1950s cars in 28mm scale?

[majorsmith]

Anyone know where I can get any? Diecast if possible? 28mm scale

[NickNascati]

pencilthings.com has a coule pencil sharpener card about the right size. Also ebay.

[Steve F]

See this thread on the "Conflicts That Came in from the Cold" board:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=93691.0

As I wrote there:

I want as close to 1/55 as possible, if I can get it.  1/43 looks enormous to me - the vehicles swamp the figures.  But 1/64 looks implausibly small - I can't see how anyone 28-32 mm high could fit in the vehicle.  Obviously, tastes vary.

For diecasts, some possibilities are:

Siku.  1/55 is one of their standard scales, and they have quite a few modern (21st century) vehicles in particular.  They also make lots of lorries and farm machinery in 1/50.

Mattel's Pixar cars models.  Nominally 1/55, and usually pretty close, with a couple of exceptions ("Filmore" the VW bus works out at 1/61, and "Tex Dinoco" the Cadillac Coupe de Ville at 1/66).  See what Constable Betrand did with the Police Cruiser and "Finn McMissile" the Aston Martin DB5 here:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=57694.msg806608#msg806608
Do look at the pictures of each model before buying: some are much cartoonier than others.

Lledo Days Gone diecasts.  They don't produce many vehicles for the Cold War period or later, but they are handy if you want to give an agent a vintage sports car.  Their 1930 Bentley 4.5 litre blower, for example, is ideal for John Steed and works out at 1/53.

Welly/Nex Models.  The packaging says 1/60, but they are actually made to fit the box.  So their VW Beetle (Type 1) works out at 1/57, their Citröen 2CV at 1/51 and their Austin Mini Cooper (the 1960s version) at a whopping 1/46.

Siku and Welly are, I think, still in production.  There are lots of Pixar cars in China (so many that I am not certain they are legit).  I vaguely remember something about somebody taking over the Lledo range, but my recollection is so hazy that I can't rely on it.

Sloppy Jalopy makes a resin commercial van that looks a lot like a Ford Transit as part of its Cold War 1/56 range, and Crooked Dice also makes a Transit van (and a Ghostbusters-style ambulance - I don't know if it's possible to leave off all the extra kit and use it as a regular ambulance).  Akula made Land Rovers and a VW van as part of his Apocalypse isle project, but I don't know if he is still contactable.

I'm glad to say that Akula is back with us.

Of 1950s vehicles not specifically mentioned above, Siku make a Citroën Traction Avant and a Mercedes 300SL.

[Arlequín]

I have these two places bookmarked myself;

Model Car World - http://www.modelcarworld.de/uk/main.php  

M2 Machines - http://www.m2machines.com/

They have ranges of 1/64 and 1/43 models. I have never dealt with either, so I can't comment on service or anything like that.

I tend to search by exact type on e-bay though, which is generally less effort than a manual search through 'die-cast' vehicles. I actually like looking at '50s vehicles (and late '40s ones are very Fallout too), so finding out individual types before a search is hardly a chore for me.

If you are looking for something like a Fallout-style big truck, try GMC (or other manufacturer) 'COE' (cab over engine) or 'snub nose' for your search.

1:43 cars are often more 1:Box, which means sometimes they work out to 1:56 or so and are ideal. It's very much a lucky dip. I think 1:64 models are too small for 28mm (as 28mm figures tend to be 28mm feet to eyes usually and 1:64 is 28mm feet to top of head), add in the base and they really look small then.

Bear in mind too that U.S. vehicles of the '50s were quite big in relation to European cars and do tend to look over-scale as models. Imported sports cars on the other hand look really small. The cab roof on a '50s Chevy pick-up should be about top of head height on Mr Average, while on a Sedan it should be somewhere between nipples and shoulder. There are plenty of photos of real vehicles about, so that you can check how close your model is to scale.

If you are getting these for a Fallout-style alternate world, the atomic-powered vehicles tend to be somewhat bigger than the real world items, so something in 1:43 might not look over-large.

Too much information? Sorry.  

[majorsmith]

Thanks guys, I only need a few vehicles, tamiya do a nice staff car which I think could work as a civi vehicle too, just need 2-3 for a bit of cover!

[carlos marighela]

The Disney Pixar range has a couple of suitable cars at 1/55 scale. 'Doc Hudson', which is a 1955 Hudson Hornet and there's also a 1949 Mercury Coupe (Sheriff) . There's also a 1959 Chevy Impala (Ramone). None of them need much more than a paint job to remove the anthromorphic features.

Welly do a 1/55 ish 2CV and a '50s vintage VW if you want something European. Good news is that a lot of the old Dinky line are being made again, in China. I recently picked up a nice Morris Oxford that works well with 28mm.

[majorsmith]

Thanks I'm after 1940s 50s us style those Pixar ones look great with a bit of work

[northtroll]

Check out gas stations and places that do tabs for autos. Some of these places have diecast toys for sale. I found an Oldsmobile and Lincoln that were 50's models at such a place. 1/43 scale as well.

[gary42]

There are a few Disney/Pixar "Cars"  that work well for 40's and 50's and they're scale is perfect.

[Steve F]

Just to note that, although the Pixar Cars toys are generally listed on ebay as 1/55, there is a bit of variation in scale among them (generally speaking, the bigger the car, the smaller the scale).  I don't have many 1950s models from the range, but "Derek 'Decals' Dobbs", a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, is a nice 1/53.  Some are quite out of proportion: "Nancy", a Citroën DS, works out as 1/54 by width, but 1/67 by length.

[Michi]

I think 1:64 models are too small for 28mm (as 28mm figures tend to be 28mm feet to eyes usually and 1:64 is 28mm feet to top of head), add in the base and they really look small then.

I agree on all points concerning 1/64th scale vehicles for 28mm, however it´s my chosen scale simply due to availability of models, variety of periods and the fact that a lorry still isn´t too big on the table. I have vehicles from Mattel and mainly Johnny Lightning for every decade of the 20th century from 1920 onwards.

[FramFramson]

I've used carefully-selected "box scale" vehicles which are 1:55 or close. I've used 1:43 as well, but any 1:43 models I have were specifically selected because they were models of cars which were originally quite small (like the Peugeot 301 or Fiat 508), so they actually blend perfectly with 1:55 cars.

The one thing I wish I could find which has eluded me is a true 1:55 Model T (car or small van).

[MalcyBogaten]

Personally. I use, "Looks Right" scale.
Or "LR Scale"

If the vehicle looks about right I use it. Just don't mix up two of the obviously same vehicle in different sizes.

But I find that 1/43rd and 1/48th look about right for 28-32mm figs!


 

[majorsmith]

Thanks for the help I think I'm looking at 1/43 really they are a bit pricey but the cars look great

[MalcyBogaten]

Look out for Toy fairs. There are a few in the Midlands which I go along to.

Always a good source of second hand Die-casts and old plastic junk others are selling off cheap!

£1 or £2 maybe less for some bits.