Online Exclusives Archives - Page 10 of 12

Look Back 1:18: Lane 1968 “Nickey” Camaro

Lane Automotive was – and still is – a supplier of high-performance automotive parts, based in Watervliet, Michigan. In the late 1990’s, they also became a supplier to the 1:18 diecast hobby, offering re-pops of Ertl molds that were built to spec for sale to an image-hungry musclecar collector base. Those early models were fairly […]

Look Back 1:18: Revell Germany’s Messerschmitt KR200 “Kabinenroller”

Park the Prius; unplug your Volt; use those do-it-yourself fuel cell plans you just bought for the Mini to spark up the backyard barbecue. All that physics-stretching, newfangled technology is namby-pamby stuff. If you want to make mileage like they did in the old days, think microcar. These ’fifties-era spawns of the European postwar economy […]

Look Back 1:18: Precision 100 Ford Mustang Convertible

There are a few milestone models in the 1:18 hobby. On the one hand, there are the early, inexpensive Bburagos and Ertls that attracted most collectors to the scale in the first place, and on the other, the super-detailed (and far pricier) one-to-eighteen offerings from makers like Exoto, Lane Exact Detail, and GMP that introduced […]

Alfa Male: Minichamps 1:18 Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior

Minichamps’ model of the 1972 Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior is an outrageous looking thing, much like the real car it’s patterned after. All bulging fenders, riveted-on bodywork, and molto bad attitude, it come out of its box looking… angry. And that would be just about right; these were ripping little cars. 1290cc DOHC inline […]

Look Back 1:24: Yat Ming’s Presidential Limos

In case you’ve been dozing ‘neath the bituminous for the past several months (or you think those debates on TV are some kind of new reality show), we’d like to remind you that we’re gearing up for an election. For the really big job. As in, President of the United States. It’s with that in […]

They’re Back……Muscle Machines Are Back………..

MAY CHEONG GROUP ACQUIRES MUSCLE MACHINES BRAND The May Cheong Group (MCG), manufacturers of the die-cast and radio control brands Maisto and Bburago, have announced the acquisition of tooling and intellectual property of the Muscle Machines brand from Bodylines/Bruce Schultz, the famed 3D artist who worked on the original models. Terms of the transaction were […]

The Phantom Rises: Automodello Releases the Phantom Corsair in 1:24 Resin

Rust Heinz’s Phantom Corsair was a standout machine at a time when streamlining and aerodynamics (or at least styling that looked aerodynamic) were making profound changes to car design – and, by extension, what folks considered stylish and modern. The Phantom cost twenty-four grand to build at a time when a mini-mansion could be had […]

Little People: Le Mans Miniatures 1:18 Classic Race Figures

One of the funniest scenes in the Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles (aside from the campfire scene, of course) is the one in which the good folks of the town of Rock Ridge realize the replica town they’ve created to trick the bad guys is missing a critical element: replica people. It’s the same for […]

NEWS: TWH Progresses on its Miami-Dade/DFW PUCs

“Problems solved”, TWH’s Tara Westergard tells Die Cast X; “the long anticipated Miami-Dade / DFW PUCs will debut this summer.” It’s true, the TWH team hit some speed bumps along the way with this one, but with their never-ending quest for perfection, this crew wouldn’t field a model that was anything less than dead-on right. […]

BONUS PHOTOS: Spark 1:18 Dauer 962 Le Mans

Dauer’s answer to those drivers who dream of hammering a race car down the open highway is this 962. Sure, it’s been prettied up, and it’s had a few creature comforts and safety features added, but under the leather and added finery is an honest-to-gosh race car, right down to the 720-horse boxer motor. We […]