1:18 Scale Diecast - History

History

How 1:18 scale became a standard is somewhat of a question, but some of the first 1:18 scale cars appeared in tin in the United States and Japan after World War II and, though these were not precise in detail or proportion, became popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Other manufacturers like Marx in the 1960s and 1970s simply made 1:18 scale large plastic toys somewhat by chance. Plastic models in the United States, though, had the standard of 1:25 scale.

The first zinc alloy metal cars in this scale (and also 1:24 scale) from European Manufacturers appeared around 1970, made by the likes of German Schuco Modell, Polistil, and Gama Toys. Pocher, the Italian kit maker manufactured kits in 1:8 scale. Schuco and Gama went defunct and the market for 1:18 scale grew fantastically during the 1980s, mainly with the likes of Bburago, Polistil (both Italian companies mass-manufacturing models in Italy) and then, later, the Asian Maisto. Naturally, the focus of these models were European sports and 'saloon' cars.

Throughout the 1990s, the number of different models in this scale increased exponentially and Chinese production cut manufacturing costs. Models could be sold for anywhere from $10.00 to $25.00. By about 2000, it appeared that 1:18 scale had dominated other scales in marketing (except the diminutive Hot Wheels) – as nearly a whole row in Toys-R-Us could be seen packed with eleven inch models. Many new companies flooded the 1:18 scale market at this time. Ertl and Revell sold a limited number of diecast cars during this time – mostly older American models (although Revell Germany sold a number of diecast German and American models). Ertl's 1:18 scale line was called "American Muscle". Others included Yat Ming, Sun Star, Mira, and UT Models. Often, cars featured in collectible car magazines (such as Collectible Automobile) were soon the subjects of 1:18 diecast models.

During the early 2000s the quality and accuracy of models improved dramatically, but price went up and they were sold in more upscale stores, dealerships, and through on-line mail order. Around 2005, "premium" manufacturers including Highway 61, GMP, AUTOart, and Lane Exact Detail began to offer very high-quality, highly-detailed models at higher prices. Today (2008), many features are now found in mainstream, low-priced diecasts that were only found before in models costing upwards of $100.00. Engine wiring and plumbing, carpeting in the interior, detailed instrument panels, seatbelts, and photo-etched details are common even in models costing under $50.00.

Today, the lower-priced models are can be found from a number of retail merchants, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores such as Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and KB Toys (in the United States), but they are not nearly as popular as they once were and circa 2011 you may only find one or two individual cars if you are lucky. Premium models are typically offered on the Internet from various web sites, as well as numbers of online diecast stores. Sometimes, these stores offer the models at discounts from list price.