s Art Center School (now called the Art Center College of Design). His calling came during a junior high field trip to the campus that was set up by a teacher who’d recognized his penchant for sketching cars. Once Tom saw the Center’s drawings and sculptures, walked its halls, and felt its creative energy, he had made the decision to follow a career in mainstream auto design. Tom Daniel's life in design BYMIKEZARNOCK 42 DCXmag.com

HIS DESIGNS TOOK THE MODEL WORLD BY STORM. KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE COULDN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT TOM DANIEL CREATION TO BE RELEASED, AND THEY NEVER HAD TO WAIT LONG SPRING 2013 43

player in the scene, Monogram, noticed the detail in Tom’s drawings, and saw the potential in his designs. A call got placed - and Tom Daniel was, suddenly, right where he belonged. Paying Scale There’s a lot of conjecture as to which of Tom Daniel’s designs came out of Monogram’s headquarters in Elk Grove, IL, first, but Tom’s first kit release was the “Beer Wagon,” a model of a slammed, glammed-up ‘20s-era Mack delivery truck with Hilborn-style injection and wild, wide wheels. Based on an idea supplied by Monogram and finalized by Daniel, the model looked amazing - but was realistic enough, and feasible enough, to pull in builders for whom authenticity was Right: Tom's \"T'Rantula\" is one king. Circa 1967, the kit, wearing Tom’s artwork on its of the classics that have been box and the subtitle “Bulldog Mack Mod Custom Suds done in plastic and diecast, and Hauler” was a huge hit. still grab collectors' attention. After that, Tom was given free reign, and his designs Bottom: Tom poses next to the took the model world by storm. Kids and adults alike customized \"California Street couldn’t wait for the next Tom Daniel creation to be Vette\" in the '70s - unfortu- released, and they never had to wait long; during his nately, one of only a few 1:1 years at Monogram, most of his sketches made it to machines built from a credited Tom Daniel design. plastic, save for a piece called “Top Cop” - featuring a After spending his senior year putting together a forlorn motorcycle officer with training wheels on his portfolio of his work, Tom graduated, then applied to cycle. Monogram liked it, but local law enforcement the Art Center. Things could have gone wrong. Daniel feedback was less than positive, and the design got hadn’t attended junior college - a requirement at shelved. It was nothing but a blip on the radar for Tom, ACS at the time. That meant Tom’s work would have who was on the West Coast, sketching away. to be his ticket in. It worked; the design catalog was Daniel saw that surfing had evolved from an off-hours impressive enough to get Tom accepted. Once in the activity into a lifestyle with its own language, music, and program, Daniel made side money by drawing cars for art. Clapped-out wagons and T-bucket Fords sat parked Rod & Custom magazine - for a not-too-shabby $50 near the sand with Beach Boys tunes blaring from their bucks a page. The schoolwork was hard, and after four AM radios, and old German helmets and iron crosses were becoming a part of the surfer look. Something in years, Tom graduated Art Center School, got hired by General Motors to work in the Advanced Transportation Tom’s mind clicked: if a helmet were big enough, it would make a pretty trick roof for a Model T hot rod. Then, Department, and began designing futuristic trucks. another click: why not take the German theme all the It was a dream come true ... for a while. When family issues called him back to the West Coast, Tom left GM, way? When the design was finished, Tom Daniel’s wild Model T creation had a giant chrome Pickelhaube helmet and went back to penning cars for Rod & Custom. for a roof; also perched on the red Ford’s channeled body It was a good time to be a young, talented car was a pair of polished Spandau machine guns leveled designer. During the early 1960s ,the slot car and at the car ahead, and “aimed” through the target sight model kit craze was at its peak, and Tom was right in on its sectioned radiator. Instead of a V8, between the the middle of it, writing a customs how-to and model frame rails sat a chromed-out, scaled-down German review column called “Off the Model Sketchpad,” for aircraft engine with six zoomie pipes swept to the side. a short-lived scale model offshoot of Rod & Custom The raked, wide-wheeled car featured iron crosses in called, fittingly enough, Rod & Custom Model. A key its grille, on its roof, and Along with the Baron, Daniel’s “Paddy Wagon,” “S’Cool Bus,” “Cherry Bomb,” and “Garbage Truck,” among others, transformed within its wheels. Monogram from a maker of historically accurate airplane and It would become the warship models into a major contender in the car model kit arena highest-selling model car kit of all time, but at the moment, Daniel’s sketch had no name. Inspiration came via the radio: a pair of hit songs sung by the Royal Guardsmen told of the exploits of a popular newspaper comic dog, Snoopy, who was always trying to catch his nemesis - The Bloody Red Baron. The final piece had snapped into place. Two and a half million kits were sold between 1968 and 1970, and all these years later, the “Red Baron” is still Tom Daniel’s signature design. 44 DCXmag.com

Along with the Baron, Daniel’s “Paddy Wagon,” Flash Mob Above: Meet Tom Daniel, and “S’Cool Bus,” “Cherry Bomb,” and “Garbage Truck,” several of his outrageous, outra- among others, transformed Monogram from a maker In 2010, Tom Daniel was contracted by Mattel to do geously entertaining creations. of historically accurate airplane and warship models a brand-new Hot Wheels casting. After submitting (Photo by Cynthia LeBelle) into a major contender in the car model kit arena. The more than 70 unpublished designs, Mattel picked one company was doing very well ... so well, in fact, that that Tom’s son, Kelly, had named “Mob Rod.” It was spring 2013 45 a giant in the toy industry thought that Monogram a perfect case of synchronicity; the design was an would be a good investment. In 1968, flush with its own original from his early Rod & Custom “Off the Model success, Mattel bought Monogram. Sketchpad” days, and represented the first casting that Tom would have complete artistic control over All’s Fair (other Daniel designs that had run through Mattel’s While at the New York International Toy Fair in 1969, factories had some subtle - and not so subtle - Tom was called into Mattel’s offices on 14th Street, mods, like the fenders that were added to the Red where president Ruth Handler showed him a handful of Baron). So far, The Mob Rod has had two releases his model kit designs as finished Hot Wheels cars. Tom since it was placed within the Hot Wheels lineup two was surprised - and so was Ruth, when she learned years ago, and we’re pretty sure that there will be that Tom wasn’t working directly for Monogram, and many more uses for the tool - and for Tom Daniel’s still owned the intellectual rights to the designs. But designs and influence on the hobby - in the future. business is business, and after a bit of negotiating, a deal was done to release the Red Baron, “Sand Crab,” and Paddy Wagon in diecast. Two more Tom Daniel designs were reproduced as Hot Wheels in 1971; the “Ice-T” and S’Cool Bus were released to great success, as were other releases that carried a lot of Daniel’s design DNA throughout the 1970s. Since then, both the Red Baron and Paddy Wagon have been sold as Hot Wheels in the 25th Anniversary Series (1993), and the Red Baron was rolled out in Toy Story play sets and track sets. Tom Daniel’s car stylings were state-of-the- art in 1968, and continue to be so today. After 85-odd designs - six of which have become Hot Wheels - the Red Baron is reported to be the most recognized Hot Wheels car in the world (Harry Bentley Bradley’s “Deora” is second). His fanbase stretches over three generations of model kit builders, Hot Wheels collectors, and car folks of every age - and his story is still being written, one beautifully drawn line at a time.

quick LOOK by Joe Kelly Jr. TrueScale Miniatures 1954 Buick Century 1:43 | $70 Above far left: TrueScale’s Buick T rueScale Miniatures’ 1954 Buick Century hard- “ventiports” on the front fenders. These poke out of the Century is authentically detailed top coupe is a solid entry in the still-swirling 1:43 casting through precise openings, and they’re so well done right to its nascent fins and bul- American ’50s movement-a groundswell of they look like fighter plane exhausts, even under mag- let taillights. enthusiasts who have started jumping into the “collector’s nification - exactly what they were meant to represent Far left: Two-toned seats, scale” from other segments of the hobby (read that, “1:24 when the airplane-obsessed Harley Earl and company pinpoint detailing, and a crunchy, precision”), drawn in by the cars they either grew up with, designed them. Ditto the macro-friendly hood ornament well-gauged dash make the or just daydream of cruising in. and hollowed-out, scale-accurate dual exhausts emerging interior pop. If there was one thing the ’54 Century did well, it was from the relief cast chassis under the rear bumper (Cor- Below: The Buick Century was a driving down the highway and looking good ... and doing rect? No. Cool looking? Absolutely). hot rod in lux clothing, and this so at a high rate of speed. As the ’50s-era revival of a The paint on this sample is very good, and so is the wonderful replica by TrueScale relatively muscular series that Buick had put on hiatus in trim, rendered in a mix of foil, tiny appliqués, and plated may pull a few new collectors 1942, the new Century used the same formula as its pre- parts. The windshield and backlight are butyrate, and both into 1:43. We hope so. It’s slick. decessor: Buick’s biggest engine, in its smallest, lightest have black “gasketing” around their perimeters - sweet. car. From 1936 to 1942, that had meant mating the 320cid, Beyond them, the cabin is a well-detailed affair, with 165-horsepower straight eight to a “special” series body, separate handles and cranks on the door panels, a full (and a combination that soon became known as “the banker’s fully gauged) dash, and subtly two-toned seats that set all hot rod.” In 1954, the formula was the same, but the num- that chrome and “stainless” off perfectly. bers had changed. Now, a 200-horsepower 322 V8 was It’s a testament to this scale - and this maker - that on tap; when called on, the lightweight Buick could get up there’s so much to see on this model car. The lensing all and walk most of its contemporaries to the state line-and around is beautiful, and so is that sneering, black-washed with a price tag of around $2,500, you didn’t have to be a grille. Delicate photo-etched wiper arms and a hair-thin banker to buy into one. antenna keep the scaling accurate, and the wheel covers TrueScale’s model of a hardtop coupe in red and white and wide whites set the whole image off perfectly. If looks the part, secured to a wooden plinth. The resin-cast you’re considering a jump to 1:43, this neat little Buick body is sharp, especially in the creases that run up and might be a pretty cool place to land. over the hood, and in the tricky scallops and swoops along the up-kicked rear fenders. The panel lines are exquisite Sources on this pre-production piece; so are the tiny, salami-cut TrueScale Minatures tsm-models.com 46 DCXmag.com

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quick LOOK by Wayne Moyer Minichamps 1966 Ford GT40 Mark II “1st Le Mans” 1:43 | $80 Above Right: Minichamps’ 1:43 has only just recently released a Mk. II, but it’s missing Ford GT40 replicates the decos F orty years ago, save for commissioned pieces, the NZ badge. Bang’s diecast not only had white stripes, and external appearance of “the there weren’t any truly accurate 1:43 models of the but also under its rear deck was a Weber-carbureted 289 Ford that beat Ferrari”-and Ford GT Mark II. There was even less hope for locat- engine instead of the NASCAR Ford 427 with its big, single throws in a well-done, equally ing a dead-on replica of the 1966 McLaren/Amon-driven 4-barrel Holley. And Ixo’s recent diecast GT40s all have correct 427 V8, to boot. Le Mans winner, even though several models claimed to the wrong wheels for 1966. Feeling the pain yet? be good representations of that famous race car. Relief is at hand. After 46 years, we finally have a Below: The silver stripes, “NZ” Why the drought? Well, for almost 30 of those years, 1:43 scale diecast that’s accurate in all obvious respects, emblem, and the overall beauty there were no known color photos of the winner and a and even in a few secondary bits that we dug up whilst of Minichamps’ GT40 will be the precious few clear black and whites. That might explain researching this piece. Suffice it to say that the shape answer to many a 1:43 collec- why many models of the victorious Ford chassis P/1046 is right on, dimensions are virtually perfect, the paint is tor’s prayers. had incorrect white door and central stripes, instead of the excellent, and details including the shape of the “Gurney correct silver and black decos honoring New Zealand’s Bubble” are exactly right. Note the photo-etched hood national colors. The “NZ” emblem the winner wore on pins and retaining wires, something not found on any its right front fender was also lost on most - possibly other commercially available 1:43 model of this car. Inside, because the “winning car” that’s been on display in the the GT40’s vented seats are nicely detailed, as are the Indianapolis 500 Museum is actually a completely differ- belts and instrument panel. Even more remarkable is a ent chassis with - you guessed it - white stripes and no rear deck that’s so well fitted, it isn’t immediately appar- badge. ent that the unit lifts to reveal a very accurate 427 with a Holley four-pot carb, surrounded by lots of well-done There have been attempts: Mebetoys made suspension detail and a pair of “FIA Suitcase” boxes. The the first diecast Mk. II, but it was more toy air exit screen at the rear is very fine photo-etched mesh, than model, as were the Del Prado and the chassis includes crisply painted relief-molded and Dalia models. Solido lower engine and transaxle details. The wheels are correct on this model, too, as are their big plated knock-offs and Goodyear tires. It’s taken a long time - too long, for some - but at long last we can enjoy a truly accurate, reason- ably priced model of “the Ford that beat Ferrari.” Bravo, Minichamps. Bravo. Sources Minichamps minichampsna.com 48 DCXmag.com

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