Some random thoughts here......
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on anything. I have worked in the hobby biz for many years from retailer, manufacture.
1. 1/25 scale was 'invented' because big 3 US auto manufactures gave model companys 1/10 scale wooden bucks of the new cars coming out. A 2.5 ratio pantagraph was used to 'trace' the bucks....thus 1/25 scale. !/24 scale used by others was just based off 1/2" to foot. Box scale did not come into play with most model cars. That was a plane and ship thing.
2. The 1/48 scale automotive project sounds fantastic. I've talked to folks about it for years. I currently work with a plastic kit manufacture and they produce most of their items in China. I've pitched the idea to them....but it's an 'unproven market' that they do not see crossing over into other ends of the hobby spectrum enough to make it viable. That does not mean it wll not work....just they will not put out the cash to try. They did offer to help me invest my cash in a project of 1/48 scale cars.....more a way to shut me up....but I decided not to go there.
3. The boring stuff like finance. shipping, import 'logistics' (hate that term) LICENSING (any replica of a US manufactured car will require OK from owner.......and yes....we pay a license fee on our HUDSON car kits.....even though they went out in 1957) and many other tasks will eat all your free time and then some. BTW cash is the easy part of licensing......getting the owner to talk to you is harder.
4. 1/48 scale in China is not an issue but will cost you more than a 1/43. Tooling cut in China tends to stay there. I'll not get into the politics......but that's the norm. A tooling company knows that and figures after you end your project they will still have the 'assets' to use in one way or another. So want 1/48.....you will pay 100% plus cost as it is not usable later.
5. Still interested??? If so I applaud you. I do not pay the bills, fight the fights, arrange shipping and customs etc.....but the little bit I do can be frustrating. I have had great joy seeing something I had a hand in land at my front door, open it and see my work.....manufactured half way around the world. But my work is 99% fun.....the head man gets the headaches.
I have some ideas that I think would work for a 1/48 scale line of cars. I'll not go into them here.....if you want to talk or any input I'd be happy to talk offline.....e-mail is in my profile. But look at it this way......start today and look for product first of the year 2018......that's were we are right now.
Good luck in whatever you do.
Dave
