Hooniverse Asks: What’s the most you’d pay for a scale-model vehicle?

Jeff Glucker

/comment

Comments

A press release landed in my inbox this morning. That’s not weird, of course as I get plenty of those every day. Most are instant deletes. But this one caught my eye because it featured pictures of a very distinct Porsche 935. That would be the red Hawaiian Tropic liveried machine once raced by Paul Newman and run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Every single Porsche 935 is awesome. These cars wore fantastic schemes, produced tremendous power, and won lots of races. The Dick Barbour Hawaiian Tropic car shown above placed 2nd overall at the 1979 Le Mans and the car finishing in front of it? A Porsche 935. But the car above isn’t the real race car. It’s a hand-built 1:8 scale replica and it costs $5,300.

The world of high-end scale replicas follows a cost trendline similar to that of high-end watches. Similar but not as insane, mind you. Well non-relatively speaking because ultra-high-end watches cost more houses. At the top, as far as I know, sits a company called Amalgam. They are the ones who make news for $10,000 replicas of Bugatti Chirons and the like. The car shown above is offered by an outfit called Real Art Replica as part of the Acme Trading Company.

You should check out the Acme site because there are other far more affordable options, including a very cool 1:64 Ford Trans-Am Mustang with a matching Ford transport truck for twenty bucks. That’s a lot for a 1:64 scale replica, but it feels about 265 times better than the asking price of the Porsche. To be fair to the 935 though, that is a massive piece of art at 1:8 scale. Especially since it’s all hand-assembled and being offered in a limited quantity of somewhere between 20 and 40 units.

I’ll never spend that much on a scale replica. I think even if I owned the real thing I wouldn’t since I, you know, have the real thing. The real one, by the way, cost owner Adam Carolla $4.4 million back in 2015. So maybe this scale one is a deal at 1:830 the cost.

What’s the most you’d spend on a scale-model vehicle and no, Miatas don’t count here today…

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

32 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What’s the most you’d pay for a scale-model vehicle?”

  1. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    When I consider that the vast majority of the vehicles I’ve owned each cost me less than $5300, I can only say that I wouldn’t shell out much for a scale model.

    Art, though, is hugely subjective and I’ve never been able to apply rationale objectivity to it. I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship involved, but a non-functional 2-ft-long Porsche is pretty worthless to me. I’d sooner pay $5k for a roller 912 that I could restore.

    Reply
  2. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    When I consider that the vast majority of the vehicles I’ve owned each cost me less than $5300, I can only say that I wouldn’t shell out much for a scale model.

    Art, though, is hugely subjective and I’ve never been able to apply rationale objectivity to it. I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship involved, but a non-functional 2-ft-long Porsche is pretty worthless to me. I’d sooner pay $5k for a roller 912 that I could restore.

    Reply
    1. salguod Avatar
      salguod

      Exactly. The last 2 cars I bought cost $5,300 combined. Put another way, that’s 1.5X what I paid for the BMW I drive every day right now. Granted, I’ve more than doubled that investment in parts and repairs, but I can still get in it and drive it rather than simply admire it on the shelf.

      I think $100 is my limit for a scale model. But I’m a guy with 40+ 1:18 scale models in boxes in my basement because I don’t have a place to display them right now.

      Reply
  3. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    I guess the answer is “it depends” mass produced 1/43 stuff, not much, custom made 1/8 modeling a very specific vehicle probably a lot. IN immediate personal terms I guess $50-100 for something that scratches my itch. To be more specific $75 or so is the bill of materials for either a 1:24 scale VW GTI pickup with Ronal teddy bear wheels (Revell 1/24 A1 GTI kit, aftermarket pickup body and wheels) or a Griffin Models Saab 900 Toppola camper set.

    Reply
  4. Greg Kachadurian Avatar
    Greg Kachadurian

    The trade in value of my clean and fully functional 120k mile 2007 BMW 328i was $1,500 less than the price of this model.

    Reply
  5. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    It depends on the scale.
    https://www.cultofweird.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/largest-truck-dodge-power-wagon.jpg

    Reply
  6. onrails Avatar
    onrails

    The Gurney Eagle V12 F1 car is one that I’ve looked at dozens of times but they’re always low to mid 3 digits. 10x more if Dan signed one. It’s one of the most beautiful race cars ever made and I’d love to have one just to stare at, but it’s too much. Still – if I’m ever flush with cash…

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/66482f36c04659384c1ce1d7d52a4988b8f2289d47ce2ad374f0d0f9b79155f1.jpg

    Reply
    1. Zentropy Avatar
      Zentropy

      That is a gorgeous car, no doubt.

      Reply
  7. mdharrell Avatar
    mdharrell

    Why pay anything when it’s so easy to make one that’s rigorously accurate?

    https://live.staticflickr.com/8692/28779985012_128ecfee10_z.jpg

    Reply
    1. Batshitbox Avatar
      Batshitbox

      That picture makes me want my MTV.

      Reply
    2. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      Apparently, there is a Youtube channel called KV show that has nothing to do with the vehicle pictured above, yet comes remarkably close anyway.

      https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GIudd32E6XU/maxresdefault.jpg

      Reply
  8. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    The second cheapest real car I’ve ever bought was $700CAD, so without a big change in finances, I’d assume less than that. The cheapest I’ve bought was $100, but I can see one day spending more that that for the right vehicle.

    Reply
    1. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      I have a 1:24 scale model that was $140. I have had real cars @ $80, $50, free (four different times), and negative (got the car for free, then got paid to display it). So one scale model cost more than seven full-sized, COMBINED.

      Reply
      1. Maymar Avatar
        Maymar

        Oh, yeah, I’ve had a couple for free, but figured I couldn’t rationally set a limit that precluded me buying Hot Wheels.

        Reply
        1. Sjalabais Avatar
          Sjalabais

          I’d love a running series “Free Cars” where you guys just show us what you got and what happened to it. Sort of like a reverse crapshoot. 😛

          Reply
          1. Fuhrman16 Avatar
            Fuhrman16

            I’d read that.

          2. salguod Avatar
            salguod

            I’ve been the recipient of 3 free cars. One (my Thunderbird) was more like an inheritance, which is a bit different, but the other 2 were “hey, you want this worn out vehicle?”

          3. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            That’s a worthwhile distinction. We could have gotten our Camry for free from my MIL, but chose to pay the slightly insulting amount her Toyota dealership of 25 years had offered her as trade-in instead.

            Did these two cars run? Norway has a permanent cash for clunkers scheme offering around 300$, so that’s sort of an artificial bottom. Running cars at that price are uncommon.

          4. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            That’s a worthwhile distinction. We could have gotten our Camry for free from my MIL, but chose to pay the slightly insulting amount her Toyota dealership of 25 years had offered her as trade-in instead.

            Did these two cars run? Norway has a permanent cash for clunkers scheme offering around 300$, so that’s sort of an artificial bottom. Running cars at that price are uncommon.

          5. salguod Avatar
            salguod

            Yes. One was an 88 Grand Caravan SE from my parents. This was in 1997. It wasn’t worth much, but was more a “help my son and his growing family” sort of thing.

            The other was an 88 Subaru Loyale wagon around the same time. A woman at church was going to junk it because it was overheating. I was delivering newspapers as a second job and it was beating up my daily driver. So I offered her what the junkyard would give her and she just said that I could have it. I put in a gallon of water and kept my eye on the level and it ran fine for the year or so I had it.

          6. Zentropy Avatar
            Zentropy

            Lol at “slightly insulting amount”. The crap we do for family…

          7. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            Yeah, for starters, the dealership took the marked value of the car and decided to keep 2/3s for itself…and we were too proud to take it for free.

          8. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            Yeah, for starters, the dealership took the marked value of the car and decided to keep 2/3s for itself…and we were too proud to take it for free.

  9. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    I don’t know what my max would be, but I have a demonstrated willingness to pay up to $176.50 including shipping for a 1:18 GMP 2005 GTO. That is the most I’ve spent on a diecast in my collection.

    I think $200 would be a psychological hurdle that I would struggle to overcome. My diecast collection is limited to cars that I have owned, and I can’t see spending more than that for a diecast of anything I’ve owned, but I’m willing to be proven wrong.

    Reply
  10. Troggy Avatar
    Troggy

    Does this mean I should take this 1/60 off my kids and put it on eBay forthwith? I played with it as a kid, it’s probably where my love of race liveries (especially Martini) started. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/04c4668c2baa64ce29a9f4f74942317d4b03791154ec72c2caffa1f96b6d50dd.jpg

    Reply
    1. onrails Avatar
      onrails

      That looks suspiciously like a Darda car.

      Reply
    2. Zentropy Avatar
      Zentropy

      No way I’d let go of that. I’m a fan of the Martini livery too, and that’s just a sweet looking 935, even in “played with” condition.

      Reply
  11. outback_ute Avatar
    outback_ute

    To date I think $3 or $5 for a 1:43 Ford RS200.

    Like some other comments I have gotten real cars for less than this!

    Reply
  12. crank_case Avatar
    crank_case

    The most I’ve paid recently was just under €100 (approx $118) for a MiniGT 1/64 scale Mercedes Actros (cars not included, which are mostly Kyosho 1/64), but I think it’s still pretty decent value for an accurate and detailed model. The most I’ve paid for a single car is about €70 (including customs) for a Tomica Limited Vintage 1/64 Ferrari F40 but that thing is a work of art of miniature scale accuracy and detailing in a car roughly the size of an average hot wheels.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5d22b0647c16fb39310b83def89b1b515b715b6415f8d9a8916bbf278ff9378.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5a46d06092891e9ab435fc31110909cef2d2e0359faff1eb4fb34b89dfb8ccdf.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8fca37395ef735adf15dcc33b8cd4461f6077ab428ef20308a02f05dabef5f59.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9c1fff105c41dd45d7de15672ea3be9dc93c5b7ba56240d4eee72bf3e5082b52.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ce04bdaf41a058096577555fa5ac9ac9a99af87480e7dabb425100282a06898c.jpg

    Reply
  13. mdharrell Avatar
    mdharrell

    Since the question only specifies “vehicle” I’ll note that I wouldn’t mind having a scale model of my Itera Plastic Bicycle, mostly because the commonly available model of this famously all-plastic design is itself made of… die-cast metal. They go for around $30, which strikes me as a bit steep, so my answer is apparently “some amount less than $30.”

    https://pic.ebid.net/upload_big/4/9/7/1535321545-18051-284.jpg

    Reply
  14. crank_case Avatar
    crank_case

    Just may be worth mentioning – ACME don’t make the models they sell, they usually take someone elses casting, add some better tampo/paint detailing and repackage them. The 1/64 ACME cars are all based on Greenlight castings for example.

    Reply
  15. Land Ark Avatar
    Land Ark

    Well, as of yet the most I’ve spent is about $1,500 (shipped) on a 1/8th scale Hakosuka Skyline that I have to build myself. I stopped at half way about a year ago and desperately need to get re-motivated to finish it.

    Reply