Crappy Replicas thread

I know for a fact that Exoto did not pay a penny to Jim Hall for the Chaparral models they produce....but they were supposed to.

 

L.M. Cox Manufacturing certainly did pay their dues, back in the heyday of the 60's slot racing boom.
OVER 1 MILLION of the COX 1/24 (slot car) Chaparral were sold !
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Speaking of 'Crappy Replicas' .... (and in an attempt to get this thread back on topic) .....

Here's one 60's sports-racer that Fran doesn't (yet) produce a replica of:

http://www.gtreproductions.com/FIA_Coupe.htm

Not a half bad representation of the Chaparral 2D, IMHO.
One of the few kit-car replicas that would be 'correct' in using fibreglass bodywork and a Chevy V-8 !

Personally, I think this car could look much nicer (and more realistic) on original style / size 16" BBS 'X-spoke' split-rim wheels ....
.... and, of course, with the roof scoop and the obligatory continental-style #7's added.
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I like how the back looks

 

Wow!

 

No, the Daytona is on a 'Vette chassis, and the California is on a custom tube chassis.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

 

I guess the thing that gets me is; I'd love to build one of the replica California or Daytona Spyders. I don't know if I would put emblems on it, or maybe change it up a bit and put my own emblems on it. But, and I'm guessing I may be a bit unusual on this, I wouldn't do it because I am trying to fake anyone out. I would have no problems letting people know that it's a "replica," though to tell the truth, it wouldn't be an exact replica anyway. Even if I could build an exact replica, I wouldn't want to as the biggest reason I would want a replica, other than the really large buy-in for the real deal, is that I would want to modify it to be more comfortable and reliable.

Things I would want would include:

A/C
Cruise Controll
Power Windows
Power Seats
Heated Seats
Electronic Fuel Injection

The car would get driven; a lot! Just as the ASC/McLaren my wife and I use now, I wouldn't hesitate to take it down to NC to visit my parents, or to take it to the beach. I would want to be able to park it in a mall parking lot, or when we go out to eat. Try that in your 2 million dollar Ferrari! This is also the reason I did not start with a real 442 convertible when building my '72 "442." I still call it a 442 as it will have the hood and grills of a 442, plus it is built in the "spirit" of a modernized 442. Once finished (a l m o s t t h e r e !) we will drive the hell out of it, though I probably wont leave it in too many parking lots! Too much work with the file board to risk a door ding!

As for some of the really crappy replicas out there? Hell, there is crap every where. I am sure there are lots of wrecked Ferraris that get a quick repair and paint job just to show up on Ebay before the CarFax report gets updated. Cheap, worn out parts and Bondo rule the day on these cars, just as on some of the American muscle cars on Ebay.

Any way, not sure where I am going with this, just posting my thoughts I guess. Maybe I shouldn't post at 6am on Sundays? =-)

Your mileage may vary, and your opinions may not agree with mine. I guess that's why they make chocolate and vanilla ice cream!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

 

If You've ever talked to someone who actually designs the models, they often are not a true replica of the car, as the designers realsie our perspective of the scaled down car is different, dimensions change to make it look more "similar" and "familiar" from the new angles we look at scale models. As such, some may very well fall into being different from the original, and they could get away with it so long as they don't use the Ferrari badge/name. I do own two "ferrari looking" 1/18th's that where NOT sold with any Ferrari badge whatsoever on them. I've never used this argument though. I like kitcars/homebuilts because it shows there still are people capable of making something themselves - something I see this country losing.

 

As long as you got the copy right its possible like making toys.

The problem? thats how they get their BLUE PRINTS to do a replica. all you need is a cad program and a 1:18 autoart and you could build your favorite car.

 

Soon to come on new Beemer chassis. Stay tuned...

 

Yes, or they're supposed to be. I don't think too many manufacturers are worried about letting companies model their cars as long as they're decent, and then sell them in stores because they probably know most of those folks won't really be considering to buy from them, and are kids.

But...I do know that they only pick the best company to sell in their dealerships usually for a better representation. Ferrari of Dallas usually only has Hot Wheels Elite, Lambo of Dallas featuring AutoArts, and pretty much the same for Merc., BMW, & Porsche. You can just tell the difference in model quality (& price...) at a dealership compared to a regular ol' store. You could say that stores feature models as toys, and dealers feature them as collectables.

 

......
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I recall reading somewhere (maybe on their site?) that they use the bigger wheels so they can use more modern brakes and suspension.

 

Possibly - but sadly even in the kit-car world it frequently seems 'bigger is better' - in the interests of 'Bling'. Whereas it's pretty nigh impossible to find high performance tires in 15", there are still some tire makers who cater for 16". I think their (poor IMHO) choice of rims may have had something to the initial cost of the more correct-appearing BBS wheel - and also the recent demise of the company:

http://www.autospies.com/news/BBS-to-file-bankruptcy-12416/

 

^^^ - its on their site http://www.gtreproductions.com/ZSR_Chassis.htm

 

There's more than a word of truth to what he wrote.
The wooden bucks for the aluminium bodywork of the previous run of Norwood P4's were built up by scaling from a set of 1:18 plans (blown up to full size).
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That would be a first......The BS meter was set to "auto filter" and when it registered the author's name, it detected a measure of BS in the tone of "all you need.... and you could build your favorite car"

 

crafty, you're killing me dude

and Ash, Mattel pay a fortune for the rights to the Ferrari models they sell

 

.... along with this thread, too.

For that reason, I don't think I'll bother posting in it any more (or following it, for that matter). Over and out.

 

This crafty dude knows what's what, didn't take long for him to figure out either.

That's what I thought. End result is, anyone who shows off their replica, should by all rights also show off the licence they obtained from the original manufacturers for being allowed to create an inferior version.

I know you'll be back... lots of negativity but then you can see the kind of crowd the usual "replica" standards attract. You're one of the few folk who are involved in replica vehicles which deserve to be replicated. Either way if your mate turns up at Canberra next week I'll post some (hopefullly poster worthy) pics of his P4 rep in here.

 

Pls don't leave.

 

Kitcar magainze has been mentioning this for a while now its a replicar is nothing more than a giant 1.1 scale model kit.

Look at North American and a few other companys, theres no way you could mold it to look that great on just design plans alone. You try it on your own guess what? you'll make just another crappy replica.

 

Exactly.

 

.......our mate reminds me of the punching clown I had as a kid...... no matter how hard or how many times you hit him, he keeps coming back for more.

Clearly he enjoys being punched in the ring!
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