TR11B - Trax Police Valiant Charger

In the Trax catalogue there is only one police car that I am aware of, and that car was an unusual choice, a NSW Valiant Police car, based on the TR11 Valiant Charger casting. 

According to Trax:

"The Charger was done back in '95 and is still rated as the slowest selling Trax model of all time. We had planned to do the SA Police version after this but very quickly learnt that apart from a very small group, models of police vehicles are shunned by the collector community, maybe because they invoke bad memories. Sad really because given the wide Trax tooling bank, there are so many original Aussie police vehicles we could create, but the tiny volume and production hence costs simply does not warrant it."

It is a shame that Trax haven't ventured back into this line, Im sure it could be profitable as Code 3 police vehicles seem to be popular. Perhaps the Police collector market is just too small. 

The TR11B is a very attractive model, and was well presented by Trax. It has a nice stance and presence, and looks to be accurate. The light bar is probably not as accurate as it could be, I have seen most light bars attached to roofrack systems which attach to drip rails. Of course in 1:43, you cant see drip rails too well. 

That quibble aside, detail is pretty good for a car of this era (now 15 years old). Both the grille and the rear lights (always difficult to get right in this scale) are fairly accurate, and not too clumsy. I think the R/T Charger badge is a little large, as are the front indicators. 

The interior is moulded in a light blue plastic, and is nicely done for the age of the model. 

The base plate is basic, but typical for a model of this age. Fortunately Trax got the wheelbase right on this model, unlike some others. 

Packaging is typical mid 90's Trax, and nicely done. The model is easy to access and remove, by unscrewing two screws. No wires fortunately.

It is an attractive model, nicely presented and a good choice by Trax to offer the collecting public. Sadly, low sales at the time it was made and low resale value since, have affected its reputation. The colour scheme is clever, and shows us that in the early 70's, garish police cars were not the norm, often a police car had a siren and a discreet police logo on a door. Compare it to the mobile billboards that patrol our highways today! This car will remain in my collection. 

To the rating:

Trax TR11B Valiant Charger Police Highway patrol

Quality  8

Design    8

Colours   9

X-factor  8

Rating: 33/40

Armco Models - FC Holden Station Wagon and McCormack racing Charger

'Models56' have recently started to build a strong reputation for producing highly detailed quality 1:43 scale resin cars with appeal to Australian collectors. There is a small niche in the Australian diecast scale model car market where the big three (Biante, Trax and Classic Carlectables) won’t operate - where the car is interesting and desirable to perhaps 500 people. 

These cars are problematic for model companies, as they will never get a return on their investment if they produce a mould that can only be used once. They are used to producing designs for cars that will be reused in different incarnations to build the same basic car in tens of thousands. The world needs as many 1:43 XY Falcons as can be produced.

Into this niche steps 'Models56' with their 'Armco' range. Last year they produced what I considered to be the best 1:43 model of the year – the Holden GTR-X. It was sold out within weeks.

Armco models are able to compete in this niche as they are a range of high quality resin models, produced to the same high standards as diecast cars, and with premium packaging, detailing and quality. Being resin, the production costs are much lower than the costs for a diecast car, and the production run can be lower with the venture still being profitable. The disadvantage is that the moulds for the cars cannot be used in large production runs, and when the run is completed, that is it.

Last month, Models56 released two new models – an FC Station Wagon and the McCormack racing Charger. Once again, both models are limited to 500. I immediately placed an order and received these models in the mail recently. Once again, I was very pleased. Both are high quality models, beautifully presented and nicely modelled.

The GTR-X issued by Models56 last year was designed by Tony Hanna, who has also modelled many of the 1:43 Trax models. He also designed the John McCormack racing Charger presented here today. Darryl Montgomery designed the FC Holden Station Wagon. 

First the McCormack Charger:

This is what you see when you open the box. No unsightly screws. Plastic bubble holds the model in place. 

Nice squat racing stance. It just looks right. 

Beautifully presented, high level of detail and accuracy. The interior is a replica of the race car, far higher detail than Ive seen on any other Australian 1:43 car. Even the rear window is accurate.

How do you display this car ? Wipers, rear fuel filler. Beautiful. You can see in this photo how far back the engine sits (into the cabin area). Nice Valiant badge on the front.

The base plate is not detailed, but look at how wide those tyres are. 

Now the FC Holden Station Wagon.

Beautiful presentation upon opening the box. Nicely wrapped for travel. I have removed the plastic bubble which holds the car in place. 

The exquisite detail warrants the premium price that these models command. 

Its so easy to make a good model look bad when it comes to grilles (like the Trax HQ vans) but this is impressive. Even the headlights look real, not just clear plastic shapes.

Tony Hanna who designed this model, also designed the Trax FC Sedan. I think this is better than the Trax sedan.

Station Wagon interior is very accurate and detailed for this scale.

Nice view. The lines are just right. Nicely presented tiny 1:43 door handles.

A far more detailed baseplate than the McCormack Charger. 

The FC Holden is limited to 450 in this colour scheme, with 50 being made in white only. The white version is already sold out. I am confident these models will be highly sought after in the collectors market in the future. I urge you to visit the Models56 website and look at the cars they have produced, and plan for the future. You wont be disappointed. 

Ratings

Armco McCormack racing Charger

Quality  8

Design    9

Colours   9

X-factor  8

Rating: 34/40

Armco FC Holden Station Wagon

Quality  9

Design    9

Colours   9

X-factor  9

Rating: 36/40

Coming soon – an interview with John Pisani of 56 Models.