Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted June 20, 2019 Just scanned an old Parma RC leaflet and thought I just might as well share. I used to be a big fan of Parma and think it's sad that the company hasn't been able to keep up with the innovation and evolution of lexan RC car bodies, making their current offerings look just as crude, badly proportioned and undetailed as their bodies from 30+ years ago, including the ones from new molds. Just like Bolink, I doubt Parma will survive and there is unfortunately not much to miss, but Parma used to be good and I cherish the fond memories, and these scans are a reminder of that Parma was once one of the leaders of the business. Scans are larger than they appear here. Click images to see them in full size! 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tamiya_1971 608 Posted June 20, 2019 Funny you mention "crude, badly proportioned and undetailed". I was looking for runner bodies for my second clod last week and went to Parma's site. That clod body front grill is just awful. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
max69vk 708 Posted June 20, 2019 Awesome, I've got one of those Parma Beetle shells in the garage! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWarty 1325 Posted June 20, 2019 I raced MRP 10's and Bolink 10's with the Porsche Group C and Schkee Bodies. Thanks for posting this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Ax 9146 Posted June 20, 2019 I always loved what Parma offered. I know their bodies were never as neat and tidy as Tamiya but they had some great options for buggies. Not sure if the bodies are still as easy to get in the UK as they once were. I think my LHS might even have stocked some Parma monster truck bodies back in the early 90s, I remember buying a new lexan shell for a (much) used King Cab chassis that I got from my cousin and it had the look and feel of Parma. Thanks for sharing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markbt73 5290 Posted June 20, 2019 I miss those days. Nothing was computer-designed, everything needed some hand-fitting to work right, in some cases you actually had to bring your car into the shop and hold it up to the bodies to see if it would fit. And, with very few exceptions, the answer was "yes... sort of." You just had to get the right "Body Mount Kit" for your car (usually just really long body posts and maybe some L-brackets or something). And you had to give them credit for proliferation. Parma (and Bolink and McAllister and MRP) were churning out new body styles every month, all sorts of cars, and there was surprisingly little overlap between what each manufacturer chose to make. The chances of your buddy showing up with the same body as you were very slim. And even if he did, because it took some effort to paint and trim and mount, they didn't look the same anyway. Unlike today's carbon-copy RTRs... Sure, the detail wasn't great, but you could always tell what they were, and with a little effort put into the paint, they looked pretty good. And at only $20 each or so, if you got bored with your Hornet being a '65 Mustang, you could change it to a Baja Beetle with a little allowance money. Calling them "crude" and "badly proportioned" is sort of missing the point and losing the perspective. There was a lot more "hobby" in hobby shops back then than there is now. And I think in general we're worse off for it. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1812 Posted June 20, 2019 Dahms & Frewer too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
a.w.k. 664 Posted June 20, 2019 I do also like PARMA very much, had a lot of their bodies Back in the day... This is the 30th anniversary leaflet 1994 (Click on the Pic for better Resolution) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted June 20, 2019 1 hour ago, markbt73 said: Calling them "crude" and "badly proportioned" is sort of missing the point and losing the perspective. There was a lot more "hobby" in hobby shops back then than there is now. And I think in general we're worse off for it. Good point! Back in the day, you could easily spot the difference between the models of the people who had the patience, skill and taste to make the model look good and......well......the others. And now that anyone can have a well working and goodlooking RTR model, I admittedly miss the reward of having put effort and time into getting the knowledge and skill to be able to make the models stand out. Maybe a bit snobbish of me, but then so be it! Also, there is a bit of nostalgia in the old bodies that Parma still offers and I have collected some of them, including some bought new in recent years. I especially love their bodies that originate from Jerobee with molds made around 50 years ago. Similarly, I keep buying copies of for instance old Bolink, SG, Mantua bodies, simply because the originals aren't around anymore. However, I don't see any excuse for Parma to keep on releasing bodies from brand new molds with details and proportions that were state of the art 30-40 years ago when almost every other manufacturer have bodies that are vastly superior in those respects. As a collector of static model kits, I also collect "crude" old kits, but when I build a model, I want the best kit available of the subject of choice. I know some modelers really like to build kits from for instance old Airfix and Revell kits although much better kits of the same subjects are now available, simply because they like the idea that the old kits take a lot more patience and skill to make them look decent. Considering that even the best modern kits considered "easy" to build also take extremely much time and quite some skill to make them look good, I personally don't see the temptation in struggling with poor old kits instead. And even for the best modelers, vintage Airfix and Revell kits (and others) are a real struggle indeed. Similarly, I'd rather paint and run the good Tamiya Brat or Ford F100 body instead of the Parma Brat or F100 body. Still miss the Parma Chenowth Frog, Frog Jumper, Stinger and Sly One though! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted June 20, 2019 1 hour ago, a.w.k. said: I do also like PARMA very much, had a lot of their bodies Back in the day... This is the 30th anniversary leaflet 1994 (Click on the Pic for better Resolution) Thanks for posting! Rather easy to see that the leaflet is from the "end of the neon era"! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baddon 860 Posted June 20, 2019 I have a couple of there motors as well from way back when. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markbt73 5290 Posted June 20, 2019 Looking at those photos a little more closely, you can tell what car is underneath by the wheels on some of them. The '63 Corvette looks like it's on a Marui Hunter, and the Dodge Daytona and Pontiac GTO bodies look like an AYK (Buffalo, I think?). The Porsche 944, Dodge Charger, and Monte Carlo are on a Samurai, and the '36 Ford is on a Yokomo. And the '33 Ford wheels look suspiciously Hirobo-like... And obviously, the Tamiya ones are easy to spot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
a.w.k. 664 Posted June 20, 2019 Some of my PARMA bodies Can you tell what car is underneath? 🤔😉 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frog Jumper 3605 Posted June 21, 2019 I still have my Frog Jumper body. I had to stop using it since I added front shock towers to my Frog, and I refuse to cut it... So I found a used one on FleaBhey and eventually I'll chop that one to fit... Now if only I could find a Frog Chenowth body! Terry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
speedy_w_beans 4270 Posted June 21, 2019 Parma's location, North Royalton, Ohio, is about 10 miles away from where I grew up. I don't mind if their products seem oddly shaped or lack detail; in fact, there are times when a Parma, RJ Speed (BoLink), or Protoform body is just what I want for a project -- $20, a blank canvas, have at it. The lack of detail and lack of decals made these projects more involved. Some of my past (and now gone) projects: RJ Speed / BoLink NASCAR shell on a RJ Speed Sport 3.2: Parma Impala on a TT01: Pro-Line Beetle on a DT02: Parma Nomad on a RJ Speed Sport 3.2: After awhile I get tired of the same old Japanese and European cars Tamiya brings to market. That's why I liked HPI, Parma, Pro-Line/Protoform, JConcepts, and RJ Speed/BoLink so much -- they brought additional variety to market. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
geniusanthony 361 Posted November 1, 2019 @a.w.k. I like your Parma set. Otherwise, I was also browsing an old Bolink catalog after buying some *bay parts from Lawrenceville GA. Couple things caught my eye the 10356 Fiesta Turbo and the dirt modified Corvette and hat Bolink made. Hopefully these companies can hang on, they've made it this far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
a.w.k. 664 Posted November 1, 2019 @geniusanthony, Yeah, that 10356 Ford Fiesta XR2 Turbo got to be one of the most brutal shells Parma ever made 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
geniusanthony 361 Posted November 1, 2019 2 hours ago, a.w.k. said: @geniusanthony, Yeah, that 10356 Ford Fiesta XR2 Turbo got to be one of the most brutal shells Parma ever made Thanks for that, it is definitely good looking. 80's box flares were the best. I may have to spend some time finding one of those. Would be nice to find in M-chassis size also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yalson 514 Posted November 2, 2019 My (well used) Parma Pontiac GTO, picked up from the bargain bin in my LHS back in the day and subsequently raced on a SWB Optima Mid. I cannot honestly recommend the combination as it handled incredibly badly due to the long overhangs and poor siting of the mountings. Decent shell, though. I think this is a Parma shell, too. It has Parma labels on it and I probably wouldn't have added them if it wasn't. It's a Mercedes C9 and I was going to use it, but stopped racing before it got cut, so it has remained like this for about 25 years. Peugeot 405 T16. I think this was a Frewer shell, presumably based on the similar Kyosho version. This ran on a Kyosho LWB Mid chassis and handled really well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cashrc 30 Posted November 2, 2019 I think, IIRC, that a several of the Parma bodies were designed for buggy use, so a lot of the sports and sedan shells were molded to fit a stock buggy with very little modification other than removing the stock bumper and changing the mounting posts. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yalson 514 Posted November 16, 2019 On 11/2/2019 at 9:41 PM, cashrc said: I think, IIRC, that a several of the Parma bodies were designed for buggy use, so a lot of the sports and sedan shells were molded to fit a stock buggy with very little modification other than removing the stock bumper and changing the mounting posts. Yep. This was before touring cars, so it was all done on buggy chassis. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites