A few words about Franklin Mint 1:43. These run, thanks to 2 or 3 different suppliers, from awful to excellent (most being "pretty good"). They were origionally sold, by mail-order subscription, for about $62. each. On the current eBay market, they go from $10. ('55 Chevy convertible) to $80.-plus ('59 Ford retractable hardtop). Most are around $30.. They are not popular with some collectors due to doors and hoods that open (referred to as "shut lines"). However, this feature is great for "action" scenes on layouts.

Minichamps, a maker of mainly non-USA models, made a very nice set for the Ford Motor Co. 100 year anniversary. Some were available in various colors. The detail is far above the $35. price they usually sell for. Minichamps is now making other USA cars, including GM Motorama "Dream Cars".

An excellent start for a topic that I'm sure a lot of people will be interested in, especially those looking for more variety in their die-cast acquisitions. Allow me to add Eligor (France) to the $ category. I'm not sure if they are still being made (I think not), but Eligor made some really nice Model B Fords and other period vehicles, many of which can be found on eBay and at toy shows in the $20 range. They also made a large variety of European vehicles, mostly French, as well as a '62 Corvair coupe.

Ertl roadster from MTH flatcar load, Eligor pickup, Eligor sedan 

Ertl Model A, Eligor model B, Ertl model B. The model A was originally decorated for Meguiar's car wax. I got it very cheap and cleaned off the decals. Ertl also did a number of 30's roadsters and trucks for a couple of different supermarket chains; the car on the right is decorated for Winn Dixie. 

Cost-wise, when I built my first "O" layout in 1985, the 2 most common 1:43 car models were from Solido and Vitesse, which retailed for $15. each. That is $33.45 in today's $. The choice of years and car makes was very limited compared to today. The level of detail we now have with American Excellence models was unheard of (not quite reached by Motor City) back then.

I can't say I agree about Solido. Most of their models are 1/50 but you'd never know until you got one from the box and measured it. Many ePay listings say they're 1/48 or even 1/43. They're really not.

Putting a Solido vehicle up next to a 1/43 scale one, you really see the difference.

Their military ones need a great deal of work to look like a halfway decent authentic model.

I have a few of their tanks (sitting on a shelf on my bookcase), but none are on the layout.

p51 what Solido 1:50 vehicles are you looking at?

Bob

Pretty much all their WW2 stuff. Their 2 1/2 ton trucks really look odd next to a 1/43 weapons carrier, as they're almost the same length.

Never heard of this car but I'd like to have a model of it, a 1956 Meteor Rideau:

Looks like a 1956 Canadian Ford!

It was a product of Canada Spence, good catch!

I googled the images and every one seemed to have a brilliant color scheme, very classy looking I think.

Ertl had a nice line of classic and muscle cars from the 50's to 70's as well. I recently picked up a 70's Chevelle and Nova.

I miss Corgi as well - they were just starting to produce some fantastic fire apparatus never done before from manufacturers like Pirsch, Maxim, LaFrance and others. Toward the end of production prior to Hornby acquiring the line, they were ready to start new tooling for a LaFrance 700 ladder truck and closed-cab Maxim engine. 

Matchbox Collectibles had a great line of classic cars. The Dodge Power Wagon, Chevy Blazer, Ford Bronco, Pontiac GTO and 55 Chevy Bel Air are my favorites.

Road Champs had some great classic cars and trucks for the money - I think American Heritage has their Divco tooling. 

White Rose produced some nice vintage Ford, Chevy and Chrysler police cars. 

Up & Coming...

Greenlight is making some nice vehicles. The Dallas Ford pick-up, 70 Dodge Charger and  Starsky & Hutch Ford Torino are on my to get list.

1st Gear is producing nice 1/50 heavy equipment and trucks. The best is the Miller Century Rotator Wrecker

Great topic for discussion, Richard.  Looking forward to the next installment.  I have tried to fill most of my parking lots, streets and highways with your $ price range cars, simply because I didn't want to spend that much money on incidental scenery for the layout.  However, I started to add some more costly Brooklin and other models in the $$$ or $$$$ price range, primarily to add a realistic variety of vehicles, overall.  I'm not sure of which are the "best" model cars.  I noted that some have inordinately large or deep panel gaps, which keep the models looking crude.  But some Brooklin cars, perhaps older production, also seem to have large panel gaps.  Some of those $ category, (cheap) have been coming with really phoney looking wheels.  I guess that's because the cars were designed to be kid's playtoys rather than reliable, accurate models.  Hard to change those completely.

What I'f really like to see is some mention of weathering procedures that have successfully made cars look naturally older.  I've seen some car models that try but fail to look like natural rust, dirt or discoloration.  Making car models look weathered seems to be as much of an art as the proper weathering of trains is.  Also, it would be interesting to see some examples of "customizing" particularly in making trucks and pick-ups look more work oriented.  I've tried it on some lower priced models but I'm only partially satisfied with the results.

Pauol Fischer

You have some good points for discussion.

My own definition of "best" is...can the model, in a photograph, be mistaken for the real car? In general, American Excellence by NEO usually can, while Brooklin usually cannot, due to much of the trim being the same color as the body paint, some wheels too large, etc. (hard to forgive in a model costing over $100.). Some of us "old timers" (I'm 73) can look at a model of a 1950s car and know from memory that things are not correct.

My personal feeling about weathering cars: My layout is my "ideal world", hence, cars are clean. In the "old days", car washing was a weekend ritual (notice that I didn't use "chore" or "job"). The devout waxed with liquid wax, and the really devout with paste Simonize (no "clear coat" back then). Whitewall tires were cleaned with SOS pads and water. People had their photo taken posing with the new car. The family went out for a "Sunday Drive" just for the heck of it.

Dave P. I know of White Rose Ford PD cars but not Chevy & Chrysler.

W R became Fleer and then American Heritage.

Do you know why the White Rose name?

Bob

Gentlemen I have some fire trucks & taxis listed on the forum buy/sell.

Bob

Meteors were sold by Canadian Mercury dealers along with Badge engineered Mercury tricks from until until the early 1960s. Likewise Ford dealers sold the Mercury based Monarch.

Brooklin made '49, '54 and '58 Monarchs and 1960 Meteors. They were made special for The Canadian Toy Collectors Society.

As a kid living near the Canadian border, I saw many of these cars I also would like to see more 1/43 models especially the 1956 Meteor

Mercury M-1 pickuo

The Canadians had many automobiles models unique to their market.

A wile back I did a post on Canadian cars, maybe its time to revisit that subject.

Matchbox did two series of trucks, that I hoped they would continue, one with REO

and International pickups, as well as Studebaker (also done by others) and a 1940 Ford

(done by several).  No GMC, Chevy, Terraplane, etc., followed, though.  Another

series included larger trucks such as a 1933 Diamond T and a late '30's International.

The REO and International pickup were not common in their own era, so, even with repaints, I use them sparingly.  The larger Internationals were everywhere, with different beds, milk coolers, stock trucks, coal dumpers, etc., but Matchbox appears

to have made few of those models.

Matchbox made a 1941 Chevy US Army truck and several mid 50's Chevy trucks. Gearbox also made a 41 Chevy truck in several different versions.

Bob

In the church parking lot today was a beautifuly restored and I mean like new 46 47 or 48 Cadillac 2 door.

It was a low rider but was all original, just lowered.