Editing Model car (section)

==History==
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[[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Toy Jaguar sports car.jpg|thumb|left|A diecast 1:10 scale [[Doepke Toys]] [[Jaguar XK120]] from 1955. One of two car models the company made, this model is {{convert|17.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} long. In [[The Children's Museum of Indianapolis]].]]
Miniature models of automobiles first appeared in Europe around the time real automobiles did. Then, shortly after, they appeared in the United States.{{sfn|Harvey|1974|pp=1995&ndash;1996}} These were toys and replicas often made of lead and brass.{{sfn|Harvey|1974|p=1995}} Later models made in the early 20th century were [[Slush Casting|slush cast]] plaster or iron. Tin and [[Stamping (metalworking)|pressed steel]] cars, trucks, and military vehicles, like those made by [[Bing (company)|Bing]] of Germany, were introduced in the 1920s through the 1940s, but period models rarely copied actual vehicles, likely because of the crudeness of early casting and metal shaping techniques.{{sfn|Harvey|1974|pp=1995,1997}} Casting vehicles in [[alloy]]s such as zinc-aluminum-magnesium-copper (trademarked as [[zamak]]) became popular in the late 1930s and remained prominent after [[World War II]].{{sfn|Earle|2009}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}

=== Fabricating the 'real' thing ===
[[File:Signature Models - 1962 BMW LS Luxus (7477512310).jpg|thumb|250px|A model of a 1962 [[BMW 700|BMW 700 LS Luxus]].]]
Many early model cars were not intended either as toys or for collecting. By the 1920s, the manufacturers of real automobiles would design and construct [[Scale model|scale]] as well as full-sized models for design or promotion. [[Citroën]] of France, for example, made its own models for promotional purposes as early as 1923.{{sfn|Force|1991|p=105}}{{sfn|King|1986|pp=176, 258&ndash;259}} Sometimes styling or [[Concept car|concept models]] were made out of wood or clay, often in 3/8 scale.{{sfn|Stambler|1966|pp=2&ndash;7}}{{sfn|''Ford at Fifty''|1953}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}} From 1930 until 1968, [[General Motors]] sponsored the [[Fisher Body]] Craftsman's Guild Competition where hundreds of modelers competed for scholarship money.{{sfn|Purdy|2004}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}{{sfn|Fisher Body|1956}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}. The emphasis was to earn recognition for creativity which would lead to possible employment as an industry stylist.

In-house models could also be precise replicas made of similar materials to the real vehicles. For example, [[Hudson Motor Car Company]] made twelve precisely crafted 1/4 scale replicas of its 1932 vehicles for promotion at the 1932 [[New York Auto Show]] (see Hudson display models). About the same time, but in a different vein, Studebaker made a wooden model of a [[cabriolet]] over ''twice'' the size of the real car. The vehicle was stationary on the company grounds and large enough to hold a whole band that played mostly for photo shoots (Quinn 2004). As time went by, companies in the United States, Europe and Asia made, provided, or sold toys or precision promotional models to attract succeeding generations to their products. More models also displayed advertising on their bodies for non-automotive promotions.
[[File:Austin Toy Cars (Factory), Pengam, Bargoed (19363299009).jpg|thumb|left|[[Austin Motor Company|Austin]] toy pedal cars being manufactured at the [[Longbridge plant]].]]

=== Scale sizes ===

The scales of toy and model cars vary according to historical precedent, market demand and the need for detail. Many 'in house' models of real car companies are made by professional modelers in full size, or at very large scales like 1:4, 1:5, 3:8, or 1:10 to portray adequate features and proportions. For toys, many European pre-war cars and trucks were made to display with railroad layouts, making [[1:87]] (1 to 2 inches, or HO scale) or [[1:43 scale|1:43]] (about 4&nbsp;inches long, or O scale) common scales. Other companies made vehicles in variations around 1:40 to [[1:50 scale|1:50]] scales. Some companies went smaller to appeal to the hands of smaller children (about [[1:64 scale]] or about 3&nbsp;inches), which improved profit margins in packaging more items per carton, and increasing profit per vehicle sold. Others moved to larger scales from 1:43 toward 1:40, 1:38 or [[1:35 scale|1:35]]. Later, popular scales went even larger. In the United States, 1:25 (6 to 7&nbsp;inches) became the staple size for plastic promotional models, while European manufacturers went to 1:24 or [[1:18 scale diecast|1:18]] (about 9&nbsp;inches long). The larger [[1:12 scale]] was occasionally seen and more rarely, 1:10 or [[1:8]]. At the other extreme, some very tiny toys since the 1980s were fairly accurate down to about [[1:120]] (a little over an inch).
[[File:Size reference.jpg|thumb|Models from Spark, 6 different scales ]]

=== Materials and markets ===

Toys in the United States almost always were simpler castings of zinc alloy (zamak), pressed steel or plastic and often castings of only seven parts (a car body, four plastic wheels and two axles) – while more complex plastic and zamak models in Europe often had precision detail with more working features.{{sfn|Ralston|2007}}{{page needed|date=April 2021}} This provides instruction on different regions of the world and their varied cultures, markets, labor and economies.
[[File:Litho tin toy Citroën Ami 6, Joustra pic1.JPG|thumb|left|[[Citroën Ami|Citroen Ami 6]] pressed tin toy.]]	

Europe quickly developed niche marketing after World War II. The greater availability of labor there generally allowed the development of relatively complex toys to serve different markets in different countries. In the United States, less labor availability would not allow for complex toys with opening doors, hoods, and complete interiors with all detail, so they were often single castings with few parts. Sophistication in America did come in the form of detailed (but simply cast) promotional models for automotive dealerships which preceded the appearance of automotive kits for assembly.