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Model car

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File:Hotwheelferrari.jpg
Metal die-cast model of a Ferrari 365 GTB/4
Highly detailed die-cast model of a Porsche Carrera GT by Minichamps

A model car is a miniature representation, or scale model, of an automobile or similar powered vehicle, generally reproducing the shapes of actually-produced vehicles. Other miniature ground-running vehicles, such as trucks, buses, etc. (but not railroad trains or tracked military vehicles) are usually included in the general category of model cars. The line between model and toy cars is not well-defined; some toys can be scaled and detailed well enough to be considered models also. Miniature cars which are poorly proportioned or lack significant detail are usually considered to be pure toys rather than models.

Model cars from kits

Model car most frequently refers to scale miniatures of real production vehicles, designed as kits for the enthusiast to construct. They can be created in plastic, die-cast metal, resin, even wood. The best kits have incredible levels of detail, even in parts unseen when the finished model is on display. Major manufacturers are AMT, Revell, Monogram, and Tamiya but many smaller companies abound.

History

Banthrico started producing die cast promotional model car banks in the late '40s for the banking industry. These banks were available as a gift to people that started a new account and had a slot in the bottom to put their spare change. Usually the banks name and address was painted on the roof of the car. These primitive promotional cars included Buicks, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Packards, Desotos, Chryslers, Dodges and of course the more common (relatable) Chevrolets and Fords. In mint condition, today these cars are exceptionally sought after.

About the same time, another company, Product Miniature Corporation was introducing promotional models made from plastic to the public, many of which were also in the form of banks. Many Chevrolet bank models had the inscription on the bottom "To help save for a rainy day, or to buy a new Chevrolet" The almost mandated scale for these cars was 1:25th, however a few Chevrolets and Plymouths were produced in a larger 1:20th scale.

The model car "kit" hobby began in the post World War II era with Ace and Berkeley wooden model cars. Revell pioneered the plastic model car with their famous Maxwell kit derived from a toy. Derk Brand, from England, pioneered the first real plastic kit, a 1932 Ford Roadster for Revell. He was also famous for developing a line of 1/32 scale model car kits in England for the Gowland brothers. These kits were later introduced by Revell in the U.S.

AMT, and AMT's sister company SMP, began producing assembled 1/25 friction and coaster models in the early fifties. These were an outgrowth of promotional models manufactured for automobile dealers. Youngsters would be given the scale models to play with while the parents and the salesman haggled. Collecting and trading these "promos" soon became a popular hobby.

During the 1950s to 1960s, interest in the hobby peaked, and AMT introduced the model car kit in 1958. Jo-Han, Revell and Monogram started producing model car kits about this same time, and it was considered a "golden age" for model car building from these new innovative customizing kits. Most of these kits were known as "annual" kits, which was the unassembled kit version of the promos that represented the new cars that were introduced at the beginning of each model year.

AMT, Jo-Han, and later MPC were the primary promo manufacturers. In addition to building them stock, most annual kits were known as "3 in 1" which allowed the builder to assemble them as stock, custom, or racing versions. Model Products Corp. (MPC) joined the kit/promo business in 1965, and among their first annual kits/promos, was the full-size Dodge Monaco, which was released with a gold metallic painted body and is a valuable collector's item today.

These plastic models were intricately detailed, with body scripts, trim, and emblems, as well as dashboard details, exact duplicates of the real thing, in 1/25 scale. Typically, each automaker would license their cars to one model company. For example, Jo-Han produced Cadillac models and most of the Chrysler products and promos, and AMT did the Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, and the Ford produced cars.

Often these companies would change, for example Jo-Han produced the 1972 Ford Torino, and MPC did full-size Chevrolets in the early and mid-1970s. Typically, the kits had more parts and details than the promos. For example, kits often had opening hoods, separate engines and suspension parts, while the promos were molded with hood as part of the body, and chassis with metal axles and one-piece chassis with suspension details molded in. 1969 and 1970 Chevy Impala kits were made by both MPC and AMT, as were some Camaros.

Some model companies sold unassembled versions of the promo cars, which were typically easier to assemble than the annual kits and had many missing pieces ie customizing parts that were available in the full blown kits. They were often molded in color (instead of the traditional white) and easily assembled without glue (thus no glue or paint was required).

When assembled they were almost identical to much more elite promotional models. What usually gives them away is that they were mostly molded in a brighter non metallic color and also they came with thin line white wall tires instead of the earlier (correct) wide white walls on pre-1962 models. Today these often command higher prices, especially AMT's "Craftsman" series of the early and mid sixties.

Interest in model cars began to wane in the mid-1970s as a result of builders growing older and moving on to other pursuits. By the early 1980s, model building had been largely replaced by video gaming as a favorite pastime of American youth. A resurgence was experience in the late 1980s, due to many who been involved in the hobby in past years rediscovering it. Monogram helped spark the revival with a series of replicas of NASCAR race cars, as did AMT with a kit of the 1966 Chevrolet Nova, which modelers had been requesting for years. Model specific magazines sprang up, such as Scale Auto Enthusiasts, Plastic Fanatic, and Car Modeler. These spread the word, helped advertisers, and brought modelers together from all across the country.

Today, many of the classic models from the golden age of modeling have been reissued. Not only does this allow modelers to build the cars they always wanted (but couldn't obtain or afford), but it tends to lower the prices of the originals. In some cases, the classic models have been issued with all-new tooling, which allows for even more detailing that comes with modern manufacturing/design methods. These include AMT's 1966 Fairlane and 1967 Impala SS, and Monogram's 1967 Chevelle and 1965 Impala Super Sport.

Today, these companies are still in business, fueled by a renewed interest in model car building and collecting. ERTL now owns both AMT and MPC. Revell and Monogram have merged, and Okey Spaulding has purchased once-defunct Jo-Han, which is producing a few of its original models in limited quantities, including the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car, 1959 Rambler station wagon, and some of its original 1950s Oldsmobiles and Plymouths. Modelers today can take advantage of modern technology, which includes photo-etched details, adhesive chrome foil for chrome trim, wiring for engines, and billet-aluminum parts. Many builders today can take a basic kit and detail it so it resembles a real car, in miniature.

The internet has also fueled a growing modeling community through websites, bulletin boards, and sites that host photographs, allowing the hobby to expand internationally.

Resin models

Because some rare kits are so pricey in today's market, there has arisen a market for resin-cast kits of these cars which are currently available. Resin is a plastic material that is cast rather than injection-molded, eliminating the expense of injection molding machines which needs to be recouped with mass market sales. These kits are more expensive than retail prices of injection molded polystyrene kits, but less expensive than the prices of the kits when they are out of production and demand outstrips supply. Prices are related to the volume of production as well as the quality of the castings, with regard to things like pinholes which need to be filled, excess molding flash which needs to be removed, excessive thickness, etc. Kits typically do require more work than injection molded kits for finishing, and the resin has different properties than polystyrene. It is more brittle, and the dust produced by sanding is toxic. The chemical properties are also different, so that the two materials may require different types of glue and/or paint.

Kits from abroad

Japanese model kit manufacturers - Tamiya, Fujimi and Hasegawa, among them - also stepped up their presences in the U.S. market during the 1980s and 1990s. While many of their car kits have limited appeal to American modelers raised on "Detroit iron," the quality of their products is perhaps the finest in the industry.

Toy cars have metal, plastic, rubber and paint

Die cast model cars

File:1-24 Scale.jpg
1:24 scale die-cast cars
File:Model cars 1 43 scale.jpg
1:43 scale die-cast cars
Die cast model of a 1:18 Formula 1 car. This is a model of a Ferrari F2005 driven by Michael Schumacher in the Formula 1 2005 season

Fully built scale model cars made of die cast metal are very popular among collectors. These models are manufactured in various scales like 1:18, 1:24, 1:48, and 1:43, among others.

Larger-scale premium models today are generally made with attention to details which replicate a real model, such as a working steering which steers the wheels in larger models, doors, trunk/boot, and hood/bonnet that open (the latter showing a detailed engine complete with things such as an exhaust system and/or other items contained in a typical car engine), and tyres mounted on a workable suspension system. In smaller scales some of the details are often eliminated. So, e.g. in 1:32, 1:48, or 1:43 scale cars, the steering and wheels generally do not work. Likewise, only the front doors and hood might be functional, with non-opening rear doors and trunk. (There are exceptions to this, of course.)

However, the concept of these models generally began with far simpler toys in smaller scales, such as Dinky Toys (often 1:43), production of which began in 1934, and Matchbox cars (often approx. 1:64), introduced in the mid-'50s. Early die-cast toys featured no opening parts whatsoever. Affected by market forces and by improvements in production technology, companies began to improve the quality of the toys over time. The "best" improvements were often copied by the competition within 1-2 years of their appearance on the market. Examples of these would be plastic windows, interiors, separate wheel/tire assemblies, working suspensions, opening/moving parts, headlights, mask-spraying or tampo-printing, and low-friction wheel/suspension aggregates.

Organized collecting of toy car models developed quickly, particularly in the UK and the USA. At first, collectors seeking models and their variations (in a manner similar to stamp or coin collecting) began cataloguing the models, driving the value for rare items up. This led to a reaction by the market as well, as in the late 1970s at the latest, in a movement started by Matchbox, the wishes and perceived desires of collectors were intentionally catered to in an attempt to capture a higher-price market segment. This movement eventually gave rise to the premium segment of the market as we know it today.

The collectors market also led to licensing aspects not known until the '80s. Typically, companies that make die-cast model cars will have a licensing arrangement with real car manufacturers to make replicas of their cars, whether they be concepts, in current production, or of models no longer produced. Companies whose logos are printed onto the models also enter similar licensing agreements.

Examples die-cast model car brands and manufacturers include Maisto, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Corgi and Yat Ming. Those making premium models include the Franklin Mint, the Danbury Mint, and Fairfield Mint.

Types of toy cars

  • Die-Cast - Either large scale collectors type or smaller consumer "Matchbox" type
  • Pedal cars
  • Plastic kit
  • Radio control
  • Tether cars
  • Hand built limited edition model cars (usually produced in white metal or resin)

Powered model cars

Though most car models are static display items, individual model builders have sometimes powered their vehicles in various ways, including rubber bands, springs, inertia mechanisms, electric motors, internal combustion engines, air engines and steam engines. In order to make them less fragile, powered models are often somewhat simplified and not as detailed as the best static models. For this reason, some modelers dismiss nearly all powered miniature cars as toys; however many individual efforts and commercial products are sufficiently well-scaled and detailed that they deserve to be called models. The main types of commercially-produced powered car models include:

Uncontrolled powered models, which were developed in the 1930s and were common until the 1960s. Often guided by a rail between the wheels, or by a tether staked to the center of a circular course, most of these cars used small internal combustion glow plug engines and were known as tether cars.

Electrically powered slot cars which draw power from the track. They became extremely popular in the 1960s, and are still widely available today.

Spring-powered or "clockwork" car models, that are wound with a key or by a friction mechanism. These were common until slot cars largely replaced them in the 1960s. In fact, the first commercially successful slot cars, the Scalextric 1/32 line (originally 1:30) which debuted in 1957, were simply motorized versions of the earlier Scalex clockwork racers.

Radio-controlled cars, which can be bought assembled or built from kits. These are usually powered by electric motors or glow plug engines. Drivers can control the speed and steering of these cars remotely by a radio signal.

Brands of model cars

Italics indicate defunct brand or no longer in the market

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Model cars.
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