The Diecast Zone · Model Car Club Since 1994
Diecast Collector Forums
Eight forums, every scale, and thirty years of shop talk — new arrivals, restorations, reviews, and the finds you won’t see posted anywhere else, with the full archive back to 2002 restored and searchable. Free to Register.
8Forums
195,000+Topics
1,276,000+Posts
10,000+Members
Notifications
Clear all
Forum 43
7
Posts
6
Users
0
Reactions
55
Views
Topic starter
12/01/2020 10:05 am
Thoughts on limited edition
I've been in this hobby for more than 40 years. At first it was as a kid spending chores and lawn mowing money on Matchbox Models of Yesteryear. Over the years it's grown from there.
But throughout all that time, various makers have marketed their models as "limited editions". Now, for most of the time I've collected, that term was, to put it kindly, very loosely applied. I think Matchbox, Mattel and others meant limited in the sense of "limited by how many we sell to collectors".
So it was very refreshing today as I was logging in my latest purchases to just ponder how truly limited my Goldvarg models are. There, handwritten on the gold label of my Rio red 1948 Pontiac Streamlined Woodie, it says: Limited Edition 082 of 200 units Worldwide.
Think about that. Just 200 of these beauties will ever be available FOR THE ENTIRE WORLDWIDE COLLECTING AUDIENCE. Heck, it's likely I know half of the 200 who bought one. And all that lovely detail for under $100.
I won't question how Sergio does it (and I hope he makes enough for it to be worthwhile) but I'm appreciative of how seriously he takes that term "limited edition". Thank you!
12/01/2020 10:11 am
That is probably why I like 1 of 1's ?
12/01/2020 11:12 am
Good point, Randy. The LE term also has different connotations in other scales and materials used
When the mints were going fill speed, you saw statements like "LE of 5000" don a 1:24 or 1:18 diecast. Because production runs are much smaller in resin and white metal due to the relatively short life of molds and masters, LE means significantly smaller numbers in our favorite scale.
My hat is off to Sergio, Esval, AutoCult, GLM et al 1/43 makers for providing little jewels in truly limited quantities at very reasonable prices.
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
12/01/2020 1:01 pm
The Matrix' I have are 1of 408 and the GLMs are 1 of 299.
I also have particular color variants of certain NEOs "for Model World" that are either 1 of 300 or 1 of 500. Most other NEOS make no mention of limited edition.
12/01/2020 1:23 pm
Limited Editions
Back in the mid to late 70s , I visited Grand Prix Models then in Radlett , and asked Brian Harvey about the GPM kits which were referred to as limited editions ,asking what were the numbers produced , he replied as many as we can sell , so the world has moved on ,when AMR produced the Martini Carrera Turbo in 75 , each model had its number inscribed on the base .
21/01/2020 9:23 am
Remember Randy - that's 200 in that color. There are 270 in green.
And if Sergio does a third color, there will be a bunch of those, and so on.
21/01/2020 9:50 am
The Top Marques Bentleys that Max Kernick did were also LEs. But...
...the B8 French Grand Prix version was a stated LE of 50. Per Julie Kernick, probably only 25 were ever made. However, the last one had a brass plate with a number in the 40s. Why? Because the plates had sat in a shed and that was the best one for the last build Max made using parts he found.
As another example, my Design Studio Hirohata Merc is #239 of 2500. I doubt seriously even 20% of that figure was reached, I've never seen a number above 400.