Ron’s model spot
Words: Ron Ford
We are downsizing this month, with models to 1:64, 1:76, and 1:87 scale being featured. First, there are two 1:64-scale Volkswagen Beetles by Greenlight Collectibles USA. One is a split window– era car and the other is a later version. Strangely, even though they are made by the same company, they are completely different in their technical specifications.
Volkswagen Beetles
The split-window issue is the better of the two. It features an opening hood and engine cover, plated bumpers, clear-glazed headlights with plated bezels, plated hub caps, etc. The interior looks good, and the metal base is quite finely detailed. The brightwork is neatly tampo printed. The tyres are a little oversized but acceptable. This example is painted cherry red with a black interior. It is part of Greenlight’s Club V-dub series.
The second Beetle is much less detailed, with no opening parts or plated detail. The headlights are simply painted, as are all the other details. In this model, the base is plastic but carries good ‘updated’ detail such as the twin exhaust system. The wheels also have painted detail for the vents and hubcaps. The tyres are more in proportion.
The casting has some obvious tooling lines, possibly caused by the lack of opening parts, meaning that the tooling had to cope with some awkward corners. This Beetle is part of the Hollywood collection, and represents the car from Friday the 13th Part III. It is painted cream, with brown ‘weathering’.
Both models are priced at $13.90 from hobby shops. The Club V-dub carries an eight-plus age warning, but the Hollywood one
Rover P6 Series II
Next is Oxford Automobile Company’s Rover P6 Series II in 1:76 scale. For some reason, modern reproductions of the P6 seem to have got the shape wrong, with the roof being far too low, giving a squat look to the car. The original Corgi Toys version was much better!
Otherwise, the model is well finished, with a good representation of the grille, with silver and black tampo printing. What isn’t so good is the silvering around the side windows, due to the relative thickness of the casting, giving a two-tone effect. There is also a pooling effect of the silver at the bottom of the pillars.
The P6B is painted Paprika (deep orange) with a black ‘vinyl’ roof and interior. The catalogue
1941 GMC Fire Truck
Finally, a 1:87 1941 GMC Fire Truck ‘Dearborn Fire Department’ from a fire-engine part-work magazine. First, I would question the quoted scale, as it looks much bigger than it should be, especially compared with a 1:76 Oxford Diecast Bedford TK fire engine.
It is quite a well-detailed model, with the lower superstructure cast in plastic that gives it quite a light feel. Fortunately, the plastic is painted to match the rest of the model. There is some nice tampo-printed decorative lining and sign work. The cost of each of the part-work issues is $19.95 at booksellers.