Highly Detailed 1:32nd Scale Diecast Model Cars for Six Dollars! Kinsmart Found A Niche and Filled It. And Volkswagen Buses!

 June 15, 2023

#467

Gentle reader,

For as long as there have been automobiles and trucks, there have been toy versions of them made of them for children around the world. 

At first crudely made of cast metal. Later of stamped steel or tin. Then, plastic molded and later diecast metals. Slot cars which could be raced from tiny HO all the way to 1:24th scale have been made in droves for decades. R/C or radio controlled cars and truck abound to this day. 

This is a wide-angle shot of my (nominally) 1:32nd scale Kinsmart* diecast cars. Top row and continuing on the bottom right, are street cars. Bottom row, starting on the left are race cars and/or decorated ones. 

But, here's the thing. Most of them I have found locally in grocery and drug stores, sometimes in gas stations too. Yet, when I turn them over, I have found that some do not have "pull-back" spring motors. *Some are different brands altogether. That got me to thinking...

This image is from a while back, when I was redecorating this room. The very first car seen is an Alfa Romeo 4C, which is a tiny car in reality. It is the one of a very few, which is actually 1/32nd scale. The smallest size car is a Ford Crown Victoria generic black and white police car. It is 1:42nd scale. 

Like Mattel's famous Hot Wheels which are made to fit their iconic orange track cars and trucks are all made to FIT the track's width. 

Kinsmart decided upon 125mm or just under five inches LONG. That way, they could put TEN cars or trucks in the same size displays, as seen below:

There could be ten school buses, or ten dump trucks or ten Volkswagen Beetles, they ALL fit, regardless of scale. Kinsmart puts the actual scale on the bottom of (most) of their cars.

Top shelf has Kinsmart KT5366 Alfa Romeo 4C 1/32, Welly 43624 Aston Martin V12 Vantage (no scale), Kinsmart KT5016 2000 Audi TT* 1/32. Bottom row is Kinsmart KT5397 2016 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R GTLM 1/36, Kinsmart KT5427 1966 Ford GT MKII #2 Winner Le Mans 24 Hours 1/32, last, same car #1, 2nd place. *I owned a real one. Blue inside and out.

Top row, above, is Kinsmart KT5316 Audi R8 1/36, Kinsmart KT5331 1955 Chevrolet Nomad 1/40, Kinsmart KT5358 1963 Chevrolet Corvette 1/36. Bottom row is KT5427 1966 Ford GT MKII #5, 3rd place, JADA 2021 Ford GT homage to the 1966 Ford GT MKII in which Ken Miles won the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona race 1/32, Kinsmart KT5361 2012 Lotus Exige S 1/32.

Top shelf is Sunnyside SS 5731 1967 Chevrolet Camaro 1/34, Kinsmart KT5363 2013 SRT Viper GT3 1/36, Kinsmart KT5332 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe 1/34. Bottom is Kinsmart (no#) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII 1/36 decorated as a WRC car, Kinsmart KT5328 2007 Subaru WRC Rally Car 1/36, same car post-rally race.

Top shelf is an ARKO 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint* supposedly 1/32, Kinsmart KT5386 2015 Ford Mustang GT 1/38, Kinsmart KT5346 1954 Mercedes Benz 300SL 1/36. Bottom has a muddy Kinsmart KT5330 1955 Chevrolet Step-side Pickup 1/32, aforementioned Kinsmart (no#) Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor 1/42.

Kinsmart KT5302 Porsche Boxster S 1/34, Kinsmart KT5352 2010 Porsche 911 GT3RS 1/36, UNI Fortune 5049 Porsche Macan S no scale. 

Top shelf is a UNI Fortune 5020US (Toyota) Scion FR-S no scale, UNI Fortune 5025 Volkswagen T1 Transporter no scale, UNI Fortune 5023 2012 Volkswagen (final) Beetle no scale. Bottom has Kinsmart KT5060 1962 Volkswagen "Classical" Bus 1/32, Kinsmart (no#) Volkswagen Bus Double Cab Pickup 1/34.

Volkswagen busses have fond memories for my family. Our parents first bought a Beetle in the late 1950s which was sufficient to carry my older sister and I. As the third child (middle sister) arrived, they switched to VW Busses. First, a white/red one, then a white/blue one and the last was the newer style and was white/beige in color. 

I can't blame the Kinsmart model makers, they probably have NO idea that classic Volkswagens have REAR engines. Or, perhaps, someone, in adding the spring motor portion did not know that. The details are correct, just on the wrong end!

This is the chassis of the red/blue Uni Fortune. Both it and the red last Beetle have these VW Official Licensed Product on the bottoms. Again, there seems to be some confusion. There is what appears to be a transmission next to the left screw hole. The rear has part of the flat-four VW engine with muffler/tailpipe.

Some photographs from our childhood. These were all made when we lived in Kansas in the early 1960's.

Gag-photo of tiny VW bus the dealer gave us when they bought the blue/white one shown. 

That's me on the left, I'm second of five kids. Girl, boy, girl, boy, girl. These group shots were from prior to leaving Kansas and driving WEST to California.

Middle sister striking a sassy pose with Dad. I don't know which bus this was. 

This photo is a crop of the photo at the very bottom.

April 1964 date relates to the time the film was processed. 

My parents were cool, often letting me ride in the front seat. They knew that I liked to look around as we travelled. Note how the middle seat has been reversed so that we could put a folding table dad made between the two seats with a cushion also made to fit there, making room for us to sleep if we needed to.

Thank you So much for taking the time to read this article and view my photographs. I began blogging many years ago as something to do. I had NO idea that anyone would read it! But, you all surprised me!

Scott Robb

June 15, 2023

#467.

Feel free to leave a comment below, or on Facebook. Thanks again!