What unusual autos should be done in 1/48-1/43 scale?

But then you have the Gremlin. My dad said it was an ugly station wagon and when you got it paid for they'd weld on the other half.

DPC - too funny!  I nearly spit up my coffee.

Richard E - thanks for the heads up on Corgi.

George

G3750
Here is a Corgi Transit bus that repainted Rochester Transit colors a few years ago.
The Corgi models are 1/50 scale. It is a model of a Prewar or early postwar GM bus Also in the picture is an Ertl  1/43 scale 37 Ford with a Berkshire Valley dump body

I saw something in another model RR mag that caused me to dredge up this topic again.  Someone wrote an article about taking an HO sized model of an International Harvester R-190 tractor and painting it for Consolidated Freightways.  I thoroughly enjoyed the article, but was left with that irritating thought that we in O gauge always get the short end of the stick.

When you look at the types of everyday vehicles available in the late 40's to 1960, it's always about the exotics.  You know, Preston Tucker only managed to build 49 of his Tucker 48 sedans, but the O gauge world has about 49,000,000 of them.  Same deal with ANY convertible of the era.  You'd think they dominated the landscape.  How about the plane jane sedans everyone else (the 95%) drove?

For a real snipe hunt, try to find IHC R-190 tracters, AutoCar heavy trucks (dump trucks), Mack tractors (there is 1 60B), or REOs.   This is particularly frustrating for those of us trying to model heavily industrialized areas.

Toy car manufacturers, can you hear me now?  (probably not).

George

But Hudsons, Studebakers, Nash etc WERE the normal cars of the day. More 50's orphan cars, base model coupes/sedans, are needed in O scale. I'd like 1/48 but 1/43 stands a bigger chance of being made,

Colunbo's blue Fiat!

Modern buses, especially BRT types, and the Van Hool megabus double decker.

Wow.  A very good point.  Ironic, isn't it?

Cool, except Columbo drove a Peugeot 403, not a Fiat.

It looks to me above, that there are quite a few like I who would vote with their dollars for street-seen cars.  Unfortunately, we must not be competing with the "49,000,00"

customers who are buying Tuckers.  I do understand that the cars come from a stand

alone hobby of collecting cars that is prevalent in Europe, perhaps more than here.

Brooklin makes some cars seen away from high rent districts, but...price is an obstacle. 

I'd like to see a 1936 Hudson-Essex Terraplane done in brown at a reasonable cost. It's currently available in green from Brooklyn Models of England at $125.00 but for me that's too steep a pricepoint to pay for a 1:43 auto sitting on a layout. This is a sentimental wish as this auto is the earliest memory I have as a child of a car my parents owned.

(BTW, if anyone knows of the Booklyn model being offered lower than its $125 srp please email me details.)  

Colorado'

I agree with you.  I just can't afford to put some nice Brooklin run of the mill 50's vehicles on my layout at their prices.  Yat Ming, New Ray, Road Champs, City Cruisers - where are you guys????

George

The 1/43 manufactures will likely responds the same as the model railroad companies. As the real cars disappear from the landscape, the demand will increase and you will see a larger verity of better detailed models introduced.

Check this out for the introduction of new everyday 1/43 models

https://ogrforum.com/t...cle-chronicle-aug-23

I would like to see some of the fabulous one-of-a-kind concept cars from the fifties. One of my Forum buddies recently sent me a feature that had photos of all of them. Greta stuff that would translate very nicely in our layout.

the Stout Scarab.

Brooklin sill catalogs them(BK 78a. Its not exactly a common automobile, The only one I ever seen on the road was entered in the Great American Race a few years ago.

I am surprised a Stout Scarab was on the road....I never saw one at Hershey...I thought

there was just a few prototypes made, but it is among a great many ultrarare cars made by Brooklin and other you didn't see in line with taxis at RR station. My money, if I wanted to spend it, would go for the Hudson Terraplane cited above.

Minichamps makes or is releasing soon the following concept and show cars from the 1950s:

'51 Buick Wildcat

'54 Lincoln Futura (the car later modified into the TV-show Batmobile)

'54 Buick LeSabre

'56 Buick Centurion

'59 Cadillac Cyclone

And Autoart has the '59 Corvette Stingray (first use of the name).

The above are all listed on diecastdirect.

Amazon has some of those from time to time and the entire GM Firebird series of fighter-jet inspired concept cars from the '50s, starting with the XP500 (Minimax) through the Firebird I, II and III (Spark). All are pricey, the III being very pricey ($400+).  I guess ugly really costs you. 

I've seen a Stout. Some car show (outdoors) in Pennyslvania years ago.   It was a surprise.  In photos it reminded me of the Buckminster Fuller Dymaxion but in person it looks squarer and smaller that I expected - outside at least.  Inside it clearly was supposed to remind you of an airliner.

This thread caused me to break down and order the Brooklin model.  Only nine were made and there was virtually no chance one was ever in any little western town like my layout models, but then neither were three Facel Vegas, so I guess reality won't be important.

I would like to have one model each of some of the cars I owned.

1949 Olds Conv.

1950 Mercury

1951 Ford Victoria

1954 Corvette

1957 Chev.

1959 Chev. Impala

1960 Ford Sunliner Conv.

Better stop here. I realize I would rather have the original cars.

Chevy & Pontiac 4 door plain Jane models from the late 40's to 1953. Way too many high priced 2 doors and rag tops keep being produced. When I was a kid very few people I knew drove expensive cars. A Henry J would be nice too.

I would particularly like to find a model of the 1938 Buick Y-job, Detriot's first concept car, but have never seen one.  It had retracting headlights, power windows, and a number of other advanced features, plus styling that was pretty 1950s. 

Harley Earl drove the Y-job as his personal daily driver for many years, only shifting to a newer car in 1951, when many of the styling cues he had worked into the Y-job finally went into production Buicks.   

LOL!!!

Excellent, Steve.

Others:

I feel your pain.  When I was piddlin' with O scale (3 rail), the readily available vehicles being 1/43 was a bit urksome.  Just too big.  'Tis a shame that you guys have to settle for 1/43 vehicles in O scale.

Actually, I much prefer 1:43 for autos: they don't get "lost" alongside scale locos, etc.   Even "big" autos, such as a '59 Cadillac limo, look good in 1:43 to me.  I might feel different if I did not have nearly all scale locos and build only scale buildings, but I have no traditional or undersize locos and buildings, etc.. 

I do have a few 1:48 autos - a late '30s Buick, a '50 Buick, mid-50s Caddy and an Olds, etc., as well as a couple of pickups and delivery vans and jeeps, etc., but I don't keep them on the layout - everything automobile and small truck is 1:43.   

For big rigs, etc., 1:43 is a bit too . . . There, I like 1:48 if I can find it, or 1:50 when I can't

Here is a photo of the Stout Scarab taken at a stop for the 2007 Great American Race.

What brand are the 1:48 cars and where did you find them (especially the '30's Buick and the mid-50's Caddy)? I'd love to get hold of a few 1:48 cars that are not top down convertibles to fill up my empty Evans Auto-Loader. 1:43 cars won't fit, except for a VW, Corvette or similar.

You asked for unusual!!

You mean like this? Hot Wheels produced this recently

DaveP - yeah, just like that!!  thanks for posting!

Lionel's early-era track car is a perfect 1:48 model of a '38 or so Buick sedan.  I converted one to just a model.  A series of 1950-ish cars is often marketed under the name New Ray (and others).  Their cars are listed as 1:43 but they seem to have molds that are only a certain size so they scale down larger cars to fit the molds.  They have a series of early and mid-50s cars that are actually between 1:47 and 1:53 in scale if you measure them against actual prototype dimensions.  This is one: its around 1:50 or so . . . usually around $7 on Amazon.

Thanks Lee. I was hoping you were on to something I hadn't found yet. I have a bunch of the New Ray cars, including the Pontiac in your picture. They are very nice and reasonably priced, but unfortunately they are all or almost all convertibles with the top down - which would look pretty silly on an Auto-Loader. It's a pity Lionel doesn't make that old Buick as a separate item, just the car rather than the railcar with the motor, flanged wheels and all. 

The search continues. Maybe I'll just load up my Auto-Loader with 1/43 Isettas and Messerschmitts. Perhaps I can find a Goggomobil to go with them. 

My wish list;

-1940 plymouth 4 door

-1970 cougar

-1968 cougar

-early '70s darts

-an early harley trike{police}

-any old motorcycles with or with out hacks{sidecars}

-any old semi trucks{auto car/mack conventional or cabover/needle nose kenworth or peterbuilts/diamond reo/dodge/ diamond-t/reo/international...}

...maybe we could get Dave Natale over at american industrial truck models to convert to 1/48th{I'd be in heaven!}

-any decent heil or garwood bodied garbage trucks...old style types

-'40s and '50s tankers, vans and dump trucks

-same time period heavy equipment

-decals for such trucks so we can remake our own{actually I think I know where to get those}

-'40s/'50s school buses

-a mail jeep

-how about early civy jeeps with a half top or better yet a jeep commando!

-'40s-'50s-'60s sedan delivery

-late '60s vans...regular ol vans..with or without windows

-VW beetles or micro busses..safari windows would be an added touch

..you know, just a few things....

I would love to have a 1:50 or 1:48 scale Dodge Meadowbrook 4 door.  i don't think even Brooklin makes one.  Just a common car from the era.

1950!!!

I agree - that would be one to get.  Closest I've seen are in 1:43, Brooklin has a 1950 Wayfarer convertible and '55 Coronet.  Diecast Direct has them both (for $125 each!).

I'm glad you guys resurrected this old thread.  Since I commented earlier, I have "discovered" an absolute need for a specific vehicle: the 1929 Ford Model AA U.S. Mail truck.  When I was a kid, you used to see them all the time and I believe that they were in regular use until the early 1950's, maybe even later.  They were painted an Olive Drab color with a pale yellow stripe.  They had black fenders, hood and underbody and were in regular use in most cities in the country.  Perhaps a few of them were also used in rural delivery, although most rural carriers used their own vehicles.

Someone comes up with a reasonably priced model of these and I'd be in for at least three of them.  Could use a standard Model A platform and offer different bodies optionally.  They were really ubiquitous in our cities and they would prove to be a good seller in the 1/43 marketplace.

Paul Fischer

I would like to see a 1960's dodge A100 and the corresponding van for MOW service. I have seen pics in PRR books of these vehicles.

HERGE-MOULINSART produced a 1/48 model of 1949 dodge sedan They incorrectly call it a Coronet. Its part of the Tintin collectable series. The model is nicely done but it has TinTin figures inside. They also made a 1947 Studebaker Commander 5 passenger coupe and a 1949 Buick Roasmaster sedan. They are hard to find.

How about  inexpensive versions of the Batmobile, Mystery Machine, Munstermobile, 1957 Cadillac ambulance and/or hearse, 1945ish paddy wagon, mid 60s postal truck.

Jerry

Here are some Tin Tin cars.

1955/56 Chrysler with right hand steering and figures. Listed as 1:43 maybe 1:48 or a bit larger. 1949 Buick...size description same as Chrysler. BTW these cars have square axles and won't roll around the layout.

1950 Dodge...I have to agree with 1:43 on this one. I enhaanced this one with different wheels and Bare-Metal foiled the trim and added a different driver.

I passed on the Studebaker because Yat Ming has a nice version.

How about the original Corvair and Valiant - 1960?  Has anyone seen them in 1/43-1/48??

....that Mr's C's car needs a smoke unit!