My 1979 Holden VB Commodore & Trax 1978 VB Commodore

Doogie's 1979 Holden VB Commodore 3.3l 6 Cylinder

This entry is another where I own a 1/43 scale model of a 1:1 car I have owned in the past. There is plenty of information on the net about the Holden Commodore so I wont need to go into to much detail about it but suffice it to say, the VB Commodore was first of the Commodores and was a big departure from the long running Holden Kingswood model apart from one thing, the engines.

Trax Holden VB Commodere. An Aussie mootoring icon.

The engine in my VB Commordore SL was a 202 (3.3l) red engine (the last of the Holden reds as the next Commodore was the first of the Blues and it came with electronic ignition, which the red one did not). My Commodore was pretty well worn out before I got it. It was already about 15 years old and had 100’s of thousands of kilometres on it. Another issue I discovered after I bought it from the friendly car sales guy was that the car had started life as a rental. Now if you are like me and have ever rented a car, you know rentals are very special vehicles. They can do things other cars cannot. Think along the lines of Hollywood stunt cars and you will know what I mean. Anyway, when I say the old Commy was worn out I mean it. The best thing it had going for it was at sometime it must have had a respray as the paint was in good order. In fact, during the 4 years I drove the thing and poured more money into it than any other car I owned, more than one bloke asked me if I had repainted the thing and they commented on how nice it looked. From a distance.

Trax 1/43 Scale 1978 Holden VB Commodore

The Old Commodore cost me a bundle to keep on the road for the 4 years I had it. It wasn’t a bad handling car, after I spent a small fortune on the suspension. However, I can’t say I was sad to see it go. I traded it in on a new car and the dealer who traded it didnt want it but he wanted a sale so he reluclantly took if off me. The deal was done and I only had to wait for my new car to be ready to go. Two days before I handed the Commodore over, the handbrake handle fell to pieces in my hand, so I placed it on the floor with the growing pile of interior parts that was appearing there. Now, The Commy was a 3 speed T-Bar auto and when I parked it in the dealer holding yard and put it into park for the last time, the selector came out in my hand. What would do you do in that situation? I jammed it back in, leaped out of the car and walked away and didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see a scene reminescent of the last time the Blues Brothers jumped out of the Dodge Monaco and it fell into a heap.

Anyway now to the model. What I like about the Trax 1/43 scale 1978 VB Holden Commodore SL  is that it is identical to the 1:1 I owned, right down to the wheels. Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment. Check back soon more stories and die-cast models to come. Also use the archive to the right of this post to see my earlier entries about my travels in little cars. Doogie.

Trax 1978 VB Holden Commodore 1/43 Scale Diecast

Trax 1978 VB Holden Commodore SL 1/43 Scale Diecast

An Aussie Favourite: Holden Commodore

First Drive: Valiant AP5

My First Drive: Valiant AP5

When I was getting serious about buying my first car, number one on my list was the Valiant AP5 (Australian Production Five). Around that time a mate of mine had one so I suppose that greatly influenced me even though I was already a Valiant fan. His was a very nice 1964 Valiant Regal with a 225 (3.6l) slant six engine and a push-button auto. I loved the push-button auto. Sadly the AP5 was the last Valiant to have this type of selector. I did own an AP6 with the column selector (see the story about it and the corresponding Trax model here), but I really really wanted the push-button.

AP5 Valiant

Over the years I have owned several Valiants but I never got to own that AP5 which I planned to buy as a wide-eye teenager. However, I am pleased to report that the first car I ever drove on the road was my mates AP5 (see pic above, taken somewhere in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, summer 1975/76). I always preferred the AP5 over the AP6 because the 5 had the push-button auto but it also had the far better grille. I never really took to the Plymouth-esque grille on the 6

Great deatail on the front of the Trax Valiant AP5 Regal

Despite the fact that its a poor photo of me driving the AP5, you can see the regal badge on the Val which is also part of the great detail of the Trax 1/43 scale 1963 Valiant AP5 Regal. Trax have done a great job with the detail of the rear of the Val as well, right down to the ‘Torquflyte’ badge (decal). Very well done. However, you will notice a difference in the placement of the wing mirrors. On the ‘real’ example I am driving the mirrors are a long way down the front guards, but not so on the model. Nevertheless, for me, this is the best part of diecast model cars; when 1:1 meets 1:43.

Detailed Rear Of The Trax Valiant AP5 Regal

 

If you have enjoyed this post, check out other articles by using the archive on the right. Also, please take the time to leave a comment. Cheers, Doogie.

 

Trax Valiant AP5 Regal

Toyota Corolla Project (Part 6) Final: Before & After

If you haven’t been following this saga, perhaps you should at least read part 1 here & part 5 here.

So to continue from part 5, we left the latest blemishes as they were and applied a coat of clear over the top which you can see in the first picture.

Corolla with a coat of clear

Applying the clear was probably the easiest thing to do. However, one thing you need to know is that it is clear, so it is hard to see what/how much you have applied. We just gave it one single coat. Also I am pleased to say this was an easy model to put back together. It took only a minute or so to screw the ‘Rolla back together. You can see the before and after photos below.

Diecast Toyota Corolla 1/43 Scale Before & After Respray

Diecast Toyota Corolla 1/43 Scale Before & After Respray

Well thats it for the Diecast 1/43 Scale Toyota Corolla repsray…for now. Who knows what I might do to it in the future. Anyway, it has provided me with enough experience (mostly what not to do) to move on to other projects. I do plant to tackle my VH Valiant Charger soon but I might repspray another model before then. I will take some photos of those projects and I will blog them but I am certain it won’t be a drawn out saga like this has been. Relax, I won’t put you or me through another 6 part blockbuster.

If you have enjoyed this entry you can see more interesting articles by using the month by month archive on the right of this screen. Also, please take the time to leave a comment. Cheers, Doogie.

Taking the Corolla out on the road