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I was shopping in the Legacy Motors section of the Diecast Zone and came across a 1:10 scale Harley-Davidson image. Two things piqued my curiosity: One, I happen to own quite a few 1:10 images from FM. Two, I noted that the image was on a clearance sale for $15.95 (normally $36.95). “What have I got to lose?” I thought.
When the model arrived, I un-boxed it with some interest. What kind of features would it have, when compared with an item from FM, priced at $135.00? What I saw surprised me. “FM, you got some ‘splainin’ to do.”
Having had some experience with Ertl, I expected the image to be okay for the price. What I didn’t expect was how much “okay” I got. Wow, this one’s on a par with anything I own from FM! There’re lots of die cast parts on this image, to be sure. The paint shines and the chrome gleams—just as it should. They say that “the devil’s in the details,” and that’s where this image shines. It has the same working suspensions as any FM image, along with working pedals and pegs. No surprises, so far. But here’s where I think this baby really gets its points. There’s a nice little kickstand that isn’t just a piece of wire but a molded metal piece. Nice. Then, there are working calipers on the handlebars. Really nice. [I’ve only seen them once on an FM image—the ’69 Triumph Bonneville.] In addition to these leading-edge features, a pair of rearview mirrors are packed in the box are to install on the model if you so desire. Really, REALLY nice.
What impresses me the most is that all the aforementioned features reside on an image that costs one quarter the price of the FM article—less, if you can get it on sale (thanks to Legacy Motors for that). What puzzles me though, is why does that FM image cost so much more?
(02/14/2004)
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