00 scale road vehicles from non-railway sources

[alastairq]

57 minutes ago, BernardTPM said:

By co-incidence, four boats forming the bridge too.

 Pontoon?

[alastairq]

7 hours ago, phil_sutters said:

 

 I do like the idea of the missus sat in front...forerunner of the airbag? [windbag?] 

[Enterprisingwestern]

25 minutes ago, alastairq said:

 I do like the idea of the missus sat in front...forerunner of the airbag? [windbag?] 

 

Scares errant pedestrians away as well!

 

Mike.

[phil_sutters]

Now, now! Behave yourselves!

[ianmacc]

Can we have a separate thread to discuss the wheel arrangements or vehicles as I’m more interested in learning about people’s knowledge of available model road vehicles if I’m honest.

[PhilJ W]

Two models in the Tomica range both 1/76. Currently available Yanmar Y5113 tractor, quite a good model and could be easily tweaked by the addition of things such as mirrors and steps. The other went out of production about ten years and is a Komatsu PC-45 mini digger, rather crude by Tomica standards but at least as good as contemporary Matchbox and Hot Wheels models. 

[PhilJ W]

6 hours ago, ianmacc said:

1/77

 

matchbox gmc terradyne

tomica Cadillac fleetwood brougham

matchbox Mercedes Benz 1600 tractor

tomica Cadillac superior ambulance

tomica Ford continental mark 4

tomica Chevrolet stepside

 

1/78

tomica Chevrolet panel van

shinsei snorkel fire engine 

tomica rolls Royce phantom

tomica Nissan ambulance 

tomica Isuzu elf various bodies

 

1/75 - watch here as a lot of matchbox are described as 1/75 scale when that’s actually the range numbering!

 

matchbox kenworth truck

matchbox Ford F-150 1997

matchbox Cadillac sedan de ville 1969

matchbox snow groomer snowplough 

I have many of the Tomica models listed above. Undoubtedly the best one is the Chevy step side pick up. If it has the earlier wheels it could be plonked down on a layout straight out of the box. One came up on the USA e-bay a couple of years ago for $12, about £9 at the time, I was tempted but the postage would have been twice the asking price. They are all pretty rare nowadays, the Rolls Royce is the most common but the Cadillac Superior ambulance is as rare as hens teeth. Another Tomica model is a 1930's Packard drophead coupe', to 1/72 scale and does not look out of place with 1/76 models. 

[fodenway]

21 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

No, that's not the model I was referring to. The one I was thinking of came in a blister pack of largely US cars, all with one-piece bodies. A bit crude, but by luck the TR3 is 4mm scale and being an open sports car pretty much worked in one piece (all the closed cars had no interiors, of course).

The OP said "I’m not thinking of where there’s now a proper railway accessory model available" so Dublo Dinky and Tri-ang's MINIX ranges would come under that exclusion as would Lima's Capri and (rare) Fiat 131.

I think this is the Triumph that Bernard was referring to, marketed under various brand names including Marx and Tootsietoy, and as he says, normally part of a set which includes crude interpretations of Jeep CJ5 and wartime, mid-70s Chevy stepside pickup, International Scout , Mercury Cougar and others. The Triumph is to 1/76 scale and has good proportions. With a bit of work, it can be made into acceptable replicas of TR2, 3 and 3A as seen here. Cararama Morgans gave up their dashboards and sidescreens for my conversions.

[PhilJ W]

18 minutes ago, fodenway said:

I think this is the Triumph that Bernard was referring to, marketed under various brand names including Marx and Tootsietoy, and as he says, normally part of a set which includes crude interpretations of Jeep CJ5 and wartime, mid-70s Chevy stepside pickup, International Scout , Mercury Cougar and others. The Triumph is to 1/76 scale and has good proportions. With a bit of work, it can be made into acceptable replicas of TR2, 3 and 3A as seen here. Cararama Morgans gave up their dashboards and sidescreens for my conversions.

I have one of those in my 'might be useful' stash.

[BernardTPM]

Yes, that's the one. I'll admit as it comes it doesn't look promising. Nice work on those though!

[PhilJ W]

I started collecting diecasts and other models almost fifty years ago themed on 00 scale when there wasn't a great deal of models in that scale. I still have the collection and add to it from time to time and apart from the Dinky Dublo, Minix and Matchbox models there is Budgie, Lone Star, Husky, Britains and several other British manufacturers represented as well as several overseas makers. I will over the next few days list them here, unfortunately some will be difficult  to find today.

[Andy Hayter]

Not sue how useful this will be but around about 50 years ago Kellogg's gave away mini kits of  old cars 6 in total including an open top Bentley, Bugatti upright Panhard etc.. These were clip together but surprisingly detailed and accurate models.   I have the full set but inevitably over time odd bits (mainly wheels) have disappeared.  The Bugatti has been put together properly, painted and looks the part.  Exact scale might be a bit hard to determine without measuring up and they were described at the time as 00/H0 as was the style of the time.

 

I image the vast majority of these ended up in the bin but you never know, maybe there are some still floating around.  They were generally in pretty garish cheap looking plastic in light blue or orange.  Maybe tucked in a plastic bag in a trader's under the counter box of delights?

[ianmacc]

15 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I have many of the Tomica models listed above. Undoubtedly the best one is the Chevy step side pick up. If it has the earlier wheels it could be plonked down on a layout straight out of the box. One came up on the USA e-bay a couple of years ago for $12, about £9 at the time, I was tempted but the postage would have been twice the asking price. They are all pretty rare nowadays, the Rolls Royce is the most common but the Cadillac Superior ambulance is as rare as hens teeth. Another Tomica model is a 1930's Packard drophead coupe', to 1/72 scale and does not look out of place with 1/76 models. 

The step side and ambulance have a few on eBay right now but all in the states and all with hefty postage. See what you mean about the former. 

[Pillar]

Tiny HK do quite a few 1/76 scale vehicles, some of which are suitable for UK settings.

 

Their mk2 Ford Transit is very nice and available as a long wheelbase van, minibus or ambulance. Most are in Hong Kong liveries but they can be easily stripped and repainted.

 

The only downsides are that they are pricy and have to be ordered from Hong Kong directly; having said that, the delivery time when I bought a couple via eBay was pretty good.

 

Edit: The Tiny website doesn't seem to show many of their 1/76 models, but below are a few examples (no connection);

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114854628681?epid=12047536685&hash=item1abdde8d49:g:mZAAAOSw6m1gyx-N

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333954188287?hash=item4dc13883ff:g:uS0AAOSwJlRe4860

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333954188287?hash=item4dc13883ff:g:uS0AAOSwJlRe4860

 

Cheers

 

Liam

Edited July 9, 2021 by Pillar

[alastairq]

A bit off-topic , for which i apologise, but for those who model in S scale [1:64 scale], I'd like to remind folks f the Tomy offerings?

 

Tomica, to be exact, who have a 1:64 scale Isuzu car, which of course, was the Hillman Minx!

It is a quite reasonable model indeed...and can be had in an number of interesting colours.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10372892

 

 

[Mike Harvey]

1 hour ago, Pillar said:

Tiny HK do quite a few 1/76 scale vehicles, some of which are suitable for UK settings.

 

The only downsides are that they are pricy and have to be ordered from Hong Kong directly; having said that, the delivery time when I bought a couple via eBay was pretty good.

 

Cheers

 

Liam

Shedring Hobbies and TTC Diecast are now importing some Tiny items.

[BernardTPM]

4 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

Not sue how useful this will be but around about 50 years ago Kellogg's gave away mini kits of  old cars 6 in total including an open top Bentley, Bugatti upright Panhard etc.. These were clip together but surprisingly detailed and accurate models.   I have the full set but inevitably over time odd bits (mainly wheels) have disappeared.  The Bugatti has been put together properly, painted and looks the part.  Exact scale might be a bit hard to determine without measuring up and they were described at the time as 00/H0 as was the style of the time.

Are these the R&L tooled vintage cars that were originally sold as Harbutt's (of Plasticene fame) RepLicars and later used as give-aways by Jet Petrol?

 

[Andy Hayter]

Looks very similar except I don't remember the sheet of paper inside.

 

Does that mean they are still available somewhere?

[BernardTPM]

I got them off ebay in the last few years, but they must be over 50 years old. The paper has the 'Jet' labelling so wouldn't be in other versions. The original Harbutt's ones (1967, I think) came in small boxes.

Scales:

                                                             model w.b.      real w.b.             scale

1       1927 Bentley - Le Mans             35mm            9' 9½” 1        1:85.3      H0

 

2       1926 Bugatti Type 35                34.7mm         2400mm      1:69.2        -

 

3       1915 Ford Model T                     31mm              8' 4”             1:81.9  H0/00

 

4       1913 Sunbeam Tourer               30.25mm        10' 4½” 2    1:104.5   TT3

 

5       1912 Packard Laundaulet 3        29.25mm         9' 4”           1:97.3    TT3

 

6       1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash  30.5mm           5' 9”           1:57.5    55th

 

7       1905 Vauxhall Hansom                27mm              5' 9”           1:64.9       S

 

8       1899 Renault                                21.25mm      1150mm 4     1:54.1    55th

 

9       1904 Mercedes                            35.3mm        2400mm 5      1:68         S

 

10     1913 Morris Oxford 'Bullnose'   32.5mm           7' 0”            1:65.6       S

 

Research notes

1 or 9' 0” (1:78.4), but the Replica of original Le Mans car is not s.w.b.

2 I found many Sunbeams with 8' 6” w.b. but 1912 12/16 is stated as having a 10' 4.5" w.b. giving 1:104.5 scale (Also stated to be 167.2" long, 68" wide) & 1910 12/16 has 9' w.b. giving 1:90.7 (147" long, 64" wide). I am least certain on this one.

3 the prototype is a Model 18 (Model 30 is longer)

4 calculated from chassis plan with stated overall length of 1900mm

5 Sources differ, Wiki quoting 3540 and 2450, another contemporary source says about 8'10” (2700mm?) though that was a chassis for a four seater. The bigger Wiki figure looks doubtful so 1:100.3 scale unlikely. From Mercedes own website:

18/28hp 2100 or 2400mm wb 1904-5 2400 = 1:68

28/32hp 2620 or 3020mm wb 1904-9 2620 = 1:74.2

40/45hp 2750, 3225 or 3525mm wb 1904-10 3525 = 1:99.9

Looks the same as the Airfix 1:32 kit, which has the 2400mm w.b.

 

Really only the Model T is anywhere near close to 1:76 and even that would better suit 'Trix' than 'Triang/Hornby' 00.

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2021 by BernardTPM

[ianmacc]

5 hours ago, alastairq said:

A bit off-topic , for which i apologise, but for those who model in S scale [1:64 scale], I'd like to remind folks f the Tomy offerings?

 

Tomica, to be exact, who have a 1:64 scale Isuzu car, which of course, was the Hillman Minx!

It is a quite reasonable model indeed...and can be had in an number of interesting colours.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10372892

 

 

Hi

 

I’d start a separate thread for 1/64. This is diluted enough. 

 

To be fair 1/64 is far better catered for and possibly less in need of a thread. 

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

I got them off ebay in the last few years, but they must be over 50 years old. The paper has the 'Jet' labelling so wouldn't be in other versions. The original Harbutt's ones (1967, I think) came in small boxes.

Scales:

                                                             model w.b.      real w.b.             scale

1       1927 Bentley - Le Mans             35mm            9' 9½” 1        1:85.3      H0

 

2       1926 Bugatti Type 35                34.7mm         2400mm      1:69.2        -

 

3       1915 Ford Model T                     31mm              8' 4”             1:81.9  H0/00

 

4       1913 Sunbeam Tourer               30.25mm        10' 4½” 2    1:104.5   TT3

 

5       1912 Packard Laundaulet 3        29.25mm         9' 4”           1:97.3    TT3

 

6       1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash  30.5mm           5' 9”           1:57.5    55th

 

7       1905 Vauxhall Hansom                27mm              5' 9”           1:64.9       S

 

8       1899 Renault                                21.25mm      1150mm 4     1:54.1    55th

 

9       1904 Mercedes                            35.3mm        2400mm 5      1:68         S

 

10     1913 Morris Oxford 'Bullnose'   32.5mm           7' 0”            1:65.6       S

 

Research notes

1 or 9' 0” (1:78.4), but the Replica of original Le Mans car is not s.w.b.

2 I found many Sunbeams with 8' 6” w.b. but 1912 12/16 is stated as having a 10' 4.5" w.b. giving 1:104.5 scale (Also stated to be 167.2" long, 68" wide) & 1910 12/16 has 9' w.b. giving 1:90.7 (147" long, 64" wide). I am least certain on this one.

3 the prototype is a Model 18 (Model 30 is longer)

4 calculated from chassis plan with stated overall length of 1900mm

5 Sources differ, Wiki quoting 3540 and 2450, another contemporary source says about 8'10” (2700mm?) though that was a chassis for a four seater. The bigger Wiki figure looks doubtful so 1:100.3 scale unlikely. From Mercedes own website:

18/28hp 2100 or 2400mm wb 1904-5 2400 = 1:68

28/32hp 2620 or 3020mm wb 1904-9 2620 = 1:74.2

40/45hp 2750, 3225 or 3525mm wb 1904-10 3525 = 1:99.9

Looks the same as the Airfix 1:32 kit, which has the 2400mm w.b.

 

Really only the Model T is anywhere near close to 1:76 and even that would better suit 'Trix' than 'Triang/Hornby' 00.

 

 

 

The Mercedes can be kit bashed to represent other early vehicles with a similar shaped radiator. I have seen one converted to a FIAT lorry of the great war period. 

[PhilJ W]

While we are on plastic kits check out Roden. They make several models of the Great War period intended for military modellers including a B type bus and Vauxhall staff car and ambulance. These are 1/72 scale but by careful placing will not look out of place.

Edited July 9, 2021 by PhilJ W
spelling

[PhilJ W]

7 hours ago, ianmacc said:

The step side and ambulance have a few on eBay right now but all in the states and all with hefty postage. See what you mean about the former. 

There is also the Packard roadster I mentioned earlier on e-bay but again in the US.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113669833884

[PhilJ W]

Here is the Chevy pick up, there is one for £9.99 with free postage but its a later one with whizziwheels.

https://www.ebay.com/b/Tomica-Chevrolet-Diecast-Trucks/180273/bn_11908360

[otherplanet]

29 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

While we are on plastic kits check out Rodin. They make several models of the Great War period intended for military modellers including a B type bus and Vauxhall staff car and ambulance. These are 1/72 scale but by careful placing will not look out of place.

A slight correction, the correct spelling is Roden, They also have a FWD truck with a choice of load beds. Which although American built were refurbished in reasonable quantities and sold ex WD after the war.

Another similar company is RPM models.

They do a Model T ambulance and a a less useful model T machine gun car, which provides a good chassis for kit bashing, but the body is of little use. Although it claims to be 1:72. The wheelbase is exactly right for 1:76.

They also do a Mack AC truck with various body styles, although I think they were less common as civilian vehicles.

Note, they don't have a website, but if you search "rpm plastic kits"  you will find plenty of distributors.