Saturday, December 23, 2006
Collectibles: Kits making a comeback for model car builders
Thursday, December 21, 2006By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Santa's got a pretty big gift in his bag for model car nuts this year: a brand new store just for them.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Store, 135 E. Main St., Carnegie, has opened a new store next door devoted mostly to model kits -- those boxes of plastic parts that so many baby boomers and others tried to transform into models of their favorite cars.
It was never an easy process -- making all those parts fit, avoiding getting glue all over the surface and making the paint job look like something other than a finger painting. But it was a craze back in the day.
Up until recently, the kit industry has been languishing. With so many youngsters into techno toys these days, and with plenty of activities after school and on weekends, few have picked up the model-making hobby.
As a result, there seem to be fewer and fewer new toolings of kits, as many companies have long since turned their attention to already assembled die cast models of various sizes to suit collectors who have neither the time nor desire to assemble a kit.
But things are changing, and the kit industry may just be ready to stage a comeback, said Jim Pirone, owner of the two stores. The new store is stocked with more than 1,000 kits, including those from Tamiya, ERTL, Revell and other makers.
"This store will serve a more mature collector and modeler. Model cars are coming back because of retirees. They have more leisure time on their hands" and many of them remember the pleasures of model making, he said.
With large numbers of baby boomers expecting to retire in years to come, Mr. Pirone hopes that by opening the store, he will put himself ahead of the demographics.
Diecast models also will be displayed at the store.
Hot sellers this Christmas, Mr. Pirone said, include the 1961 DeSoto Adventurer Hardtop, the last model of that middle-priced brand before it went out of business.
The car, part of Yat Ming's Road Signature Series, is well done, with an accurate color scheme and proportions that reflect the real car. Given the cant of the tail fins and other intricate details of the design, getting it reproduced correctly is quite a feat.
The real treat is the interior. Back in the 1960s, vinyl portions of the seats often were shiny and sometimes in offbeat color combinations. It's beautifully duplicated here in its silver and black tweed glory, along with a speedometer and gauge package that precisely matches the unusual silvery white with black lettering combo used on the real car.
The rear view mirror sits jauntily on the dashboard -- correct for this car -- and the knobby pattern of the rubber on the brake pedal and accelerator also is spot on.
The engine is well done, though it looks a bit toylike. But that shouldn't bother people too much, given the hoses and other detail. The price of this car is about $25.
Another hit for Christmas will be the 2007 Mustang Shelby GT500 which sells for $42. Done by Shelby Collectibles, it is likely the closest most of us will ever get to the real car, which is pretty much already sold out.
The model I evaluated was silver gray, a new color along with the red and white versions previously available. All of the detail on this car are executed beautifully -- from the aluminum road wheels and blacked out grille to the unique dashboard. You'll also get a kick out of taking a look at the model of the 500-horsepower V-8 under the hood, which is quite nicely detailed as well.
If 1:18 models aren't your thing, you may want to take a look at the huge variety of Schuco models available at a price of about $30. The Mercedes Benz Gullwing Coupe model replicates a winning car that took the 1955 Mille Miglia race.
The famous gull wing doors, though appearing delicate, work quite well. When open, the doors let you see the brick red leather interior and white steering wheel that were hallmarks of this particular car. The road wheels are intricately replicated and accurate according to pictures that I have of the real car.
See what Santa will bring you if you've been nice.
Santa's got a pretty big gift in his bag for model car nuts this year: a brand new store just for them.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Store, 135 E. Main St., Carnegie, has opened a new store next door devoted mostly to model kits -- those boxes of plastic parts that so many baby boomers and others tried to transform into models of their favorite cars.
It was never an easy process -- making all those parts fit, avoiding getting glue all over the surface and making the paint job look like something other than a finger painting. But it was a craze back in the day.
Up until recently, the kit industry has been languishing. With so many youngsters into techno toys these days, and with plenty of activities after school and on weekends, few have picked up the model-making hobby.
As a result, there seem to be fewer and fewer new toolings of kits, as many companies have long since turned their attention to already assembled die cast models of various sizes to suit collectors who have neither the time nor desire to assemble a kit.
But things are changing, and the kit industry may just be ready to stage a comeback, said Jim Pirone, owner of the two stores. The new store is stocked with more than 1,000 kits, including those from Tamiya, ERTL, Revell and other makers.
"This store will serve a more mature collector and modeler. Model cars are coming back because of retirees. They have more leisure time on their hands" and many of them remember the pleasures of model making, he said.
With large numbers of baby boomers expecting to retire in years to come, Mr. Pirone hopes that by opening the store, he will put himself ahead of the demographics.
Diecast models also will be displayed at the store.
Hot sellers this Christmas, Mr. Pirone said, include the 1961 DeSoto Adventurer Hardtop, the last model of that middle-priced brand before it went out of business.
The car, part of Yat Ming's Road Signature Series, is well done, with an accurate color scheme and proportions that reflect the real car. Given the cant of the tail fins and other intricate details of the design, getting it reproduced correctly is quite a feat.
The real treat is the interior. Back in the 1960s, vinyl portions of the seats often were shiny and sometimes in offbeat color combinations. It's beautifully duplicated here in its silver and black tweed glory, along with a speedometer and gauge package that precisely matches the unusual silvery white with black lettering combo used on the real car.
The rear view mirror sits jauntily on the dashboard -- correct for this car -- and the knobby pattern of the rubber on the brake pedal and accelerator also is spot on.
The engine is well done, though it looks a bit toylike. But that shouldn't bother people too much, given the hoses and other detail. The price of this car is about $25.
Another hit for Christmas will be the 2007 Mustang Shelby GT500 which sells for $42. Done by Shelby Collectibles, it is likely the closest most of us will ever get to the real car, which is pretty much already sold out.
The model I evaluated was silver gray, a new color along with the red and white versions previously available. All of the detail on this car are executed beautifully -- from the aluminum road wheels and blacked out grille to the unique dashboard. You'll also get a kick out of taking a look at the model of the 500-horsepower V-8 under the hood, which is quite nicely detailed as well.
If 1:18 models aren't your thing, you may want to take a look at the huge variety of Schuco models available at a price of about $30. The Mercedes Benz Gullwing Coupe model replicates a winning car that took the 1955 Mille Miglia race.
The famous gull wing doors, though appearing delicate, work quite well. When open, the doors let you see the brick red leather interior and white steering wheel that were hallmarks of this particular car. The road wheels are intricately replicated and accurate according to pictures that I have of the real car.
See what Santa will bring you if you've been nice.
# posted by RW : 3:49 PM
