Hello,
Earlier today in my periodic newsletter, I gave an update on the Automodello 1954 Kaiser Darrin models which we have in development. This is reprinted below for those who don't subscribe:
It made me think back to my original Press Release about the 1954 Kaiser Darrin. The original was an ambitious car for Kaiser, and in many ways it is equally ambitious for Automodello with these features in the press release:
1. CanvasTouch
TM is Automodello's name for the special paint used to create the canvas-like feel on convertible tops. First used on the 1:24 Duesenberg J Graber and then on the 1:43 Duesenberg J Torpedo. Touch it and most will swear it is fabric, not paint.
2. Passenger's door closed is molded into the body.
3. Driver's door open or closed has proved problematic due to technical issues. The only viable choice was to drop this feature and add a 4th feature instead.
4. Window Wings. Though the prototype did not have them, most of the production cars did.
One of the best things about working with Raffi Minasian is he simply does not give up on a challenge. So he quietly continued to work with our factory on a viable solution for the driver's door. Last week I learned about this solution, however, it came with a decision.
The Automodello 1954 Kaiser Darrin will be shipped with the driver's door in the open position and window wings in place with the 2 tops and closed driver's door shipped underneath the model. To do this adds 8 to 10 weeks to the development process which means the models won't ship until mid-March 2016 at the latest.
I realize this may be disappointing news to those who were hoping for holiday delivery. However I refuse to ship rubbish and the extra time is needed to get the models right.
After this newsletter was sent, the feedback from those who with PreOrders was swift and the same: They agreed with the decision and would rather not receive rubbish. In fact, several more were PreOrder and two editions are close to being pre-soldout.
If you'd like to receive the periodic newsletter or a current Automodello catalogue, please send an email to
diecasmstore@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Jim Cowen, CEO
Diecasm, LLC / Automodello
www.diecasm.com/kaiser/847.274.9645