rob Lyttle Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hi, does anyone know of kits in say 1/32 or1/24 of racing cars from this era? Ferrari, Vanwall, Hawthorn, Moss, Ascari . Connaught even.... I can't find a single thing relating to these fabulous, beautiful cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Smer and now I think heller do/did and old alfa from the 50s Shaun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozothenutter Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 MFH did some aswell... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 OK, thanks for this so far. I'm mostly planes, and not up to speed on car kit makers, built a few smer kits that were pretty rough (!). Who's MFH? 😐 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shood23 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 15 minutes ago, rob Lyttle said: Who's MFH? 😐 Model factory hiro, they make multimedia kits. They are quite expensive but normally for some of the older or not winning cars the only place to go. Shaun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harveyb258 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Merit do the Connaught, BRM P25 and a Vanwall......http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COLLECTIBLE-VINTAGE-MERIT-RACING-CAR-ASSEMBLY-KIT-1956-CONNAUGHT-IN-ORIGINAL-BOX-/292001166033?hash=item43fca032d1:g:bz8AAOSwo4pYe87E Hope that helps! Cheers,H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Merit also did Talbot-Lago (repeated by SMER). Alfa Romeo, Maserati 4CLT, Maserati 250F, Mercedes W196 (open wheel), D-Type Jaguar and Aston Martin. The Ferrari was the 1956 Lancia-Ferrari. These were in the late 1950s. The only one I've seen in years and years was the SMER Talbot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 The only one that springs to mind is George Turner Models ( http://www.georgeturnermodels.com/ ). There 1/32 and for slot car racing so little engine detail but so well detailed for scale. He did an early 80's kit a few years back, I bought 3 and were a joy to build but he really specialises in the era your after. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastcat Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hi Rob, In addition to the above, there are also a number of resin kits by Fernando Pinto in Portugal. They are in 1/24 and are on sale on eBay only as far as I know. Wire wheels, where applicable are laced with wire, not photo-etch and are excellent. Bodies have a bit of flash to clean off but the shapes are pretty good. Expect to pay around £120, about half of what an MFH kit costs. George Turner models in 1/32 resin are very good, there are also several others in similar vein. They aren't cheap, especially taking into account having to buy wheels and tyres. Also, extra work will be required to convert to a static model. Expect to pay around £60 plus in total. Hope that gives you a few ideas. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthewbacon Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 The Merit ones appear on eBay from time to time, but they are quite pricy, especially in good condition, more so with boxes as well!. Only the Alfa 159 and Talbot Lago have any kind of engine detail... which is probably why they survived to be reissued as kits (I suspect the Merit models were originally intended for slot car racing or scenery). But given the sparse detail of the others, you can buy a basket case for the body, and add aftermarket wire wheels and other scratch details to create a pretty good model. Given that you're really just getting a body shell shape, you could go the whole hog and scratch even that! There are many, MANY useful 3-view plans to be found here: http://www.vsrnonline.com/Mags/MC/MC_Plans.html Happy hunting! best, M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I'm afraid that the Merit models predated slot car racing, at least the more public variety. Sometimes I feel old. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 Thanks for all! I was well into slot racing in pre-decimal days, with sidewinder chassis, spongies and vacform body shells. Got a few model car mags somewhere from back then! Those kits sound well out of my price range, but where do you get wire wheels and tyres? Is there still a slot scene going on, and is anybody on here into it? (Ya got me thinking now...!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 The Talbot Lago has just been rereleased by Heller. (I assume it's the same kit, rather than a new tool). It's easy to get hold of at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 Champion, I been having a look around with some of these keywords... I don't think it is an oldie reissue. I get the impression the Lago is a new tooling. What do I know... I never heard of some of these till this afternoon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 Sorry Chimpion, the ole spell check was on the case there before I knew it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 In whitemetal; http://www.sefinecast.co.uk/Contents.htm several in their range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob G Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 The Heller Talbot-Lago first saw light of day in 1979. Apparently it's quite good, and in the unusual (for racing car models) scale of 1/24th. Might be worth picking up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastcat Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hi Rob, The Heller Talbot isn't the same as the Merit kit. It was a new tool in 1979! Having said that, it's significantly better than the Merit version in all aspects. It does, with a bit of effort, make a good model. There's still an interest in slot cars. You'll find wheels at Pendle Slot and a number of similar outlets. You should find plenty if you Google something like - 1/32 wire wheels. If not, mooch around on Pendle's site. They're a pretty decent lot to deal with. If you're talking 1/24 wires, Pinto sells his on eBay. They're not cheap. Also Profil 24 sell wires (p/e), rims (turned alloy) and tyres. You can adapt the p/e to use the kit rims. Again, use your search engine for others. Google "slot car racing" in your area to see if there's a local club. Also have a look here:http://f-one-thirty-two.proboards.com/ You should find a bit of inspiration. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Interesting to see that the Heller kit isn't the same as the Smer/Merit one. I hadn't looked into it - I just assumed there wouldn't be enough interest in the subject for two different toolings to exist. Sounds tempting, but F1 cars really should be in 1/20 to be compatible with the best. I know Revell do theirs in 1/24, but Tamiya have set the standard to follow. Forced to choose one option, it has to be Tamiya and Fujimi in 1/20. I'm happy to build any other cars in 1/24, but somehow can't bring myself to do it with an F1 car. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 21, 2017 Author Share Posted January 21, 2017 This is all good stuff! You guys are all having a good time over here in the car/ non military vehicle section!! Gonna have a look around on some build threads etc. See what you're up to.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 We really do need some state-of-the-art kits of the cars from that era. As a kid I had a few of the Merit kits; I've still got a Connaught in a box somewhere. An H-16 BRM, done to today's standards in 1:20, would be the dog's ...! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicarage Vee Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 It certainly would be nice to have some cars from that era, and several others. Generally, coverage pre mid 70's has been patchy at best, which is disappointing. Ebbro have filled some of the gaps very well but, to my mind, they are very pricey although they look very nice indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czechnavy Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 A good link in to GP cars of this era is: http://www.themotormuseuminminiature.co.uk/ run by a father and son team who have developed a miniature car museum about 18 x 4 feet (6 x 1.5 metres) stocked with 1/24 vehicles. They display this museum each year at Scale Model World at Telford (both have been IPMS members for many, many years) as well as at many other UK model shows. Their webpages list many of the kits available as well as having other interesting pages showing how they build their models. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 Wow, just had a look around the site! That's some collection isn't it? Must keep a lookout for them at a show. Thanks for the tip off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronatwrittle Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Hi Guys - I am a new member and this is my first posting - when I was a teenager (60 years ago - scary isn't it) I had many hours of pleasure building 1/24 scale Merit Racing |Car Kits - sadly some have gone missing over time but I still have 11 of them all fully constructed still in their boxes along with the assembly instructions - I have - 1950 Alfa Romeo Type 158,1949 GP Lago-Talbot, 1956 Aston Martin 3S, 1956 BRM, 1956 G.P. Vanwall, 1956 GP Maserati, 1956 Lotus MK X1, 1954/5 Simca Gordini, 1956 Cooper 500 MK 1X, 1954 'D' Type Jaguar and a 1956 GP Connaught (Syracuse) which somehow has ended up in the box for a 1948 4CLT Maserati The decision now is what to do with them as by my calcul;ations they have lived in a suitcase in the lofts of 5 different houses 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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