My new Christmas models

Santa Claus had a happy hunt...

1935 Duesenberg SJ Gurney Nutting Speedster "Maharajah Holkar of Indore" by TSM Models

Surprisingly, one of the most beautiful bodies of Duesenberg was not created in the US but was made to order in England.
This speedster with chassis number  2614 J-585 has a really interesting history. The voluptuous speedster body was designed by A. F. McNeil and built by J. Gurney Nutting & Co. Ltd. in the fashionable Chelsea district in London for Maharaja Holkar of Indore, India and commissioned through a British sales agent R.S.M Automobiles Ltd of London.
Now about that futuristic master dandy (which he really was!), Maharaja Yeshwantrao Holkar II.  He ruled Indore State from 1926 to 1961. Yeshwantrao Holkar was known as a true automobile connoisseur with probably the most extraordinary collection of cars in India! Not to forget that he was also a major international collector of the finest art, such as architecture, artefacts and jewelry, all designed in the futuristic ‘Modern style’ or Art Deco, which was also to be found in his cars.
Maharaja always had a passion for the best cars. His stable include several Rolls Royce's , Bentley's, Delage D8S by Figoni, Pierce Arrow, Bugatti, Bentley, Hispano Suiza etc. In 1936 at the age of 27, the Maharaja ordered three superb cars, a 4.5-litre V12 Lagonda drophead coupé,  a Bentley Aerofoil coupé, and this open SJ Duesenberg, all finished in the striking Holkar colours of Sunglow orange and Black.
Destined for a life of royalty, the Gurney Nutting Speedster was built with unique, lavish features including a like chrome flagsticks, as well as red and blue lights on the front fender to indicate whether the Maharaja (red) or Maharani (blue) was driving the vehicle.
Upon its completion, the Duesenberg was delivered to the Maharaja’s mansion in Santa Ana, California due to fears of Japan invading India. After the tension in the region dropped, the automobile was shipped to India, then disappearing over time and thought to be lost until its rediscovery in 1959. The outstanding car was brought back to the U.S., eventually acquired by General Lyon and now resides in the Lyon Air Museum - Santa Ana, CA.

TSM (True Scale Models) has released a very accurate and beautifully made resin-cast model of the car in its current form that’s as gorgeous as the original. The two-tone paint is excellent and every piece of trim, even the tiny Maharajahs flags, is done with plated or photo-etched parts. If it’s visible in photos, its visible—and to scale—on the model! Interior detail is done to the same level, with accurate upholstery, black-painted relief interior handles, fully detailed instruments, pedals, built-in license plate holder, dual fuel tanks, and single-bar bumpers.  This is a beautiful model of a drop-dead gorgeous car. The only inaccurate detail is a little bit oversized Duesenberg ornament on the radiator.

Unfortunately this beautiful model is sold out. TSM also produces this type in Silver Old-Time livery, but it's not pretty at all. The Duesenberg collectors must have this Maharaja Sunglow orange and Black. Happy collecting!

Manufacturer:	TSM Models
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	2012
Part Number:	TSM134302
Material:	Resin
Rating:	10/10

1935 Duesenberg SJ 572-2596 Convertible Coupe SWB Bohman & Schwarz by Matrix

This wonderful one-off Duesenberg SJ was built for Barbara Hutton, the heiress to the Woolworth fortune. Hutton was well known for her extravagant generosity, and the car presented here is a fitting example of her remarkable largesse. It was a gift for Serge M'Divani, the brother of her lover Alexis M'Divani.
The famed M'Divanis were the children of Soviet Georgian nobles who fled Russia during Wold War One. Prince Serge M'Divani had settled in the US and his brothers were connected to some of the wealthiest women in America and were known to marry each other's former lovers and even former wives.Such was the situation that led to the construction of this magnificent Duesenberg.

Every coachbuilder has a design that clearly stands above the others for its use of proportion, daring construction methods and harmony of theme and detail. Among Duesenberg enthusiasts, coachbuilding connoisseurs and designers, this one-off SJ Roadster is hailed as the most successful Bohman & Schwartz design for the Duesenberg chassis and an absolute triumph in the art of coachbuilding.

This car gem is beautifully replicated by Matrix. We can only congratulate on the result. All the details are here including beautiful lines and an impressive deep maroon color matching the original.
Unfortunately, hardly accessible model (only 400 produced pieces), as well as the original from coach builder Bohman & Schwartz.

Manufacturer:	Matrix
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	2017
Part Number:	MX40406-021
Material:	Resin
Rating:	10/10

1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 4-door Sedan by Brooklin

The Oldsmobile 88 is a full-size car that was sold and produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1999 and became the top-selling line for twenty-four years.
This Oldsmobile 88 is the 3rd generation. Styling highlights were more evolutional than radical overall with three-piece rear window styling utilized on this car.
Oldsmobiles from 1957 are instantly, profoundly fascinating, no matter what model range you mean because every single one of them turned its back on the fin frenzy, instead bringing to market a luxuriantly rolling tunnel of sheetmetal resting atop each rear fender, proudly crowning a creased-in character line, the pipeline for an imaginary surfer, it almost seems to appear. It’s only the most immediately obvious trait of a continuous, ovoid styling theme that also incorporates the enormous, chromed bumper and grille combination, the headlamp surrounds, and, after a fashion, the three-piece backlight. The Oldsmobile shared its hardtop styling with Buick's Caballero. Sedans and coupes had twin ridges that ran each side of the roofline and onto the rear deck. These divided opinion at the time.
Rose Mist Poly paint matches Alcan White perfectly, and there’s lots of separate chrome-plated trim, right down to the strong side curves that are slightly recessed into the body. That trim was often used to separate eye-grabbing two-toned schemes, like this. Brooklin also made a single color Jade Mist Poly, which is not nearly as nice.

Manufacturer:	Brooklin
Scale:	1/43
Year of Production:	2013
Part Number:	163 A
Material:	White Metal
Rating:	9/10