Tuesday, May 26, 2009

CORGI VANGUARDS - JAGUAR XJ6 - DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY POLICE


The Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is the smallest Police Service in the UK. From the mid 1950's to the mid 1970's it ran a small number of Jaguars and this Jaguar XJ6 Saloon was attached to Dumfries Traffic Dept between 1973 and 1975. It proved to be a fine motorway patrol, high speed pursuit vehicle until it was replaced by the Rover SDi in 1975.

This force is the smallest in the UK. They have been users of the Jaguar marque for 20 years. This traffic Patrol Car, dating from 1973, was more than capable of holding its own in a high speed pursuit. One to please collectors of Scottish police force vehicles. See more.

CORGI VANGUARD 10th ANNIVERSARY - SIERRA SAPPHIRE COSWORTH


The Sierra Sapphire Cosworth, a raucous race winner turned luxury saloon, the 1991-1992 'Cossie' was the ultimate in understated performance. To celebrate a decade of Vanguards, Corgi have released a new tooling of this world famous car. It comes in the eye-catching Moondust Silver colour. There will be only be 2,020 available worldwide. A crisp casting that captures the look of this car splendidly. See more.

NOREV 1/18 AUDI A6 AVANT


This model comes in an impressive box, unlike the normal 1/18th scale packaging, and is well packed. The detailing and finish is first class. The front doors open, and they're a snug fit, to reveal the carpet effect interior. The boot is also carpeted. See more.

Monday, May 25, 2009

CLASSIC IMPERIAL CONVERTIBLE

1961 Chrysler Imperial Crown Diecast Model White 1/18 Die Cast Car By Yat Ming

Classic Imperial ConvertibleChrysler revived the Imperial as a separate marque (not ‘Chrysler Imperial’) in 1960 with new unibody construction and gave it new cutaway front fenders, a shorter grille centered under an extended hood, and unique free standing headlights for 1961. Yat Ming has modeled all these features very accurately for their new 1961 Imperial Convertible. Its big diecast body is smooth and clean and the glossy ‘Alaskan White’ finish matches my paint chips very well. There’s a lot of chrome on a ’61 Imperial, and except for the printed Imperial scripts Yat Ming has reproduced every piece, even the thin fin caps, with separate chrome-plated parts. The big 413 cid-V-8 is wired and plumbed, though the plug wires are a couple of scale inches thick and the alternator is supported only by its drive belt. The interior makes up for that, though, with properly hinged doors, windows that slide up and down, and soft gray carpet on the floor. The split front seat folds forward on an angle just like the real car, the rear armrest folds away, and photos dhow the dash details are accurate, though the smaller gauges aren’t detailed. Overall lines match photos in the June 2005 ‘Collectible Automobile’ from all angles and dimensions are a consistent 1:18 scale.

LOVELY LINCOLN PREMIER

1956 Lincoln Premiere Diecast Model Yellow 1/18 Die Cast Car Platinum By Sunstar

Bigger was definitely better for 1950s American Iron and few cars were bigger than the 1956 Lincoln Premier. While the ’56 Cadillac and Imperial were face-lifted older models, the 1956 Premier was completely new and its clean, sharp-edge lines won the prestigious International Design Institute Award. SunStar’s new 1956 Premier Convertible has many fine features – pivoting doors, parallelogram hood hinges, spring-loaded pivoting wipes, and exceptionally thin ‘gold’ photo-etched badges – but none of these would mean much if the shape was wrong. Happily, the lines, proportions, and details are all exactly right. All the trim on this fully detailed model is done with separate plated pieces or photo-etched parts. Lifting the hood displays the big 368 cid V-8 which is also very well detailed; even the hose clamps have been picked out and SunStar has included a couple of bags for the trunk, too. Despite its massive size, SunStar’s premier is amazing 0.02 inches of perfect 1:18 scale.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER'S FERRARI F2000 V10 MODEL

Ferrari F2000 Michael Schumacher Diecast Car Model 1/18 Die Cast Car Elite Edition 1 of 5555 Made by Hotwheels


The model represents the pre-season launch of the German champion, Michael Schumacher, carrying racing number 3. This car was to set Ferrari on their winning ways for the 2000 season, ending with Michael Schumacher taking the first World Driver's title since 1979, and Ferrari securing their second successive Constructor's title.

A CHALLENGING FERRARI: THE F430 FIZZES!

Ferrari F430 Challenge 14 Diecast Model Super Elite 1/18 Die Cast Car by Hotwheels

Ferrari had reaffirmed the strong link between its GT and Sporting Divisions with the F430 Challenge which was specifically designed to meet the expectations of its sportier clinets. The F430 Challenge retains the same general look and 490 hp engine as the road-going version, however, it also incorporate a large number of significant track-oriented modifications and a host of new features not seen in the previous 360 Challenge. As ever, the transfer from Formula 1 is significant, particularly with regard to the braking system which uses carbon-ceramic material, a first for a Ferrari sports competition car. The electronic gearbox is also F1-derived and works in exactly the same way as the one used aboard the Grand Prix car. New 19” slick tyres have also been specifically developed by Pirelli to comply with the very strict racing regulations whilst still delivering blistering. Performance.

The F430 Challenge boasts a kerb weight of just 1,225 kg, the weight being reduced in every area of the car, from the engineering to the bodywork, and to ensure that drives get the full benefit of the car’s sporty prowess on the track, the E-Diff has been replaced by a mechanical differential and the EBD has been replaced with a mechanical system. The most notable of the other solutions introduced in the new F430 Challenge is the steering wheel with a quick release mechanism to make it easier to get into and out of the car. The rear of the car is characterized by a new exhaust system which has high central tail pipes, and a modified grille which increases the extraction of hot air from the rear of the engine bay. The anti-roll bars, springs and single-rate shocks have all been modified for racing use too and the centre-locking wheels make wheel changes faster too, as does the fact that the car incorporates pneumatic jacks.

Once again Hot Wheels has triumped with their model of the F430 Challenge, with all the detail of the real car scaled down to 1:18 including the single, centre locking wheel nut, the 490hp engine and the fabulous body styling and decals. A supreme addition to any Ferrari or racing collection. ( Review by SMI magazines)

Matchbox Models of Yesteryear Y-18C 1918 Atkinson Steam Lorry

    Matchbox Models of Yesteryear Y-18C 1918 Atkinson Steam Lorry was made in England by Matchbox International in 1986. It is 11 cm long an...