Neo revival?

The Buick looks lumpy because it was. In those first years after federal bumper mandates many cars reminded one of the cow-catchers used on steam locomotives. The '60 Chevy interests me though. 

I know what you mean, but the headlamp surrounds and other chromework on the model still look a bit rough and heavy-handed.

I got Neo's original sport coupe version of that 1960 Chevy. A number of people on the Forum (myself included) criticised it at the time because Neo's own shots of the car made the top bar of the grille surround look excessively heavy - and I think it probably is - but I bought one anyway and overall it's really pretty nice.

Quality-wise, it's interesting to compare it with Goldvarg's '61

@graeme-ogg, I'm curious, does the top bar of the grille on the '60 Chevy look as heavy-handed as the pics show it to be?

@graeme-ogg That NEO grill-bar is a minor point, IMO, compared to those "puffy"  wheelcovers. 🤔 🤨 🙄

@graeme-ogg 

Do you have any comments about quality differences? From the photos they both look good to me.

A nerd replies . . .

OK, chaps, so I had to get my camera out to get some comparison shots.

To be honest, most people just wanting a decent model of a 1960 Chevy on the shelf would not be too bothered by the small matter of the Neo grille. But for reasons known only to myself and my psychiatric therapy team the '60 Chevrolet has been a long-standing favourite of mine in terms of styling and detailing, so when you arre looking at models of a favourite car you tend to look more critically than usual at the details.

The real car has a chrome rim of equal width running right around the grille.

On the Neo, the top bar of that ring is definitely too thick.  It's like a protruding lip rather than a thin band, and where it wraps around the lights it is also too thick. Only the bottom bar is correct.

Not terribly noticeable from some angles, but when it catches the light . . .

It looks more than a little clumsy.

Compare it with the grille on the Bel Air produced by Trax a while back. They definitely did it better (although when I first saw pictures of the Trax I thought the grille surround was a little weak! So you're never sure until you see them in the metal).

The horizontal bar in the centre of the grille is not emphatic enough on the Neo.

Stepping back in time, given the inherently "heavy" look of white metal, Brooklin made quite a decent job of it. The Conquest version is a bit clumsier, although  at least it can be said they got the same thickness all round!

if you like the '60 Chevrolet, put all these on a shelf and I'm sure you'd be quite happy with the display.

But Trax definitely did a nice crisp job of the "Plain Jane" 4 door sedan.

Christopher mentions the wheels. Yes, maybe they are exaggerated on the Neo - and maybe slightly too flat and understated on the Trax?

And Ed asked about quality differences - presumably between the Neo and the Goldvarg. I think in general they match up to each other pretty well, although I haven't checked things like the grille or other detailing on the Goldvarg so I can't comment on detail inaccuracies there. But if I didn't know any different, I'd have said they could be by the same maker.

I hope that has exhausted the subject.

@graeme-ogg 

Thank you very much. You did a nice comparison.

I would be very careful using internet photographs to draw definitive negative conclusions. Although it can work all ways, it is also probably true that a computer screen or photograph may be more likely for someone to take a poor view of a replica. A better opinion might be had by actually having the model in hand and being able to compare it to an automobile. 

In any case, if you find it acceptable, enjoy it and probably don't always be overly concerned about others (possibly flawed) view of the model in a photographic sense. If you like it and find it ok in hand, it's generally all good !

Well, yes, as I said, you can never be sure until you have the model in hand - which I obviously did in this case. Mind you, if you are thinking of buying a rather expensive model which online photos suggest may not be as accurate or as well detailed or finished as you would like, forking out good money in the hope that the online photos were lying is a bit of a leap of faith!

One can suppose it is possible for photographs to work both ways. Better when you see the actual model or possibly a disappointment when you have the real model in hand ...... or vice versa. Definitive conclusions can sometimes be difficult based on a photograph and it's perhaps more likely they might give a negative conclusion rather than the opposite.

If there is any life coming back to NEO I've been requesting this 1949 Chrysler New Yorker in blue which was shown once but never launched.  Here's the black one.

Those four have been "Coming Soon" for over a year now. They didn't. I'm not expecting them to at this point.