BMW Models?

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

One of the reasons we don't see that many BMW nor Porsche models being build on the forum is the fact that very few have been issued in the last 10 years. Not many get built when the selection at the store is so stale or non-existent.

Aside from the Revell Z8 (which I've seen built fairly often), the newest BMW kits were roughly 10 years ago; Dragon did the M Coupe based on the M Roadster and the BMW compact; Dragon kits were fair representations but not in the same league as Tamiya or Aoshima or most Hasegawa kits or newer Fujimi subjects. I have to think that any current M3 would make a great model subject that you would see built here. Not as sure about the Z4/Z4 M coupe, or the 5/6/7 series. The Z3, 6 and 7 series, and some 3 series coupes were made by a few diecast companies if you have to have one on your shelf. All the BMW models mentioned were done in the '80's and '90's. We're in the late 2000's and have gone through a serious drought of BMW kits. Imagine Tamiya doing a 2002Tii in their vintage series.

Porsche...nothing new from Tamiya post '99 except for the Carrera GT and a modified reissue to make a late 80's Turbo (yawn), and we've seen many of those built here. The Fujimi Cayman is being built by a few here, and it's a breath of fresh air to see a modern non-exotic sports car from Porsche given some attention by the model mfgs. It's almost shocking that no Turbo 996, or GT2, or GT3, or any 997's. If I were Fujimi I'd do a Boxster S, and the new GT2 and GT3 RS 997's. They'd definitely get some interest from builders if they'd simply make them. The fact that not many are seen now is that the selection is so stale for both Porsche and BMW. Ferrari was stale too, before Fujimi woke up and made a bunch that we'd never seen, and then others were reissued. While it wouldn't make much business sense to build a lot of new BMW's and Porsches, a handful of them would be very welcome, very successful, and well represented by builders hungry for something new.

[01L2Cobra]

Originally Posted by MPWR

Are they really that popular?

BMWs are very popular cars. Have you been to Bimmerforums? That board is one of the top message boards on the net. As far as BMWs being very common well they are but commonality doesn’t mean much. For instance I went on a drive/mini car show with several exotics over the weekend and my 99 M3 got as many looks and attention as the lime green Diablo SV, Shelby Cobra kit, and Exige that went did.

There seems to be a large amount of BMW road cars but their race cars aren’t as well represented. The 320i and 635csi race cars that are out there aren’t being made anymore and that’s why you aren’t seeing many of them on here. It’s a shame too since those two were the best quality BMW kits being made.

Honestly why would someone want to build a low quality 5 series vs. a good quality NSX? Sure BMW may not be as poorly represented as say Opel, but there is the Tamiya Opel Astra which is a more modern and better quality kit than 98% of the BMW kits out there.

Out of all the modern BMWs that I would love to see good quality kits made the Z4M racecar, E46 M3 GTR, and the BMW/Dinan Daytona Prototype would be at the top of my list and I would buy them in a hart beat if they were ever made. The funny thing about my list is that 2 of those are being built as RC cars.

[drunken monkey]

You're kinda missing the point about their common place on the roads. Put it this way, the Ford Focus is one of the best selling cars of all time. How many here are dying to see a kit of it?

[01L2Cobra]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

You're kinda missing the point about their common place on the roads. Put it this way, the Ford Focus is one of the best selling cars of all time. How many here are dying to see a kit of it?

There are more quality Focus kits than there are quality BMW kits.

[drunken monkey]

Really?
All I can think of off the top my head is the tamiya rally car (and decal/wheel variations) and the revell 1:25 kit. What else is there?

[01L2Cobra]

And those 3 alone are more than the 2 quality BMW kits. Now im not counting the Dragon kits as quality kits I have built the E36 M3 kit and was extremely disappointed in it. Even if you were to remove the Revell kit from the list since Revell kits are never that great to begin with you are still looking at an entire brand vs. just one model and both have the same number of quality kits being made.


Question; How many M3s do you see in a day, now how many 350Zs, NZXs, Vettes, Evos, or WRXs do you see? I can count on one had how many M3s I see in a day and most of the time its just mine, where as the others I lose count. Yet the other are better represented in kit form than the M3 is.

[drunken monkey]

I live in London. M3s are common. But you're still missing the point. How popular a car is plays very little part in whether or not they get kitted or whether or not people will buy that kit. The Vauxhall Corsa sells just as many as the Ford Focus or the BMW 3 and I don't recall seeing a kit of that. The other cars are actually rarer in my parts than the M3.

[MPWR]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

Put it this way, the Ford Focus is one of the best selling cars of all time. How many here are dying to see a kit of it?

Me! Me! Me!

The 06/07 Focus RS WRC is at the top of my list of cars I want to see kitted (except for that McLaren F1).

Originally Posted by 01L2Cobra

BMWs are very popular cars.

BMW's are very popular cars- amongst Bimmerheads. BMW fans are nearly as fanatical about Bimmers as any group of enthusiasts for any other make. But that enthusiasm doesn't carry over as readily to non BMW fans, as much as perhaps enthusiasm for Ferraris and Porsches do. For the general public, Ferraris and Porsches represent some of the 'fastest, most exotic cars in the world'. Non BMW fans often view Bimmers as just another 'performance luxury car' (an image that BMW lately seems to be trying very hard to cultivate). The performance and motorsports image of BMWs that fans cherish is far overshadowed by the luxury and expense image in the eye of the general public. (I've certainly lost track of all the 'luxury performance' coupes and sedans out there.)

So while you may love 'em and I may love 'em, and we may each belong to a BMW fan club and know dozens of other BMW fans, the rest of the general public just can't get excited about them as can we.

As new car kits lately are becoming fewer and father between, manufaturers have to decide what kits have the broadest appeal- and I think it's hard not to see that BMW fans are really too small of a niche market to put out kits especially for.

[drunken monkey]

Y'know, I'd still love to see a full detail 1:24 Focus RS but as even if they made a kit of it, it wouldn't be at the top of my list of Ford cars; that spot being reserved for the Ford Puma. For the record, I would also love to see the E46 M3s in kit form but they just don't appeal that much to me in kit form. Strangely enough, I'd much prefer to see an RS4 kit than an M3 kit right now and an Alfa 156/147 GTA kit before the German cars. That is also ignoring the absolute lack/absense of modern Lotus and TVR kits.
How come there was never a kit of the Yaris T-Sport?

Which brings us nicely onto the plain and simple fact that not everyone is going to be pleased by what the kit makers put out and whinging about it is pointless.

[AmazonSprite]

A few more 1:24 BMW kits that haven't been mentioned:

Revell: Dixi & 507

Heller: Dixi & 328

All are full engine detail etc. I have the two Heller ones although I haven't built them so can't say whether they are any good, but the rest of that series that I have built (Bugatti T50 & M-B 500K) were easy to build & decent kits.

[drunken monkey]

The 507 is a very nice looking kit.
I've opened up mine and apart from the usual revell style wheels, everything looks complete. It's just as good as their XK-SS kit is.

[01L2Cobra]

I wish we could get the Euro Focus over here in the US rather than what we get. Fords US branch is very disappointing. The only thing here is the GT500 and this absolutely horrible.


Do they even make TVR kits? I have been thinking about getting a 2500M with a turbo as of late.

[360spider]

One of the reasons we don't see a lot of new BMW kits is the number of relatively good quality BMW diecasts of various scales - there are plenty! Almost every model is covered, sometimes by more than one manufacturer.

[BattleWagon]

At a minimum, I'd really like to see a nice quality BMW E30 M3 kit.

Please? Someone...?!

[zak78]

Originally Posted by BattleWagon

At a minimum, I'd really like to see a nice quality BMW E30 M3 kit.

Please? Someone...?!

Scale Craft Resin makes one. Go to renaissance-models.com.

http://www.renaissance-models.com/1-24/CTR/ctr2411.htm

Also, Studio 27 will be making a transkit for the terrible Fujimi M3:

http://www.kiwi-us.com/~studio27/NewITEM_P/BMW_M3/BMW_M3.html

I've never seen a built Fujimi M3 other than on the front of the Testors rebox, years ago. They're apparently so bad that no one ever finishes one .