Models: April 2018
CMC: Marcus Nicholls explores the stunning models of a German/Chinese specialist
CMC – Classic Model Cars – is a German/Chinese manufacturer that has produced exquisite high-end miniatures in metal and resin since 1995. It produces 1:12 and 1:18 models, covering roughly the period of the 1930s to the 1960s, plus a smattering of 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLarens. My introduction to its models came about at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. I literally did a double-take, my eye caught by its 1:18 model of the 1936-37 Auto-Union Type C. At this year’s Toy Fair, as every year since, I was drawn to CMC to take a look at its new releases – and they didn’t disappoint. The Lancia D50 was this year’s big news and the company is justifiably proud of it.
CMC’s Lancia D50 model uses mixed materials in its construction, with an impeccable body cast from thin-walled zinc, real wire wheels with aluminium rims and steel spokes, synthetic rubber tyres and moulded detail parts.
With large-scale diecast bodyshells we can occasionally see over-thick paint along shut-lines and panel edges, but there’s none of that here. The pannier tanks sport prominent rivets along their flanks and some model manufacturers would be tempted to mould these integrally with the main component. That’s not how CMC works, though; here, the tank castings are pre-drilled and each rivet and separate flange is inserted by hand (using tweezers, naturally) with a result that is far more realistic than the ‘all in one’ approach. The same intense attention to detail is applied across the whole model and, while it’s not a quick process, it is the only way to achieve a result that stands up to close scrutiny. The Lancia D50 is not cheap, at about £500, but as that age-old phrase goes, you get what you pay for. In this case, you get an exquisite, hand-made model that’s ripe with detail.