First published in November/December 2006
Between Fairfield Mint and Betty's Attic, there are some great 1:18 scale die-cast models for sale.
The Fairfield Mint's spectacularly detailed 1933 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow.
First published in July/August 2004 and written by Kimmo Sahakangas
Tiger Wheels Maverick
A new die-cast model producer emerged about the same time that Y2K was supposed to occur. Antonio Fadhel owner of Tiger Wheels in Puerto Rico had established a connection with Anson Models in Asia. Anson made the new 1:64 castings that were then distributed by Tiger Wheels. This was the first known venture by Anson into this popular small-scale. They had previously been quite successful in producing larger,very detailed models in 1:18 scale and similar sizes, except for a few novelty key-chained vehicles. But with the advent and resulting enthusiasm of downhill gravity racing in Mr Fadhel's home area, he was inspired to contribute new models to this pastime.
Mini Dinky Cadillac Coupe de Ville
In 1968, Mini Dinky models were introduced by Meccano to compete with the successful Matchbox products. They were produced in Hong Kong.
The models were issued in approximately 1:65 scale. The detail in the tooling was excellent, but the paint coatings were not of good quality although offered with various paint schemes.
The major defect however was the use of poor-quality metal alloys to cast the bodies. Some of these collectibles have disintegrated over time due to metal fatigue.
No, I didn't stutter. "American Classic Classic Auto Pageant" is how the package reads. An assortment of familiar three-inch cars, marked as "Scale 1:64" on the package, have been produced by Golden Wheel of China for the US market.
While some of these models are more recognizable than others, not a single one of them is marked with the name of the actual car it is meant to represent, a common practice in die-cast toy production to avoid expensive licensing fees.
Out of the package, these are fairly ordinary, inexpensive die-cast toys. The package, which is identical for every model, is the only thing that distinguishes these from generic no-name toys.
Eligor 100579 - 1963 Panhard PL17 Break (Station Wagon), blue
A Student Research Report by Melanie Hubbs for Mid-Land Manufacturing, Inc. (MMI), a fictitious company created for the purpose of this report, based in part on an interview with Toy Car Collectors Association chairman Dana Johnson (first published in March 2004)
ON THE PRODUCTION LINE: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DIECAST MARKET
Prior to the research I have conducted on 1:64 die-cast toy cars, the only toy car I had ever played with was the convertible Ken drove to Barbie's house to take her out on dates. It was neon pink. I have now bought a total of three Hot Wheels®, purchases I deemed necessary because of my lack of knowledge in doing anything other than looking at them on the shelves. Of the three I own, one even has a flashy silver thing on the hood (a hood blower, apparently) and a special enlarged metal exhaust pipe. My Spectraflame® II (or the blue one, as I call it), has special rims and a light metallic blue interior. All three have elaborate paint jobs and logos, and I roll them into my keyboard whenever I have writer's block. So far, the red one is my favorite because it has a spoiler that allows me to push down on the back of it and catapult the car over various desktop objects. As you may have ascertained, my previous knowledge of toy cars is rather amateurish, which is why I have enlisted in detailed goals as well as both qualitative and quantitative forms of research to provide symbiotic information of use to those with a firmer grasp on the product. My goals are as follow:
1. Provide store demographics based on a local discount store, including shelf space designated to the market and its accessories, shelf space occupied by the brands of major competitors, pricing information, and product packaging.
