Please read the below points before you proceed
- Please note that the information provided here is from various internet sources that are mentioned, although we have researched before putting them here but still we don’t guarantee any accuracy of the information.
- Please consider this information as indicative only.
- Please note that the information provided here is just a basic info for general knowledge and for more detailed information, you can visit the links provided here itself.
- Please note, that we do not hold any responsibility for any kind of data loss or any kind of online data/security issue when you visit the provided links, please visit them at your own risk.
Understanding Scales as per the actual size of the car :
- A Scale Model denotes the reduced measurement of the model based on measurements taken from the actual car
- They are scaled down in size, in proportions as near exact as possible from real cars.
- The higher the scale ratio, the smaller the car will be
- For ex: 1:18 Scale Model Car would be 18 times smaller as compared to actual Car, and 1:24 Scale model will be 24 times smaller as compared to the actual car and so on.
- Approximate Length of the Model Cars as per the Scales:
1:18 Scale: 8 – 11 Inches (depending upon the models)
1:24 Scale: 6 – 8 Inches (depending upon the models)
1:32 Scale: 4 – 6 Inches (depending upon the models)
1:43 Scale: 3 – 5 Inches (depending upon the models)
1:64 Scale: 3 – 4 Inches (depending upon the models)
Know the manufacturers of your favourite models
BBurago – It’s a die-cast metal brand making toy cars founded in 1974 which had its origin in Burago Di Molgora (Italy) before it was taken over by May Cheong (Maisto) in 2007. Till then all the Bburago cars were made in Italy, but now the production has been shifted to Thailand & China.
Originally the company name was Martoys (1974 – 1976) after which it was renamed to BBurago (The name was after the place of origin (Burago-Italy) adding another B for Besana Family-The owners)
After the takeover in 2007 May Cheong decided that they will make most of the European scale models under the brand name of BBurago and other Global models under the name of Maisto to avoid an internal competition.
BBurago is into manufacturing of licensed die-cast scale model replicas of automobiles, aircrafts, motorcycles, track/play sets etc. in scales starting from 1:64 to 1:12 depending on the models.
Information Source : Bburago website & Wikipedia
Website: http://www.bburago.com
Maisto – Its again a licensed die-cast scale model manufacturer of automobiles, aircrafts & motorcycles founded in 1967 with the same parent company as BBurago. Maisto has its headquarters in California, although the company is based in Hong Kong and their products are made in Thailand & China. Maisto also makes replicas starting from 1:64 and goes on till 1:12 depending on the models.
Maisto is one of the leading manufacturers of licensed diecast scale models but collectors wanting finer crafting in the scale models can go for more premium brands like Norev, GT Spirit, Autoart, CMC, etc but they are quite expensive as compared to Maisto/BBurago.
Information Source : Maisto website & Wikipedia
Website: http://www.maisto.com
Motormax – Founded in 1997, it’s a die-cast scale model Chinese manufacturer who makes detailed officially licensed die-cast & plastic replicas and model kits of various vehicles. They have their headquarters in Hong Kong and their products are made in China. Their product range includes automobiles, aircraft, helicopters, ships & motorcycles in scales from 1:12 to 1:64 depending on the models.
Information Source : Motormax website
Website: https://www.motormaxtoy.com
Welly – Founded in1980, it’s a licensed die-cast scale model manufacturer based in Hong Kong and they also have their manufacturing facilities in China. They have around 30 years of manufacturing in die-cast model making. They make scale model replicas of automobiles, aircrafts, motorcycles ranging from Scales 1:18 to 1:64 depending on the various models. Welly is quite famous in die-cast model industry for its fine crafted replicas that are mostly true to scale and close to real.
Information Source : Welly die-cast website
Website: http://www.wellydiecast.com
New Ray – Founded in1987, it specializes in design and manufacturing of licensed die-cast scale model replicas of automobiles, aircrafts, motorcycle along with space kits & playsets ranging from Scales 1:18 to 1:64 depending on the various models. It has its headquarters in Hong Kong and the manufacturing facility in China. Die-cast scale models is its one of the best highlights of their extensive Product range having around 200 licenses and more on the way.
Information Source : New-Ray
Website: https://www.newrayusa.com
Road Signature – A brand owned by Lucky Die Cast Products Factory Limited (LDC). It’s one of the professional manufacturer in Hong Kong specializing in collectible hobby toys having more than 30 years of manufacturing experience. They have divided there product range under 2 brands:
Road Signature & Road Tough Road Signature offers detailed modern, vintage & classic range of cars, trucks and fire trucks model replicas along with accessories like vintage gas pumps ranging from Scales 1:18 to 1:64 depending on the models. Road Tough offers other products like toy vehicles, trucks, airplanes & play Sets for school children.
Information Source : Lucky Die cast
Website: http://www.luckydiecast.com
RMZ City – A brand owned by Uni Fortune established in 1996. Again, this is a Hong Kong based company having its manufacturing facility in China. They are into the manufacturing of wide variety of smaller-scale licensed die-cast cars & trucks ranging from scales 1:32 to 1:64. They are popular for making 1:64 scale truck scale models of MAN having containers attached to their rear chassis with additional licensing of DHL, Castrol, BP, etc. They are also popular for making DTM Race Series scale models in 1:32 & 1:43 scale although these have not been imported in India yet.
Information Source : Uni Fortune Website
Website: www.uni-fortune.com
Kinsmart – A brand owned by Kintoy was founded in 1992 with an aim to create die-cast toys for children as toys and adults as collectibles. They also have divided their product range in 2 brands:
Kinsmart & Kinsfun.
Kinsmart offers licensed die-cast replicas in scales ranging from 1:32 to They have licenses from over 30 car manufacturers and have about 200 Models in their product range. They are very popular amongst collectors for their latest models in 1:32, 1:34 & 1:32 scales (approximate scale).
Information Source : Kinsmart Website
Website: https://www.kinsmart.com
Evolution of Automobile Industry
(Please note that there is no single definition of these terms but we are just giving some basic info to get an idea)
- Antique Cars:
Manufactured between Year 1893 – 1919
- Vintage Cars:
Manufactured between Year 1919 – 1945
- Classic Cars:
Manufactured between Year 1946 – 1960. The classic cars were not only termed for their period of manufacturing but the cars which were expensive, having high performance engines, having luxury accessories were also known to be classic.
- American Muscle & Pony Cars:
Manufactured between Year 1949 – 1975. A muscle car is any vehicle having high horsepower to weight ratio. These were high performance cars with light body weight.
The 1st Muscle car is believed to be the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 stuffed with V8 Engine.
The body was based on the platform of Oldsmobile 76 but was lightweight, and this combination created the definition of a muscle car; a car with a light body but a powerful engine.
Then came the 1955 Chrysler C 300 and was known as America’s most powerful car.
In 1964 the companies like Ford, Chevrolet, Pontiac & Plymouth introduced cars named Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird & Plymouth Barracuda with sharp looks but deficient power and thus it created a new market termed as Pony Cars.
Pony Cars are often confused with Muscle Cars as they look similar but have less power.
But these cars were later upgraded with powerful engines in and around 1967. There were no pollution restrictions and no fuel economy standards by American govt. during this time. But this could not continue very long as in 1970, the Clean Air Act practically killed the use of high-performance engines.
The manufacturers detuned the powerful engines of 1960s to meet the govt. standards. In 1978, another act named Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) was passed in America and after this, the race for fuel-efficient engines began.
Information Source :
https://www.gentlemansgazette.com
Composition of a Die-cast Scale Model:
- A die-cast scale model is produced by putting molten Zinc or lead alloy in a mould to produce a particular shape .
- Now a days lead alloy has been discontinued and most of the companies now use Zamak (an alloy of Zinc with small quantities of aluminium and copper)
- Other materials used along with zinc alloy are plastic, rubber & glass as well in some cases.
- Recently Resin scale models have also been made for the customers who need a more premium finish in the Scale Models.
Resin Scale Models:
- Made with smooth and fine texture which helps the paint to stay for a longer period.
- Have a better shape and tight shut lines.
- Models are sealed and thus the doors, bonnet & trunk etc do not open.
- Delicate and structurally weak as compared to zinc alloy die-cast scale models
- Produced in small quantities as its more labour intensive and thus are quite expensive.
- Last long as compared to zinc alloy die-cast scale models as they are prone to deterioration and may result in blistering, expansion, distortion & cracking.
Information Source:
Know about general terms used in automobile industry
Sedan:
A car with a fixed metal roof with engine, passengers and cargo in separate compartments usually having 4 doors and a less steeply sloping rear roofline than a coupe thus having increased headroom for rear passengers and a less sporting appearance.
There are some 2 door sedans as well that are available like Mercedes-Benz CL Class & Chevy Monte Carlo but in India we don’t have a very big market for 2 door cars. A sedan can easily by recognised by its B pillar between the front and rear windows.
Coupe:
A passenger car with a steep sloping rear roofline usually with 2 doors (although some of the 4 door cars have been termed as Coupe). It generally has 2 seats or in some models 4 seats in a 2+2 configuration. Technically, a coupe is fixed top car with less than 33 Cubic feet of rear interior volume and a car with less than 33 cubic feet of rear interior volume is generally a 2 door car. There are some 4 doors coupe as well that are available like Lamborghini Estoque & Aston Martin Rapide but there is still a confusion whether to term them as sedans or 4 door coupe
Cabriolet:
It is a French word for convertible. A vehicle that has a hard/soft top retractable roof.
Roadster:
A vehicle that has an open top, 2 seats, 2 doors and is made for sport although it’s not a race car by any means. The appearance & character of a Roadster is Sporty. Every roadster is a convertible but every convertible cannot be a roadster.
Runabout:
A 2 seater open roof car like a roadster but a major difference is that the emphasis is on economy rather than performance.
Hatchbacks:
A vehicle that has a hatch type large door hinged at roof level at the back that swings upward when opened. Many other cars may have the same rear door opening upwards but the term hatchback is used primarily for a small car with a raise open door at the rear instead of a trunk which usually gives more storage space. In a hatchback, the cargo and the passenger area is a single volume and the rear seats can be folded to increase the cargo area. Skoda Octavia & Hyundai Accent Viva was a good and rare example of a sedan hatchback in India.
Touring:
An open vehicle larger and longer passenger compartments than roadsters having seating capacity of 4 or more often fitted with convertible tops.
Spyder:
Sporty vehicles with no roof over the cockpit like a roadster, but essentially, it has wheels with very thin spokes like legs of a spider which gave them this name.
Notchback:
It’s a category of car having 3 box design and the boot/trunk being hinged below the rear window. In these vehicles, the rear/boot/trunk is much shorter than the front and the middle part and the term is primarily used for sedans.
Gran Turismo (GT):
It’s an Italian word for Grand Touring. These are like racing cars designed for road use and not race tracks. They are meant for long drives so that you reach your destination not only quick but also comfortably. High engine performance along with excellent suspension systems
Crossover:
Also known as Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) is a type of vehicle with unibody construction meaning the body and frame are a single structure. It’s based on a car platform unlike an SUV which is based on a truck platform. As compared to SUVs, they have better interiors, they are more comfortable and more fuel efficient but has lower off-road capability.
Information Source: