My life's cars in 1:43 scale
Discussion
A couple of years ago I saw on here a thread about collecting cars you've owned in 1:43 scale and thought it was a great idea. I didn't even know if this was possible, but scanning ebay showed it might be.
I didn't want just the cars though, they had to be in the right colours inside and out, with the correct registration numbers added. So I've had to become expert in taking apart and repainting/respraying them, as not all were available in the right colour to start with. The majority are Corgi Vanguards, there's a couple of MiniChamps, and one (expensive) Silas Models resin Humber Sceptre. The two Vauxhalls are Schuco dealership models, which are very easy to take apart (no glue or rivets) and beautifully detailed inside.
Interiors are handpainted in Tamiya acrylics. Outsides were paint-stripped and resprayed in Tamiya primer and rattle cans, mainly Plastikote enamels and Hycote (The Range do a great selection of these in the correct car colours). Number plates were simply printed on photo paper.
So here we are:
From the Mini to the Shogun is every car I owned from 1977 to 2005 in chronological order.
After that is a selection of classic cars I've owned since then.
The top two are my teenage car inspiration;
the Mk1 3 litre Capri that was our family friends' who visited every Saturday morning and was parked in our drive, and
the Lotus Seven from when we spent all our spare time hanging round Caterham Cars where my best mate's older brother was a mechanic building them, and the first car I went over 100mph in when the salesman took me out for a drive.
It's been fun collecting and building them!
I didn't want just the cars though, they had to be in the right colours inside and out, with the correct registration numbers added. So I've had to become expert in taking apart and repainting/respraying them, as not all were available in the right colour to start with. The majority are Corgi Vanguards, there's a couple of MiniChamps, and one (expensive) Silas Models resin Humber Sceptre. The two Vauxhalls are Schuco dealership models, which are very easy to take apart (no glue or rivets) and beautifully detailed inside.
Interiors are handpainted in Tamiya acrylics. Outsides were paint-stripped and resprayed in Tamiya primer and rattle cans, mainly Plastikote enamels and Hycote (The Range do a great selection of these in the correct car colours). Number plates were simply printed on photo paper.
So here we are:
From the Mini to the Shogun is every car I owned from 1977 to 2005 in chronological order.
After that is a selection of classic cars I've owned since then.
The top two are my teenage car inspiration;
the Mk1 3 litre Capri that was our family friends' who visited every Saturday morning and was parked in our drive, and
the Lotus Seven from when we spent all our spare time hanging round Caterham Cars where my best mate's older brother was a mechanic building them, and the first car I went over 100mph in when the salesman took me out for a drive.
It's been fun collecting and building them!
Thats very impressive, Ive been trying to do the same thing over a number of years and have managed to get a few but still not been able to source or convert the missing ones.
Nearest I've been able to achieve is to create all the BT / Openreach vans I had over 35 years I worked for the company but as AI created Hot Wheels models.
Nearest I've been able to achieve is to create all the BT / Openreach vans I had over 35 years I worked for the company but as AI created Hot Wheels models.
You’ve got some skills there, they look fantastic!
I’ve tried to do the same, but I don’t have the nerve or skills to colour match and I couldn’t get the right generation/spec for some of them either.
For the life of me I can’t find a 1:43 Morris Ital (and ideally an estate at that), there are no variants of R8 Rover available at all which surprises me and also the S3 Elise’s available are Cup variants.
One very lucky find was a Montego on eBay - it’s LHD and from an Italian part-work magazine of all things.
Still, I’ve really enjoyed searching and love looking at my collection so I’m happy
The search continues…
I’ve tried to do the same, but I don’t have the nerve or skills to colour match and I couldn’t get the right generation/spec for some of them either.
For the life of me I can’t find a 1:43 Morris Ital (and ideally an estate at that), there are no variants of R8 Rover available at all which surprises me and also the S3 Elise’s available are Cup variants.
One very lucky find was a Montego on eBay - it’s LHD and from an Italian part-work magazine of all things.
Still, I’ve really enjoyed searching and love looking at my collection so I’m happy
The search continues…A great idea, thankyou, i ll have a try at this!
My first car was also a grey mini (1967, red interior)
I ve just ordered one to get the ball rolling,
Wrong couloir of course.
Will be a good challenge, if it works out the rest will follow.
Any chance of a close-up of the mini, to see what I should aspire to?
My first car was also a grey mini (1967, red interior)
I ve just ordered one to get the ball rolling,
Wrong couloir of course.
Will be a good challenge, if it works out the rest will follow.
Any chance of a close-up of the mini, to see what I should aspire to?
RotorRambler said:
Any chance of a close-up of the mini, to see what I should aspire to?
Here ya go... it's actually the simplest one I did I think, an old Vanguards with just silver discs for headlights etc. I resprayed it grey and repainted the interior.I think the photos make it look worse than it is in reality.
This is the original!
I have a variety of models in 1:18 of some of my current and older cars in the right colours but nothing like thisGassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff