Help Needed in Identifying Cars.

[Rivera]

I've been looking for a couple of police cars and came across these diecast models but am mostly in the dark as to what make and model they might be.  I was hoping that you gentlemen could help me out?

The first one is a Porsche I think but as to the model .....



As for the next two I've no idea at all.



This one has a couple of raised ridges on the roof, intentional or not I'm not sure.



Many thanks for looking.

[Thargor]

Top one looks very much like a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S.

Middle one is a Dodge Viper I think.

No idea on the bottom one though.

[Svennn]

The first is a Porsche for sure, some 911 derivative, take your pick. I would guess the second is meant to be a Dodge Viper and the third an Aston Martin V8.  Would like to see the fronts before saying for sure.

Where are they from?

[Rivera]

Many thanks for the swift response guys - I forgot to post a picture of them next to a couple of minis so I'll get on to that soon.  They do fit in very well with the slightly larger 28mm figures though.

I picked them up at the local Poundland for, you guessed it, £1.00 each.  The Lowestoft branch was selling out quite quickly and only had the Aston Martins left, perhaps they'll restock.

[Rivera]

A couple of comparison pics - the first is of a Studio Miniatures "Mia" and the second of a Zombicide Zombie which are both a little bit larger than the average 28mm figure and seem to work well next to the Porsche.

[Constable Bertrand]

I'd have guessed the bottom car was some kind of BMW Z4 coupe based on the headlights/deck lid.

[eilif]

Interesting.   Not exactly ideal as police cruisers, but 1gbp is a great deal for any 1/43 die-cast and with a quick coat of paint they'd be ready for the street.

[Rivera]

Many thanks for all the help chaps, it's much appreciated as I can now go ahead with the correct colour schemes.

If anybody finds some more types of automobiles on a trip to the pound shop could you give me the nod please?

[Connectamabob]

They aren't good police cars, but they do look like great finds as 28mm cars in general.

Cop cars in the US are always American cars, and always 4-door sedans or 4-door SUVs. You'll never see a 2-door or 2-seat cop car. Not a real one made for real police use, at least- there've been sports cars tarted up as cop cars for auto shows, but not for real life police work.

[Constable Bertrand]

Unless it's the United Arab Emirates.

[Connectamabob]

LOL, true. But the Dubai supercar police fleet is more about PR and conspicuous consumption than actual policing. They sort of try to spin it as being about high incidences of speeding, but that doesn't really wash. It's really about maintaining their image as a party town by and for the super-rich.

[eilif]

If you're looking for american cop cars, Crown Vics are/were the quintessential US cop car.  They are available fairly commonly online, though I don't know if that holds true for the UK.

Here's one seller from lithuania
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-CROWN-VICTORIA-INTERCEPTOR-police-kinsmart-TOY-model-1-42-scale-diecast-/251916388451?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa7630863

[Rivera]

Thanks for the link Eilif - I think that I'll go down the Crown Vic route as they seem to have a bit more character than the new replacements.

[eilif]

Thanks for the link Eilif - I think that I'll go down the Crown Vic route as they seem to have a bit more character than the new replacements.

You're very welcome!
  Even though they haven't been made for 4 years, you still see ALOT of them on the road and they're probably still the car folks most folks in the USA (Especially in urban areas like here in Chicago) associate with police.

The other neat thing is that if you're still gaming in a decade and the Crown Vics aren't as representative as you'd like, you can just repaint them as Sedan's.  They're are a very popular car, especially among lower-middle class and poor folks because they are sturdy, reliable and easy to self-service and find parts for.  In 20 years you'll still see Crown Vics, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Towncars (all the same "Panther" platform cars) being driven by civilians.

A while back I found some on ebay in CPD livery.  Not perfect printing, but good enough for my figs. 

http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2014/12/chicago-police-from-tactical-miniatures.html
They still pop up from time to time.  Look for the "Welly" brand.   "Kinsmart" is a bit more common, but they are slightly bigger and tend to have more generic markings.