Here are some photos of automobiles I received from someone dismantling their layout. I would like to identify the manufacturer and ensure these ate 1:160 vehicles. These are cast vehicles. They seem to be N scale, but I have no idea who the manufacturer might be. They were cast in one piece except for the wheels which were glued to the finished model. These are metal. The two station wagon types in the front row are GHQ as that is imprinted inside the cast metal bodies. The back row is all similar construction; two pickup trucks on the left and two 1957 Chevrolet's on the right. There is a metal base or bottom with wheels attached. The metal painted shell is added to that. The term :Racing Champions" and "China, 1997" is stamped on the bottom. For a size comparison, here is a photo of the cast truck next to the metal cars. This is the rest of the cars; I'm pretty sure they are N scale as I have some like them. It's a nice addition to the layout. I am not sure I should have so many autos as it is a hassle to remove them when I clean the layout. Maybe I should glue them in place and just vacuum the whole thing. What do others do as to attaching cars and people to your layout? Thanks.
The Racing Champions are 1/144th. Used to find them at toy stores about 10 years ago. I don't glue my autos to my layout, I just move them when I vacuum. It is kind of a pain, but then I like to move the cars around every once in a while so gluing them down is not an option for me. As far as people on the layout, I haven't figured that one out yet. I've got hundreds of people stashed away - not a soul on the layout.
I let my autos roam with no glue, just like the 1:1 prototype. That blue 50s Chevy truck may be a Wiking?
Track is Peco code 55. I just piled the cars there for a quick photo. I have some school buses that seem much too large to me. Photos of them tomorrow. In fact, placing these cars next to an N scale boxcar will give a good indication of acceptability in scale. The tires on a vehicle should approximate the width of standard gauge track, no?
The red convertible is a Lineside Models(nee Road Apples) 1966 Mustang Convertible stk#2088. Still available From Richard Plantz Hobbies. Check out this website!!! http://www.rphobbies.com/lineside-models.html The red truck chassis is a Walthers/Magnuson Models Delivery Truck (without the box)... the green one could be the same with a scratch built stakebed. These may be oversized... certainly the green one looks too big... maybe 1:144. Hard to find... discontinued... not an actual prototype... just similar to the 1950's IH-R390 like CMW (Classic Metal Works) has done. The Jeep is from Tires N Tracks. I think they are discontinued... mostly military stuff... they did a 55 Chevy Nomad too. I'm not familiar with the two blue cars... could be Lineside Models/Road Apples. They look like 197X Plymouth Dusters... but don't recall ever seeing them as resin kits. The two pick-ups and the two 57 Chevy Belaire' are from Racing Champions... and I've been told they were 1:144 as well. As mentioned above... a 1990s product sold in department/toy stores. Discontinued... can be found in swap meets or eBay. The GHQ Chevy Suburban stk#51002 has been discontinued... though there is a similar one still available (stk#51014) which is a fire rescue version. The other GHQ is the Dodge Grand Caravan stk#51006, which is still available. Hope that helps. Oh.. BTW... I normally would NOT glue down my vehicles... since I would move them around to change the scenes a bit. If I had to do so... perhaps Woodland Scenics Tacky Cement would be a good choice since it is not permanent.
Flash, A 1:144 scale model is 10% over sized, which does not seem to bother a lot of people. However, when you mix the various scale sizes in a limited space, someone is bound to notice. The cast resin vehicles in the first photo appear to be old Road Apples, some are 1:160 scale and some are not. And, like others have stated, I like to be able to move my vehicles around, so gluing them down is out of the question for me. Besides, how often do you need to clean the layout? I clean mine only about once a year whether it needs it or not. Carter
I've got lots of vehicles from defunct manufacturers (and some still active ones too) which are not true 1:160 scale. The problem has been that until about 5 years ago... most of us had to 'settle' for close-enough. Thankfully... CMW, Athearn, Atlas, Woodland Scenics and Wheels of Time has been slowing filling in some of needs... but we still need a whole lot of stuff. The Lineside Models (former Road Apples) really are decent stand-ins as long as you don't get too close (and photograph them ). Other makers of resin vehicles have come and gone... Cars N Scale (now done by Fine N Scale I think), Ultimate N Scale (now Panzerschiff Models?) Camden & Amboy, Magnuson/Walthers & Tires N Tracks are now relics compared to the newer RTR models. In the metal model department... Showcase Miniatures, GHQ, Wheel Works and Alloy Forms are also being slowly displaced or have folded their tents as well. Gone are the days where we had to make due with Wiking European vehicles, Kato Japanese vehicles... or Bachmann & LifeLike crude imitations of vehicles. We just need more stuff to fill our appetite for these items and the manufacturers are woefully slow to add new products... but... eventually we'll get there.
Thanks for the info. I am amazed that you guys can remember all those manufacturers and the specific type of vehicle they made back then. Here are the school buses. Too large by any measure, IMHO. That is a Kato Conrail SD40. Here is the Walthers/Magnuson Models delivery truck. I could convert it to a tractor of some type. The stake bed is scratch built by Doyle Bond. It even has an opening in the rear behind the cab for the rear window.
Pickup Trucks Here is a group of pickups. Atlas in the center and the fuel truck in the back is Classic Metal Works. The rest are the Racing Champions vehicles. maybe not too bad for scale. Here is an interesting view. Left to right: CMW, Racing Champions, unknown. (Road Apples? It's pretty old.) Should be some interesting projects. I'll be finished in time for the Houston N Scale Convention. Maybe.
You can use the racing champions in the foreground as long as you don't put true N scale autos and trucks next to them. Passenger station parking lot?? maybe? or the front lot of a industrial building (large one would keep the cars larger size less noticable. I was experimenting with this a few years ago to see if the cars could be incorporated into the layout without being too obvious. R
Yep... it certainly looks like this photo from an e-tailer which carries the GHQ line of vehicles. The old Bachmann and LifeLike vehicles from the late 1960's/1970's were real hard to hide. You could create a beautiflully scenicked layout and have these monstrosities bring down the work of the entire layout. Those vehicles really needed some work to get them to look decent... but that Corvette imposter is beyond recourse. The machinist who created that mold was obviously impaired... perhaps not blind... but a bad case of astigmatism. lol
Are you sure you don't mean the Bachmann Camaro? It's proportions are horrible. The Corvette on the other hand can be improved enough for use as a background model. Here are some photos of the Corvette before and after a little upgrading. Carter
Carter that is a remarkable N scale vehicle make-over! I'm wondering how long it took you to transform that Bachmann heap of disfigured plastic into that fine vehicular sculpture which would make Rodin blush!
This was my second attempt, but I really can't remember how long it took. I just started filing away the plastic that I didn't want to keep. I will post a photo of the first attempt in the other currently active automobile thread. Carter
the racing champions micros are 1.5" replicas- not 1/144 scale. of the street vehicles, only the 1932 ford 5-window cruiser and the 1998 chevy tahoe are different (a bit shorter). don't believe everything you read on retail packaging. in conclusion, the closer the prototype is to being 20 feet long, the closer to N scale the RC micro vehicle is. for example, the 1959 cadillac convertible, the 1998 chevy suburban, and the 1999 ford f-350 supercab dually are very close to N scale. the 1964-1/2 mustang, the 1932 ford, the 1935 ford pickup- are obviously too big. these cars make great models for shrink-casting to nscale- usually in one step. hope that helps...
