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Topic starter
01/12/2008 3:14 am
Pics: FM 57 Chevy Hot Rod
I saw this one listed on eBay and decided to take a chance on a $20 bid. I haven't seen very many of them and have been, at various times, pleasantly surprised by some of FM's 1/43 offerings. The basic body is actually pretty well done with almost acceptable shut lines and some very nice detailing. This could have been a great model if not for the greenhouse. What were they thinking? With just a modicum of care, this might have turned out fine.
Consider where FM might be presently in the 1/43 market if they had more closely paid attention to where their production costs were going. It would not have taken very much to get the roofline and windows correct and, perhaps, had a successful line of models.
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When asked to provide a statement about the overall execution of this model,
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the designer was not willing to comment.
01/12/2008 3:34 am
When I first found diecast.org there was no Forum 43.
Most of the attention was given to the Bulletin Board that featured FM and DM models. Our scale was shunted off to a combined forum for 1:18 & 1:43. The "leaders" of the site could not understand why we did not share their love for FM as their 1:43's had OPENING DOORS! and much detail. It was an ongoing argument that we preferred our static models without the large shut lines and with more accuracy given towards actual cars. I do have many 1:43 FM's in my collection as space fillers, a few are not too bad. However, they were not cheap for back then, $55 for the original Fifties series and $65 for subsequent series. Your hot rod Chevy is a good example of FM's failures in our scale.
01/12/2008 6:01 am
FM 57 Chev hardtop.
What is more surprising Is the FM offered a 57 Bel air hartop in black with has a perfect greenhouse.
01/12/2008 2:00 pm
Maybe there isn't a mistake - after all, it is a customized car
01/12/2008 10:03 pm
Agree here Harv and offering 'customised' models in a ....
manufacturers inventory just helps them to gain further income from their initial investment.
Cheers Chris
Autominologist residing in the Robin Hood County
Nottinghamshire England UK
Topic starter
02/12/2008 3:51 am
That may be but it still does not excuse the poor execution of the front and rear windows.
Not in a model that sold new for $55. My point is that FM has a chance to open a new market and , perhaps a new revenue stream for themselves. They had a premium price point, great marketing and excellent packaging. It could have been the beginning of a whole line of high=end 1/43rds. Inconsistent quality, an overabundance of unneeded frills like opening features and a high price killed them off. As a result, I'm sure that FM naively took the lack of response to mean that there wasn't enough interest in the market to support 1/43. Who knws what impact that may have had on other manufacturers who were watching FM dip thier toes into the 1/43 water.
I wonder everyone involved even considered the poor sales to be a result of poor quality at a high price.
I'm reasonably sure the buyers of this Hot Rod Chevy were pretty disappointed after paying over $60, including shipping, an opening their box to find this.
02/12/2008 12:50 pm
John, I have poor fitting windows on expensive models including ....
Brooklin. On the models I have with vacformed windows they never seem to fit flush into the frames.
Schbak models made in Germany are one manufacturer that provided flush fitting windows even on the side frames on their promotionals from the mid '80's.
Cheers Chris
Autominologist residing in the Robin Hood County
Nottinghamshire England UK
02/12/2008 2:42 pm
Some of the best-fitting windows were on the old Denzer models from the 1970's
The individual 'glass' pieces were fitted from the outside on these Swiss resin models from Denis Schweitzer (hope I spelled that right).
02/12/2008 2:52 pm
I don't think door gaps are what killed the FMs
It was price, a need for volume, and a move in the USA towards 1:24 and 1:18. During the late-80's and early 90's inexpensive 1:43s showed up in Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, etc., made by Road Champs, Racing Champions, Ertl, etc. Many of these had opening features and cost well under $10. So the average American, looking through TV Guide or the Parade insert in the Sunday paper and seeing an FM ad could easily be expected to scoff at the $55 price. In their mind they were making a comparison to what they saw at the big box stores.
Topic starter
02/12/2008 4:26 pm
Good point but firms like Brooklin survived at a higher price point.
I think the quality issue has to be considered. While I'm sure that the shut lines were not the only reason, I believe it was an overall lack of quality in a number of areas including inaccurate lines and proportions on some models and very poor assembly on others. Anyone who has struggled with parts that fall off for no apparent reason on a number of models from FM knows what I'm talking about.
Topic starter
02/12/2008 4:33 pm
Pic: Agreed but I think you have to admit that this rear window is exceptionally ill fitting.
I've never seen a Brooklin look this bad:
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Nor have I seen a premium white metal or even a diecast with a greenhouse that is so obviously tacked on and ill-fitting to the body. This is more similar to the inexpensive diecasts found in the toy department of Wal Mart like Harvey mentions below.