Faracars (France)
I have the 1:43 "Indianapolis STP Turine car" number 101. This brand is a new one on me -- so of course, I had to get it when it came up on Ebay, even though it's a race car, which has never been an interest of mine.

It is in a VERY tight box, which made me think there was probably only one box for all the models they made -- but it turns out they only made this model. Some sources have said that there was a second model planned which never made it. Some sources say that this model was made in 1969. The box says that it is "Made in France under exclusive U.S. rights." There is a LOT of text on the box, and strangely it maes a reference to "During the race WE broke 19 existing speed marks" (emphasis mine).

The car I bought also had the decal sheet included (unused). All in all, it's a nice little car, and it's too bad that there weren't other models.

Faracars box front
Faracars box back
Faracars box side 1
Faracars box side 2
Faracars box endpiece

Frobly (France)
Not a name you see often, eh? I have the Packard Hawk -- which, unfortunately, is very oddly proportioned. The trunk looks like it was stolen from a much smaller scale car. But it's really only noticable if you look at it from above. On the shelf it looks pretty good, and how many models of a Packard Hawk can you name?

The models are made of resin, and very nicely detailed, if you don't look too closely. Too find a model to begin with, however, you will have to look closely. I did find an Econoline van online, a listing for a 1930 Cord L29 Weyman Coupé, 1951 Mercury Convertible, and a Citroen DS 19 four door.

Frobly Packard Hawk
Frobly Packard Hawk insert (Adobe Acrobat needed)

Fun Ho! (New Zealand)
I don't know about you, but I'm finding myself buying more cars in the Fun Ho! size (around 1:87). Yes, the 1:18 models look great -- but what the heck do you do with them? The amount of space they take up is daunting.

Probably any Fun Ho (I'm going to drop the exclamation point for the rest of this article -- it gets annoying) you'll run across these days is actually a reproduction -- or would you call it a reissue? At any rate, not the original.

You can read the story of Fun Ho at the Fun Ho Web site

Funmate (Japan)
I saw three cars for sale on Ebay -- Ford Thunderbird, Maverick and Torino, all from the 70s... who could resist? These are plastic cars around 1:43, with plastic bases and no interiors. There are a couple of holes in the rear of the car, and apparently there is a mechanical stick you can put into the car to launch it like a sling shot (I have seen this stick, but don't have it myself).
Funmate Maverick
Funmate Thunderbird

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