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Autoart 1/18 FORD SHELBY GR-1 CONCEPT ALUMINIUM CASTINGAUTOART ID:73071Free shipping to U.S.
Please ask any question you might have.Insurance is $1.7Product Information:
Item #: 73071
FORD GR-1 SHELBY CONCEPT CAR WITH POLISHED ALUMINUM BODYAUTOart
is striving to achieve a new standard by launching its first 1:18
die-cast model with a polished aluminum body in the form of the Ford
Shelby GR-1 concept car. The goal is to achieve the same quality of
finish as that on the actual concept car.Die-cast model cars are
usually cast using zinc alloy, a material that is user-friendly, has a
low melting point and is easy to cast. The mold used to cast zinc alloy
can easily survive a million shots. Aluminum alloy, on the other hand,
has a higher melting point and the molten material will attack the mold
during casting, thereby shortening the mold life by 20 to 50 times when
compared with zinc alloy casting.Very few model makers have
tried to cast aluminum alloy and then manually polish to achieve a high
gloss surface finish. Normally manufacturers would apply chrome-plating
to the zinc cast body to simulate the finish. However, chrome-plated
surfaces are too bright and do not accurately replicate the surface
texture of a polished aluminum finish. To compensate for this some
makers would polish the zinc cast body to achieve more or less the same
glossy finish of polished aluminum. However, zinc is sensitive to air
and humidity and surfaces easily oxidize, even in sheltered indoor
conditions. Therefore, a clear coat must be applied to prevent this.
When this is done the zinc polished surface is very clearly wrapped in a
thick, clear layer that looks unreal compared to the actual finish of
the real car. Moreover, the clear coating can become slightly yellowish
under prolonged exposure to sunlight.In order to replicate the
polished aluminum finish of the real car, actual aluminum alloy must be
used to cast the scale model body. The casting will then require more
than 130 minutes of trained manual labor to polish the whole
body-including the panels - until the desired glossy finish is achieved.
The biggest challenge is to align the contours between the main body
and the attached panels (bumper, bonnet, trunk and doors) after
polishing. Even slight over-polishing of the bonnet and door edges will
make the connecting surfaces of the main body uneven and such parts will
need to be scrapped. Even with a trained workforce the scrap rate is
well over 50%. With labor costs rising in China, the overall cost of
producing a polished aluminum body is 5~6 times that of the usual
painted body cast in zinc alloy.The final polished aluminum body
is deliberately not coated with a clear protective layer in order to
simulate the bare aluminum texture of the concept car. As with the real
car, the surfaces will oxidize at a very slow rate under indoor
conditions and the gloss will decrease slightly after one or two years.
However, the shiny finish can easily be restored by simple hand-buffing
using metal polish compounds such as Brasso, Autosol, Pennibrite or
mag-wheel polishing cream. Like any precious sterling silverware, the
polished surfaces require occasional maintenance to retain their glossy
texture.The suggested retail price of this model is around US$200 (excluding tax and carriage).
Payment Information:
We accept Paypal. If you wish to pay with your credit card, please contact us ahead of time.
Shipping Information (Insurance is included):
Domestic
shipments: USPS priority or UPS Ground services at seller's discretion.
We do offer combine shipping service, shipping would be $5 more for any
additional 1/18 items being added to the order except FREE SHIPPING
items.
International shipments: USPS priority international or priority express if requested.
Regular USPS priority international postage is
Canada: $28 for the first piece 1/18 and $11 for any additional ones.
Mexico: $33 for the first piece 1/18 and $13 for any additional ones.
Asia+Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands: $43 for the first piece 1/18 and $15 for any additional ones.
The rest of the wold: $38 for the first piece 1/18 and $14 for any additional ones.
Contact Us
We
are happy to answer all your questions. We always try our best to
describe the product by words and photos. However it is buyer's
responsibility to ask for clarification if there is uncertainty. So
please read before you offer.
Return Policy:
Buyer
must try one's best to contact us for any purchase problem with 3 days
after receiving for Return Authorization Number, all the return postage
is responsible by buyer regardless the cause. In the event of
replacement, we will pay the postage of new item to you.
