Jump to content

Which UK cars could be viable kits?


Paul H

Recommended Posts

14 hours ago, fightersweep said:

 

I'd buy one! My Dad had an orange Maxi. I passed my test on a Friday afternoon in August 1989. Fortuitously, my folks were going away for the weekend (a rarity believe me!) and Dad said I could use the Maxi at the weekend...but for work only. Well, me and my mates must have racked up several light years in that Maxi over the course of that weekend. Luckily, I don't think he checked the mileage before going away. It may not have been the coolest car, but it was "my" car that weekend, and the excellent Tardis like interior of the Maxi was unsurpassed in being able to pack in your entire posse. So I'd love a Maxi. Don't care if Airfix re-release theirs, or Tamiya announce one in 1/24 for 2021, I'll take whatever is going.

Fond memories indeed. ^_^ My parents had ours from new, and when they treated themselves to a new B-reg Carlton, the let us kids have the Maxi.  I passed my test in a blizzard, then took a couple of mates out in the Maxi up to somewhere near Heswall... I forget exactly.  The girl I was with could stand up in the back, and over the years it must have carried several mega-tonnes (seeing as we're exaggerating today!) of rubbish to the tip, which seemed to by all we ever did for a couple of years after we moved house.  The Hyroelastic suspension was pretty shot by the time I got hold of it, and I dinged the front wing a couple of months later.  I think I drove it for a few years until I could afford my own car, then my old folks sold it for a paltry £240 to some guy that needed a temporary car after writing his own off.  It probably went in the scrapper soon after, I'd imagine.  :( 0-60 in about 16.5 seconds if I remember rightly.  I got it up to 92mph once or twice, usually downhill and at that point the body would start to float on the suspension, which scared the bejeezuz out of me, so I never went any faster.  I half expected a Malcolm Campbell style flip if I'd carried on pushing it. :S

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Mike said:

let us kids have the Maxi.

 

My first car was the Maxi's little sister, an Austin 1100 complete with twin stromberg carbs and a 6 foot fibreglass whip aerial (anyone remember this?!) in the rear left wing. I passed my test in July of 1974 which was a lovely summer and had great fun bombing around in the thing with my mates until the weather broke a month or so later when the interior started smelling like a wet dog. Investigations revealed the front passenger side carpet to be sopping wet - probably because the floor was a piece of plywood that had been fibreglassed in around the edges.... I'm glad I didn't hit anything solid in it!! But seeing as I paid £75 for it I guess it's true you get what you paid for!

 

Keith

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Vauxhall Viva

I spent a lot of time during my early teens/10-12 (I forget which) pushing my dad's company Viva (a bilious yellow) around our road trying to bump start it.  That thing just wasn't interested in running on cold mornings.  Hateful thing :S

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For world-wide appeal, a Morrie Minor would have to be the go - that and an Austin A30, the chosen chariot of many a country parson!

 

And, although it's not Brit - a Volvo P1800 ... being The Saint's car would have to make it popular (and I could achieve my lifelong ambition of re-engining one with a Rover V8!).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Admiral Puff said:

For world-wide appeal, a Morrie Minor would have to be the go - that an an Austin A30, the chosen chariot of many a country parson!

 

And, although it's not Brit - a Volvo P1800 ... being The Saint's car would have to make it popular (and I could achieve my lifelong ambition of re-engining one with a Rover V8!).

Reasonable shouts, I think the Morris Minor has been suggested a few times.

 

The Volvo P1800 is sort of an honorary British car thanks to its Jensen-built bodies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Admiral Puff said:

And, although it's not Brit - a Volvo P1800 ... being The Saint's car would have to make it popular (and I could achieve my lifelong ambition of re-engining one with a Rover V8!).

 

Ahhh... that would be going into competition with this baby:

CYAN-RACING-P1800-%C2%A9JORDAN-BUTTERS-0

 

https://www.cyanracing.com/volvo-p1800-cyan

best,

M.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

 

Ahhh... that would be going into competition with this baby:

CYAN-RACING-P1800-%C2%A9JORDAN-BUTTERS-0

 

https://www.cyanracing.com/volvo-p1800-cyan

best,

M.

Ah, yes. the S60 TC1-powered P1800 from Valhalla. If I got 3-car garage for restomodded cars, Cyan P1800 will be there with Alfaholics GTA-R 290 and Singer 911 DLS.

Would be catastrophically expensive for my wallet.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

 

Ahhh... that would be going into competition with this baby:

CYAN-RACING-P1800-%C2%A9JORDAN-BUTTERS-0

 

https://www.cyanracing.com/volvo-p1800-cyan

best,

M.

That's it! A conversion begging to be done!

 

I actually had the idea of sticking a Rover donk into my old 1972 142DL, but keeping it street-legal. It would have been the ultimate Q car ... The problem was that by the time I could afford it, life had got well and truly in the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think there is room for another classic Mini kit. 
The Tamiya is getting on a bit and now hardly obtainable. Sometimes to get the bits you need mean raiding the various different kits, especially the wheels. 
The Fujimi is a good kit but the wheels are way oversized, 12” designs but look 13-14” on the kit and look really odd. Moulded on arch extensions and curb side only are other little negatives. 
The Revell probably is the best so far being newest but it’s a bit niche being the 1071cc (or is it the 970cc) Cooper rather than the more popular 998cc Cooper or 1275 Cooper S. Also now pretty hard to find. 
 

An early shell with separate rear panel would cover Mk1/2 a later Mk3 shell would cover most later models up to the last Sports pack Cooper. 
 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 19/01/2021 at 15:05, VMA131Marine said:

 

What about a Jensen Interceptor?

1024px-1971_Jensen_Interceptor_MkII,_fro

 


 

My boss has this exact colour one. Gorgeous car.

 

I did ask in a shop in London if any companies made models of these and he suggested the main problem for manufacturers was the shape of the back window it was very hard to replicate properly. I can't say how accurate his statement was but it seemed plausible at the time. (He could have been simply fobbing me off.😀)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, chrisrope said:

I think there is room for another classic Mini kit. 
The Tamiya is getting on a bit and now hardly obtainable. Sometimes to get the bits you need mean raiding the various different kits, especially the wheels. 
The Fujimi is a good kit but the wheels are way oversized, 12” designs but look 13-14” on the kit and look really odd. Moulded on arch extensions and curb side only are other little negatives. 
The Revell probably is the best so far being newest but it’s a bit niche being the 1071cc (or is it the 970cc) Cooper rather than the more popular 998cc Cooper or 1275 Cooper S. Also now pretty hard to find. 
 

An early shell with separate rear panel would cover Mk1/2 a later Mk3 shell would cover most later models up to the last Sports pack Cooper.

I have both the Tamiya & Revell Minis, and couldn't see what all the hype was about with the Revell one when comparing the sprues to the much older Tamiya. E.g. I remember that there was one reviewer declaring that the carbs on the Revell were so much better moulded than the Tamiya.  However  being very familar with real SU carbs, I'd take the Tamiya ones any day!  The Tamiya kits are also far more prototypically correct, in addition to going together really well.  I haven't built the Revell yet, so cannot comment on ease of build but reviews suggested it was well engineered.  Given the low prices last time it was reissued, I reckon that another reissue of all Tamiya's versions would sell very well, even more so if they were to tool new sprues to cover additional options.  What is missing though as you say, are other variants, whether later or different bodystyles, but given that Tamiya has rereleased their Minis several times before, I do wonder if anyone is prepared to take the risk?

 

1 hour ago, Stef N. said:

I did ask in a shop in London if any companies made models of these and he suggested the main problem for manufacturers was the shape of the back window it was very hard to replicate properly. I can't say how accurate his statement was but it seemed plausible at the time. (He could have been simply fobbing me off.😀)

He was fobbing you off - I can see nothing in the shape of that car that hasn't been successfully injection moulded elsewhere already.  There's all the '50s cars whose massively wrapped around glazing has been replicated in model kits. as well as aircraft canopies.  Also AMT's Ford GT90 snap kit has an even more complex one piece mouding for its glazing (I have one in my display cabinet which I've just been to look at).

 

Sadly I believe that the real issue with the Interceptor is that it would not generate sufficient sales volume to become an injection moulded plastic kit.  I say this despite really wanting a scale model of one, to the extent that many years ago (long before the 1:43 Oxord diecast was available) I made a set of detailed drawings to make one, and as for the rear window, that was going to be vacuum formed.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Paul H said:

Sadly I believe that the real issue with the Interceptor is that it would not generate sufficient sales volume to become an injection moulded plastic kit.

And yet we have kits of the AMC Gremlin and Pacer

1024px-Gremlin_side_(5903000893).jpg
 

1024px-1975_AMC_Pacer_base_model_frontle

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the Gremlin is, shall we say, 'special'? If we say bad things about it, it may well run off and cry.

As for the Pacer, "Party on Wayne!"And that's probably about the only reason a model exists. Though I think there were some drag racers?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Chimpion said:

Maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised not to have seen anyone suggest an Atom yet - it would make a great kit with so much of the chassis frame and internals visible.

 

Atom 3.5R or Nomad R would be excellent. Would put it alongside Mono 2.5.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...