GB2067421A

GB2067421A - Model kit

Info

Publication number: GB2067421A
Application number: GB8101399A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Herail R J Lovatt E A; Kwaak C L V D
Current assignee: Herail R J Lovatt E A; Kwaak C L V D
Priority date: 1980-01-16
Filing date: 1981-01-16
Publication date: 1981-07-30

Abstract

A kit for building a model vehicle comprises a plurality of parts for said model vehicle, at least one of said parts being formed so as to resemble the appearance of a part of the vehicle after having sustained damage as a result of a collision. A game incorporating one or more of such models is also described.

Description

SPECIFICATION Model kit This invention relates to kits for making models and in particular kits for making model vehicles.

Kits for making model vehicles are known in which a plurality of parts are provided with the kit. There are sufficient parts to make the complete vehicle and the parts may be fitted, glued or otherwise secured together.

According to the present invention there is provided a kit for a model vehicle comprising a plurality of parts for said model vehicle, at least one of said parts being damaged (as herein defined).

As used herein the term "damaged" does not refer to inadvertent damage caused to the particular part in question. Rather that part is made to resemble the appearance of a damaged part of a vehicle in consequence of said vehicle being involved in a collision.

Preferably a kit in accordance with the present invention will include undamaged and corresponding damaged parts allowing a vehicle to be made from the kit in a form simulating a full sized vehicle after incurring damage as a result of different types of collisions, accidents or shunts.

In a preferred embodiment the vehicle is a motor car. In other embodiments the vehicle may be other land vehicles or air or sea vehicles.

Preferably the kit will include sufficient parts to make a complete undamaged vehicle.

Preferably the kit includes a base member which may be, for instance, a chassis or wheel base in the case of a motor car. The base member preferably includes means whereby some or all of the other parts for the model vehicle may be secured to the base member in order to build up the complete model vehicle. The securing means may be, for instance, integral pins or lugs which will mate with corresponding sockets or recesses formed in the other parts of the vehicle. In one preferred embodiment the securing means is a magnet or plurality of magnets attached to the base member, the other parts of the vehicle being made of or including ferromagnetic material in order that they will be attracted to the magnet or magnets on the base member and be held in position on the base member.

A kit in accordance with the present invention may form part of a game which may, for instance, include a plurality of kits of the invention together with other items to enable one or more persons to enact in a realistic fashion typical accidents which may occur as a result of, in the case of motor cars, road conditions, driver error or other factors. The game may or may not include rules. Without rules the or each player will use his imagination in order to create typical collisions and replace undamaged parts of the one or more vehicles involved by damaged parts. Where rules are provided, the or each participant may be guided with regard to the creation of potentially hazardous driving situations, the occurrence or non-occurrence of accidents depending on the particular rules.

The game incorporating a kit of the present invention may include, for instance, a road layout and other components such as traffic lights, signposts and the like. It may also include components enabling damaged vehicles to be towed away, for instance, a model breakdown truck and/or garage equipment so that "repairs" can be carried out.

Whether the kit of the present invention is provided in the form of a simple kit or a game having rules and perhaps many other components, it should be appreciated that the invention allows children or adults to create or recreate at the model level events which are closely related to "real life situations".

As an example, a kit for a motor vehicle in accordance with the present invention includes a wheel base made from a hard alloy and having arranged longitudinally along its centre a thin bar magnet. The kit includes sufficient further components to enable a complete undamaged motor car to be built up, for instance, body panels, doors, bonnet, windscreen, headlamps and bumpers. These various components will fit onto the wheel base or onto others of the components and will be held in position by means of magnetic forces. The components will be made at least partly from ferromagnetic material although some or all of them may be made partly from other materials such as plastics.

The kit may include alternative parts having different degrees of "damage" so that that part may be selected which most closely represents the sort of damage which would have been incurred in the accident which is supposed to have taken place.

Furthermore the kit may include both comparatively large "damaged" parts as well as a plurality of smaller "damaged" parts which together make up the larger part. This will enable both serious and less serious accidents to be represented. For instance, the kit may include a part representing substantially the whole of a side of a vehicle after that vehicle has been involved in a major accident, for instance, as a result of being struck on that side by another vehicle travelling at speed. The kit may also include separately front and rear wings and doors for that side, each of which shows the sort of damage which might result from a less serious collision where that particular smaller part only has been damaged.

The size of the model vehicles which may be built up by the kit may of course vary over a wide range.

As an example of a model vehicle formed from a kit in the present invention may be about 8 to 10 inches long and about 3 to 4 inches wide. As packaged the vehicle may be in a built up "undamaged" form.

Typically, it is a robust toy which may be played with by a child in just the same way as a conventional toy vehicle. In addition, of course "damaged" parts may be interchanged with undamaged parts to increase the scope of the activities which the toy provides.

1. A kit for a model vehicle comprising a plurality of parts for said vehicle, at least one of said parts being damaged (as herein defined).

2. A kit for a model vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said kit includes undamaged and damaged

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Model kit This invention relates to kits for making models and in particular kits for making model vehicles. Kits for making model vehicles are known in which a plurality of parts are provided with the kit. There are sufficient parts to make the complete vehicle and the parts may be fitted, glued or otherwise secured together. According to the present invention there is provided a kit for a model vehicle comprising a plurality of parts for said model vehicle, at least one of said parts being damaged (as herein defined). As used herein the term "damaged" does not refer to inadvertent damage caused to the particular part in question. Rather that part is made to resemble the appearance of a damaged part of a vehicle in consequence of said vehicle being involved in a collision. Preferably a kit in accordance with the present invention will include undamaged and corresponding damaged parts allowing a vehicle to be made from the kit in a form simulating a full sized vehicle after incurring damage as a result of different types of collisions, accidents or shunts. In a preferred embodiment the vehicle is a motor car. In other embodiments the vehicle may be other land vehicles or air or sea vehicles. Preferably the kit will include sufficient parts to make a complete undamaged vehicle. Preferably the kit includes a base member which may be, for instance, a chassis or wheel base in the case of a motor car. The base member preferably includes means whereby some or all of the other parts for the model vehicle may be secured to the base member in order to build up the complete model vehicle. The securing means may be, for instance, integral pins or lugs which will mate with corresponding sockets or recesses formed in the other parts of the vehicle. In one preferred embodiment the securing means is a magnet or plurality of magnets attached to the base member, the other parts of the vehicle being made of or including ferromagnetic material in order that they will be attracted to the magnet or magnets on the base member and be held in position on the base member. A kit in accordance with the present invention may form part of a game which may, for instance, include a plurality of kits of the invention together with other items to enable one or more persons to enact in a realistic fashion typical accidents which may occur as a result of, in the case of motor cars, road conditions, driver error or other factors. The game may or may not include rules. Without rules the or each player will use his imagination in order to create typical collisions and replace undamaged parts of the one or more vehicles involved by damaged parts. Where rules are provided, the or each participant may be guided with regard to the creation of potentially hazardous driving situations, the occurrence or non-occurrence of accidents depending on the particular rules. The game incorporating a kit of the present invention may include, for instance, a road layout and other components such as traffic lights, signposts and the like. It may also include components enabling damaged vehicles to be towed away, for instance, a model breakdown truck and/or garage equipment so that "repairs" can be carried out. Whether the kit of the present invention is provided in the form of a simple kit or a game having rules and perhaps many other components, it should be appreciated that the invention allows children or adults to create or recreate at the model level events which are closely related to "real life situations". As an example, a kit for a motor vehicle in accordance with the present invention includes a wheel base made from a hard alloy and having arranged longitudinally along its centre a thin bar magnet. The kit includes sufficient further components to enable a complete undamaged motor car to be built up, for instance, body panels, doors, bonnet, windscreen, headlamps and bumpers. These various components will fit onto the wheel base or onto others of the components and will be held in position by means of magnetic forces. The components will be made at least partly from ferromagnetic material although some or all of them may be made partly from other materials such as plastics. The kit may include alternative parts having different degrees of "damage" so that that part may be selected which most closely represents the sort of damage which would have been incurred in the accident which is supposed to have taken place. Furthermore the kit may include both comparatively large "damaged" parts as well as a plurality of smaller "damaged" parts which together make up the larger part. This will enable both serious and less serious accidents to be represented. For instance, the kit may include a part representing substantially the whole of a side of a vehicle after that vehicle has been involved in a major accident, for instance, as a result of being struck on that side by another vehicle travelling at speed. The kit may also include separately front and rear wings and doors for that side, each of which shows the sort of damage which might result from a less serious collision where that particular smaller part only has been damaged. The size of the model vehicles which may be built up by the kit may of course vary over a wide range. As an example of a model vehicle formed from a kit in the present invention may be about 8 to 10 inches long and about 3 to 4 inches wide. As packaged the vehicle may be in a built up "undamaged" form. Typically, it is a robust toy which may be played with by a child in just the same way as a conventional toy vehicle. In addition, of course "damaged" parts may be interchanged with undamaged parts to increase the scope of the activities which the toy provides. CLAIMS

2. A kit for a model vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said kit includes undamaged and damaged parts enabling a model to be made in a form simulating a full size vehicle after incurring damage as a result of different types of collisions, accidents or crashes.

3. A kit for a model vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said vehicle is a motor car.

4. A kit for a model vehicle according to any of the preceding claims wherein said kit includes sufficient parts to enable a complete model of an undamaged vehicle to be built.

5. A kit for a model vehicle according to any of the preceding claims wherein said kit includes a base member to which some or all of the other parts of the model may be secured.

6. A kit for a model vehicle according to claim 5 wherein said base member includes means whereby some or all of the other parts of the model may be secured to the base member, said securing means being integral pins or lugs which will mate with corresponding sockets or recesses in the other parts of the model.

7. A kit for a model vehicle according to claim 5 wherein said base member has attached to it one or more magnets and the other parts of the model being of, or including, ferromagnetic material so that they are attracted to the magnet or magnets in the base member and are so held in place.

8. A game incorporating one or more model kits according to any of the preceding claims.

9. A game according to claim 8 and further including a road layout, traffic signs, buildings, recovery vehicles or service vehicles, or any combination of such articles.

10. A game according to claim 8 or claim 9 wherein said game is supplied with one or more rules governing the playing of the game.

11. A kit for a model vehicle according to claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

12. A game according to claim 8 and substantially as herein described.