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FORD SHELBY GR-1 CONCEPT - ALUMINIUM CASTING in 1:18 scale by AUTOart Signature Series
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).
AA73071sr
Available Now-New In Box
