Morris (Leyland) Marina Diecast 1/43 Scale

Morris Marina Hidden Treasure 1/43 Diecast

Vanguards Morris Marina from the ‘Hidden Treasures’ range, diecast in 1/43 scale. As you can see by the first photo this is a well worn out old Marina with a replacement front guard, rust, mud, dirt, dust and a coat-hanger aerial. Marinas sold in some large numbers in their time of production in the 1970’s but then (and now) have been greatly maligned. For a good review of their history you can read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Marina

Front of the Vanguards Hidden Treeasures Morris Marina

Rear of the Morris Marina sporting a 1.8 litra badge

If you search online for details about Marinas there is a lot of derogatory material about them. On the other hand you will find many who have fond memories of them and even others who maintain and restore them. A friend of mine had one in the 80’s as his ‘drive to work’ car and when I asked him about it he said he never experienced any more problems with it than other cars he had owned.

An abandoned Marina outside of an abandoned garage.

The Marina was produced in the UK and in Australia. Initially it was labelled a Morris in Australia but that later changed to Leyland Marina. The big difference is that not only did we have the four cylinder models, but in true Aussie fashion we took the little Brit Car and threw a six cylinder into it. Not long ago I have the opportunity to buy one of these Sixes. It was for sale in the street lived in and was in good  condition but alas I did not have enough room for it so I let it slip. I wish now I hadn’t.

For some good info on the Aussie Leyland Marinas you can see this site: http://www.elevenhundred.com/marina/MarinaHistory.php

Please leave a comment and check out my archive for more diecast pictures and stories. Cheers, Doogie.

Morris Marina Hidden Treasure 1 43 Diecast

Aussie Ute: 1979 Ford Falcon XD Ute

Trax Diecast Ford Falcon XD Ute

Australia loves its utes, and like many Aussies, I do too. So I have decided to do a series of posts which will include Diecast Australian 1/43 scale utes. First we should start with a definition (see this wiki entry for some info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle) . For the most part, a ute in Aussie terms is a passenger vehicle with a cargo tray in the rear. Apparently it comes from the term coupe utility, and we call them utes and sometimes, but less often, tillys.

Now the story goes, that Aussies invented the idea of the ute. It all started with a letter written to Ford’s Australia plant at Geelong in Victoria from a farmer’s wife who was tired of riding to church in a truck. ‘Why don’t you build people like us a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday, and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays?’ her letter asked. And thus the Aussie ute was born. Read more on this fascinating story and see pics of the first Ford and Aussie Ute here:  http://www.fastlane.com.au/Features/First_ute.htm

Trax 1/43 Diecast XD Falcon Ute complete with tonneau cover

With this story in mind, I think it only fitting that I begin what I hope to become a series, with the Trax 1/43 scale diecast model of a 1979 Ford Falcon XD ute. The Australian XD Ford Falcon range was manufactured between 1979-1982 and included sedans, wagons, panel vans and utes. See more about the XD range here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_XD_Falcon

Dash and wheel of the Trax XD Falcon Ute

Ford has been making Falcon utes in Australia since 1961 and it is the longest running name-plate on a car based ute. For some great pictures and history on the Falcon ute see this very informative page: http://www.truckjungle.com/2011/12/22/falcon-ute-worlds-oldest-car-based-utility-turns-50/ Great page with pictures and info on the XD ute.

Rear of the Ford XD Ute

The rear of the XD ute. There were a number of engine options beginning with the Ford 3.3L six through to V8’s. The most common engine found in the XD was the 4.1L Six with heaps of torque and enough to lug around the 750Kg max cargo load.

I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to the Aussie ute in 1/43 scale. Please leave a comment and check back soon for more and be sure to see the archive for other diecast stories, articles and pictures.

The 1979 Ford Falcon XD Ute by Trax Diecast in 1/43 scale

Chrysler Imperial and Chrysler Town & Country 1/43 Scale

Ok so this scale model car blogsite is called Doogies Diecast, but sometimes we can all do with a little variety in our collections so in this post, I go resin.

Chrysler Imperial – 1971

First up we have the Neo 1/43 scale Chrysler Imperial Le Baron 1971 model In resin.

In 1:1 guise, these behemoths weighed up to 2400 kg and were lugged around by the 440 CI (7.2L) V8 engine.

Chrysler Town & Country Wagon – 1976

Next up we have the Neo 1/43 scale Chrysler Town & Country Wagon 1976 model In resin.

Amongst some of the largest wagons ever built, the 1:1 Town & Country was 5.8 metres long and hauled around by the 400 or the 440  CI V8.