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Quoting them: " La Mini Miniera have been in the model scale car
market for 30 years as national and worldwide distributors". Club Degli
11 a 1/18 series of models which they market are mostly based on
Bburago conversions. Many model makers who specialize in elaborations of diecasts from
other makers often choose Bburagos as their base. The reason the 1/18 Power ratings on
this page are not much higher than the normal standard Bburagos is that the conversions
on these models are not of very high refinement. Don't get me wrong, they are very nice models to
own, but the detail levels and quality of these conversions are not what one would
expect taking into account that they should replicate real historical racing cars under certain events
and races, taking also into account that they cost anything from 4 - 10 times more than the standard
Bburagos depending on the point of purchase. One reason for this lack of refinement
in my opinion lies in the base of the models used. Take for example Bburago's #3011 250 GTO
(the most popular 1/18 conversion base), it is to my opinion not designed after any of the real 39
GTOs built. It is more of a compromise model. The only sure thing about it is that it belongs to the two
vented series of cars. One could with a lot of caution be a little more specific and say it has a
62/63 front and narrow it down even more if one considers the big oval front brake
cooling holes .... oops!! I forgot to mention that Bburago forgot the indicator lights ;)
Anyway, taking into account the evolution of the GTO's body (whithout going into too much details)
and Bburagos "hybrid" model it would be practically impossible to replicate
certain features with an acceptable amount of details to appeal to wiseass!! collectors like me,
without going into drilling and filling on the model. Most manufacturers are not willing to do that
in order to get a much faster run during the conversion process.
But that is exactly what one expects to get if one pays 5 or10 times! more the standard price.
On the other hand Bburago 3011 is the ideal model for a GTO conversion if one
just puts in the effort since one is not burdened by wipers, indicator lights or other small details
which one has to change in any case depending on the car one is making. It almost makes me wonder if the pattern makers at Bburago
thought about that while designing it?
Giochers which are also covered on the All Manufacturers main page make
such conversions using 1/18 Bburagos and are also marketed by
La Mini Miniera within the Club Degli 11 series. They are slightly better as to
details and are recognizable by their Ref # which starts with (GR).
The UT based Club Degli 11 conversions are significantly better.
SMS or Sytem Model Supply from Northern Italy
on the other hand give much more attention
to details during their conversions (they are also covered on the All manufacturers
main page).
PRICES
These approximate (average) retail prices below
can vary depending on the country and point of sale. Large retailers
tend to be cheaper than toy or hobby shops. Prices can also vary
from model to model, and these do not represent
limited editions or special issues within the brand.
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In Europe |
In the US |
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90.00 - 250.00 DM |
NA |
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