Wednesday, December 16, 2009

MOTORMAX 1/43 1949 BUICK ROADSTER "RAIN MAN" MOVIE


Rain Man is a 1988 comedy-drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. The film stars Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt, Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt, and Valeria Golino as Charlie's girlfriend, Susanna. The film won four Oscars at the 61st Academy Awards (March 1989), including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor in a leading role for Hoffman. Its crew received an additional four nominations.

It tells the story of an abrasive yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, Raymond, a savant, of whose existence Charlie was unaware. After autistic savant Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) inherits three million dollars from his deceased father, his younger brother Charlie (Tom Cruise), in an attempt to trick him out of the money, learns some valuable life lessons.




This is 1949 Buick Roadster from the Rain Man movie. Features:• Depicts Actual Movie Scene• Precision Die-Cast Replica Vehicle• Protective Clear Plastic Cover Included• Measures 10" L x 4.5" H x 4" W• Crafted to 1:43 Scale Buy it now

Thursday, December 10, 2009

ANIMAL! GREAT VEHICLE "THE MUPPET MOVIE"


Corgi re-released it's four 1979 Muppet figures in vehicles in 2002. These were a lot more mass produced so you're a lot more likely to find one in good condition and also still in it's original packaging than the 1979 versions.




Of the four Muppet vehicles, Animal is the vehicle/figure that looks the most similar to the 1979 original. The vehicle displays well on the orange base as it also does in the original box with a nice big plastic observation window. It is secured to the orange cardboard by metal twist ties which can easily be loosened so you can slip each wheel out without cutting them. Wheels all move, in fact the vehicle rolls very smoothly, you'd think with the wheels not being completely circular that the vehicles wouldn't move well but nothing could be further from the truth, in fact if there's a slight angle on the surface you are displaying it, Animal will roll away.




The other three vehicles in the Muppet 25 years release incidentally are Fozzie in a blue old fashioned ute (it was red in the 1979 original release), Miss Piggy in a pink car and Kermit in a yellow car.





Animal himself is pretty well detailed holding his drum sticks ready to bash on the large drums which make up the back wheels or the cymbal or smaller in front of the cockpit thing. Animal's signature is on the undercarriage as well as the two front wheels and top drum. The two rear wheels have the Muppet show logo on them with Kermit coming out of the letter O. It's a good car which you should be able to get boxed in new condition for just a couple of pounds (British sites are where it's the most common being Corgi and all).--James N Simpson

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

SCHUCO 1/43 VPLKSWAGEN T2A MIMIBUS FROM DIE LUDOLFS TV SHOW


What happens when reality TV meets one of Germany’s biggest car junk yards? Die Ludolfs, a funny look at a not-so-typical family business. With over four million spare parts-and no computers-chaos is the name of the game. Add the dynamics of a multi-generation family business and you’ve got one of the biggest hits on German television. Naturally a business like this acquires a variety of interesting vehicles. But die Ludolfs add their own distinctive touches, applying distinctive paint and decorations to every one. Schuco is a legendary German toy manufacturer, founded in 1912. The company achieved worldwide fame with its toy cars manufactured in the '30s, '40s and '50s, many of which were patented. While Schuco continues to issue a limited number of metal retro-toys for collectors, today the company is better known for its amazing diecast vehicle replicas. Working directly with manufacturers and car collectors, Schuco painstakingly re-creates each vehicle in miniature, often incorporating tiny details only visible with a magnifying glass. Most Schuco models are issued in specified limited quantities, and once gone, will not be made again. That’s why wise collectors know that a Schuco model isn’t just a purchase: It’s an investment with a lifetime return of enjoyment. Buy it now

Sunday, November 22, 2009

CORGI 1/43 SCALE – AUSTIN 1300 FAWLTY TOWERS



It’s television folklore captured by Corgi. Who hasn’t seen the sketch of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) giving his Austin 1300 Traveller ‘a damn good thrashing’ with the branch of a tree after it refused to start. And who hasn’t felt like doing the same at some point? This model captures that moment, in the episode ‘Gourmet Night’, well, helped by the backdrop included in the pack. For those whose memory needs a jog the even is detailed on the model’s box: With a drunken chef and a missing lobster, there is no choice but to drive to a local restaurant to collect an available duck. It’s then that the car breaks down.

The Austin model is well reproduced and the hand painted white metal figure of Basil Fawlty is fair- we’ve seen worse. Like the series, this model is a laugh.

If you have heard rumours about specially packaged versions, they are true. In a flash of genius Corgi has released an exceptionally small number of the models with variations on the ‘Fawlty Towers’ hotel name, to read ‘Fatty Owls’ and other, less polite, variations, following a running joke in the actual series.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

ERTL COLLECTIBLES MONKEES DIECAST COLLECTOR VEHICLE


THE MONKEE MOBILE 1:18 Scale 2002 American Muscle / Ertl Collectibles MONKEES Die-Cast Collector Vehicle. It vaguely resembled a GTO, but what started out as a "goat" emerged as pure "Monkee!" When customizer Dean Jefferies was contracted to build a car for the TV show about a rock group and its zany misadventures, he knew just what was needed. While the front grille sported a GTO emblem, Jefferies' extensive modifications included a tall split windshield, and extra row of seats where the rear deck was, a T-bucket convertible top, large fender flares and exapperated taillamps. The engine sported a 6-71 supercharger, although the blower was a dummy, as the car had too much power and was difficult to drive with the original blower.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

SCALEXTRIC - THE ITALIAN JOB MINIS




In recognition of possibly the greatest ever British crime caper, three of the stars from the 1969 cult classic, The Italian Job, are now faithfully reproduced by Scalextric.

An icon of design when the film was released, the three Mk1 Austin Mini Cooper S’s captured the hearts of movie fans the world over; starring in one of the most memorable car chase scenes in cinema history.

Incredibly, for the shooting of the getaway scenes the cars were only slightly modified to achieve the array of dazzling stunts. Movie cars are generally heavily modified to cope with the strains of stunt driving, but the Coopers were race bred, extremely light and incredibly tough in all the right areas.

The Mini originally went into production in 1959 and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2009, the same year that The Italian Job celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Each car is liveried in the correct shade of red, white and blue complete with the individual licence plate numbers. The Italian Job Minis are not suitable for conversion to digital operation.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

MARILYN MONROE WITH FORD THUNDERBIRD

Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model.

After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early roles were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received. She was praised for her comedic ability in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch, and became one of Hollywood's most popular and glamorous performers.

The typecasting of Monroe's "dumb blonde" persona limited her career prospects, so she broadened her range. She studied at the Actors Studio and formed Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her dramatic performance in William Inge's Bus Stop was hailed by critics, and she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like it Hot.
The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide," the possibility of an accidental overdose, as well as the possibility of homicide, have not been ruled out.

In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute.







There is justifiably now much interest being shown in the 'Corgi', with their interesting range of vehicles. This model is Ford Thunderbird in silver grey bodywork with cream & pink interior, opening boot & bonnet and diamond headlights. It has Marilyn Monroe figure.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

1968 FORD MUSTANG GT 390 STEVE McQUEEN BULLITT MOVIE CAR


Bullitt is a 1968 American thriller film starring Steve McQueen. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the novel titled Mute Witness (1963) by Robert L. Fish (aka Robert L. Pike). Lalo Schifrin wrote the original music score, a mix of jazz, brass and percussion.
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing (Frank P. Keller) and was nominated for Best Sound. Writers Trustman and Kleiner won a 1969 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.



Bullitt is probably best-remembered for its car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, regarded as one of the most influential car chase sequences in movie history.The scene had Bullitt in a dark "Highland Green" 1968 Ford Mustang 390 CID Fastback, chasing two hit-men in a "Tuxedo Black" 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum.
In 2007, Bullitt was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".



This is 1968 Ford Mustang GT Green 1/43 Steve Mqueen Bullitt . Made of diecast with some plastic parts. Detailed interior, exterior. Has plastic display stand with plastic show case. Dimensions approximately L-4 inches long.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

CINDERELLA'S COACH


'Cinderella's Coach' from the film The Slipper and the Rose, was a strange choice for release, appealing more to girls than boys, and was only available until the following year. The 1/42nd scale all plastic model was finished in gold with four white horses, a footman dressed in pink, and Cinderella herself, also in pink, seated inside. A photograph and signature of Gemma Craven (who played Cinderella in the film) featured on the window box, but as a TV/Film related model, this one is a pumpkin.



Saturday, August 15, 2009

THE OPEN-TOP ROUTEMASTER 'DISNEYLAND BUS'


The open-top Routemaster bus was produced as a ‘Disneyland Bus’ (no.470), pleasing finished in pale yellow with red interior, stripe and ‘Disneyland’ decals. Disney character decals were displayed along the advertising area of each body side and the 1/65th scale model proved popular during its single year production run.

Monday, August 3, 2009

CORGI: KOJACK'S BUICK


'Who loves ya, baby?'

If you've got the lollipop and the hairline's retreating swiftly, go the whole hog and buy Kojack's Buick. It's a re-release of an buy Kojack's Buick. It's a re-release of an old Corgi 70's favoutite, and now there's a white metal Kojak figure incorporated with the model, albeit a little over scale. He replaces the plastic Kojack and Crocker figures.

The brown Buick is the same moulding as ever, neatly finished with opening doors. The original colour of the model was a metallic dark brown; the new version is a more authentic light brown. However, there's a mystery surrounding the car that Kojak himself might not be able to fathom. The box says the model: 'was originally released in 1976 and included a mechanism recreating the sound of gun fire, which is still featured on this model.'

Either modern guns have better silencers than they did in 1976, or there is no mechanism on the new model. It used to be operated by a revolving toothed wheel at the rear of the car where the number plate should be, this produced a clicking gun noise. -- Model Collector See more

Friday, July 17, 2009

TOP TEN MOVIE CARS


Cars.com staff picks the top ten movie cars. Shot and produced by: Alex Braun, Sarah Gersh and Eric Rossi Edited by: Lindsay Bjerregaard and Alex Braun

CORGI: STARSKY AND HUTCH FORD GRAN TORINO



The red and white ‘Starsky and Hutch Ford Gran Torino’ capitalized on the highly successful American ‘cop’series and captured the imagination well. However, its contours were a little crude and the wheels were far too small. The white stripe label was also prone to being poorly aligned. Early versions of this 1/35th scale model had clear windows and a yellow interior, and featured posed figures of Dave Starsky and Ken Hutchinson apprehending a suspect. Later versions had solid black windows without any interior or figures, but it did gain twin rear aerials due to the casting being altered slightly for the Corgi Torino Road Hog. Production ceased in 1985/86. A limited run included the Junior version in the same box.


'1976

1976 Ford Gran Torino "Starsky & Hutch" Diecast Car Model 1/18 Die Cast Car by ERTL

Thursday, July 2, 2009

McHENRY's TRIKE IN MAGIC ROUNDABOUT


To complement the earlier 'Magic Roundabount Car', corgi produced a complete range of vehicles, figures and setting that included the 'Mr.McHenry's Trike' (no.859). The Trike, also plastic and finished in red, featured Mr McHenry at the controls and Zebedee inside a working Jack in the box trailer that was permanently coupled. The real finishing touch, though, was the 'Playground' diorama that included a musical carousel and an assortment of figures. The car, train and trike were able to run on the racked road system that ran around the edge of the layout. An excellent, well portrayed range available for only one year and now extremely rare.

Friday, June 26, 2009

CHARLIE'S ANGELS CHEVROLET VAN


Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men. The series was broadcast in the USA on the ABC Television Network from 1976 to 1981 and was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. Charlie's Angels was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. In pre-production, the original proposed title was The Alley Cats.
Three women, the Angels (originally Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, and Jaclyn Smith), graduated from the Los Angeles police academy only to be assigned such duties as handling switch boards and traffic. They quit and were hired to work for the Charles Townsend Agency as private investigators. Their boss, Charlie (voiced by John Forsythe), is never seen full face — in some episodes the viewer gets to see the back of his head and his arms, talking through a phone while surrounded by beautiful women — assigning cases to the Angels and his liaison, Bosley (played by David Doyle), via a speaker phone.

Charlie's Angels is episodic in nature, as opposed to serial, thus each episode shows the Angels finding themselves in new situations in which they would go undercover to investigate. The undercover aspect of the show creates much of the plot interest and tension. In the early seasons of the show, the Angels, under their assumed identities, use a combination of sexual wiles and knowledge learned for the situation in which they are being placed, but by the third and fourth seasons, the writing has a tendency to stray from the sex appeal and focus more on the case at hand.




The Chevrolet van was the basis of quite a few TV related models. The first and by far the best was the bright pink ‘Charlie’s Angels silhouette logo emblazoned on each body side. Opening rear doors and transparent roof panels served to display the cardboard custom interior of this 1/40th scale van which could be found with either solid or four-spoke whizzwheels. A very tastefully produced model that lasted until 1981. See more.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

JAMES BOND'S LOTUS ESPRIT



'James Bond's Lotus Esprit' from the film "The Spy Who Loved Me", was modelled by corgi in its undersea guise with wheels covered and windows shuttered. The stabilisers and fins were retractable, but once retracted the model look odd, as the road wheels were not modelled. Small whizzwheels tucked under the chassis served only to allow the model to glide a couple of millimetres from the floor. the 007 label on the bonnet did not appear on the real car, again for obvious reasons, but the salvo ofb rockets that could be fired from the rear window was authentic. A nice model, and always very popular, it was finished in white to 1/36th scale. It is easily found quite cheaply today, as it was available until 1984. See more

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

OLDSMOBILE STARFIRE FROM THE MAN FROM UNCLE


The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. There were 105 episodes created by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that made up this series. The first season was broadcast in black-and-white.
The series centered on a two-man troubleshooting team for a fictitious secret international law-enforcement agency, the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.): American Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn), and Russian Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). Leo G. Carroll played Alexander Waverly, the British head of the organization (Number One of Section One). Lisa Rogers (Barbara Moore) joined the cast as a female regular in the fourth season.







Here is the Corgi model 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire from ‘Man from UNCLE Thrushbuster’. The Thrushbuster as modelled featured of Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin seated within, and by pressing the roof-mounted periscope, both would ‘shoot’ their pistols through the open side windows.

Rotating spot-lamps (which seem to be well over-scale) were sited on each front wing and a label depicting the UNCLE logo was affixed to the bonnet. This latter feature never actually appeared on any UNCLE vehicles for obvious reasons, but it does add to the appeal of the model, giving it a sort of identity. For good measure the logo was also cast onto the baseplate and three bullet holes adorned the windscreen. Earliest and rarest versions were finished in a creamy-white with a matching interior, whilst all later versions were a metallic dark blue (almost purple) with a yellow interior. A casting difference is evident between the white and the blue versions, the later castings having a raised-relief rectangle on the bonnet to facilitate the application of the UNCLE label.