[Jersey_Devil]

So far I didn't really collect Formula 1 cars and I only had two F1 models (my childhood favorites: Brabham BT 52 and Renault RE-20). However, recently, I watched some F1 documentaries and thought that I should have a small F1 collection as well. Since the old Exotos are neither getting more plentiful nor any cheaper, I felt I'd better do this now or those models would become completely unattainable. I also got some Minichamps, a Spark and a Truescale model to round off my small F1 segment. So, these arrived over the last two weeks.

Cheers,
Chris

Boy, when you commit, you COMMIT, Chris! Amazing collection of adds over such a short period! I'm a long-time Exoto fan (more of my collection comes from that manufacturer than any other), so I empathize with your decision.

And after painstakingly recreating my model tracking spreadsheet recently as a prelude to starting to sell off a significant number of my babies, the itch still exists and in the last four days I took two deliveries. One was an Exoto (what else?) Chaparral 2 (the so-called "fully restored car" which is ALMOST identical to the 1965 Bridgehampton and Road America winners except for the odd choice of Goodyear-labeled tires on a car that never used anything but Firestones). The second was an AUTOart 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 as raced in that year's 24 hours of Le Mans (but failed to finish):

The Porsche arrived in a shipping box that looked like an NFL lineman sat on it (the most crushed part was where there was a large, red sticker saying "FRAGILE: Please Handle With Care - 'Thank You'"). I was nervous as hell and took detailed pics of the box before opening it - and found the seller had filled the box with inflatable packing balloons and the AUTOart clamshell had done its job so inner box and model were untouched

.

Now waiting for my Tecnomodel McLaren M20, arriving Saturday (I still haven't gotten this "leaving the hobby" thing down yet)...

 

[Jersey_Devil]

My last add for the time being: Tecnomodel McLaren M20-Chevy driven by Peter Revson in the 1972 Can-Am series:

 

[Jersey_Devil]

It's shiny...

. I've been looking at it and comparing it to pics of the car as raced ((as usual I ignored pics of the car from current times) and the paint job is superb (though it may just be the natural color of the resin - I don't know how the molding process works for resins). The shape appears right (though the front fender flares MIGHT need to be slightly higher compared to the dips by the doors). The cockpit is sparse as a '70s Group 7 car would be, though the dash is the wrong shape and the fire extinguisher is too small. The windshield should have a lip curving up slightly at the edge facing the driver.

Someone at Tecnomodel is in love with chrome, using it liberally for everything metal. I did some research and confirmed that on Denny Hulme's #5 the exhaust trumpets are a flat silver grey and the rollover bar is black, while on Peter Revson's #4, the trumpets are silver grey up to the flared tops which then actually ARE chrome, as is his rollover bar. But the support struts for the rear spoiler, both the horizontal ones connected to the rollbar and the vertical ones under the spoiler should all be black (though I have also seen pics where the horizontal struts of the #4 were silver, too).

The rear of the body should have vents at the top of each of the four blanked-off rectangular spaces. The rear exhaust funnels should extend above the taillights instead of being parallel to them. The decals are accurate as far as I could see.

Most annoying is the large chrome nuts on each wheel - no such things on the 1:1, though the wheels themselves appear correct.

All-in-all, it's pretty, made for display (since it comes with a base in an interesting stage-like box and, like most resins, nothing opens) but I would never pay the standard Tecnomodel price for it (I sniped it in an auction at well below list). Like most Tecnomodels, this falls in the category of a must-buy only since it is the only release of the car in 1/18th - but never at their excessively high starting prices. The only one of their releases for which I would consider paying list (which I did and decided against) is the long sold-out McLaren M6A (and possibly the Penske Sunoco M6B) which they released in ridiculously low numbers (120 or less of each!).

 

[Jersey_Devil]

I never understood Tecnomodel's business plan - they release cars most of which have never been released in 1/18th, some of which are incredibly desirable to significant portions of the collecting community but they limit the release sizes so LOW! The factory Can-Am McLarens sell out most of the time (they just announced the upcoming release of four variations of the M8F, in 1971 the last non-917 to win the Can-Am series - I posted pics in the Tecnomodel thread).

Considering the less-than-ideal quality of their releases, if they priced them significantly lower, they'd sell a lot more, as I've seen numerous discussions of them that end: "I'd REALLY like to get that but it's just too expensive for a resin, especially one that doesn't approach Spark quality".

I'm in that group; they have a Ferrari 330 LMB, the intended successor to the 250 GTO that never panned out. My distaste for resins is overcome by the fact that they have one that was driven by my guy, Dan Gurney, to a class win in the 1963 Bridgehampton 500. I'd love to have it, but not at their price.

 

[Jersey_Devil]

I don't pretend to understand the process, but maybe the cost of producing moulds that would support production of 1,000s of resins is far higher than one which supports production of 100s?

If the difference was, say, 10 fold ($20,000 vs $2,000) then the gamble on selling enough to cover the cost might make the whole project impractical.

M

Before I wrote my little review of my new acquisition above, I did some research and watched videos about the processes of creating diecast and resin models. The two relevant facts that came out of that were 1) a clear understanding of why the diecast mold process is so expensive and 2) the fact that resin molds are delicate by comparison and deteriorate after far fewer uses than diecast molds.

Even factoring that in, I'm not asking for thousands of copies - even 500 of each (or an initial run of 120 with the potential for future additional runs based upon sales) would seem to make more sense from marketing and collecting perspectives rather than a hard stop at 120. And they are releasing so many different models that Tecnomodel MUST have the finances and infrastructure to extend their release limit of each. If they are going to mass-produce models and not aspire to the quality of Spark, their primary competition in resin racing models, then they need to lower their prices because any Spark blows a Tecnomodel out of the water in quality of execution AND price.

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Well, I was weak again.

A seller on eBay had a buy-it-now price of $500 for an Exoto Ferrari 312 T4 which has a lower wishbone whose leading arm broke away from the chassis. He sent an offer of $325 to people who had saved the auction to their Watchlists. I bit my lip, but watched it expire and then sent a counter-offer of $275 - which he accepted!

It can use some cleaning up, but I'm VERY happy with this (seller pic below):

A nice way to celebrate my getting a job yesterday after TEN MONTHS unemployed

....100% remote, too, so I will be saving on gas, wear-and-tear on my car (my last job required commuting 110 miles roundtrip daily) - and clothes (or at least on pants - LOL!).

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Still feelin' the burn - this Exoto Chaparral 2F arrived today. I got it for a great price to go with my teammate #7, the only blemish on an otherwise MIB model being a broken left lower control arm (seller's pic):

 

[Jersey_Devil]

OK - last add before I return to the 9-to-5 grind next week...Exoto Chaparral 2E, MIB (which will replace the shell-shocked one that was a victim of the French rubber band shipping snafu (seller's pic):

 

[Jersey_Devil]

(seller's pic):

Have you made the fatal mistake of announcing it before it arrives!

[/quote]

I have made a point of including brief shipping instructions to non-professional sellers (meaning nearly all eBay-ers) after my many in-transit disasters and this particular one sent me photos of her clearly informed packing work that make me feel confident this baby will make the trip safely.

The T4 wing breakage was because the seller had the external Exoto box and I made the mistake of assuming that meant it also came with the standard protective styrofoam clamshell. It did not and his very thorough and careful packaging left that one part under-protected (though he did include supports for it, trying to bolster the rear wing's stability, he should have surrounded the wing completely with a firm, relatively unyielding cardboard frame to prevent any movement - similar to how a HANS device protects a race driver's neck).

To quote Tony Randall from an episode of "The Odd Couple": "If you assume, you make an ASS of U and ME!"

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Slarti, that's EXACTLY what Randall did on "The Odd Couple":

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Very nice Chaparrals

, i love these old Exoto models. Unfortunately they are super fragile, it's hard to find one in perfect condition.

Do you plan to do a complete review on your Tecnomodel Mclaren Can-am ?

I basically did one when I responded to questions about my ad of it in this thread, though without my usual historical background:

https://www.diecastxchange.com/forum1/topic/229575-what-did-you-buy-today-part-ii-please-post-one-pic-per-add-and-do-not-quote-pics/page__st__950#entry4245495

I'm starting a new job on Wednesday and, in addition to having to set up and test my company-supplied laptop and monitor (!) that UPS delivered today, I'm in the process of cleaning up the humongous pile of shipping boxes and packing materials from all my models that I spent last weekend finally freeing to be stored in their original boxes. So it may be a while before I post more of my usual reviews.

I'll post a status update when I've got something to share - I have a significant backlog of models to write up

!

 

[Jersey_Devil]

I hit the jackpot today and had a model arrive INTACT (USPS must've not realized it was for me so they didn't use the box for soccer practice as usual

).

This is the Exoto Chaparral 2E, model of the car driven by team designer and driver Jim Hall to 2nd place to his teammate Phil Hill in the 1966 Laguna Seca Can-Am, the only win for the iconic team in the series. It's a replacement for the one I received three years ago that resulted in my posting a story in our "Diecast Disasters" thread: https://www.diecastxchange.com/forum1/topic/204649-how-do-you-say-rubber-band-in-french/#entry3655201)

But this seller did an excellent job of preparing this MIB model for shipping and I was so pleased, I photo'd it right away (the wing's a little wonky because I didn't want to force it in place permanently since I was going to rebox it):

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Love the 2E. I have the two-car set and a plain white car too. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful cars ever created.

I agree wholeheartedly

! I have the #65 with rolling chassis (I assume that's what you meant

) too and also the ultra-rare #66 Mosport Can-Am model (note the lack of trim tabs on the wing and nose, which first appeared at Laguna Seca):

 

[Jersey_Devil]

My collection of cars is currently at 200 (

), but I also have a couple of Hot Toys action figures (limited mostly because that is a path I don't need to venture too far down after all that I already go through for my cars!).

I have the "Iron Man 2' War Machine (a character I've loved since my comic book collecting days and the Iron Man cartoons in the Nineties but mostly because in the mediocre IM2 movie, I LOVE the battle scene in the park featuring Iron Man and War Machine vs. Ivan "Whiplash" Vanko and his drones) and the "Captain America and the Winter Soldier" Falcon. Since then I've been comfortable loving Hot Toys' releases from afar (Boba Fett, I NEED you!).

But when the email advertising for this figure arrived yesterday, I got that feeling immediately: I HAVE to have it! One of the most iconic scenes in all the Marvel movies is Tony Stark testing his first sophisticated Iron Man equipment ("Yeah - I can fly"):

Surprisingly reasonable considering the prices of a lot of HT releases lately, I went against my gut and pre-ordered it (hey, I've been scarred by years of Exoto pre-ordering horror stories

!), going for the Deluxe, Sideshow exclusive version. It won't be available until first quarter 2022 (!), but...

Yeah - I can wait...

 

[Jersey_Devil]

A great story and wonderful generosity and unselfishness, Craig

!

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Ozz - love the Toyota! I had the previous year's #28 but sold it...

A couple of days ago I sealed the deal on a very nice diecast but since I have some doubts about the seller, I'm going to remain mum until I see the package on my doorstep...

In the meantime, I briefly left my normal comfort zone by straying into 1/24th scale (!) with a buy of a car I've wanted for some time. I'm not a big NASCAR fan but I do consider Richard Petty a favorite and have several of his cars in 1/18th. But no one ever released in that scale the most controversial drive of his career, when he left his longtime company, Plymouth, to campaign a FORD for the 1969 season (seller's pic):

I haggled the seller down to $55 (minus shipping) so I'm pleased at this add.

 

[Jersey_Devil]

I was on YouTube looking at a three-parter of the 1964 Road America 500 and although my original reason for coming on the site was just to verify the number on the Chaparral 2 in the race for one of my histories here, I watched the whole thing. Fascinating...

And I was struck by the fact that Jim Hall not only entered a Chaparral, he also entered a Corvette Grand Sport, the same one he and some hired gun named Roger Penske drove in the Sebring 12-Hours earlier that year. The pair and Hap Sharp would co-drive the GS while also rotating in the Chaparral (they'd do the same thing in next year's race, replacing the now-retired Penske with Ronnie Hissom and Bruce Jennings - no, not that one! - and finish 1-2 in two Chaparrals). In the 1964 event the Chaparral retired with brake issues but the Grand Sport would finish 3rd, losing 2nd place to the Ken Miles/John Morton/Skip Scott Cobra roadster in the last few minutes due to having to stop to fix a loose wheel.

I'm not a classic Corvette fan, but that history made me sit up and pay attention when I found out that Exoto issued a model of this car. In addition, this add is an example of eBay's "Make An Offer" option working the way it's supposed to: REALLY well in my favor

.

This is an internet pic:

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Thanks, snowman and Dirk - I think my previous disinterest in the Vettes may have led me to miss a lot of reviews and analyses here on DX of the Exoto versions. I tend to skim past cars that are not in my usual personal categories, but I hope this is an indication that I'm not too old to change

!

And, trust me - when I do my post on the Chaparral GS, the background of all five of those cars will be told because you are so right: it IS an amazing story!

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Previously, I didn't want to mention this eBay purchase, because I had some concerns about the seller in China, but it arrived today (Sunday) well before the expected date and in perfect condition, so he earned his positive feedback.

This is the AUTOart Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12 which won the 1975 Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers as the Willi Kausen-run team dominated that season's World Championship of Makes. I was aware of this model but never thought of getting it because, frankly, it's UGLY. But I saw a YouTube video of an unboxing of one and the features, details and execution are superb (working suspension!). And there are not a lot of 1/18th diecast racing models left out there to pique my interest.

Here is a cam shot to whet your appetites before I remove and photo and do my history thang on it:

 

[Jersey_Devil]

Sorry, Simon, going to repeat my assertion: it's YEW-gly! Nothing like the macho lines of the Ford Mk.II or the Italian sensuality of the Ferrari 330 P4. But it was an outstanding car and won seven of eight championship events so by definition, if it wins, it's beautiful.

But it shore ain't pretty

!