CastHeads Magazine Volume 1 Issue 3

CUSTOMS OFFICE Features the first lady of customs

all the way from maui

SUNSTAR MODELS

SENDS US A GORGEOUS PORSCHE 356 1500 COUPÉ

X-MAS IS COMING!

TONS OF GIFT IDEAS FROM CASTHEADS

A DIECAST DEDICATION

CITY SLICKERS PANDEMS RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF LIBERTY WALKS

WHAT'S THE STORY?

ALSO: OUR ALL-NEW VOLVO EXPERT TELLS ABOUT THE GLOBAL LOVE FOR THE WORLD'S SAFEST CARS

Porsche GT3 RS - Kinsmart 1:36 Photo by Lance K Müller

003

Editor’s Notes

Nigel

J DE ZILWA

As always life at CastHeads is a rollercoaster ride.

We’ve had our first road trip (plane), experienced our first Diecast Event, ate some chips and got back behind the desk for some keystroke action.

This issue is a double-edged whammy. One, we have Porsche celebrating 70 years and we can’t let that slip by, because in every collection you are very likely to find a Porsche or two in some scale or brand. It’s one of those car brands that have been heavily decorated, celebrated and re-created in Diecast. From standard to special every Porsche holds the dream of some young human desperate to own a sports car.

Second, tis the season to be merry, jolly and bloody broke. So, we have very kindly whipped up some money wrenching, heart-breaking, divorce-inducing list of goodies to get yourself. We can hear the children crying over empty stockings and vacant Christmas trees. But our magazine is free and that should count for something.

We have YouTube, Instagram and Facebook please visit them all frequently we work hard on our content and we appreciate the numbers. True, our shows do not compare to Jimmy Kimmel but we try.

Enjoy Issue 003, enjoy the season and do not drink and drive your family will never know the true value of your collection and might sell it for dirt cheap.

November 2018

Lance

K M Ü LLE R

Third times the charm. With this issue, I really believe it. The third offering is bigger and badder with more content, reviews, interviews and lovely lovely diecast.

In this issue, we celebrate 70s years of an iconic brand and look at its journey through scale models.

We not only look at the pure side, but also explore the meaner machines that are spawned by tuners and customizers across the world.

We have come up with a few gift guides, for when buying for someone else as well as for yourself. The holiday gift guide should make your life easy when it comes to getting that perfect diecast for your loved one this season.

We had our first event solely organized by CastHeads Magazine, and we had a hand in contributing to an inaugural international diecast expo in Malaysia with designing the logo, printed material and running the digital campaign before, during and after the event.

CastHeads Magazine also launched CastHeads Social Plus (Social+) to help our friends and partners across the world manage their social/digital media activities and also design services to diecast/model related entities.

So read on, share your views and comments on our Facebook.com/CastsHeadsMag page or follow us on Instagram.com/castheads.

10% ch10

DISCOUNT FOR CASTHEADS READERS! Valid 28-02-19

in 06

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DIECASTING COUCH Epic new releases that you can look forward to or get your hands on now. We look at whats available

11

CASTING REMARKS Nigel brags about his love for Porsche, and the size of his... er... collection

17

70 YEARS OF PORCHE Nigel goes down memory lane in miniature

21

GARAGE TORQUE After the pandem-onium from Tarmac Works, its going to be a rough ride this year and the next

22

customs office Miika Thoeun aka Ratchet_Girl talks about her world

24

CASTING CORRESPONDENT Bert-Jan Nijhuis talks about his love for Volvo on a global scale

30

CASTING REMARKS Just WTF are Pandems, Liberty Walks and Hako Toras

32

EVENTS We look at some of the events that happened past few months

34

SHUTTER CASTERS

Issue The CastHeads Magazine team would like to thank the following brands for all their support and encouragement. It acts as fuel to our fires and we are just getting started, thank you: DNA Collectibles Sunstar Models Tarmac Works JL Hobby Collectique Nastars Mattel AutoCult Contributors: Lance K Müller Nigel J De Zilwa Bert-Jan Nijhuis MEd Ashraaq Wahab Miika Theoun Gregoire Brun

The poetry of Porsche 356a

40

DIECAST REVIEW Nigel waxes lyrical about the 1960 Mazda R360 Coupé

46

SPARE PARTS These wheels roll bro! We review the sweet sweet rollers from JRota

46

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Photographers Lance K Müller George Kinson Omesh Perera Bert-Jan Nijhuis MEd Alberto Jorge Rodríguez

With the season almost upon us, Lance comes up with a few diecast-based gift ideas

48

GREAT GIFT IDEAS The season to be merry, Nigel looks at gifts every model car enthusiast should consider getting

56

CASTHEADS IN CONVERSATION We speak to the poster boy of RAUH-Welt Begriff on what makes him go-go

58

DIECAST REVIEW Hot off the factory, BMC Models Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ400 boggles the mind

62

THE LAST ONE LEFT Autocult brings us a Porsche that never was

66

guest casthead Asraaq Wahab from Motor Mag Sri Lanka tell us about his facination with a bus

70

spot CAST

A world in three dimensions. Gregoire talks to us about his facination with 3D printed models

74

THE CULTURED CASTHEAD We review what is billed as the definitive visual history... of cars.

Creative Direction / Design Lance K Müller & Nigel J De Zilwa

DIECASTING COUCH New Releases & Hot Picks Maisto Design - Tokyo Mod

1971 Datsun 240Z Just as the season rolls we highlight a sweet JDM model from Maisto that has seen some major upgrades since it was first shown in March of this year. This bright red 240Z features carbon fiber fenders, fully open-able doors and hood with a highly detailed engine. That’s not all it has matte black rim wrapped in Toyo Tires, and full decals all around.

Scale 1:18 Status: Available now

www.maisto.com

AutoCult

Audi Berlin-Rom Stromlinien-Coupé (D, 1938) AutoCult, the purveyor of unique models brings you this Audi from the 1930s that was built specifically for long-distance racing, in this case between Berlin and Rome. This "Streamlined Sedan" was conceived by the Audi group and set around the Type 920. The design of the aluminum bodywork came from Paul Jaray and the coachbuilder “Hornig” built the aluminum bodies for two AUDIs. According to internal records the AUDI was able to reach a top speed of 160 km/h, thus about impressive 30 km/h faster than the standard Type 920.

The model is available through the website and selected retailers.

Scale 1:43 Status: Available now

www.autocult-models.de

FuelMe Models

RWB + Army Girl Porsche 993 - Pearl Purple RAUH-Welt Begriff is synonymous with ultra custom Porsches out of Japan. This model was custombuilt for Hitoshi "Hossy" Hoshino, the boss of Army ♥ Girl, a Japanese street fashion brand.

FuelMe Models has recreated this scale version to utter perfection. It arrives in a matte-black box, set in a white acrylic base with a metal plate featuring the model name, company logo and signatures of both Nakaisan (the author behind RWB) and Hossy-san.

www.facebook.com/FuelMeStudio

Scale 1:43 Status: Available Now Limited to 120 pieces

TomyTec - Limited Vintage Neo TLV-N177a

Mazda Anfini RX-7 type RZ (Black) With the great response to the 40th Anniversary commemorative edition Mazda RX-7 (Type I) that was released in September, TomyTec will release the 1997 FD-7 Type IV in by the end of the year. The car features three tail lamps, a flatter wing, mesh wheels and the interior features the two-seater version. The side mirrors will have to be installed by the owner.

The model will also be available in White (TLV-N177b) Scale 1:64 Status: December 2018

minicar.tomytec.co.jp

DIECASTING COUCH New Releases & Hot Picks Hot Wheels Basic

Mercedes-Benz Unimog 1300 (New Casting) One of the plus sides of Hot Wheels restarting the Mercedes-Benz line-up is the release of the Unimog 1300 this October. The first casting comes to us from their HW Hot Trucks line, in a fiery red paint job sporting some amazing tampos all around. It rides on dark grey BLOR wheels with two more spares in the back. Would have loved to see this on a metal base, but alas its plastic.

Scale: 1:64 Status: Available now

Hot Wheels - Car Culture 2019

RWB - Porsche 930 Most of the RWB (RAUH-Welt Begriff) diecast models out there tend to be larger scales and higher prices. Versions from brands like FuelMe, AUTOart, GT Spirit and others tend to be in the hundreds of dollars and severely limited. But now Hot Wheels collectors can also rejoice knowing that RWB is coming within their grasp. This RWB 930 (a very close copy of the "Stella Artois" branded one created by Nakai-san will be included in a yet-tobe-named Car Culture assortment in early 2019.

Featuring all the hallmarks of RWB designs, including the extra-wide rear, the branding across the windshield, the super big wings and the rivets make this a valuable addition to any collectors stable. The matte black paint really pays homage to the real world model and it sits on RR6SPM wheels in the front and deep-dish wide wheels in the back.

Scale: 1:64 Status: TBA, Expected 1 quarter 2019

DNA Collecitbles

Mazada MX-5 It seems like 2019 is going to be the year of the Mazda.

DNA Collectibles have sent us the first exclusive look at the upcoming Mazda MX-5 design study and if their current lines of models are to go by, this is going to be a smashing piece of miniature automotive history.

Scale: 1:43 Status: TBA, Expected 1 quarter 2019

CASTING REMARKS Words + Pics + Design | Nigel J De Zilwa

I OWN 42 PORSCHE MODELS! And what’s not to love. A plucky little sports car company born from post-war Germany battling with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Ford for racing dominance. It was the races that were the proving ground for most sports cars and the winners went on to be highly sort after mainstream models. But it is German, and Germany has a way of being systematic in their approach to overcoming obstacles.

Das Genie Replizieren Das Genie replizieren

So back to my opening admission, fortunately there is a never-ending supply of Porsche replicas in the diecast world. They came in all shapes and sizes from virtually all the brands we know, and it is impossible to keep track of all the models that keep coming out. In fact, if this entire issue contained all the Porsche models available in the world, it would span volumes. So, instead we chose a few 1:64 scales that we think are worth getting your hands on.

356

TYPE A

HOTWHEELS

A popular casting from Hot Wheels, due to their collaboration with the ‘Urban Outlaw’ this being the nicest rendition. Straight from the Air Cooled series this casting is nice and heavy and uses real rider wheels (Rubber tires). The paint finish is a dark metallic navy blue with tampos on the front and two sides of the car.

Biggest Gripe: No headlight tampo. Why? Why not go all the way?

ROADSTER

HOTWHEELS

356

One of this year’s most pleasant surprises from the Hot Wheels Hauler series comes this 356 Roadster complete with its own V-Dub hauler. Metallic grey with simple racing stripes that extend on to the hauler. Urban Outlaw badging, J5 5-spoke wheels, headlight tampos, rear tampos etc.

This car made the cut because of its slickness.

There is a FORZA version of this casting as well which is also quite nice, but this coupled with its own hauler is magic.

91 CARRERA RS 2.7

TOMICA PREMIUM

As far as iconic cars go this is one from the Porsche stable. A monster 2.7 liter rear mounted 6-cylinder engine and lightened car gave the RS 210bhp of raw power and balanced fun.

Tomica’s Premium take on this car is fantastic.

For a premium it is pleasantly surprising the level of detail they have gone through, right down to the Fuchs wheels, red highlights on white paint job and Carrera painted down the sides. This is definitely a must have in your collection.

11

901 S

TOMICA LIMITED VINTAGE

TLV’s have become the new big thing to collect especially for those who are looking for a more detail in the 1/64 scale. This 901 S is simply beautiful. The alloy wheels are designed to look like the original 1:1 version complete with rubber tires. The metallic blue paint is perfect and so is the ‘Porsche’ stamp on ether side of the car.

Considering the detail, it’s been pretty hard to find any flaws.

550 SPYDER Kyosho

Yet another casting Kyosho got completely correct. Simple, yet elegant the 550 Spyder was born to race.

The Furhmann Engine was an all aluminum naturally aspirated boxer engine that produced 180hp in 1953. It was built low and had a pretty good center of gravity thanks to the engine being mid-mounted.

The models by Kyosho exude an air of elegance and entitlement almost conceited even as if built to be admired and adored. Having them both in black and white is an additional bonus.

C E L E B R AT I N G 7 0 Y E A R S O F S P O RT S C A R S

Visit us at Liberty Plaza & Majestic City or shop online at www.nastars.com

CASTHEADS GOES RACING! CastHeads Magazine and Collectique have always had an awesome relationship from the inception.

This year it was taken to the next level when the #17 Volkswagen Polo Mk1, driven by Sithara Peiris and sponsored by Collectique carried the CastHeads Magazine sticker on the car.

It was quite a proud moment for us to see our name on an actual 1:1 racecar and we hope that this is the beginning of greater things. We'd like to thank Oshan Samaranayake at Collectique for the opportunity afforded us. We look forward to podium finishes in the future. CASTHEADS

G

LeMans 962 C

Kyosho

By way of castings, this is by far one of the simplest, but the wheels are just knockout. They actually make the car look like it’s the business. A Singer designed Porsche in the hands of Derek Bell, fivetime Le Mans winner meant the team would have 21 wins with this beautiful beast.

Daytona

993 GT2 GULF

907

Kyosho

GT1

Hotwheels

In 2016 Hot Wheels wanted to pay tribute to long time friend and supporter GULF racing.

Another time machine of speed the 907 was built to run with likes of FORD and Ferrari at Le Mans. Unfortunately, although the long tail and vented disk brakes helped improve performance it was severely beaten by the larger engines of FORD and Ferrari. This is a great piece of history by Kyosho a simple and small creation perfect for the 1/64 collection

911 GT1

Kyosho

This was a winner in its GT1 Class in Le Mans with a water-cooled, turbo charged and intercooler 3.2 liter flat six engine now embodied in this Kyosho. A street legal version was built as well so as to exploit a loophole in the racing scene and was quickly disliked by authoritative figures who want us to drive slow all the time. Another well-detailed piece that embodies Porsche’s racing spirit and pedigree.

So, they took a Porsche 993 GT2 decked it out in GULF livery put it in some wonderful packaging and the result is a stunning collectors piece.

Limited to just 3,600 pieces this car is currently retailing for USD 100/- online and it is no wonder why. Acrylic case, orange, and black base and of course a beautiful car inside.

The car features full tampos has real rider wheels and the famous metal base. The GULF livery looks stunning and the overall presentation is just spot on.

W OR D S + D E S IGN + PICS | NIGEL J D E ZILWA

01

YES! Porsche history timelines have been done to death, especially this year since Porsche is celebrating ITs 70TH anniversary. But, we thought we’d do it with diecast cars and we thought we would stick to the main ones instead of trying to feature every single Porsche ever made. And so we began at the very beginning where we started at one.

Just 3 years after the Second World War, Porsche drops its bomb into the automobile world and doesn’t look back.

Simple aerodynamics, air cooled engine and designed by Erwin Komenda made this car the beginning of all the beautiful 356s to come. Bearing the license plate K45-286 the first 356 made its maiden voyage and is the first and last 356/1 ever to be built.

MAISTO 1:48

356 550 356 SPEEDSTER

SPYDER

Iconic, loved, with one of the biggest car clubs in the world dedicated to it. Restored by enthusiasts, driven and owned by celebrities the Porsche 356 is one of the most popular classic cars in the world.

Ranging models went from the 356 – 356 C. Pan floor and Uni Body construction powered by a 1.6 Litre, 4-cylinder which was naturally aspirated.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

This was Porsches multi-purpose jewel. A car that could whip it round the track, win and then drive home all in the same day, same car. James Dean nicked named his 550 Spyder “Little Bastard” and was adept at driving it on track and off. Unfortunately, he met his untimely death in one of the cars, he loved the most.

KYOSHO 1:64

Perfect for cruising down Boulevard Street this was the darling of Beverly Hills. As cute and quick as the 356A but a drop top version for the lovers and free hair flyers of the 1950s.

Janis Joplin had one, complete with a psychedelic paint job. Hmmm, sounds like a custom waiting to happen.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

917 911 911 LANGHECK

The 917s were true nut jobs. Fast yet severely unstable feared by the factory drivers and ultimately killed LeMans driver John Woolfe in a devastating accident that caused LeMans to ban the traditional standing start. For the 1970 season one of the teams that got a stock of 917s was JWA GULF Racing who modified the tail section increasing stability being increasing downforce. They were called the Kurzheck and the Langheck

HOTWHEELS 1:64

CARRERA RS 2.7

Probably the most loved and iconic Porsche of the 911s. The Carrera RS 2.7 was a dream package. It looked good, went really really fast and handled like a fairy. Lithe and nimble yet extreme stable the Carrera RS used its revolutionary duck tail spoiler to keep the car locked on the ground with added grip to tame that 2.7 litre RennSport engine.

EBBRO 1:48

TARGA

Porsche was always quite proud about their achievements in the racing world and embodied them onto the names of their road cars. Carrera comes from achievements in the Carrera PanAmerican race and similarly Targa comes winning the Targa Florio race. The Targa was Porsche’s removeable roof option with a full roll hop to increase structure stability.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

901 906914/6 911S

CARRERA 6

VW PORSCHE

Thanks to Peugeot being French the world got the 911. Originally called the 901, Porsche turned up at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963 and Peugeot went “Sacrebleu” stating that they owned the 901 number and any number with zero in the middle. Porsche shrugged their shoulders and added the ‘1’.

PORSCHE MODELS 1:48

When Ferrari dropped the Dino 206, Porsche knew the 904 was in trouble (LeMans). So, the R&D team put together a 2 Litre SOHC air cooled, 6 cylinder engine, pumped by a Dual Webber 46IDA 3C triple throat down draft carbs, 5 speed manual and quad disk brakes. The result were decent top 10 placements in both the Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona. All this while FORD was beating the pants off Ferrari.

HIGH SPEED MODELS 1:48

A confusing time at both and Porsche and Volkswagen. There was a contractual obligation to be filled by VW and Porsche, the death of a CEO, change of focus for VW and so on. The result was a car with an identity crisis which was solved with two different engine version. The VW had a flat flour cylinder engine known as the 914 and Porsche dropped an engine from the 911 a 2.0 litre 6 cylinder job calling the car 914/6.

MATCHBOX 1:64

930 934/5 964 SLANTNOSE

CARRERA 2

Known as the Flachbau Porsche the slant nose gave the Porsche added aerodynamics and coupled with the performance kit could go from 0-60 in 4.6 secs and could hit a top speed of 278 kmph. These specs made it the fastest production car in Germany.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

The mutant Porsche designed purely for racing was the pariah of the track with so many complaints against it. But it flew. 3.0 Litre engine and KKK turbo dropped 590 HP without skipping a rev. 10 were built to take part in the 1977 IMSA Series and promptly got banned. Then they went to the SCCA Trans-Am Series winning 6 out of 8 races again, only to be complained against and stripped of its title.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

The 90s 911 with the factory code name 964 came in three versions. The Carrera 4 was the first Porsche to feature all wheel drive, the Carrera 2 was rear wheel driven with a Tiptronic gearbox followed by the TURBO version. The standard non turbo engine could produce 250 Bhp from 3.6 litres.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

928 911 986 Boxster

993 TURBO

The is was the GT luxury car in Porsche’s line up which featured a V8 engine, gearbox from Mercedes and Weissach Axle setup that gave the car more grip through the corners. It also came with all the luxurious trappings and technology at the time. The 928 also gained notorious popularity after Tom Cruise drove one in the movie ‘Risky Business’

HOTWHEELS 1:64

Featured in the movie Bad Boys the 993 or 911 Turbo S is a twin turbo, all wheel drive beauty that everyone wanted in the 90’s. It had an impressively quick engine going from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and could hit 322Km/h at 7000 Rpm making it another Iconic model in the 911 range.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

It’s the Porsche that brought Porsche back to life! At a time when Porsche was struggling a bit they re-invented the wheel so to speak and launched an all new designed Porsche. Boxer engine, and roadster design gave it the name Porsche Boxster. It was fresh in design, it handled well and it was fast the factors that changed Porsches fortunes.

REVELL 1:24

918 911 981 GT3 RS

The 918 can easily be described as the next-Gen Porsche with its mid-engine plug-in hybrid. With the current energy crisis’ Porsche takes a leaf out of the future and builds its first hybrid supercar.

The combined power of its naturally aspirated V8 engine and the two electric motors deliver an earth shaking 875 Bhp.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

One of the most intensive cars on track but packed with so much gadgetry to be easy enough for anyone to drive. The entire car is a different animal to the GT3 with almost everything souped up to make this meaner and stickier on track.

KINSMART 1:48

Cayman

The most recent offering from the Porsche line the Cayman has all the Porsche goodness that enthusiasts love wrapped up in technology. Far curvier than its predecessors with a longer tail the Cayman carries the accolade of being one of the best handling sport cars in all the price range.

HOTWHEELS 1:64

After the PANDEM-ONIUM this is CURRENTLY the most-awaited line from

TARMAC WORKS

Lance tries hard to 'will' this beautiful little creature into his bum bag...

2018 has been a busy busy year for Tarmac Works.

MiniCar festivals, Event special editions, limited editions all contributing to their slow but sure penetration into the global 1/64 market. Then the PANDEMS (a collab with Ignition Models) came and now everyone’s standing up and noticing.

Also, TW’s close relationship with Mercedes see’s a slew of awesome GTR’s including the F1 Safety Car (Coming Soon).

However, the RWB line is next and the anticipation is killing us! We got a chance to see the entire line in production at the MiniCar Festival in Malaysia and Lance got the chance to touch the first model to be released. What we can say for certain is the prototypes were the ones used in the shoot and the actual car nails it in real life.

Lance didn't wash this hand for days until he accidently held a wet wipe

the of

Ratchet Girl Miika Thoeun aka Ratchet_Girl, who hails from the sunny island of Maui styles herself a "Part-time badass, full-time idiot", card-carrying petrol-head, a dabbler in all things diecast and to us, the undisputed of Queen of Customs.

@ratchet_girl

CUSTOMS OFFICE Words + Pictures - Miika Theoun

My father is/was a mechanical engineer so I learned at a young age the desire to see and learn how stuff worked. He always showed me there is a solution to EVERY problem... even if you don’t know what it is yet.

I have been asked on many occasions how I got into collecting Hot Wheels and my answer is simple.. my sister and I used to play with my brothers Hot Wheels when we were kids. We would take them out into the backyard and dig little roads in the dirt. This was a time when kids actually played OUTSIDE! I guess that dates me. I will be 45 in November!

Building customs was just a logical progression from collecting. Being a car fanatic, I loved the idea of taking a 1/64 scale base car and creating something I would actually drive or something you might see on the road.

I see so many other very creative customizers out there and I wish I had that kind of imagination. However, my creations are more clean, simple and practically speaking... perhaps, more road worthy.

I would LOVE to meet Jay Leno and/or tour his garage(s) full of beautiful cars.

Hot Wheels customizing is a continual

learning experience. Always striving to be better. And when confronted with a design or fabrication challenge, I ask myself, how would dad solve this!

Best advice to future customizers?

Keep at it. Keep failing... ask questions, but more importantly, get your hands on the tools and don’t be afraid to fail... many times.

Success is only sweet when you have failure to compare it to!

Mahalo!

CASTING CORRESPONDENT Words + Pics | Bert-Jan Nijhuis MEd • Design | Nigel J De Zilwa

VO L V O MODEL CARS AND GLOBALISATION Words + Pics | Bert-Jan Nijhuis MEd

"When I was a little boy and started to collect Volvo Model Cars, I had a difficult task."

Volvo was not as popular as it is today and there were almost no Volvos available in the model car stores I knew.

Tekno from Denmark had a nice line-up and so had Dinkey Toys from England.

These brands developed their model cars and produced them as well in their own factories. Most of these cars

were sold as toys and ended up in the toybox, all scratched and dented. For a serious collector a sad sight.

Brands like Matchbox, SpotOn, Corgi and Norev made Volvos too, in factories in Western Europe: England, France and Scandinavia.

In the second half of the 1980s we saw the first signs of outsourcing. Volvo cars ordered a series of 850s, 480s, 440s and 460s from a

COMING SOON 1:18 SCALE

VOLVO 780

by DNA Collectibles

With all the earlier models we’ve seen from DNA Collectibles there is no doubt that this is going to be an awesome piece. Not just their attention to capturing all the tiniest details but for also including fans and followers to be part of their building process.

Crowdsourcing ideas is what has led DNA to build the 780. An iconic symbol of power, prestige and of course safety. This is not the first VOLVO to be done by DNA and certainly not the last. There are reliable rumors that the next will be the P1800.

D I N K E Y/ TEKNO & SPOT ON MODELS

"Globalisation also makes it easier to meet fellow VOLVO enthusiasts." model car company in The Netherlands. AHC/Doorkey produced the merchandise in a factory in Spain.

In those days Spain was still considered a low wage country and transportation costs and wages were lower than production in The Netherlands.

Some producers stayed in Europe, despite the higher costs. Collectors paid a high price for these model cars and still do.

André Models, Brooklyn and Somerville made great and exclusive Volvos, but they couldn’t survive the competition with producers in Asia.

The modern model car producers, like IXO, Minichamps, Motorart, Norev,

AutoArt and many others act like all other producers of consumer goods: they develop and design their products in Western Europe and assemble and produce them in low wage countries like China, Indonesia or Bangladesh.

Volvos new merchandise partner Kyosho from Japan produces the all new Volvo XC40 in a factory in China, Ixo’s Volvo’s come from a large factory in Bangaldesh.

Labour intensive work like the assembly of model cars is too expensive in Europe or America.

OTTO MODELS

VO LVO 740 TURBO RED/BLACK

In the meantime we see a new phenomenon: the China based brand CSM came with a wonderful series of modern Volvos in 1:18.

These Volvo model cars are approved by Volvos Head Quarters in Göteborg, 100% genuine and rather expensive.

The Volvo model car world is desperately waiting for their 1:18 Volvo V60 in Pebble Grey!

Globalisation and outsourcing helps countries to develop, despite the darker sides likes exploitation and unsafe situations that might occur in these factories.

Globalisation makes it easier for collectors to find missing cars and know what is released in all parts of the world. Searching through eBay pages to look for new Volvos for the collection is much easier than waiting for model car magazines was, 25 years ago. An idea by Japanese Volvo dealers to make a simple give-away XC40s resulted in a successful quest for that wonderful Volvo. Within a few weeks the small urban Volvo was added to my collection.

Globalisation also makes it easier to meet fellow Volvo enthusiasts.

I started a Facebook group in 2013 and now more than 6000 passionate Volvo model car collectors from all over the world discuss the latest Volvo model car news, show their collections or help each other to find missing links.

The Instagram account has the same purpose. These people come from the six continents and from over 100 countries and they all share at least one thing: the passion for Volvo Model Cars, big and small, cheap and expensive, toys and collectors items. Volvo for Life!

Volvo model cars is booming.

Like I told you before, it was not easy to find new Volvo’s when I started collecting in the early 80s. Nowadays it is very hard to keep up with all the new releases. Scale 1:18 is the new standard, as it seems. CSM, OttO, Minichamps and

SOMMEERVILLES ANDRE' ROBEDDIE

AutoCult Models have all come up with wonderful modern and classic 1:18 scaled Volvos this year.

Obviously these big cars are more expensive than their 1:43 opponents. A bigger problem might be the enormous amount of space they take in the display cases.

Nevertheless I can’t wait for the new CSM and Minichamps releases later this year! The first new Volvo in November will probably be the 1:43 Kyosho Volvo XC40!

If you`re interested in more news and the latest models: sign up at www.facebook.com/groups/ volvomodelcars or at Instagram @volvomodelcars! Welcome!

Bert-Jan Nijhuis MEd The Netherlands

Chris t shar ian Couji ed w n of RAU ith u the H Hs t o relea t Whee hese aw Welt Be ls g e sed throu RWB Po some pi riff c ghou rc t t 201 hes tha ures of t will 9. be

casting remarks

CITY SLICKERS Design | Nigel J De Zilwa

Car modifying fanatics, tweak freaks and tuners have finally taken the main stage and have their creations immortalized through the diecast community, which is great news for us CastHeads. Up until the Fast & the Furious phenomenon most diecast manufactures just did the regular cars, race & rally models, then suddenly Dominic Toretto and gang hit the screens with their street racing beasts and indulgent underground car shows and then as fast as an 11 second Supra the world woke up to the city slicked modified cars. Then came the ‘ricers’ (check the urban dictionary for the meaning of ricer) and all hell broke loose.

Importantly though, a new breed of diecast model builders appeared, leaving the old school scrambling to change their ways. These guys started making highly defined models based on the world’s more popular modifying crew kits like RWB, PANDEM, Hakotora (aka HAKO), Liberty Walks, Rocket Bunny and ROUSH to name a few. The following three are our pick of what who we feel are replicating the madness out of these 1:1 models

RAUH Welt BEGRIFF

During our research we discovered FuelMe Models in China and got to talking with the guy behind Fuel Me. He said the mantra behind his company refers to the fact that all cars made by them have a background story usually about the owner of the actual car.

These guys have a long line of RWB and Liberty Walks models in 1/43 scale with fantastic attention to detail on Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari. Prices are quite steep for 1/43 scale starting from USD 210/ upwards but these also highly limited with production runs of between 30 to 90 pieces only, never to be replicated again. Which means prices will go up making them a good investment.

HAKO

In all fairness the PANDEMS from IgnitionModels is a collaboration with TarmacWorks (who handles distribution). The PANDEMS are probably the most sought-after cars in the diecast model world right now. Insane details and paintjobs for 1:64 scaled cars only 999 are produced per model (except for the Malaysia Diecast Expo Exclusive that has only 500)

Ignition Models are probably the Big Daddy of this game, they’ve been at it for a while and have amassed a pretty insane line up of JDM cars tricked as Hako Toras, Pandems, Rocket Bunnies and Liberty Walks. They also have the widest line up of scales as opposed to the other brands starting at 1:64 then 1:43, 1:18 and finally 1:12. Again, not the cheapest option but the detail and quality of craftsmanship is reflected. They also come in limited quantities which heightens the prices especially everything is sold out.

EVENTS Nigel J De Zilwa + Lance Muller + Omesh Prerera

Its been a busy last few months for the team at CastHeads magazine. We have been places been involved with foreign diecast events and played host to our own event in October which was the Diecast and Coffee meet up at DeVos Café.

It was a small affair with a few people displaying their collections but the collections themselves were absolute beauties. Rarities, old toy cars, limited edition models and scales starting from 1/81 to 1/18. We also had the pleasure of Collectique and Jolly Rogers Toys giving collectors both young and old the opportunity to expand their collections with some nice pieces after being inspired by the displays.

One of the most rewarding parts about being CastHeads Magazine is the opportunity to meet and work with new people. For the Malaysia Diecast Expo 2018 CastHeads Social+ worked with JL Hobby as the social media partner.

We were given the opportunity to design the event logo, the event displays and run the Social Media for the event. Another terrific opportunity to work with fellow collectors in the region. We have many more tie-ups and exhibitions planned for 2019 so keep checking out events pages in the magazine and on Facebook.

The

Poetry of Porsche

W O R DS + D E S I G N | N I G EL J D E ZILWA · PICS | LANCE K MÜ L L E R

Authoring this article is probably one of the hardest things to do, considering all we have said about Porsche in the previous pages it really is hard to write something without sounding clichéd. So, we’ll park our Porsche worship and talk about another brand name that continuously impresses us with every model they send.

This time it’s our cover hero the 1957 Porsche 356A 1500 GS Carrera GT Coupé in black it also comes in sky blue but the black with red interior takes the cake. This is not the first time we have looked at a model from Sun Star and looking at their catalogue it won’t be our last because so far Sun Star has impressed us with their products and available choice.

All models pictured here are available on the www.sunstarmodelcars.com website and through select retailers across the world

Out of the box, it’s immediately understood that taking arty instagrammable pictures is an absolute must and that is exactly what I did rolling on the floor looking for that right angle where the sun set glints off the smooth curvy lines of the 356A. Then co-creator of Castheads Mr. Lance jumps in with his camera and start clicking away.

Porsche’s famous 1500 CC air cooled engine

The interior is duo tone in red and white very tastefully done. Detailed steering wheel with the logo on it, the dials are photo etched so you can see the numbers in green on black background. Gear lever, pedals are there. The door panels have all the handles and levers and the radio that never goes past 90 FM.

The spare wheel is always an important part of ones travel, especially if the travels are spread between sunrise and sunset

Exterior details are pretty spot on as well. The logo on the bonnet is a raised metal sticker the chrome pieces are unblemished the lights look realistic and the front wheels both turn and roll. We also like the white wall tires that aren’t over the top but instead classy from that time period.

This a definite must own and with Christmas right around the corner, this would make a perfect present for yourself or for someone who is a hardcore Porsche lover.

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Just look at what DNA Collectibles has gone and done. They have taken a Mazda KEI car from the 1960s and recreated it perfectly in a 1/18 scale.

So perfect, it was the star at the recently concluded Diecast & Coffee event held by CastHeads Magazine.

In real life the car looks like it has been carved out of ceramic. It is a resin model but because of its ceramic look when you pull it out of the box you will be taken aback by the actual weight of the car.

We love everything about it. The two-tone exterior and interior, the teardrop headlights, the Mazda branded mud flaps at the back and of course those wheels and 60s hub caps. The detail is immaculate which is word now we use very liberally with DNA Collectibles, if Jujiro Matsuda were alive today he would have this on desk.

The R360 was the first car Mazda produced in 1960 with a rear mounted air-cooled 356cc V-twin engine with a four-speed manual or two-speed automatic gearbox. It was cute quick and nifty to drive around which was how it captured the KEI car market in Japan. It went on to inspire a range of 360 vehicles which subsequently made into the export market.

PHOTOS BY Alberto Jorge Rodríguez FB/Impressive:Cars

SPARE PARTS Diecast Accessories and Other Things

THE

WHEELS

ROLL BRO!

Customizing 1/64’s right now is hot S*$# these days. Customizers in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are constantly upping their game and so are the entrepreneurs. Like, J-Rota from Malaysia. A bunch of guys who do ass kicking deep dish wheels for 1/64 scale cars.

Even for the casual modder who just likes to get a wheel swap done these babies will give you good stance and a killer look to your model unlike those standard boring wheels that we are forced to look at. Check them out on Facebook and get ordering now.

Gift Guide HOLIDAY

Getting gifts during the holiday season can be a mite little stressful for some.

So we here at CastHeads Magazine decided to do a little guide to make your buying decisions, and life, just a teensy weensy bit easier.

W O RD S + PIC S + DE S I G N | L A N C E K MÜ L L ER

1

The

Any Car Fan

This is the easiest person to shop for. If they like 1:1 scale cars, huge chance that they will love the gift of a scaled version of European and Japanese exotics, Italian or German supercars or American muscle. You can find most of these models from 1:64 model brands like Tarmac Works, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tomica (LV/N), Majorette, Ignition Models, Kyosho and autoART. Prices start from $1

2

The

Motorsports Fan

Motorsports can vary, anything from F1 to MotoGP and rallying. Luckily most of the brands have you covered.

But the majority of these tend to be the larger scales, from 1:43 upwards. Brands like Spark Models, Maisto, Bburago, IXO got you sorted.

Tarmac Works does a lot of 1:64 sports cars like BMW E30s, AMG GTs and Civics, Racing Champions does a lot of NASCAR models while Sun Star, Otto Models has a large selection in 1:18 scale covering a cross section of classic and modern rally an motorsports cars.

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The

Marque Fan

Some people love brands, for all sorts of reasons, from nostalgia to what feelings a certain carmaker brings out in them. Luckily all the brands, from Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Majorette, Welly, Maisto, Bburago, Siku and many others at the lower end of the scale, to Tarmac Works, Ignition Models, AutoCult, MiniGT, Tomica Limited Vintage/Neo in the middle to CMC, GT Spirit, BBR and Amalgam (models run to thousands of dollars) at the very top end of the spectrum got you sorted.

Does this person have a passion for Ferraris?

Almost all brands and scales has a model or two. Starting from $1 for a Hot Wheels to almost $12k for a 1962 Ferrari 250GTO from the aforementioned Amalgam and everything in-between.

The

Movie/TV Fan

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Many people love movies (a movie?) or a TV series or two. Want to get them something that reminds them of their favorite show or film? The Hollywood series from Greenlight Collectibles, Hot Wheels Retro Entertainment has an extensive collection. KITT from Knight Rider, The Ford Gran Torino from Starsky and Hutch, most of the Bond cars, and even the caravan from Breaking Bad are available.

Its not only limited to them, the 48 Ford Super De Luxe from Karate Kid, most of the Back to The Future time machines, Batman Batcars/Tumblers, the Lincoln from The Matrix, to almost every car from the Fast and Furious franchise. They are guaranteed to make a movie/tv buff happy.

5

The

COMICS/Pop culture Fan

With comics/comic-based entertainment going mainstream there are a lot more fans of comic book characters now than we care to admit. Hot Wheels Pop Culture series has everything from DC, Marvel to Street Fighter and Star Wars. Tomica has a range of cars from Initial D, Doraemon, Hello Kitty and Transformers.

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The

nostalgia Fan

Few of the older generation gets fueled by stories from "back-in-the-day" and tend to take a chance to reminisce every chance they get. We even have some tips for gifts for them. Models can range from planes, trains and automobiles. From the first car they remember being into the model of the aircraft they first flew in to the bike/scooter they had as a young person. Maisto produces a whole range of motorcycles and scooters.

So does Tomica and Welly. Train model manufacturers range from Z Gauge (1:200 scale) to HO (1:87:1 the most preferred scale) all the way to G Gauge (1:22.5), which is the largest. Planes range from 1/200 to 1/400 and can easily be found online on ebay.

GREAT GIFT IDEAS nigel's seasonal

or recipie for disaster...

Ah Christmas and end of year season, where we live in hope and when we get extra money we lose our minds and spend unreasonably suffering from buyer’s remorse and tight pants in the new year but heck we live only once so here’s my take on what to get yourself or somebody else for the Christmas.

LIBERTY WA L K S G T- R 3 5

Liberty Walks and the Powder Blue MiniGT is sweet and I’m kicking myself for not getting one but oh well this grey one will suit me fine and I’m sure you feel the same way. Great detail for a 1/64 and a

great tribute to the Liberty Walks modders.

The orange rising sun on the spoiler the black rims and the bodywork details all pop out more on this color than I felt on the blue.

True Scale Models are a rare treat which makes them great for gift giving. Especially to yourself since our issue is our tribute to Porsche its only right

that I choose the 356A La Carrera Panamerican IV leather looking hood straps, old school livery and white base this looks like a cherished piece of history which is a great justification for buying it for someone instead of a pair of socks or gift voucher.

The first delicious offering from Greenlight we think you should get from Christmas is this Red beast called the Firethorn Trans Am in 1/43 Scale.

This representation of 1977s classic muscle car is pretty good detail as Greenlight has a pretty good tooling of this model. You can expect to pay anything between USD20 – USD50 for this model but it does come with its own acrylic display case which is always great storage and great display.

The other Trans Am I recommend from Greenlight is from its more serious line called the Artisan series but it pleases both the Pontiac Firebird lovers while at the same time tickling the fancies of Fast and the Furious lovers with Tego’s 1977 Pontiac but

features the wheel rims created for the newer revised Firebird. At 1/18 scale the detail is lovely and the wheel combination is crazy. Prices range from USD50 – USD100

The other stunning TSM goodie for the goodie bag is the 190E EVO2 Mercedes driven by K Rosberg.

We love the paint job and finish on this model that exudes racers vibes to fast for the shelf. I think the pictures speak for itself.

POR SCHE Sauter-Porscher Bergspyder

Porsche Spyders are such shapely creatures, it's hard not to stare.

Autocult does some fantastic classics and this is on of them. The details are really good and the diecast body is one of the timeless evergreen shapes that can be enjoyed by all ages through the ages

CASTHEADS IN CONVERSATION We speak to the poster boy of RAUH-Welt Begriff on what makes him go-go

ITS A

ROUGH WORLD OUT THERE

RAUH-WELT Begriff is taking over, or rather already has taken over, the world of ultra customized Porsches. Based in Japan, RWB combines the finesse of German automotive engineering with an undeniably Asian aesthetic to produce cars that embody beauty and brawn that’s in a class of its own. Akira Nakai, aka Nakai-san is the master artisan behind these awesome road machines, and Christian Coujin, for all intents and purposes, is the global face of it. An avid collector of wheeled art, automotive savant, edgy style icon, and world-traveller, he is a major force behind the RWB tempest.

CASTHEADS MAGAZINE: THANK YOU FOR TALKING TO US CHIRSTIAN; YOU MUST HAVE A VERY HECTIC SCHEDULE. WE WILL BE AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE. SO HERES THE QUESTION THAT’S BEEN ASKED A MILLION TIMES, WHATS THE IDEA BEHIND RWB? Christian Coujin: It wasn’t what Akira Nakai had thought of, as far as how to make money. But, on the contrary, he spent money that he doesn’t have much off, to build a racecar to suit his way of driving.

Being a really fast driver, and for his love of air-cooled Porsches, the old 911 finally become to slow for him just because he was faster than the car now.

Slowly, he widen the car to get more traction by using wider wheels setup and tires, better suspension so he can lowered the center of gravity to take that corners in faster manner.

And you can guess where it leads to at this point.

People at the track, saw his first design, and didn’t response much to it, because it didn’t look that good, although its very functional.

Nakai-san, love good looking shape of the 911, slowly improves the design of the kit. And RWB was born.

CHM: WHAT MAKES THESE PORSCHES UNIQUE? CC: He didn’t want to create a product that makes money, but create a product so good, that people want to give their money to get one.

CHM: HOW DO PORSCHE AFFICIANADOS VIEW THESE ARTISANAL ROLLING WORKS OF ART? CC: Obviously you have some people who aren't in love with our cars; these purists tend to view these cars as good things gone bad. But we view them differently, and as we say what the world needs is rough, not in a gangster way, but more in the sense that rough is being more honest and doing what we love doing.

CHM: SO WE’VE SEEN AND HEARD THAT MORE COLLECTORS CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON RWB MODELS… THOUGH IN SMALLER SCALE. WHATS THE PLAN FOR THAT? CC: We are working with a few manufacturers around

the world and our team up with Hot Wheels is going great. We are releasing three series in the coming year with Hot Wheels. First will be a RWB Porche in a Car Culture series. Then there will be one included in the Team Transports series, and then the most exclusive will be one for RLC members.

CHM: HOW WAS THE HOT WHEELS MODEL RECEIVED

BY COLLECTORS? CC: I have the only Hot Wheels model, which was sent by Mattel for approval, and everybody who sees it loves it and almost all are looking forward to its release.

CHM: WOULD WE GET TO SEE MORE HOT WHEELS RWBs? CC: Yes, it’s an amazing feeling to have RWB immortalized by Hot Wheels.

So we hope to have a long and interesting relationship

with Hot Wheels.

CHM: IF YOU HAD ONE THING TO TELL YOUR FANS, WHAT WOULD IT BE? CC: I will say something, not from me, but something that Nakai-san himself would say, "It doesn't matter if you get your hands on the Hot Wheels RWB, congratulations if you do, but don't worry about it if you don't, don't forget to enjoy life, remember to keep everything rough, since what the world needs right now is rough.

CHM: DO YOU HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE BIT OF NEWS FOR OUR READERS? CC: Well, I know one thing, and that is that I am going to make sure that you guys get one of the exclusive RWB models. Its severely limited and with an estimated sellout time of 15 seconds, I will make sure that you get one.

CHM: OMG!!!

a small tting us in to see le r fo n tia is hr C to seeing Thank you, . We look forward ld or w B W R e th part of n, you and RWB. sa ai ak N om fr e more and mor tiancoujin istian on IG @chris hr C w llo fo n ca You rwb.jp/ and RWB https://

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All models pictured here are available through select retailers across the world

)Evo lU tion

There are few Japanese cars that evoke various feelings among car lovers all across the world. Feelings of excitement, happiness and downright awe. And one of these will always be the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or 'Evo' its lovingly known.

COMETH! WO R D S + PI CS + DE SI G N | L A NCE K MÜ L L E R

Born in 1992, it took the world by storm with the first iteration of the model known as the Lancer Evolution I, a turbocharged 2.0ltr DHOC engine with AWD and four doors! Its subsequent models grew in power and fan base around the world and become the stuff of dreams and legend. The last of the model line was the Lancer Evolution X, which was

Al g n

released in 2005, it featured many variants for most markets around the world in both RHD and LHD.

The 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-400 was the top-rated model in the line and arrived in both RHD and LHD. It came with 403bhp and 387lb ft and could reach 60mph in 3.8 seconds, and cost a fraction of what supercars from more storied marques cost.

This model has been brought to glorious life in 1:18 scale resin by BM Creations Company (BMC) through its VOLCANIC brand and it is gorgeous. Finished in the same Octane Blue as its 1:1 model, it features fine workmanship

i s

le ge nd

in scale all around. From the engine detail seen through the top heat vents, to the carbon fiber scratch plates to the calipers and head-, and tail-lights. The model also is available in candy red.

They have also taken to crafting the dashboard (with the nav screen actually having a map on it) to putting carbon fiber on the headrests of the bucket seats.

The downside of this model is that it doesn't sit on a base nor does it have an acrylic cover. But that’s about it.

This is a great addition to any collector that is getting into the realm of 1:18 resin models akin to GT Spirit and BBR, though not as expensive, it almost has the same level of detail.

THE L ONE All models pictured here are available on the www.autocult-models.de and through select retailers across the world

LAST LEFT THE PORSCHE THAT ALMOST WAS BUT, WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE W O R D S + PI C S | AU TOC U LT • DE SI GN | L ANC E K MÜ L LER

There might have been numerous discussions about the successor of the type 911 in the premises of Porsche. In 1982, once again such an exchange of ideas took place. It was decided to test the model range in various concepts for the future. Among these concepts was also the idea of a lightning Porsche with 370 hp, permanent 4-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox.

The new test vehicle series got the designation “965”. A high performance engine, which turned out to be problem later on, was fitted in the rear.

Tremendous heat accumulation and insufficient performance output were the keywords and the constant companions of the engineers on the job.

Over the course of the further development the project got the internal designation “969”. In the meantime Porsche moved away from the idea to fit a classic V6 drive and focused on a V8-engine.

A PORSCHE POWERED BY AN AUDI V8 ENGINE Porsche took a V8 engine from an Indy Car racecar for tests and also worked on the development of an own V8 engine. Finally the research work ended with the decision to use a standard 3.6 V8 (PT) of Audi, therefore a third-party engine. But the 234 hp-strong engine fitted only with various tricks and adjustments into the tight rear end of the car. In the end these compromises led to a loss in performance of 16 hp, which was evidently counterproductive.

End of 1988 the project was due to be discontinued, which signified the end for the Porsche 965 respectively 969. In total 16 prototypes for tests were built from which one survived to this day.

CASTHEADS: Autocult has an affinity for working on models that are not run-of-the mill models that you find from most major brands. Go have a look on their website www. autocult-models.de and we are sure you'll find something really interesting.

GUEST CASTHEAD Words + Pics | Ashraaq Wahab, Deputy Editor – Motor Magazine

BU5 F4RE MERCEDE S-BENZ CITARO KEISEI ARTICUL ATED BUS BY TOMIC A

運 賃

Yup, it’s a Mercedes-Benz. Nope, its not a sports car, luxury sedan or G-class. For those who don’t know, the three-pointed star makes a variety of commercial vehicles too, from panel vans to buses , cement mixers to garbage trucks!

Spending some days in Singapore recently (thanks to the better half winning a fellowship at NUS), I used the public transport to get around – the MRT and buses. Being interested in vehicles, I noticed that the buses were mostly MercedesBenz Citaro or Scania models in single and double-decker types (no articulated buses sadly – Singapore phased those out mostly by 2014). I was also impressed by how the Citaros “knelt” by tilting the entire left side of the bus downwards the moment the door was opened – making the entry level with the kerb. I

運

did pick up a few Tomica models in SG which will be featured later, including my first “Long Tomica” – but more on that in future issues.

Checking in to Changi at 10pm for my flight back to Colombo, I had two hours to kill so amused myself by walking around all three terminals and riding the Skytrain.

Of course, a visit to the toy shops in each terminal was a must – I have picked up many of my models at an Airport toyshop - and it was at the one in Terminal 3 that I came across the model under review here – A Mercedes-Benz Citaro Articulated Bus

by Tomica in the livery of the “Keisei Bus Company, Japan”.

Right off the shelf, its sky-blue exterior

運賃 screamed “you know you want me”, as well as the fact that it was an articulated bus. It also came in at a very reasonable SGD 13.97 -that’s about Rs. 1,600/- or thereabouts. Half the SGD that remained in my wallet said goodbye and the Tomica plastic-wrapped box slipped into the depths of my hand luggage, remaining there until well into the next day.

On DLM’ing it, I marvelled at the level of detail. Tomica sure know how to do fine detail, which other manufacturers still mess up. The bus company name was printed clearly as was the headcode and Mercedes-Benz logos, and I can read the timetable on the side of the bus with a magnifying glass! The roof detail includes the two air-conditioning packs. Turning it over reveals that the “B” axle (second axle) is the powered one in the Citaro variant modelled here – and a little Wikipedia search reveals that the Citaro family includes up to four-axle articulated buses. The side detail is pretty decent too, and the windows are lightly tinted so that the seats can be seen too, and the doors are of the correct doubleleaf variety although they do not open.

The rubber “accordion” covering the articulated joint is grey – articulated buses typically have the accordion in grey or black, so more points for accuracy here.

While playing with the model, another feature revealed itself – The bus actually articulates into three distinct positions!

You can have it fully straight, bent to the

left or to the right. You need to exert a little pressure to bend it and a click signifies the set position.

However, the articulated joint is also the model’s Achilles heel. The mechanism doesn’t feel like anything designed by the Japanese. It has a level of play to it (in the X as well as Y axis) that were this the case on the real bus, the rear section would be flopping about like a fish out of water!

In fact, I feel that the play has increased slightly since purchase – I have bent it several times for playing with and photos for this article, but nothing excessive – certainly not more than ten times.

The other disappointment is the wheels.

They are the “Tomica Regular” wheels, and all axles have single wheels – while I am sure that on the real thing, the B and C axles have dual wheels. Why, Tomica? You wow us with intricate body details, then drop a brick on our heads with the wheels and flimsy feeling articulation.

LIMITED EDITION "wheels don't, roll, bro!" red supra (45 pieces only) RS 2,500 visit our store for sizes & ordering information facebook.com/pg/CastHeadsMag/shop

Of course, it all boils down to a matter of cost, but if that were the case, a small trade-off on body detail would have been acceptable in return for dual wheels where present, and an articulated joint that felt sturdier. The scale is 1:120 so we don’t need to read the timetable, certainly not on a SGD 14 model. Keep that level of detail for the TLV series.

In conclusion, it’s a very smart looker and certainly something that wouldn’t look out of place on a shelf at home, or office desk.

Just remember it’s more for show than play unlike some of Tomica’s other beauties.

There are times you have a want that goes unfulfilled by diecast manufacturers. Maybe its model that they don't see a point in, or an accessory that just isn't there or event something out of your life that you need to be brought to life in scale.

We spoke to Gregoire Brun from France who uses 3D printing to make things that really add to his collection

CASTHEADS MAGAZINE: Tell us a bit about yourself Gregoire BRUN: Hello I am Greg and I am hail from France. I have been collecting models for the past 25 years now. I started with Dinky Toys given to me by my father when he was young.

CHM: What is your background?

GB: I have always had a dream to make my own model since I started collecting.

I am a mechanical designer by profession, I’ve worked on 3D model technology for over 20 years, like stereolithography1 to make professional prototypes.

CHM: So what do you like to collect?

GB: I collect several types of models majority being 1/43 scale Dinky toys, Solido, all racing cars with Martini Racing or Gulf Racing liveries, Renault cars and Trucks and Matra sport cars and transporters I like everything about racing cars and I am really interested in Rally Assistance vehicles and all trucks that assist or transport racing cars.

"I have always had a dream to make my own model since I started collecting"

One of my dreams to have in my collection was the Saviem Sinpar used by the Matra Sport Team in the 1960s.

"My collection includes over 2000 models" CHM: So tell us about some of your projects GB: Due to my professional experience and interest in 3D printing technology, my wife got me a 3D printer for christmas about two years.

I remember thinking what I was going to do with it?

I started by to trying to make some doors to replace on some old models I had lying around.

One of my dreams to have in my collection was the Saviem Sinpar used by the Matra Sport Team in the 1960s.

I’ve had to cut two models to obtain something close to the original model

But unfortunately, nobody had replicated this model, so I decided to draw based on a picture I found on the web.

Issues like finding solutions to print parts correctly and technical issues with the machine took time, but at the end it came out quite beautifully.

Two months passed to make the 3D models and several months to print parts with a lot of trial and error. For the cabin

The second challenge was to create a real trailer used by Renault Sport.

You can find trailers to transport racing cars but every time it’s the same model generally made by IXO models.

I wanted to have the exact model used for the Renault Five Turbo during the 1980’s So after much trial, testing and error I managed to print all the 3D parts for the trailer I wanted to make.

Now I event 3D print wheels for 1:18s, and use printed parts to repair lost or broken parts like for example on the Mini where the rear wing had been lost.

My last project was to reproduce a gas station that existed in France with the name “L’etoile du Sud” (South Star) sometime ago.

So I printed out all the parts seperately for it and then put it together and it was exactly what I wanted. Now I make 3D printed parts and dioramas for other people and to sell.

Thank you Greg for taking the time to chat to us. We await more great models and ideas from you.

Stereolithography is a form of 3D printing technology used for creating models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in a layer by layer fashion using photopolymerization, a process by which light causes chains of molecules to link, forming polymers

1

You can find more information on his FB page www.facebook.com/racingcarmodel or visit his website www.racing-photo.fr

THE CULTURED CASTHEAD There a bit more to it than collecting

As the book describes itself it is the definitive visual history of cars starting with the Pioneer vehicles that pre-date the 1920’s all the way up to the modern era of machines we all love so dearly. For both car lover and collector this is a fantastic resource that helps you track down timelines, understand how the world influenced automobiles just as much as it influenced the world.

Literally pages and pages of how the car became what it is today. There are also a gamut of features stories that talk about the history of certain iconic brands mixed in with details on engine types and how they operate. For example, on feature would be on Ferdinand Porsche and the rise of the Porsche brand while later in the book you discover an article dedicated to air cooled boxer engines.

While being a great research resource it is also a remarkably interesting read with great images, clear descriptions, and car specs. It is a bible at the CastHeads office. NOTE: The cheapest place to buy this book online and ship worldwide (Shipping charges apply) is at Bookxcessonline.com for RM39.90 (usd 9.61) Currently in stock.

THROWBACK Vintage Diecast Stuff

Editor | +94 77 789 2006 | +94 76 625 9372 CASTHEADS MAGAZINE | castheads@gmail.com | www.castheadsmagazine.com

PHOTOS BY ALBERTO JORGE RODRÍGUEZ FB/Impressive:Cars

1968 Porsche 911S - Tomica Limited Vintage 1:60 Photo by Lance K Müller

Await the next CastHeads Magazine Issue #4 coming in January 2019 If you want your story or pictures featured, please send us an email at castheads@gmail.com and we would love to do so