Ricko, Ltd. has announced the following new HO-scale models of American cars:
38822 Lincoln Continental convertible (1963)
38857 Cadillac Sixteen (2003)
38858 Cadillac Escalade ESV (2003)
38859 Cadillac CTS-V (2004)
38860 Cadillac Fleetwood V16 Aerodynamic Coupe (1934)
38861 Chrysler PT Cruiser (2006)
38862 Chrysler 300C SRT 8 (2006)
38863 Lincoln Model K (1931)
38865 Chrysler Crossfire (2006)
38868 Dodge Charger Police SSP (2006)
38870 Ford Mustang GT (2005)
38871 Ford GT (2005)
Deliveries will begin in late February-early March of 2006. Model proposals for the Cadillacs are in GM’s hands at this time. It’s not known when (or if) GM will approve them for production. GM’s track record to date is not encouraging.
All models are injection-molded ABS plastic. Prices will be in the $12-$17 range.
Are you saying $12 to $17 EACH for plastic car models in HO scale? At that price, very few if any will be going on my layout. I usually look through the Matchbox and Hotwheels type model cars for the ones that look around HO scale and are typical cars (not the exotic never-seen-a-real-one types). You can usually pick these up for about a buck a piece or less.
A company called Malibu International which makes the cars for Model Power has a new line out too.Some new stuff(Merecedes, BMW, Caddys) and some classics(Old Camero contvertables,VW bugs,buses and Gias, Cobras,Bellairs)SUPER detailed HO die cast metal.MP get’s $5 to $6 each,Wal-Marts selling them for $1.67. I was there when they put out 4 cases of them. I picked 12 for myself.I went back the next day to get more and they only had 1 Cobra left on the shelf.(some body must be modeling HO near me)
Just a couple of weeks ago there was an announcement that GM’s legal department has decided that they would refuse to allow models of their products to be made in anything smaller than S scale because of their fear of lawsuits over children choking on one, so these must be counterfeits or they were made before GM’s lawyers got involved.
Um, GM has not said it would not license models smaller than S scale. They said they were generally not licensing models smaller than 1:64 for distribution through the toy channel, although there are exceptions. Ricko models are not distributed through toy stores or mass merchandisers; they are hobby channel only.
Ricko currently has the four Cadillac models in review by General Motors. Ricko already holds licenses on all four in 1:18 scale.
There is no guaranteee GM will grant the licenses; it hasn’t cleared any HO models since sometime in 2004. However, there are some challenges pending, so we will see how things turn out. If GM does not grant the licenses, Ricko will not make the 1:87 scale Cadillacs.
Malibu International did not make the Model Power cars. Malibu International is selling the remnants of the models High Speed made for Model Power. High Speed’s manufacturing contract was terminated by Model Power. In other words, don’t be expecting to see all the other American cars and trucks that were previously announced by Model Power discounted at Wal-Mart.
Don’t know where you’ve been buying them, but Model Power Minis have a suggested retail price of $3.99.
Sorry, I thought Malibu made them. I do see the High Speed logo now.The $5-$6 price was on a die cast only site.Still $1.67 is better than $3.99. Too bad we won’t see more of them.Their GREAT quality.Even if they were $8 or $9 it’d be worth it.
You’ll see more models like this, I promise. Only they will be $3.99 and come from Model Power. I talked to the president of Model Power and he says the quality will be as good or better than the High Speed models.
If you have the ear of the owner of Model Power. Let him know that he has a market out there that has not been tapped. People who want to put auto loads on their bi and tri levels. A 69 Camero hardtop and a convertible but with a rag top in multiple colors would be a nice start. Also some 70’s sedans/station wagons would be a nice idea. let him know that modelers will buy multiples 12-15 to fill up their cars. Might even be a new way to package the product. Shink wrap 10-12 together at a bulk price. ---------Ken McCorry
I think there will be some good news for you this fall. Even more good news if GM will get on the #@%&$ stick and approve some projects. Of course, if GM sticks to its “standard” of 2.26-inch minimum length, you can forget about any dreams of HO Camaros, Corvettes, Corvairs and a lot of other GM vehicles. To give you an idea of how large a vehicle it takes to qualify, a 4-door Tahoe is just about right. I went through the specs for about eighty past and present GM cars and only about half of them meet the limit.
That does leave Chrysler and Ford, neither of whom have any problem with licensing 1:87 scale “replicas.” Awful lot of potential there, especially considering the AMC licenses are available through DaimlerChrysler.
As to “ordinary” cars from the 1960s and 1970s, the biggest problem is that these cars came long before CAD and most, if not all, the documents and drawings and engineering models that would help make a good scale model have been given away or destroyed. Plus, where these models are made (primarily Germany and China) there is an acute shortage of forty-year-old Plymouths and Fords. This means tracking down a cherry example of the car you want to make, coming to an agreement with the owner and taking huge numbers of photographs and measurements. This can take months and cost thousands of dollars. However, even so, there is some discussion going on. We will just ha
Yep! Happend to me! My wife’s cousin called me excitedly two nights ago and told me that there was a huge load of those Malibu International HO scale cars at Wal-Mart for $1.67. What a bargain! Though I was skeptical, I went with him to the Wal-Mart Superstore. He was right! However, there were only about 25 cars left by the time we got there! I picked up 5 cars that would fit into my modeling era including a late 1960s VW Bus and a 1969 Camaro.
All for $1.67 each! Quality? Excellent! HO vehicles like these usually sell for $8.00 in the Walthers catalog.
I’m going to hit all of the Wal-Marts in my area as soon as possible. I had the feeling that this would be short lived and that Wal-Mart is unloading these vehicles. He called me again yesterday and said that there was another big batch at a different Wal-Mart.
I have a feeling cars like these will show up at flea markets and ebay. The sellers will likely make a decent profit.
Heres a little tip.Walmart will clear a space on the shelf for new product. They will first put the yellow price tags on the shelf.These tags are starting to have the scale of the model marked on them.I make a point of stopping by every other day to check for new tags or product. HO things tend to go quick!
Bcawthon-That’s GREAT news! Even at $4 these things are a steal.
My Walmart didn’t have any . . . .bummer. I did, however, get two of the Cameros at Hobby-Lobby. 3 something each, not quite the deal like Wally World, but good enough for me if these things are going to be discontinued.
Now…I just have to figure out where the next nearest Walmart is . . . . .hmmmmmmm
I think I have every Model Power car there is now, at shows up here in Canada they go for 4 bucks. The Trans Am’s, Vipers and BMW’s are very nice and well worth looking for.
I don’t know if any of you have heard of the Magic cars. They are made for Herpa in China and they retail in the U.S. for $6.50 per two-pack.
The Magic cars are injection-molded plastic, have free-rolling wheels, interiors and glass insert. However, they have a one-piece body with painted grille, bumpers, taillights, etc. Sort of a plastic diecast model.
They come packed two different colors per package, but they are easily disassembled for repainting. Molding quality is quite good and they scale out well compared to their prototypes
Being plastic, the Magic cars are quite light, meaning loading 15-18 on an auto rack won’t cause any problems for rolling stock or locomotives. And they are generally based on common sedan and station wagon prototypes from the 1960s and 1970s.
The only drawback is they are based on European prototypes, though most were also sold in the U.S. There isn’t any point in hoping American cars will be included as Herpa’s managing directors won’t even consider tooling for an American car.
In any event, next time you’re down at your local LHS, check and see if there are any of the Magic models on the shelf. They’re worth a look and most would be okay on a layout set in the 1970s. Then imagine that package held a couple of American Fords and was priced at about seven dollars for two. Would you buy it?
Went to another Super Wal-Mart (Brandon, Florida). Found and bought a blue V W Bug, yellow 69 Camaro Z28, two 1955 Chevy Bel Airs, and another V W Bus. All for $1.67 ea. There were also some 1960s era Porsche’s, Mercedes Benz coupes, and Volkswagon Carerras ( I think) but I’m more interested in American cars.
As with the other Wal-Mart, the majority of the cars are modern. There were about 50+ left.
Sweet! Aren’t they? I made friends with the woman at Walmart that orders all that stuff.She’s going to call me with a heads up when 1/87 stuff is coming in.[^]