Cursor Models: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:31, 10 May 2012

Revision as of 04:09, 11 May 2012

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==Museum Models==

Cursor started making ultra detailed 1:40 scale plastic replicas of 1880-1920 era Mercedes-Benzes and Daimlers about 1969. The first models were started by model maker [[Wiking]] and then immediately taken over by Cursor (Force 1990, 122). Models produced (sometimes marked with the initials C.R.) were mostly of vehicles on exhibit at the Mercedes-Benz museum, like the 1886 'Drierad' three-wheeler and Daimler's gas powered horse-buggy style 'Motorwagen' of the same year. These were the first gas powered vehicles ever produced. Also made were an 1895 taxi, an and an 1896 firewagon (Sinclair's 1977). David Sinclair, an influential dealer to the diecast collecting hobby, imported some of the first Cursor Models to the United States in the mid-1970s (Levine 2009).

Cursor also featured several racing models for the museum as well, including the 1903 Mercedes Rennwagen, 1911 Blitzen Benz race car and the Mercedes SSK Kompressor driven by Christian Werner, the winner of the 1924 Targa Florio race in Italy.

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The package is a cut and folded shiny card stock base with perforations for the tires of the truck. Covering this is a softer clear plastic cover. Printing on the bottom of the package gives specifications of the real 4 cylinder in German, English, French, and Spanish.

==DiecastPlastic Promotionals==

Some of the company's first promotional vehicles appeared about the same time as the museum pieces, and though they were not brass era, they were yet molded in plastic. One model, was the Audi 100 sedan, the real car being one of the first Audis to be exported to the United States around 1969. This model was slightly larger than 1:43 scale, in a silver box with black lettering. The car was well detailed in styrene plastic, especially the front grille and also the floorpan and engine features on the plastic chassis. This model may have been one of the first promotionals offered by Cursor, and perhaps somewhat rare, because it is not mentioned in Force's (1990) book.

At this same time, around 1970, Cursor made other VW models in a similar style as the Audi. These were also made in plastic. One was the oval-eyed 411 sedan in light blue and also red (#868). It came in a promo looking white box with the car neatly shadowed in black on the sides. How much Wiking was involved in these models is uncertain, but it appears Wiking only produced a few of the older cars for the museum at the earlier time.

==Diecast Promotionals==

About 1978, Cursor went in different direction. First, models of contemporary trucks, mostly Mercedes-Benzes, started to appear. Secondly, these were now often diecast in zamac. Then, similar to [[NZG Models]] and [[Conrad Models]] three or four Mercedes-Benz sedans (the 230, 200, and 190), were introduced ''in 1:35 scale'' (Force 1990, 124-127). This marked Cursor's main production of miniatures mainly for promotional purposes. Apparently all three companies were taking similar marching orders from Mercedes-Benz on how the company wanted its promotional models standardized. A BMW 3 series coupe also was made by Cursor in the 1:35 scale.