Showcase/MAC N Scale Model Vehicle Comparisons

[peteski]

Thanks for posting this visual comparisons - very informative!

It is really too bad that the 3D-printed models do not have window "glass".  I understand what the reason is and that some liquid "glass" solutions are available, but none to me are workable solutions.

[cfritschle]

Thank you Peter!  I hope some people will find the comparison photos useful. 

The main reason for the comparison photos is that when Jens would have his MadAboutCars models displayed at the NSE conventions, I could tell they were not all the same scale, but I could not tell which ones were really close to 1:160 scale, and actually usable for my layout. Also, since new tooling for plastic injection molded N scale light duty vehicles such as automobiles, pickups, SUVs and small vans is not on the near horizon as far as I can tell, 3D printed models like the Showcase/MAC models are going to be necessary for me to populate my layout with a variety of light duty vehicles suitable for my modeling era.  And, my next comparison photo post will show some of the variance within a Showcase/MAC "family" of vehicles.

As for the windshields, just last week Showcase announced a new model (a 1960 Chevy Biscayne) in which a vacuum formed windshield and rear window (at least for the 2-door sedan) can be purchased as an extra option. While this is a step in the right direction, a complete window insert would be more desirable. Here is a link to the new Biscayne models: https://www.showcaseminiatures.net/madaboutcars/n_scale/J52N.html

[cfritschle]

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I could not find a way to convey the information with less text and fewer photos.  While I felt the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado Standard Long Bed Pickup (J2NB) was usable with other N scale vehicle models, it was also a bit oversized, similar to the Showcase/MAC "C" Series Fleetside pickup (J14NA).  One thing that was especially noticeable was the interior of the pickup bed.  Ideally, an N scale model of a North American full-size pickup (Chevy, Dodge/Ram, Ford, GMC and International) that was produced from the early 1960s, and at least into the early 2000s (It’s been 20 years since I considered buying a new pickup) should have a bed that the inside width at the top of the bed is approximately 65 N scale inches wide.  And, the interior length was usually about an inch or so more than 78-inches for the 6.5-foot bed, or 96-inches for the 8-foot bed.  There of course were exceptions as some manufacturers offered beds in excess of 8-feet long.  Also, the width of the bed between the wheel wells was usually slightly more than 48 inches.  A test of the width between the wheel wells of a N scale pickup can be attempting to place a 4 X 8 sheet of N scale plywood in the bed of the pickup.  And if the N scale pickup has the 8-foot bed, the 4 X 8 sheet of N scale plywood would fit on the bottom of the bed with little or no wiggle room.  However, very few N scale pickup models with 8-foot beds can pass this test!  I think this is at least in part due to the thickness of the plastic or pewter required to produce a 1:160 scale model pickup in which the exterior dimensions of the model match the exterior dimensions of the prototype.  The Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado Standard Long Bed Pickup not only accommodates a 4 X 8 sheet of N scale plywood; it allows the plywood to slide back and forth between the wheel wells!  While some may consider this a good thing, the extra amount of interior space within the pickup bed is quite noticeable when the Silverado is parked next to other N scale pickups that have the correct exterior dimensions at the expense of the slightly under-sized interior dimensions of the bed.

Now that all of the technical information is out of the way, what prompted me to order another pickup from the “J2N family” was looking at the large photo on the Showcase website that showed the chassis placed in front of the cabs of the six variants of the 1990-98 Chevy pickups.  In that photo, I noticed the extended cab short bed pickup (J2NC) appeared to be slightly smaller than the standard long bed pickup that was to its left. 

To get that photo, click on this link: https://www.showcaseminiatures.net/madaboutcars/n_scale/J2N.html

Then click on the large photo, and a photo gallery will appear with left and right arrows. I found the photo of the chassis and cabs when I clicked once on the right arrow.

I was very pleased when the 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup arrived.  While the overall scale length of the model was a little greater than the “published” length for the prototype, the scale width was spot on!  (Note:  I have been able to confirm the “published” overall length of 1990-98 Chevy pickups does not include the rear bumper, so that dimension is not very useful in determining the scale of the model.)  Also, the distance between the wheel wells on the extended cab short bed pickup was a very prototypical 49.8 N scale inches instead of the 52.1 N scale inches on the standard long bed pickup.  However, the extended cab Chevy looked like it was riding a little too low, and the wheels were smaller than the wheels on standard long bed pickup.  My concerns about the ride height were eventually dispelled when a 2-wheel drive 1990-98 Chevy extended cab short bed pickup pulled into the parking space next to me at my favorite local farm store.  The Chevy C1500 pickup and my SUV appeared to be about the same height.  When I returned home, I compared the N scale model Chevy with a N scale model of my SUV, and even the models both appear to be about the same height.

The comparison photo below shows the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup parked next to a Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado standard long bed pickup.


And this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup parked between a Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado standard long bed pickup and an Atlas 1997-2004 F-150 pickup.


Also, this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup parked between an Atlas 1997-2004 F-150 pickup that has been lowered to represent a 2-wheel pickup instead of the 4X4 pickup the Atlas model is intended to represent, and a Busch 1997-2001 Mercedes ML.


Since the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup appeared to be 1:160 scale, I decided to include the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab long bed pickup with my next order.  When that model arrived, I was just as pleased with it as I was the short bed version of the extended cab Chevy pickup.  The width of the extended cab long bed pickup was within ¼ of an N scale in of the prototype’s width.  Another feature of the of the extended cab long bed pickup is the inside dimensions of the bed allow a 4X8 sheet of N scale plywood to fit between the wheel wells, and fully within the length of the bed with little to no wiggle room! 

The comparison photo below shows the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab long bed pickup parked next to a Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado standard long bed pickup. 


And this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup parked between a Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado standard long bed pickup and an Atlas 1997-2004 F-150 pickup.


Also, this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab long bed pickup parked between a Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado standard long bed pickup and a Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup.


The final photo (below) shows the payload space for the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet standard long bed pickup, the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab long bed pickup, and the Showcase/MAC 1990-98 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab short bed pickup.  The 4X8 sheet of N scale plywood in the bed of the extended cab pickup from New Rail Models laser cut N scale plywood sheets.


Please feel free to point out any typos or errors in this post, or any of my other posts.

[cfritschle]

Now we will take a look at another body style of Chevy pickups, plus a SUV, all from the 1970s.  Showcase/MAC "C" Series Fleetside pickup (J14NA) represents the successor body style to the 1967-72 Chevy C/K Series pickups.  The details on this pickup were very well executed.  While the width of the pickup was less than 1 N scale inch too wide, the overall length was several N scale inches too long.  I have an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the scale of the Showcase/MAC models using length, width, and wheelbase.  When the model’s dimensions were entered in spreadsheet, the result was a scale that was close to 1:157.  However, the model is still in the range of being not being very noticeable as oversized when parked in the general vicinity of 1:160 scale vehicles. 

I was holding the model up my computer screen comparing it to photos of 1973-79 Chevy pickups when the pickup also experienced a short fall from my hand to the computer desk which removed the mirror on the left side. 

Aside from the loss of the left side mirror, that exercise revealed the grille on the Showcase/MAC "C" Series pickups appear to best represent the 1977-79 model years.  Now I need to find some suitable replacement mirrors.

The comparison photo below shows the Showcase/MAC 1977-79 Chevy pickup parked next to an Atlas 1997-2004 F-150 pickup.


And this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 1977-79 Chevy pickup parked between an Atlas 1997-2004 F-150 pickup and a River Point Station (now Atlas) 1992-97 F-250 pickup.


The SUV model from the same "C" Series “family” was identified as a "C" Series C.B., which translates to a Chevy Blazer (J14NC).  The grille on this model also best represents the 1977-79 model years.  And, the Blazer’s dimensions are all within an N scale inch of the prototypes resulting in a model that looks just fine when parked next to a 1:160 scale model vehicle.

The comparison photo below shows the Showcase/MAC 1977-79 Chevy Blazer parked next to an Atlas 1997-2004 F-150 pickup.


And this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 1977-79 Chevy Blazer parked between an Atlas 1997-2004 F-150 pickup and a River Point Station (now Atlas) 1992-97 F-250 pickup.


Here is the link to the Showcase/MAC 1973-77 Chevrolet C-Series vehicles:  https://www.showcaseminiatures.net/madaboutcars/n_scale/J14N.html

[cfritschle]

The next model comparison is the Showcase/MAC 2003-11 "F" Series "CV" which was the last iteration of the full-size Ford Crown Victoria (J36N). There is also a “back story” for this model.  Showcase Miniatures has a link on their MadAboutCars page that allows the downloading of the catalogs of the vehicle models that Jens Jahn had on Shapeways.  And, Showcase Miniatures has encouraged customers to request which models in the catalogs they would like to see added to the Showcase/MAC line.  I requested a couple of models, one of which was the 2003-11 Ford Crown Victoria.  My initial purchase was for just one Crown Vic.  While I was impressed with its proportions, I was disappointed in its size when I placed it next to an Atlas Ford Taurus.  The Crown Vic was only slightly longer than the mid-sized Tauras.  I sent an email with this information to Walther Vail at Showcase Miniatures, and he responded with an offer to amend the print file so a little larger model could be printed.  The next day Walter printed a larger version of the Crown Victoria and sent it to me.  The “new” version of the Crown Vic model was still very slightly undersized.  However, the Crown Vic now passed my “parking lot test” by blending in well when parked near other 1:160 scale vehicle models, especially the Atlas Ford Taurus.

The comparison photo below shows the Showcase/MAC 2003-11 Ford Crown Victoria parked next to a Wiking 1964-65 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu.


And this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 2003-11 Ford Crown Victoria parked between the Wiking Malibu and an Atlas 1996-99 Ford Taurus which been upgraded with the Tips “N” Tricks found on the NSVA’s website.  https://nscalevehicles.org/tips_n_tricks/atlas_taurus.php


Here is the link to the Showcase/MAC 2003-11 Ford Crown Victoria:  https://www.showcaseminiatures.net/madaboutcars/n_scale/J36N.html

[cfritschle]

It has been a while since the last update to this topic, but here is another N scale Ford model to look at.  The Showcase/MAC 1965 "M" Series Car (J40NA) represents the 1965 Ford Mustang GT.  The good news is the scale length of the model matches the prototype’s 181.6 inches, and the scale width is within ¾ of a N scale inch of the prototype.  However, the base model Mustang, which was introduced in mid-1964, and continued in production through the 1965 model year was far more common than the 1965 GT.  A base model Mustang that did not include the grille mounted fog lights would have not only have represented the cars produced in 1964; it would also have been easier to successfully detail the grille. 

About a month after the model shown below was released, Showcase/MAC released three additional body styles for the Mustang.  That release added a Mustang fastback (I have not purchased one yet, but it may represent a 1967-68 fastback), a top-down convertible and a top up convertible.  I purchased the top-up convertible, and found it was slightly larger than the 1965 "M" Series Car (J40NA), measuring approximately 1.5 N scale inches longer and 1 N scale inch wider.  However, the additional width puts the convertible’s width within ¼ of a N scale inch of the prototype’s width.  Since both models are so close to the same size, the differences in width and length would likely go unnoticed, even if the two model cars were parked in close proximity to each other.

The comparison photo below shows the Showcase/MAC 1965 Mustang GT parked next to a Wiking 1964-65 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu.


And this photo (below) shows the Showcase/MAC 1965 Mustang GT parked between the Wiking Malibu and a Bachmann 1967-68 Mercury Cougar modified with a Wiking chassis.  The steps for modifying the Cougar can be found in the Tips “N” Tricks pages on the NSVA’s website. https://nscalevehicles.org/tips_n_tricks/bachmann_autos1.php


Here is the link to the Showcase/MAC 1965 Mustang GT:  https://www.showcaseminiatures.net/madaboutcars/n_scale/J40N.html

[Mark5]

Thanks Carter! 

[peteski]

Carter, while I don't have specific dimensions, in that photo comparing the Mustang to Malibu, the Mustang seems a bit large (or the Malibu is under scale). Mustang was a small "pony car" while Malibu I believe was a larger car.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I'm working on some MAC cars myself. The GMC Kodiac looks a bit large to me, but I have nothing to measure it against.

[cfritschle]

Carter, while I don't have specific dimensions, in that photo comparing the Mustang to Malibu, the Mustang seems a bit large (or the Malibu is under scale). Mustang was a small "pony car" while Malibu I believe was a larger car.

Peter,

The width of the Wiking Malibu is 74.56 N scale inches, while the width of the prototype Malibu is 74.6 inches.  The length of the Wiking Malibu is 196.24 N scale inches long, while the length of the prototype Malibu is 193.9 inches.  The Malibu and the Mustang are both very close to 1:160 scale.  The original Mustang was considered a compact car (based on the Ford Falcon chassis) while the Malibu was considered a mid-sized car.  The Showcase/MAC Mustang is definitely shorter and narrower than the Wiking Malibu.  I will try to get a photo looking down with the two cars parked next to each other.
 

[cfritschle]

I'm working on some MAC cars myself. The GMC Kodiac looks a bit large to me, but I have nothing to measure it against.

Daniel,

I have purchased several of the Showcase/MAC cabs, and all that I have purchased tend to have some issues when it comes to scale size.  l visually compared the Showcase/MAC Kodiak Topkick cab with the old pewter Showcase Miniatures Kodiak cab, and the old pewter cab appears to be a lot closer to 1:160 scale.   

Edit:  Corrected the terminology.  A GMC is a Topkick and a Chevy is a Kodiak.

[martin station]

Carter's photos show that none of those have any windows.
That is one of the things that I wish they included (especially for the price the they charge for undercoated models).  Showcase is capable of making vacu-formed clear windows for their models.  That would likely work well for these models.

I agree with this. I've built several of their kits and for my my timeline the front and back windows are enough as a lot of vehicles didn't have a/c and side windows were most of the time down (summer of course). And the vacu-formed windows were pretty easy to install.
Ralph

[cfritschle]

Peter,

Here is an overhead view (or drone view?) of the Showcase/MAC 1965 Mustang parked next to the Wiking 1964-65 Malibu.  The size difference is more apparent in this view, and all of my measurement confirm both models are very close to 1:160 scale.


Daniel,

Here is an overhead view of the Showcase/MAC 2003-09 (model years) Kodiak Topkick cab next to the Showcase Miniatures 1993-2002 (model years) Kodiak cab.  For decades, the Chevy/GMC medium duty trucks utilized the cab from the contemporary Chevy/GMC pickups, and I don't think that changed for the last six years Chevy/GMC made a medium duty truck.  I am reasonably certain the two cabs should have been the same width.


Edit:  Corrected the terminology so it reads GMC Topkick and Chevy Kodiak.
And another correction.  Beginning with the 2003 model year, the GMC Topkick and the Chevy Kodiak cabs were based on the current GM full-size vans, which were more spacious.  It looks like I need to get the calipers out and measure the width fhe cabs.

[peteski]

Thanks Carter!  That overhead photo clearly shows the Mustang/Malibu size difference. Maybe because in the original photo the Mustang was closer to the camera it appeared larger. That forced perspective thing. 

[sirenwerks]

Man, those tires on the Malibu... Rear rubber looks suitable for a street or even 1/4 mile racer, but those front tires look like they're made for an oval track or worse, definitely not street width.