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Editorial January 2003
What can we expect?
Well, what did we get ? Can we actually be content with the past year concerning our scale ? What lies ahead ? More and better new models...or declining interest and recession ?
One thing is clear, 2002 has been a good year providing us with excellent Herpa models like the BMW Z4 and the Maybach, Wiking’s astonishing VW Touareg, Busch’s delicate Patentmotorwagen and of course the first modern American passenger car in 87th scale since quite a time, the Ford Taurus from Atlas. The terrificly detailed yet expensive Herpa Brilliant series deserves to be mentioned too, and even moreso the Busch CMD collection.
Unfortunately we had to experience our share of disappointments as well. From what I was told the long awaited Trident Ford F 350 doesn’t fulfill most people’s expectations to the slightest. And what has become of Roco ? First they cancel their line of civil miniatures, then they start producing their new releases in China, which resulted in a noticeable drop in quality. Schuco’s 1/87 debut isn’t worth much more than a footnote.
On the other hand, when you look at the
2003 page you will find a batch of great announcements ranging from Schuco DTM cars to exciting new French and Italian models. Because of Rietze’s besetting negotiations we will finally see the Opel Vectra... remember to buy yours and help to refund the companies own investment when it’s out on the shelves in April. I would very much like to see Herpa do the same sometimes, take a little risk and produce a model that has not been ordered by the industry. An American car again, or the Honda Civic that came in second in our poll, or... - there are so many possibilities!Christian Grottendieck / editor
Editorial March 2003
Looking back....
When we (officially) started this site in January 2002, we never imagined that over 30000 visitors, of which many are regulars, would be just as infected by the 87th scale virus as we are. Our stats now show visitors from >100 countries around the world, and although the major part (some 60%) of our visitors is still European we can clearly see an increasing interest from other parts of the world.
A lot of visitors have turned out to be valuable contributors in the meantime, and a 'thank you very much' is certainly appropriate here. A substantial part of the information and pictures you currently find on the site would not have been available to the 'general public' if these visitors wouldn't have bothered to send the information to us in the first place.
Where do we go from here......
We are committed to provide correct and accurate information on anything related to 87th scale vehicle modelling and the ever increasing number of visitors leads us to believe we are on the right track, so we will continue to expand the site as long as we can come up with information of interest.
As already mentioned, a lot of visitors have already submitted information but unfortunately, the major part of our visitors has been very very quiet sofar.....
So tell us, where do we go from here... ? Let us know what YOU want to see, so we can provide the information YOU want.
Eric Kersbergen
editor / webmaster
Editorial May 2003
Restoration parts
If a model should be restored is a question that
is not easily answered. There are people who believe that a model should remain
original and should not be altered for any reason, whereas others have no
problem with restoring a damaged model. Ofcourse, both sides agree that there
are models that should never be restored. Prototypes, rare variations and
promotional models should be left in whatever state they are found in.
Restoration of these types of models not only makes it difficult to verify their
authenticity but it might also destroy their value.
There are several things to consider when deciding whether to restore a damaged
model and one of them is the availability of parts. Caused by the increasing age
and rarity of for instance Wiking models several sources now offer reproduction
parts. Many of these parts are exact copies of parts that were easily lost or
broken and even stickers and decals are being reproduced.
The suppliers of restoration parts provide a service for the honest collector,
but there is a possibility that these replacement parts will be used to create
rare and desireable versions. It is as easy to convert a common model and create
a rare model as it would be to restore an original. In some cases, the
difference between a common model and a rare one is simply a matter of colour or
added decals.
If a model is altered in this way, it can be extremely difficult for the average collector to detect. If this is the case, I think it is likely to deceive someone and the model should be marked or otherwise identifiable as altered.
Until that is common practice, I suggest, as Ebay.com puts it so nicely; 'Caveat Emptor', let the buyer beware !
Eric Kersbergen
webmaster / editor