An Incredible O-Gauge Model Car - and Made in China, too

Awesome.  Right now I'm working on painting up one of my plasticville trailers (a hot pink one that I've been wanting to paint for a long time) white with metallic metal windows and panels on the bottom to represent the trailer my dad lived in for the first couple years of his life.  It's looking good so far.

I always love seeing models of real memories.

A very nice looking car. Do the doors open?

http://www.american-excellence.com/?page=home

Dear Lee,

I'm really happy for you.  That is an "AWESOME" Cadillac Coupe.   You'll need to share some photos of your grandfather's house with this Cadillac parked out front when you get the house placed on your layout.  Enjoy this Cadillac and the good memories of your Grandfather. 

Killian

Union Pacific Big Boy - http://youtu.be/e9LRVWq_exE

VETERANS HOME - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

It is very good Lee!

Maybe you can build your Grandfather's home from memory? Just a thought.

Cheers.

I will use memory - a lot.  But I have a grocery sack of Kodak snapshots I inherited from my parents, and Google street view (the house is still there, much as it was 50 years ago).  

Ten-twelve years ago I built this subdivision in N gauge (sorry the photo is fuzzy, it was a .4 megapixel camera, and its not quite done in this phot, not all the driveways and detail, etc, yet).  My grandfather's house is the white two story on the corner, with the red brick chimney, the one behind it my youngest boy's house, the two just north of it my two older's boys houses.  My current house is across the street, and every house in the subdivision is one I owned, my parents or grandparents owned, or my boys owned.  I tore up the layout but saved this subdivision.  When it was on the layout a Faller car system school bus went up and down the streets at a scale 25 mph.   It was my favorite part of my layout. 

Anyway, I won't have room for all these houses in O gauge, but the most important memories I will model.  

Nice Caddy Lee. I have it in black, green and burgundy and others like the 52 Chevy, 56 Poncho, 58 Chevy Impala, a hearse in silver and some others. A E resin models are the latest in 1:43.

Bob

That is a great car. I have been looking for late 30's, early 40's cars with almost no success. After a while the choices of pick up trucks, 50's yat ming rag tops and others just gets monotonous. 

The ones I have seen are just more money than I want to put into die cast, considering the layout is not close to completion. I may get to the point where I go with just a couple of well placed vehicles in building scenes.

PS: BK - I know you seem to always have vehicles available. Feel free to email me if you have anything in the era I seek.

I wish they made some of these cars, or any cars for that matter, in 1/48 scale.

For my taste, the 1/43 vehicles look to big. A 16-foot long full-scale car should be 4.00 inches in 1/48, but it ends up being close to 1/2-inch longer in 1/43 scale. I prefer 1/50 sclae cars, but those are not easy to find either.

Just my preference.

Alex

    The doors/hood do not open, mainly because this feature is not wanted by 1:43 car collectors due to a noticable gap in the body (referred to as "shut lines"). However, this feature can be handy for train layouts and dioramas for "action scenes" with figures. On eBay, look for 1:43 Franklin Mint models. These usually go for $15.-$35., and they have opening doors and hoods.

Pricey but nicey!

The fifties are my favorite decade for cars. This model will make a beautiful addition to your layout. A while back at the Dupage Train Show, I bought two fifties Brooklyn models for $ 10 each. I am always on the look for models like the one you showed. Nice purchase.

Our model train importers might do well to get in touch with the factory where that car is made. Realizing it's only a single item from a single run, the QC looks to be there.

Very nice car - thanks for sharing.  I model the 50s too so this is very useful information for me.

Automobile modeling paradise would be: 1) this kind of quality and detail 2) in 1/48 scale 3) with more four-door models 4) from the 50s and before. 

Thanks for all the comments.  Some thoughts . . . 

Yes, 1/43 is about 10% too large for true scale, but . . . I also have many New Ray cars (some New Ray like the '55 Olds, buick and Pontiac convertibles are as small as around 1/53, I think) and I place the big cars up front and the smaller far back to force perspective.  

I love the accuracy, etc., of this American Excellence model, but frankly it's lost from more than six inches away. Most of my cars cost about $5 - $15.  Viewed from two feet or more, ten dollars or certainly twenty dollars has all the detail you can see. 

I also love cars and trucks with opening doors, and trunks.  The "shut lines" look terrible - just way too wide, if shut, but they look fine open and so I use them, like most do I assume, for small scenes with the trunk open and people loading luggage, getting in and out of the car, etc.   That is a lot of fun.  

I wish they made some of these cars, or any cars for that matter, in 1/48 scale.

 

For my taste, the 1/43 vehicles look to big. A 16-foot long full-scale car should be 4.00 inches in 1/48, but it ends up being close to 1/2-inch longer in 1/43 scale. I prefer 1/50 sclae cars, but those are not easy to find either.

 

Just my preference.

 

Alex

I agree 100%. I wish we could get 1/48 scale cars. Well, maybe someday. I can't tell that the 1:43 cars are to long by eye but I can see that they are too darn wide. I just don't understand why someone can't make affordable cars in our scale at the same price point as a comparable 1:43 car.

Phil

According to my 1:43 model car reference book "American Wheels", New Ray (aka Nu Ray) cars are 1:48, even though they say 1:43 on the packaging. However, they are all convertibles.

The reason they don't make 1:48 cars is that we "train people" are but a grain of sand on the beach, total market wise. To make matters worse, 95% of us faint at the thought of spending more than $7. on a model. Serious 1:43 collectors are mainly found outside the U.S., do not have model trains, and spend $30.-$250. or more for a car. Brooklin Collector Clubs are worldwide, and they cost over $100. each.

I've measured some of the New Ray vehicles against the prototype dimensions, etc., as I google them on wiki, etc.  They seem to vary from about 1/53 to a true 1/43 for some of the trucks, etc.  I'm fine with them, though: they are inexpensive and look good, so I use them, whatever size, as they fit on the layout.  I like them, actually.  I have converted the Chrysler 300 and some others to Superstreets drive trains.  They are good models overall, just not exactly scale.  But that does not matter.

I'm an emergency vehicle 'junkie' and collect them as  well. I was happy when they released the Cadillac ambulances - one of which resides on my layout. One thing about Resin vehicles is you can't expose them to direct sunlight and dust

Another big "downside" of resin models as far as I am concerned is that they are not easy to convert to Superstreets chassis -- so you can make them run.  I've actually never tried resin but I know plastic bodies do not convert well.  All stock SS vehicles come with diecast metal bodies because so much weight in needed to push their spring-loaded center contacts down and keep their wheels on the rails in curves, and there is not enough room inside the bodies to place weights.   So, so far, I've only been able to convert die-cast metal cars.  

I like this '49 Caddy so much I looked at trying it, but it would be an expensive experiment and one I'm not sure would work.  I'm content to have it just sit parked in front of the bank on my layout. 

I really like the Nash Ambassador!  I remember being carted around in a 59 Rambler Ambassador.  It would be great to see a Nash or Rambler offered as a low priced model.  

Harry email has been sent.

Bob

Passenger train says he bought two Brooklin cars for $10.00 each. You should have played the lottery that day you either stepped in something, the cars were badly damaged, they weren't Brooklin or the seller was drunk.

Bob

Harry Doyle if you have an interest in something and ask for an email to be sent, then you should reply with a yes or no.

Bob

The 1950 Nash Rambler by Franklin Mint is very well done, for about $30. on eBay. Unfortunatly, the most Nash offerings are pricey handbuilt items, but even those only cover 1935-1954.