BMW Isetta pulling a camping trailer

[Richard230]

I thought someone might get a kick out of one of my models that I have in my china cabinet. It is a BMW Isetta pulling a camping trailer, with a guy sleeping in the trailer. Photos attached.

[scf]

Very cool!
Is that guy dead?

[Gunther]

I thought exactly the same...
Anyway, nice model, was it a kit, or is it self constructed?

[Royce]

Richard, very cool. Wayne Carini (Chasing Classic Cars) loves Isettas and has featured several on his show over the years. I always enjoy seeing them. I recall (I think) seeing one in Jay Leno's Garage also. Very nice pictures and a great looking model. Congrats.

[Richard230]

I thought exactly the same...
Anyway, nice model, was it a kit, or is it self constructed?

I bought that model all ready built. But I have constructed many plastic motorcycle models over the years. Attached is a photo of my china cabinet. About 20% of the models in the cabinet were commercially produced and the rest I built myself from plastic kits.

[Gunther]

Congrats on your models, they're a lot! Here I can hardly find something, this days it's all on the net market. Years ago I manage to find a Yamaha SRX-6 model kit, maybe you remember that bike.
It was brazenly expensive, but it was my "fetish bike" when I was a youngster , so, considering that a real one is even more expensive (but not much more powerful ) I bought it. It's on a shelf, still waiting that my airbrush skills improve. I' ve also checked on Tamyia catalogue, but they have mainly sport bike or race bikes. Having seen one in your cabinet, maybe I'll buy a Katana

[Richard230]

Congrats on your models, they're a lot! Here I can hardly find something, this days it's all on the net market. Years ago I manage to find a Yamaha SRX-6 model kit, maybe you remember that bike.
It was brazenly expensive, but it was my "fetish bike" when I was a youngster , so, considering that a real one is even more expensive (but not much more powerful ) I bought it. It's on a shelf, still waiting that my airbrush skills improve. I' ve also checked on Tamyia catalogue, but they have mainly sport bike or race bikes. Having seen one in your cabinet, maybe I'll buy a Katana

Back in the day there were a lot of plastic motorcycle models available on the market and I always thought that the Tamyia brand were the best. But interesting motorcycle models are hard to come by nowadays. Like you say, most are sport or race bikes. Those are just not all that interesting to me. I really like old and weird stuff that is not seen very often. However, I am likely in the minority and the model manufacturers need to sell enough products to make a profit, so models of the Isetta and the like probably not on their radar.

[TheMeteor]

Very cool!
Is that guy dead?

Agreed....looks like he left the Isetta running overnight to let the two-stroke smoke keep away the mosquitoes away and was overcome by the exhaust and carbon monoxide. But not a single mosquito bite on his body - according to the Medical Examiner's autopsy.

[Richard230]

Agreed....looks like he left the Isetta running overnight to let the two-stroke smoke keep away the mosquitoes away and was overcome by the exhaust and carbon monoxide. But not a single mosquito bite on his body - according to the Medical Examiner's autopsy.

That Isetta is a BMW version that is powered by a 300cc single cylinder 4-stroke engine which was modified using BMW's 250 single. So no two-stroke exhaust, but still not all that breathable when sleeping in an enclosed trailer.

[TheMeteor]

Now you killed my joke with facts. LOL

[Richard230]

Now you killed my joke with facts. LOL

It was still a funny joke. I just wanted everyone to know that BMW never used a two-stroke engine to power one of their vehicles. That would have been like using a chain to turn the rear wheel.

[TheMeteor]

I am glad you pointed that out. I always assumed the Isetta, and most micro-cars of that era. were two-stroke engines. You learn something new each day!

[Closterman]

Congrats on your models, they're a lot! Here I can hardly find something, this days it's all on the net market. Years ago I manage to find a Yamaha SRX-6 model kit, maybe you remember that bike.
It was brazenly expensive, but it was my "fetish bike" when I was a youngster , so, considering that a real one is even more expensive (but not much more powerful ) I bought it. It's on a shelf, still waiting that my airbrush skills improve. I' ve also checked on Tamyia catalogue, but they have mainly sport bike or race bikes. Having seen one in your cabinet, maybe I'll buy a Katana

I’ve been building plastic model kit for 35years although almost exclusively airplanes and yes Tamiya is the one that would first come to mind for motorcycle kits. But I agree that they focus to much on modern sport bikes. A lesser known company that has a good lineup of 70s and 80s bikes is Aoshima. They are not as easy to find in North America though. https://www.aoshima-bk.co.jp/en/prod...year&when2-day

[Closterman]

I bought that model all ready built. But I have constructed many plastic motorcycle models over the years. Attached is a photo of my china cabinet. About 20% of the models in the cabinet were commercially produced and the rest I built myself from plastic kits.

Congrats Richard very nice collection
Please provide more pictures of the BMW models .
But may I suggest you are missing one in your collection...the LEGO GS1200! https://www.lego.com/fr-ca/product/b...dventure-42063
Unfortunately it is discontinued but you could dig one up on eBay

[scf]

Yes I remember the Yamaha SRX6. And also Honda’s GB500.
When they were new they just sat on showroom floors.
You could buy them cheap new a couple years later. Now highly sought after.
And speaking of micro cars, I once came across a Subaru 360 that had rolled a couple times & was in a ditch.
It had just happened & the girl driving it was just getting out of it. Scrapes & bruises, but (miraculously) otherwise uninjured.
This was in the late 60s & the girl, me & my 1st ex-wife were able to get it back on the road so she could drive it home.
This car had an air-cooled 2-stroke twin.
BTW the girl said her boy-friend had just bought it & was gonna be pissed.

[Richard230]

Yes I remember the Yamaha SRX6. And also Honda’s GB500.
When they were new they just sat on showroom floors.
You could buy them cheap new a couple years later. Now highly sought after.
And speaking of micro cars, I once came across a Subaru 360 that had rolled a couple times & was in a ditch.
It had just happened & the girl driving it was just getting out of it. Scrapes & bruises, but (miraculously) otherwise uninjured.
This was in the late 60s & the girl, me & my 1st ex-wife were able to get it back on the road so she could drive it home.
This car had an air-cooled 2-stroke twin.
BTW the girl said her boy-friend had just bought it & was gonna be pissed.

I once tried to buy a well-kept Yamaha SRX6 from a fellow in San Jose that he had put up for sale. After riding to his home with cash in my hand, he decided not to sell it and sent me on my way. I really liked that bike. The GB500 looked nice, but didn't have the performance or handling of the Yamaha. Also, I once saw a Subaru 360 trying to get onto the I-280 freeway in Daly City. This was during the 1970's gas crisis when everyone was looking for vehicles with good mileage. Unfortunately, this was not the car to have, especially if you wanted to travel at freeway speeds. The last time I saw it it was going up the 280 on-ramp at about 30mph trailing a cloud of blue smoke. I figured that it was due to become someone's hood ornament that day.

[Richard230]

Since there is some interest in my motorcycle models, I thought I would attempt to take some closeup photos with my 10-year old Sony camera on its flower setting. Ideally, I would have pulled them out of the cabinet, but that likely would have destroyed half of the models as they are all jammed together and my hands are not all that steady. So I just took photos of the bikes in place as best I could. Still the most of the photos came out better than I had expected.

[Gunther]

Wow! A GS650 single and a Ducati Monster in the 3rd pic! How did you manage to find them? I've never seen those model kit before.
By the way,
Motorcycle Kits - Cars & Bikes - Scale Models (hlj.com)

[Richard230]

Wow! A GS650 single and a Ducati Monster in the 3rd pic! How did you manage to find them? I've never seen those model kit before.
By the way,
Motorcycle Kits - Cars & Bikes - Scale Models (hlj.com)

I have been buying and building motorcycle (and aircraft) models for the past 60 years. Most of the models in that cabinet were acquired before there was an internet. Many were brought from a very large toy/hobby store called Talbots located in San Mateo, CA. Unfortunately, the internet killed much of their sales and Covid finished the family-owned and very popular business off last year. But in their day they had one half of the store devoted to thousands of models, very expensive trains and remote control planes. It was a really great place to hang out and look for interesting stuff. The rest of the models were either purchased from other hobby stores or from paper catalogs, some of which I still get and order from like Historic Sales, which has a very large selection of military equipment, trains and aircraft models, but only occasionally might have a motorcycle model and those would typically be a WWII bike.

Thanks for the motorcycle kit link.

[TheMeteor]

My brother and I built model cars growing up and there was a great hobby shop near our house.IIRC, O'Connor's ?? In addition car and airplane model kits they had cool things like the Estes rockets, Cox motorized cars, planes, etc. I recall also getting a Cox dune buggy / desert racer of sorts one Christmas.

When my son was young and we travelled back home more often, there was a great shop (Niagara Hobby) on the way home and we would stop and let my son pick something out. My wife likes dollhouses and miniatures and they had a good selection too. The store was huge and had been around for years. Unfortunately, if i understand correctly, the longtime owner passed away and the kids tried to keep it going but was too much. I presume, as Richard mentions, the internet and other things such as changing interests for kids did them in. The store was always filled with train enthusiasts as well.

Times changes. Sometimes for the better and other times not so much.

[IanA]

"But may I suggest you are missing one in your collection...the LEGO GS1200!" https://www.lego.com/fr-ca/product/b...dventure-42063

Thanks for reminding me, Martin! BMW Motorad gave me one of the Lego kits as a prize during one of the BMW Safari events here in Oz. I passed it on to my son who is a huge Lego collector - and I haven't seen it since. It is quite a nice piece.
I will be ringing him tomorrow....