Found in the Letterbox


The following are e-mail responses to 'Tales of Toy Cars'. Your letters are welcome and may be submitted via e-mail


"Hi Doug,
Wood Smythe turned me on to your site. I like the articles and finding out what others think of the hobby and cars in general. Keep up the good work."

Kevin Larson, Lakeville, MN

Editors' Reply: Thank you


"Doug
Remember BUBY made Peugeot 404, 404 TN Carrera and 504. There is an excellent book about BUBY: "BUBY, la historia en fotos." I think the price is $15 or so. Regards."

Adolfo, Argentina

Editors' Reply: Thanks Adolfo, If anyone is interested in this book, Adolfo said he can get copies. Please contact Adolfo at: avartanian@pluspetrol.com.ar


"Just wanted to note that in your article you stated that the only Modern Ferrari to resort to retro styling would be the 365 GTB/4 Daytona styling on the 456 GT. Compare the 250LM and the 360 Modena and I think you will find many styling similarities, especially if you are comparing the 250LM Berlinetta (street version with engine exposed through a class hatch) as well as some profile styling of the 550 Maranello and the 250GTO. If you look at the 365 GTC/4 I have found it is a little closer in the styling to the 456GT in my mind, maybe because they are both 2+2s. I do think it is rather odd how the newer cars are not more reflective of the rich heritage that Ferrari represents, but then again Ferrari is probably trying to stay current and some retro designs might have been good at the time but to today's standards they are not efficient. Technology is usually why things change. I look forward to every issue of Tales of Scale Cars. You do a terrific job."

Terry Daniel

Editors' Reply: Terry, Thanks for the comments. You are right that there are other modern Ferrari models with retro styling cues, I simply picked the most obvious. The 550 Maranello reminds me more of the 275GTB with it's fastback. How about a modern Dino 246GT?


"Good morning, gentleman. Hey, what a treat your web site is! Much as many I've read of, I've loved miniature cars since I was in kindergarten. I now have around 4,300 hundred diecast, half of which are NASCAR-related. Much of what I enjoy about a trip is the many stops I make any time I'm in an area away from home looking to see what I might discover on a given shelf. While my daughter and I were in Houston this past Christmas we discovered 'The Dollar Tree' chain of stores. I bought out about everything Johnny Lightning they had. Unbelieveable. (Hope they'll expand into Washington state or, better yet, the good Lord will see fit to return me to Texas someday.) It looks like I'll be making a business trip to Norway in May. Any suggestions about what to look for and where while there?

Here's the reason I'm writing. Do you guys have any plans to someday feature an article on diecast trailerables? I find myself going to toy shows looking for boats, watercraft, U-haul trailers, farming implements, etc. and thought I'd not seen an article on your site yet that featured them. What do you think, is there any interest to other readers for some copy and images of these types of diecast? I have maybe 30-40 in my collection and would love to see what's out there (or what used to be) in this genre. Keep up the great work. I'm looking forward to your April edition.

Steve Newby, Federal Way, WA

Editors' Reply: Steve, Thanks for the support and encouragement. I do not have any suggestions for Norway as I have never visited, sorry. The 'trailerables' idea is an interesting one. I'll toss it out to our contributors and let's see who might be interested. You may find, as I do, that Washington is a pretty good place for finding diecast .