Diecast Collector February 2023

NEW SQUADRON FROM STAPLES AND VINE SERA Staples has proudly announced the release of a new wave of limited edition aircraft models. All of the aircraft are in production and available to order now. Feast your eyes on the list below. Visit Sera’s website at www.staplesandvine.com for more information and to place an order. 1/48 scale: • Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 Hans-Joachim Marseille 1/72 scale: • English Electric Lightning F1A 56 Squadron 'Firebirds' (pictured)• Mosquito FB Mk VI Group Captain Pickard 'Operation Jericho• Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Leutnant Alfred Schreiber 1944• Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6/AS Winter 1944-45• Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4 Hauptmann Wilhelm Johnen• Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I 255 Squadron 1941• Gloster E.28/39 First Flight May 15th 1941• Curtiss Kittyhawk Mk I Flight Officer Neville Duke• Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a/U1 Oberleutnant Kurt Welter 1945•…

A memory from many years ago that frequently manifests itself in my head in the form of a musical earworm (which I then find it near-impossible to shift) mentions something about joining a club. The product is actually nothing to do with our hobby (unless, like me, you can't resist something chocolatey and biscuit-based with your cuppa whilst 'working'), but those of a certain age will know exactly which telly advertisement I am referring to from back then. The subject matter might not really be relevant here, but the sentiment most certainly is. I find that one of the most enjoyable aspects of our hobby is the social side - meeting up to chat about models new and old, comparing wishlists, buying and selling, etc. In my capacity as an…

NEXT PROFESSIONALS RELEASE COMING SOON FOLLOWING on from the huge success of the Escort RS2000 commissioned from Corgi (see the Editor’s Choice on page 18), Tony Buller’s next Professionals model will be Bodie’s Ford Capri 3.0S in a limited run of just 1,037 models (to tie in with Bodie’s “37” call sign). To find out more, drop Tony an email at professionalmania@hotmail.com. HERPA WELCOMES YOU TO ITS OWN IN-HOUSE EXHIBITION USUALLY, at the beginning of each year, Herpa presents its new releases at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. By way of a change, for 2023, the company will not be in attendance. Instead, it is showing off its new products at the Herpa factory outlet, in Dietenhofen, just 20 miles from the exhibition halls, from 1st to 4th February.…

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THE AMERICAN SCENE Charles Barnett was back on the trail across the Atlantic this year and found plenty of temptation. I am incredibly lucky in that I am able to visit the USA now and again, and was able to make it across to take in three of my favourite events during autumn 2022. After a three-year, Covid-enforced break, I was keen to see what changes there had been, as well as get in amongst all those toys and models, of course. First was the huge Fall Carlisle car show, in Pennsylvania, just outside the town of that name – it’s about 20 miles from state capital Harrisburg. Aimed at selling full-size classic cars, it incorporates a huge swapmeet for parts, literature and of course, toys and models of all…

SUCCUMB TO THE LURE OF THIS PRETTY LITTLE ITALIAN SPORTY CLASSIC 1/18 scale LAUDORACING - MODEL 1968 Fiat 850 Sport Coupé PRICE: € 109.90 REF NO: LM118G www.laudoracing-models.com FIAT’S popular little 850 saloon was joined by a coupé variant at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show, with the original 843 cc engine, producing 47 hp, still at the back. For 1968, the coupé got a bit of a makeover, becoming the Series II and receiving the additional Sport moniker - in recognition of the sportier interior, restyled front and increased engine capacity (now 903 cc, producing 52 hp). More than 2.3 million units of the 850 series left the Fiat factories, including the bare chassis that were supplied to external coachbuilders. Of the Coupé, just over 340,000 were built between 1965…