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Over the past year, the Classic Vauxhall team have been listening very carefully to what enthusiasts have been saying on the subject of model cars, trucks, buses and vans. We have also been talking with a number of model makers to help them make better, more accurate replicas in miniature of your favourite vehicles, so watch this space.
The subject of Graeme Ogg’s article opposite is the excellent 1:43 scale model from Vanguard, a division of that well-known model die-cast toy company Corgi.
In advance information supplied by this company, we were delighted to note that the new releases for the second half of 2002 include two items of direct interest to Vauxhall, Bedford and Opel enthusiasts.
To complement the excellent MkI Vauxhall Victor and the stylish PA Cresta, Vanguard have planned the release of the Mk1 F-Type in a metalic paint version (shown above) for release in October.
In the slightly bigger scale of 1:50, Corgi Collectables will launch a new Bedford S-Type lorry in August. In the unusual livery of the County of Clwyd fire service, this limited edition drop-side truck features blue beacons, horns and a resin load simulating a green canvas tilt. Available from most good model shops, or contact Peter Fletcher at VHS.
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Just to show that you can turn proprietary models into something unusual,
Graeme Ogg takes an irreverent look at modelling the MkII 1961 Vauxhall Victor F-series.
Life can be strange, especially when it comes to automotive modelling. A couple of years back, just when I feared I had strayed too far down the path of modelling worthy but dull British variants, I got this letter. ”Dear sir, as a man of conservative tastes I have grown weary of model manufacturers producing increasingly gaudy, over-detailed models of ever more flashy modern vehicles. Then I saw your MkIII Cortina estate model and my spirits lifted. As I gazed on its sheer unpretentious and functional ploddiness, tears welled in my eyes. A great lump rose in my throat ….”
Well, apart from suggesting that more thorough colonic irrigation might ease the latter problem, it was hard to think of a suitable response, since I don’t actually hold a gun licence. But I had to try, and after some thought a sequel emerged in the MkII F-Type Victor saloon.
In 1957 Vauxhall introduced its new Victor F-series, which was a kind of skinny scaled-down version of the 1955 Chevrolet with wraparound front and rear screens. It had various bulges and swages in the |
bodywork, which to me always suggested the cars weren’t tied down properly on the delivery transporter.
Nevertheless it was interesting, in a tinny sort of way. Its looks didn’t appeal to everybody and it quickly developed a domestic reputation as a rustbucket, but some of our Commonwealth cousins really lapped it up. Maybe they thought it was a ’55 Chevrolet!
A couple of years later it got a face-lift, with most of the factory-fitted accident damage removed, plainer bumpers, some detail trim changes and a new deep-lustre paint finish which gave the impression (albeit short-lived) that maybe it was built of solid metal after all.
For 1961 they tried for an even more sober look, with a simple horizontal-barred grille, broader rear roof pillars and a taller back window à la Vignale Vanguard. Whether all that effort was rewarded in final-year sales, I couldn’t say, but it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to model the final MkII version.
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