Casting : Superfine Turbine
Years of Production:
1973 Only
Country of Origin:
Hong Kong and Mexico (CIPSA)
Casting Variations:
None known
Wheel Variations:
Domestic HK - Large capped wheels in the rear and smaller through hole in front. No variations known
Interior Colors:
Domestic HK - Black only
Paint Colors
| HK COLORS: |
Relative frequency: |
COMMENTS: |
| Light blue | 25% | Most common |
| Dark blue | 25% | Common |
| Red | 25% | Common |
| Fluorescent lime green | 20% | Often thin spray |
| Yellow | 5% | Some shading variations |
| Pink | <1% | Rare in good condition; about 6 decent loose and 2 BPs are known |
Other versions of same Casting:
CIPSA Superfine Turbine
Comments:
The Superfine Turbine, designed by Larry Wood, is one of three castings that debuted in the 1973 product line that
were never used again, the other two being the Sweet 16 and the Double Header. Since the Superfine Turbine was
produced for only one year, it is one of the hardest-to-find castings. Interestingly, the Superfine Turbine also was
produced in Mexico under license by Compania Industriale de Plasticos SA(CIPSA), but only for one season.
Superfine Turbine
The design of the Superfine Turbine is one of the more disparate of the concept castings.
Collectors in general love the casting or despise it, with no middle ground. Inspite of the love/hate relationship, a mint piece still commands a good price.
Front and rear details of the Superfine Turbine
The Superfine Turbine is characterized by the prominent jet engine in the front. At the rear
of the vehicle, there is a plastic door that pops open to expose a two-tiered shelf.
There are no known casting variations among Superfine Turbines, which is likely a consequence of the
brief span of production.
Front and rear details of the Superfine Turbine
All bases both HK and CIPSA are labeled with Hong Kong as the country of origin.
All 10 colors of the Superfine Turbine
The Hong Kong-assembled Superfine Turbine came in six different colors.
The Mexican CIPSA-assembled car has been found in four different enamel colors.
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Blister Packs
Seven colors have been found in the blister pack. Any Superfine Turbine in blister pack is quite rare.
(Click any of the above photos to see a larger image.)
CIPSA (L) and HK-made (R)Superfine Turbines
All Hong Kong-made Superfine Turbines were assembled with capped wheels in the rear and open-hub wheels in front and have a black interior/rear door.
All CIPSA Superfine Turbines have capped wheels in the front and rear and have a white interior/rear door.
Pre-Production
The Superfine Turbine is unique in the number of items associated the manufacturing process have survived.
The toy number, 6004 falls squarely in the 1971 design period, however, the casting was not produced until the 1973 model year.
Contractor's Assembly Drawing Blueprint
The blueprint is dated May 2, 1970. Note that the name was originally "Turbo Wagon".
The drawings shows that a dual circular pane windshield was planned, which never made it to production.
The wheel design shown is characteristic of the 1971 product line.
Original Pantograph Pattern
This wood and resin large scale model is called a "pattern" or "shell". It is the actual original manufacturing pattern which
was used to create the diecasting mold (tool) for the car. It is four times the size of the finished toy.
Click on the photo of the pattern to see more detail.
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1/64th Scale Prototypes
Six different prototypes have survived representing a spectrum of the design and manufacturing process.
Click on each to see more details.
A unspun Body and Engine
A Pair of Pinks
All four CIPSA colors
A collection of Superfine Turbines
Photo & info credits: Ted Gray
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