Heartland Die-Cast & Promotions' Blog

1/64th Scale PETERBILT 352 COE for George Van Dyke Trucking by DCP by First Gear

I’ve got yet another great product review for you, it’s the Peterbilt 352 for George Van Dyke Trucking. This is a DCP by First Gear diecast truck release. It’s the 352 cab over which George van Dyke loved the Pete 352 cab overs.

Boom, what’s going on?

George van Dyke Trucking was founded in Tangent, Oregon back in 1969 by you guessed it, George van Dyke. He was an immigrant from Holland, and he grew up in Southern California on a family dairy farm, but in the late sixties with the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, they moved on up to Oregon and started up a new dairy.

In ‘69, he bought a 1957 GMC flatbed to haul hay for the family dairy. Soon after he was hauling hay for the neighbors and his customer base was growing. That’s how George van Dyke trucking was founded in 1969, hauling hay back in Tangent, Oregon.

In ‘71, he gave up the dairy farm completely and went full time trucking. Then throughout the seventies, his fleet continued to grow and today it is still in operation along the I-5 corridor on the West coast. He runs a fleet of 25 trucks with a very diversified operation. Most of his trailers though, are the curtain siders.

Click here to buy the george van dyke pete 352

Now, let’s go on and talk about this beautiful Peterbilt 352 with 48′ Utility flatbed trailer models and shingle load.

This set comes with a Peterbilt 352 Single Bunk COE and Utility 48 foot flatbed trailer instead of the 53 foot flatbed as 48 foots are far more common in flatbeds.

Because George van Dyke hauled lots of building materials, First Gear put a shingle load on it.

Click to watch my george van dyke trucking product review video on youtube!

Let’s go on and open this one up.

As usual, First Gear used a hardboard cardboard sleeve and a plastic two-piece blister set to hold the truck. They also put in that beautiful scenic mural in the back of the packaging. Then as always, they tape the blisters together.

This truck includes an extra set of mirrors and it has a package which has tie downs to put over the load and tie it down.

This truck and trailer were originally DCP toolings.

Let’s just start off with the load here. It has this beautiful resin shingle load. They are 13 skids of shingles from the Western Single Company. They’re sitting on pallets. The pallets are painted brown and they are actually a separate piece put inside the shingles to hold the shingles in place.

Pretty nice load for a trailer and way better than any resin load from earlier trucks released by Diecast Promotions.

click here to buy the george van dyke pete 352

Then we’ve got the utility 48 foot flatbed trailer.

It’s got a spread axle configuration. It has medium green frame rails and a white deck with medium green stripes. It’s got plain black mud flaps with weights on the bottom.

The trailer has Utility graphics, all the correct, marker, brake and taillights on it. The trailer has the standard King pin that’s used on all of First Gear and Diecast Promotions trucks.

Landing gear has the crank and the landing gear just screws down. Like all the DCP landing gears did.

Click here to buy the george van dyke pete 352

Now let’s take a deep dive on the tractor.

Isn’t that pain scheme just beautiful?

Who wouldn’t want to drive that show truck?

Just look at that beautiful medium green and white paint job. Phenomenal job on the door graphics for the George van Dyke logo. This truck has the twin exhaust stacks. It’s got the 86 inch bumper to back of cab. So it’s got the small single bunk. They put chrome half fenders on this one. The cab has Peterbilt branded mudflaps mounted on chrome brackets with chrome weights on the bottom along with brake lights. The 5th wheel pivots a little. It does not have a Pogo stick or any airlines on it, but it does have a chrome deck plate.

This particular configuration has the air cleaner up through the cab, which is pretty common with these old 352s. However, the driver said all he did was hear that vacuum of the air being sucked into the engine. The cab has a wire step on the passenger side and a battery box step on the drivers side. It has a smaller grab rail for the hand rail instead of the hand rail step, which on the Diecast Promotions 352s had a bad tendency of breaking.

The Pete cab has chrome plated mirrors on it. On the driver’s side, there is a spotlight. It’s got a chrome plated visor. It’s got the rooftop air conditioner on it. On the front is a chrome bumper and chrome grill. The headlights are of the individual jewel type. Clear windows give a good view of the detailed interior. It’s got the little mirror down by the window on the passenger side door so the driver can see better. The windshield wipers are painted on the front. That fancy Peterbilt logo is brilliant right there front and center on the cab. This cab does tilt to show off the detailed engine.

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Now, the exhaust stacks are attached to the cab, like the Pete 352s did so that they tilt with the cab. And then they just sit down in their pockets mating up with the engine exhaust system.

The engine is a white painted, six cylinder, turbocharged diesel motor under the hood, and then the hood just snaps and clips in place. That allows it to stay in place. If you pull it too far, it’ll pop right off the frame.

Underneath the cab is the air cleaner, twin fuel tanks, air tanks and under engine detail. It’s got the air brake chambers on the axles and detailed drive shafts.

The steering on this one is positional. Just like the others. it just clicks in place.

Let’s measure how long it is. It is 12 inches from the front bumper to the tailgate. So it’s not going to be too bad sitting on your shelf.

You could set it either with cab tilted showing off the engine or with the cab down in normal driving position. Just depends on how you want it.

First Gear just did an amazing job on this truck.

Oh, another little note, the center three marker lights up on the roof are green which is authentic to the real George Van Dyke Trucking #5. The outer two marker lights are amber.

Just a little extra detail that First Gear likes to do.

Let me know down in the comments, what you think of this beautiful truck.

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Guys, I really recommend adding this piece to your collection. It was extremely limited and supplies are running out fast. This one is bound to go up in value very quickly!

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you soon.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.S. If you would like to see the full product review video on this Peterbilt 352 COE with Flatbed for George Van Dyke Trucking, please go to my YouTube channel and see it there.

Also take a moment to subscribe so that you can keep up with all of my videos. I would really appreciate it so I can keep making great content for you.

P.P.S Here is a picture of the real George Van Dyke #5.

Toy Talk is hosted by Logan Skeele Founder of Advantage Diecast, LLC

1/64th SCALE DCP by First Gear Kenworth K100 with Pups for ICX – Illinois California eXpress Trucking Company, Inc.

Today I’ve got another product review for you. This time it’s a 64th scale Kenworth K100 with two Wabash pups for ICX or under its official name “Illinois California eXpress” of Denver Colorado.

Boom, whats goin’ on?

Today I’ve got another product review for you. This time it’s a 64^th scale Kenworth K100 with two Wabash pups for ICX or under its official name “Illinois California eXpress” of Denver Colorado.

ICX was an LTL company out of Denver CO. It was founded in 1936 and ran for decades until deregulation of the late 1970s forced them into bankruptcy in 1984. The deregulation pretty much bankrupted all the LTL and union trucking companies and came up with a hole new system that we use today.

Click Here to BUY the ICX Kenworth K100

This ICX is a DCP by First Gear and it utilizes all Diecast Promotions toolings in the cab and trailers. It has tandem axles on the cab along with the flattop sleeper. The pups have the 5-hole wheels on them along with the tractor. The wheels are painted silver instead of chrome plated which is far more common of LTL company trucks and trailers. The tires are soft rubber.

First Gear used the typical hardboard sleeve with a plastic blister inside. They also used a nice mural inside to make the item aesthetically pleasing in the package on a collector’s shelf or hobby store shelf. First gear used scotch tape to hold the blister closed so the truck does not fall out when you open the box.

Click to watch my kenworth with pups for icx product review video on youtube!

Now let’s open it up and take an even closer look at it.

This set has the double pups, meaning two 28 foot Wabash National dry van trailers hooked together with a converter dolly. They have the screw down landing gear and opening rear roll-up door. The back door is the solid panel version that just flips up and slides in. Each trailer is fully detailed inside with roof ribs, wood floors and walls. On the back it has authentic ICX graphics and required lights. It has hard plastic mud flaps and a hitch for the converter dolly. The sides have all ICC required marker lights and authentic ICX graphics.

Unlike most of the pup sets that have been made over the years, this one has different trailer numbers on each trailer. One trailer has unit number 26-5255 and the other trailer has unit number 26-5450. This is great attention to detail from First Gear. The old days of model trucks had the same unit number on both trailers which was not prototypical, but it worked and as collectors we did not really mind the minor error.

The converter dolly comes with a pivoting fifth wheel, air lines and hard plastic mud flaps. It has a lunette ring to hitch up to the pintle hitch on either trailer. It also has all DOT markings and brake lights.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE ICX KENWORTH K100

Now let’s look at the tractor.

The tractor on this set is the Kenworth K-100 COE with flattop sleeper and tandem rear axles. If you do not know what COE stands for, it is Cab-Over-Engine and it is a very accurate description since the cab of this truck sits right on top of the detailed 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine. DCP made the cab tilt so that you could see the detailed engine sitting under it or you could display the truck with the hood open like it is being worked on in a shop. The cab has the dual chrome exhaust stacks and tall air cleaner. It has chrome mirrors, bumpers, grille, airhorns and spotlight above the driver’s door. It also has chrome grab bars and steps along with chrome deck plate over the frame behind the engine. The roof mounted visor is body color matched and the headlights are individual jewel style lights. The front grab bars are wire as are the grab bars above the driver’s door. The wheels turn and lock in place so you can display it with the wheels turned if you want to. First Gear went all out with decorations on the cab. It has all the correct ICC numbers and other graphics are amazing on this model.

Measured out, this truck comes in at 14 inches long from the front bumper to the rear tailgate on the last trailer. So, this model will take up a good size space on your shelf or diorama, but it is worth it to have such an authentic piece of American trucking history.

Another note, this set does come with the extra set of mirrors. This was a good hold over from the DCP days as Diecast Promotions always put an extra set of mirrors in the package just in case one got broken, which was common. When First Gear took over, the first few runs did not have the extra mirrors which was a pain for us as mirrors are so easily broken.

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Guys, I really recommend adding this piece to your collection. It’s such a beautiful model that First Gear has made and it takes us back to a different time in American trucking history.

Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you soon.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.S. If you would like to see the full product review video on this Kenworth K-100 with Pups for ICX, please go to my YouTube channel and see it there. Also take a moment to subscribe so that you can keep up with all of my videos. I would really appreciate it so I can keep making great content for you.

CLICK TO WATCH MY KENWORTH WITH PUPS FOR ICX PRODUCT REVIEW VIDEO ON YOUTUBE!

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Toy Talk is hosted by Logan Skeele Founder of Advantage Diecast, LLC

FIRST GEAR 64th SCALE DIECAST T-L Center Pivot Irrigation Systems Product Review

Boom, what’s going on?

I’m back with another product review.

This is a brand new item just out from First Gear Replicas in 1:64th scale.

It’s the T-L Center Pivot Irrigation system with a base unit. This model belongs on any farm toy collection or farm toy diorama because who doesn’t irrigate their crops.

Can you imagine how much better those grain crops will grow with irrigation?

click here to buy the t-l center pivot irrigation system by first gear!

First Gear Replicas went all out on designing this thing.

First Gear Replicas does a great job packaging and all around with their models.

They went and put on the back of the packaging all the information about TL Center Pivot Irrigation, their website and other places where you can find them.

It says TL has been in irrigation since 1955.

It comes in a standard blister insert, they put a beautiful mural on the inside card. The thing that’s very typical of first gear is they tape the clam shells together. That way they don’t fall apart when you open them up.

watch my t-l irrigation product review video on my youtube channel. also please subscribe

Now let’s open it up and take an even closer look at it.

It comes in a standard blister insert, they put a beautiful mural on the inside card.

T-L Center Pivot Irrigation with Base Tower – First Gear item #: 60-0713

First Gear Replicas went all out on designing this thing.

This particular model is actually very heavy. The piping is solid die cast. The wire is metal. The drip hoses are rubber with the nozzles on the end. It’s got free rolling wheels, so it’ll pivot just like the real one.

The tires have the traditional bar tread that should be on any of these models. The T-L logo is there. The hoses are yellow. It has a warning beacon on it. The pivot just sits right there on the pin so that it pivots just fine.

click here to buy the t-l center pivot irrigation systems by first gear

Now let’s look at the base.

The base has the hook up where you would hook up your irrigation water pump to it. It’s got other detail in it, it’s got the T-L control box. It’s sitting on an actual a piece of resin for the base. And the bottom of the base says Copyright 2019 First Gear Replicas. And this unit is very heavy, it’ll be very stable on your shelf.

This is actually a much better piece than the original Valley irrigation that Die-Cast Promotions made 15 years ago now. This is a far, far better piece.

This is a piece that really belongs in anybody’s collection if you collect farm toys, or you just collect really cool collectible diecast models, this is a piece you really need to have.

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I would recommend getting one of these. As I said before, these models are meant to sit only on shelves, but it would look amazing sitting on one of your dioramas out there, irrigating one of your soy beans or your corn crops.

It will show off what farmers go through to make food for our families.

Guys, you just can’t go wrong by adding this to your collection. It’s such a beautiful model that First Gear has made. Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you soon.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

Download my free report on scale here

P.S. If you would like to see the full product review video on this T-L Center Pivot Irrigation System, please go to my YouTube channel and see it there. Also take a moment to subscribe so that you can keep up with all of my videos. I would really appreciate it so I can keep making great content for you.

WATCH MY T-L IRRIGATION PRODUCT REVIEW VIDEO ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL. ALSO PLEASE SUBSCRIBE

Toy Talk is hosted by Logan Skeele Founder of Advantage Diecast, LLC

GREENLIGHT GREEN MACHINES Chevy 3500, Ram 3500 & Ford F-350 Dually Drivers!

What I’m going to talk about is the Dually Drivers, the greenies for the Dually Drivers Series by Greenlight

Boom, whats goin’ on today?

What did you think of the DIVCO Models? Aren’t they cool and wouldn’t one look sweet on your layout?

Well, let us get started with Green Machines by Greenlight Collectibles.

Greenlight Green Machines are the chase versions that Greenlight makes for all of their models. In fact, everything in 64^th, 43^rd, & 24th scales all have green machines. They are 1 to 2 pieces per case. For all of Greenlight Collectibles 1:64 scale, 1:43rd scale & 1:24 scale releases, they create a chase version. On this version, they’ll paint some part green. Usually it’s the chassis & the wheels are metallic green, but sometimes they will go on & paint the entire body a metallic green & leave the wheels & everything else the way they were originals. Just depends on what the release is & how many of that one they are going to make.

Anyway today. What I’m going to talk about is the dually drivers, the greenies for the dually drivers series.

The dually drivers series was created to fill the void in the model car, truck & farm toy world of modern dually pick-ups, which has been sorely lacking for us collectors, particularly as farm toy guys because most farms have a dually pickup on these days.

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So anyway, let us go on & start with the first one. It is a 2018 Ram 3500 HD Big Horn Harvest Edition in the Case IH red with a tan two toned paint scheme. It has the metallic green wheels & the metallic chassis that is famous for the green machines. It comes with a bumper pull hitch so that you could hitch up any of Greenlights’ 64 scale trailers that are the bumper pull type. The goosenecks come with a hitch that can be mounted in the bed. This truck does not come with one. The front bumper is chrome plated & so is the grille. It has individual jewels style headlights & crystal clear glass windows with a slight tint on the back windows, just like the real ones. The cab & bed are made out of diecast metal & the chassis is made out of plastic on this model & painted green. The rest of the vehicle is standard Greenlight diecast.

2018 Ram 3500 Big Horn Harvest Edition Dually Pickup Truck

Click to BUY chase versions while supply last

Next up, we have got this 2018 Ford F-350 Lariat dually pick-up. It is a crew cab. It has the cab & the bed cast together as that is the way they made this tooling. The other duallys they made have the cabs & beds separate so that you could have flatbeds or regular beds, but the Ford tooling was the first dually they released. It was made as a one piece body cab & bed. Which kind of is not so great is now we can’t get a flatbed, but that’s all right. We got a dually. It has metallic green wheels & metallic base & the base is also plastic on this one, while the body is all diecast, Greenlight did do a diecast chassis for this casting, but they didn’t put it in this particular release. It comes with running boards, standard dually bed & has the bumper pull hitch for all the bumper pull trailers that Greenlight makes. The grille is chrome plated & the bumpers are painted on this model. It is in the platinum white Ford loves to make. However, the paint is a little thick on this one which covers up some of the detail that was in the casting. But it still has exquisite graphics. The fX4 tampo on the bed is amazing.

2018 Ford F-350 Lariat Dually Pickup Truck

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I have got here, another 2018 ran 3500 HD dually. This time, though it does not come with standard dually bed. It comes with their service body bed & ladder racks. The bed & ladder racks are painted silver on this release. The cab is the dark green with tan that Ram loves to make. It comes with the green wheels & the green chassis to make it the chase limited edition version. Running boards & diecast cab are standard. The chassis is plastic. It comes with a chrome plated bumper & chrome plated grille. Also, it does have the bumper pull hitch, which is great because we can hitch these trucks up to any of the bumper pull trailers that Greenlight makes. All in all, this model doesn’t really stand out because of the dark paint scheme & the green wheels just kind of blend in, but they were easy to spot because the other version had chrome wheels & this one has green wheels even though they are a real dark green.

2018 Ram 3500 Laramie Dually Service Truck with Ladder Rack

Click to buy chase versions while supply last

Another vehicle we have got today in the dually drivers series is a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD. This one comes with a flatbed on it. It has toolboxes hanging under & mud flaps. It has the traditional green wheels & green chassis, which is standard for Greenlight Green Machines. It also has USA-1 monster truck graphics. This truck was made to pull the gooseneck & the USA-1 monster truck that they made a while back as a set together. It will mate up very well with the green machine version of that set.

2018 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD Dually Flatbed “USA-1” Monster Truck Team

Click to Buy chase versions while supply last

They are great models & they are something wonderful to look for in the secondary market & look for in your hobby shops as chase versions are very hard to find.

Like I said, there’s one or two per case.

Now all six vehicles in the series will have a chase version, but because of the way they pack them, they get scattered all over the country, making it hard to come by a whole set. But if you could get a whole set is really worth it.

Do you have any of these models? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

Download my totally free report on scale here

Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you soon.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.S. If you would like to see the full video on Greenlight Dually Driver’s Green Machines please go to my YouTube channel and see it there. Also take a moment to subscribe so that you can keep up with all of my videos. I would really appreciate it so I can keep making great content for you.

P.P.S. Not all models mentioned are still available.

Toy Talk is hosted by Logan Skeele Founder of Advantage Diecast, LLC

DIVCO Delivery Trucks by American Heritage Models

American Heritage Models made some beautiful DIVCO trucks for famous dairies of days past.

Boom, whats goin’ on?

Were those ACF-Brill buses by American Heritage Models not super cool?

And how many of those manufacturers did you know made resin replicas?

I’ve talked so much about the resin products I think it’s time to talk about something different.

How about DIVCO trucks by American Heritage Models?

To quote the back of the AHM colorful packaging about the real DIVCO:

“The DIVCO (short for Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company) was once part of America’s daily morning landscape when locally owned dairies delivered a wide variety of fresh dairy products door to door by the friendly milkman driving a Divco. Although used by many other home delivery companies such as bakeries and diaper services, it was its widespread use by dairies small and large that made it the most popular multi-stop dairy delivery truck in the country.

Eventually, consolidation of the dairy industry combined with the rapid growth of larger grocery stores ended home delivery. However, the Divco remains a widely recognizable symbol of a simpler time when the milkman was an important, trusted part of the community who entered homes, filled customer’s orders and collected the payment left for him in the kitchen.”

Seems like that about sums up the DIVCO. It was a great vehicle and an icon of times that we should return to with locally sourced foods.

Now about the American Heritage Models replica of the DIVCO. It was a 1:43rd scale diecast metal model with many abs plastic detail parts. They offered it with 2 different windshield wiper options, one with the wipers mounted above the windshield and the other with the wipers mounted on the cowl. Folding doors on both sides were included and opening barn doors on the back.

Details didn’t end with the exterior, the interior was fully detailed, including the cooler used to haul ice cream on the routes. No other 43rd release is as detailed as this one.

The product manager did extensive research on the different dairies they produced to make sure they accurately recreated the graphics. Each dairy was as close to original as possible to when the trucks were delivering to homes in the 50s.

They also made a 1:87th scale version of the iconic DIVCO truck. It featured individual jewel headlights mirrors, soft rubber tires, and the same exquisite graphics used on the 43rd scale version. The 87th version came on a hang card with a blister packaging while the 43rd versions came in a window box.

Both scales included a Milkman Figure to go with the truck.

Unfortunately, all of the 1:43rd versions are not obsolete and only available in the secondary market.

However many the 1:87th versions are still available today!

Why not show off some of these beautiful models they made?

Where possible I will put the 1:43rd and the 1:87th versions of a dairy side by side.

American Heritage Models & Borden’s Fine Dairy Products

Borden’s Dairy Products ~ 1:43rd pm the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Cloverdale Milk & Cream & Early Dawn Co-Operative Dairy Inc.

Dugan’s Bakers for the Home & Sealtest Milk Dairy Products

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Florence Bros. Dairy Products ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Galliker’s Dairy Products ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Goodenough’s Dairy ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Hull’s Dairy ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Watch my video on Resin model manufacturers

Lilly Farm Dairy ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Louis Trauth Dairy ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Melville Dairy Foods ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Parmelee Bros Dairy Products ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

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Rueter Worth Dairy Co ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Rutter Bros. Dairy Products & New Bedford Creamery Inc.

Twin Pines Farm Dairy ~ 1:43rd on the Left & 1:87th on the Right

Watch my video on resin model manufacturers

Your post-war railroad would look complete with one of these 87th Scale DIVCOs on it

Do you have any of these models? Drop your thoughts on them including quality, true to sclae, & graphics in the comments.

Grab my Totally FREE report on resin vs. Diecast

Tomorrow will be something all new so watch my blog for it!

Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you soon.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.S. If you would like to see the full video on resin models please go to my YouTube channel and see it there. Also take a moment to subscribe so that you can keep up with all of my videos. I would really appreciate it so I can keep making great content for you.

P.P.S. Not all models mentioned are still available.

RESIN BUSES, CARS, & VANS by American Heritage Models & ????

Today I’ve got some resin buses by American Heritage Models along with some resin models that you won’t believe who made them.

Boom, whats goin’ on?

Dark Horse Models, Matrix Scale Models, & Minichamps. Which of those from yesterday did you think was the best or would like in your collection?

Today I’ve got some resin buses by American Heritage Models along with some resin models that you won’t believe who made them.

Watch your email tomorrow for something new!

Let’s get to today’s companies!

**1948 ACF-Brill IC-41 Intercity Coach – Southeastern Greyhound Lines**

American Heritage Models jumped into the toy scene with a diecast metal 1:43rd scale DIVCO milk delivery truck. These exquisite models were available in 20 different liverys for famous dairies of the 1940s and 1950s. The success of this tooling spurred AHM to make more toolings, including a 1:87th version of their DIVCO, a Dodge Diplomat, a Chevy Impala, and a Dodge Charger, all in diecast.

However they wanted to make a more limited appeal model that was very dear to the heart of AHM’s founder.

This was the 1948 ACF-Brill IC-41 Intercity Motor Coach. Never before done for the O-Gauge Model Railroaders, this was sure to be a hit with a very select group of collectors. And it was with it’s first release for Southeastern Greyhound Lines which was famous for running this particular coach.

The initial success of this coach led American Heritage Models to branch out and make other famous bus lines of the era. These were even more limited than the Greyhound versions at less than 500 pieces of each.

**1948 ACF-Brill IC-41 Intercity Coach – National Trailways & Continental Trailways**

**1948 ACF-Brill IC-41 Intercity Coach – American Bus Lines & Blue Ridge Lines**

Don’t you need one of these beautiful bus models in your collection?

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**1967 Shelby GT-500 “Eleanor” (Silver w/Black Racing Stripes) from the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds”**

Can you guess who made these limited resin 1:18th scale replicas?

**1983 GMC Vandura Van (Black/Gray w/Red Stripes) driven by BA Baracus from tv show “The A-Team”**

Yep you saw that logo right, these are a new series coming from Greenlight Collectibles called the “Bespoke Collection.” They are Fine Resin Automobiles. I am sure Greenlight Collectibles chose resin to make these models due to the scale. At 1:12th scale these are very large replicas with a fairly small group of collectors. These will be great additions to your collection when they come out. They will make a statement that you collect only the finest models available.

Next up is another manufacturer I’ll bet you had no idea they made resin models. I’m not even gonna let you know till after I talk about the models. So lets get to the models.

**1968 Dodge Dart GTS in 3 Color Schemes**

**1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 in 2 Color Schemes**

**1969 Chevrolet Camaro in 3 Color Schemes**

Made in resin, these 1:43rd scale replicas are extremely detailed, extremely limited, & very hard to find today as they sold out quickly upon release. The 3 toolings they made are a 1968 Dodge Dart GTS, a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302, & a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. Multiple colors were available to improve variety without increasing the overall number of pieces produced.

The company that made these very find 1:43rd scale resin replicas is famous for other 1:64th scale models. The manufacturer had several different brand lines making different products in several scales. We mainly collected the 1:64th scale model line made by them. Also the manufacturer sold out and is going by a new trade name today, that we still collect. For the 1:43rd line they created a brand name that was very short lived.

Can you guess who yet?

Yep you saw the logo and yes our favorite diecast semi truck maker did make 1:43rd resin models! Die-Cast Promotions and Highway 61 created the brand 43rd street collectibles to make these highly detailed If you can find one, these models have a place in our collections due to the limited numbers produced and because of who made them.

Watch my full video on resin model manufacturers on my youtube channel

Do you have any of these models? Drop your thoughts on them in the comments

Grab my free report on resin vs. diecast

Tomorrow will be something all new so watch my blog for it!

Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you soon.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.S. If you would like to see the full video on this resin models please go to my YouTube channel and see it there. Also take a moment to subscribe so that you can keep up with all of my videos. I would really appreciate it so I can keep making great content for you.

P.P.S. Not all models mentioned are still available.

RESIN AUTOS by Dark Horse Models Matrix Scale Models & Minichamps

This time, I’ve got Dark Horse Models, Matrix Scale Models, & Minichamps.

Boom, what’s going on?

Are those Automodello models I mentioned yesterday not simply amazing?

This time, I’ve got Dark Horse Models, Matrix Scale Models, & Minichamps.

Watch your email tomorrow for the last in this series of resin models along with some shocking manufacturers that made resin models.

Let’s get to today’s companies!

Dark Horse Models is a very obscure little company. They released only two tooling a few years back. It was a beautiful 1:43rd scale 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Two-Door Coupe. They released it in two color choices and only made about 350 pieces of each color. This makes this car an extremely rare collectible for your collection to find today. Every piece was sold making it hard to find today. However with so few releases, this company would great to get every release and have them all as it’s pretty hard to get every release a manufacturer makes.

Do any of you have a Dark Horse Models replica in your collection?

**1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 2-Door Coupe in Serge Blue & Crest Blue**

**1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 2-Door Coupe in Canto Cream & Black**

Aren’t those beautiful models?

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**1929 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Boat Tail Convertible Coupe**

Minichamps made many 1:18th scale dream cars in resin. These were some of the first 1:18th scale resin models made and were sealed bodies and extremely detailed. All these fine details made for beautiful models and fragile models designed solely to be put on a shelf in your collection. Also these models were very expensive when released, but made up for with extremely small overall pieces from each tooling.

**1951 Buick LeSabre Convertible Concept (Cream) ~ 1953 Buick Wildcat I Convertible Concept (Blue)**

These dream cars were the motorama days. The 50s were such a forward looking time for the American car makers and they were trying to tie in the space race into auto design. Fins and grilles to simulate jet or rocket engines were common in the concepts of the time. These made some beautiful cars that replicated today really stand out on our collection shelves.

**1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Pheaton LeBaron ~ 1946 Delahaye 145 V12 Franay Cabriolet**

Matrix Scale Models came on the scene right after Neo Scale Models was sold to Model Car World of Germany.

Matrix came out with many releases of luxury cars from the past in 1:43rd scale. These ranged from the 1930s to the 1970s . However they began announcing 1:18th scale replicas with reasonable prices for such limited releases.

Matrix Scale Models is a maker to keep an eye on and add to your collection.

Do you have any of these models? Drop your thoughts on them in the comments.

Next time, I’ll talk about American Heritage Models and a couple of makers you probably won’t believe made resin models, so watch for my e-mail tomorrow!
Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you tomorrow.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.P.S. Not all models mentioned are still available.

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RESIN AUTOMOBILES by Automodello, auto world & Best of Show!

Today I’m going to talk about Automodello, Auto World & Best of Show replicas.

Boom, whats goin’ on?

Do you guys have any of the Top Shelf Replicas or Neo Scale Models resin replicas I talked about yesterday?

Today I’m going to talk about Automodello, auto world & Best of Show replicas.

On deck is Dark Horse Models, Matrix Scale Models, & Minichamps, so watch your email for that one to arrive tomorrow.

Automodello changed the dynamic for resin models when they started making runs of 300 or less total pieces on a tooling. These models were more expensive than the traditional 1200 piece runs and are way more exclusive for collectors to hunt down and find.

Have you ever heard of Automodello before?

**1948 Norman E Timbs Streamliner ~ 1963 Studebaker Avanti Supercharged 2 Door Coupe**

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Auto World, yes you heard me right Auto World dabbled in resin for a short time in their early days.

They made several toolings in 1:43rd scale to fit with other popular resin model makers. These were actually quite popular for them, but for one reason or another they discontinued the line and went with 1:64th scale diecast models and those are quite popular today with true-to-scale replicas.

But back to the resins, Auto World released these famous cars in 43rd scale:

1977 Dodge Monaco for the Chicago Police from the movie “The Blues Brothers”
1958 Plymouth Fury from the movie “Christine”

Watch my full video on resin models

Best of Show came on the scene with high production run models and lower prices for resin models than the average. An average 43rd scale resin model is 85 dollars, yet Best of Show sell for 55 dollars making them very affordable for limited production models. Also, they brought out lots of 1/18th scale replicas in the 160 dollar range unlike the other resin 1/18th at 220 dollar average. The car pictured above is one of their 1/18th scale 1985 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser.

Station wagons typically don’t have a wide enough sales appeal for a diecast tooling hence the resin is probably the best choice to make one out of. However Greenlight has taken a huge gamble and made in their artisan collection a 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire wagon in a couple of colors. So who knows?

Do you have any of these resin models? E-mail me with your thoughts on them.

Click here to get a FREE report that goes deeper into the debate on resin versus diecast, so go on and grab your copy today.

Next time, I’ll talk about Dark Horse Models, Matrix Scale Models & Minichamps, so watch for my e-mail tomorrow!

Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you soon.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.S. If you would like to see the full video on this resin models please go to my YouTube channel and see it there. Also take a moment to subscribe so that you can keep up with all of my videos. I would really appreciate it so I can keep making great content for you.

P.P.S. Not all models mentioned are still available.

Click here to watch the Video on other manufacturers and their resin models, & please subscribe while you’re there!

RESIN CARS AND TRUCKS by Neo Scale Models and Top Shelf Replicas

Today I’m going to talk about Neo Scale Models and Top Shelf Replicas.

Boom, what’s going on?

What did you guys think about the resin replicas from SpecCast & Ertl?

Today I’m going to talk about Neo Scale Models and Top Shelf Replicas.

Automodello, Auto World & Best of show is coming up, so watch your email for that one to arrive tomorrow.

Moving on to cars and trucks, resin was adopted in Europe faster than in the USA, as in Europe collectors look at models with opening doors and hoods as cheap toys for kids to play with and sealed bodies as replicas to collect and put on shelves. This allowed resin to really shine as they are primarily sealed body replicas.

Neo Scale Models from the Netherlands was one of the early resin model car makers and possibly the most prolific resin model maker in the world today.

Neo Scale Models started out with 1:43rd scale automobiles and made many releases before moving on to 1:43rd scale trucks, then 1:87th scale automobiles and trucks. Finally Neo joined the 64th scale truck market with a large variety of vintage trucks from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Neo Scale Models also went the resin/diecast hybrid route in the 1/64th scale trucks by using diecast frames under their resin cabs. This gave them the strength needed to keep the frame from breaking.

**1977 White Road Boss Tow Truck ~ 1960 Chevy Steel Tilt Cab Box Truck**

**1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer ~ 1971 Chevrolet C-10 Pickup Truck**

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Top Shelf Replicas was the first manufacturer to release semi truck cabs in 1:64th resin. These were extremely detailed models and extremely fragile. This left them as purely shelf models, but they look really great on your shelf. Also they were very limited and the first few releases sold out very quickly making them hard to find today.

The following 2 International trucks were the first releases.The cab-over engine was first and the west coast long hood conventional followed up very quickly. International proved to be one of the most popular licenses for Top Shelf Replicas.

**International RDFC-405 ~ International RDF-405**

Mack trucks was the second license that Top Shelf Replicas went after. This gave them H model cab-over engine and the license for a Brockway. These 2 items were released in mulitiple colors and were not as big a hit with collectors as the International’s were.

Later Top Shelf Replicas abandoned resin models in favor of all diecast metal to fix some of the fragile problems they were having in resin. The diecast metal did fix their frame breakage but brought out an all new set of problems.
Do you have any of these models? Drop your thoughts on them in the comments.

Next time, I’ll talk about Automodello, Auto World & Best of show so watch for my e-mail tomorrow!

Thanks for reading in and I’ll see you tomorrow.

I’m Logan “the 64th Gear Jammer” Skeele

P.P.S. Not all models mentioned are still available.

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RESIN FARM TOYS by SpecCast and Ertl

Today’s topic is the history of resin & at the end of the e-mail I’m going to show off a few resin models that have been made in recent years.

Last week, I talked about the history of resins in manufacturing everything from hair combs to toys. This week, I’m going to talk about a few manufacturers that have made resin models in recent years and show off some of those fine models.

Since there are so many I want to talk about, this will be a multi-email series over the next week.

In the farm toy world, SpecCast is the most prolific producer of resin models. SpecCast jumped into using resin to make very low production farm tractors and implements. These were big 1:16th scale tractors that had very small retail markets, so resin was the only choice to keep the price competitive with the more mass produced diecast models.

Farm Tractors & Implements made by SpecCast in resin are:

**Minneapolis-Moline IT Experimental Tractor**

**BF Avery Model A Tractor ~ Silver King Model 42 Tractor**

**Allis-Chalmers Fuel Cell Tractor ~ Allis-Chalmers One-Sixty Diesel Tractor**

**International HT-340 Turbine Tractor (Blue) ~ International HT-341 Turbine Tractor (Cream)**

**1951 Wards Row Crop Narrow Front Tractor ~ 1951 Wards Standard Wide Front Tractor**

**International Model 80 Pull-Type Combine ~ New Idea Model 311 2-Row Pull-Type Corn Husker**

Ertl dabbled with resin as well. This Cameco Sugarcane Harvester was produced for John Deere to commemorate Deere acquiring Cameco Manufacturing. Later Ertl produced the John Deere versions of the sugarcane harvester in 1:32 scale diecast metal, but this resin Cameco was the first version released.

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This is only a few of the resin models that SpecCast has made over the years. These have been made of very rare real tractors or exclusives for organizations. For example the Allis-Chalmers baler and other tractors for the Orange Spectacular Show in Hutchinson Minnesota. Also all the resin pulling tractors that were made of one-off farm pullers. These models are extremely collectible.

If you have any of the models I mentioned in this post or any other resin models by Ertl or SpecCast just drop them in the comments.