I am now the proud owner of a 1:6 scale newspaper vending machine. It’s actually a diecast metal bank by Liberty Classics, a company mostly known for their scale models of vehicles. They also produce newspaper machine banks so that companies can commemorate various occasions with souvenirs. When I searched on Ebay for this one, which was commissioned by Shell Oil, I also saw ones commissioned by the Kiwanis Club, St. Petersburg Times, and Chevron/Texaco. I chose this one because its bright color scheme reminded me most of the attention-getting machines I have seen in my travels.

Made entirely of diecast metal except for plastic bottom and back, this bank is a sturdy, solid piece. It measures 13.4 cm high without the coin machine and 18cm with the coin machine. It is 7.5cm wide x 6.5cm deep. It’s beautifully detailed down to the diecast rivet heads, the branded graphics on the side, and the customized text, including the name and price of the paper, a preview window to the Petroleum Post, and a framed advertisement window below that. This piece is so well-made that I will not be able to remove the Petroleum Post and Shell copy, since they’re on pieces of metal. I’m just going to paste my own graphics over them.

The front of the bank even opens just like a real newspaper machine! Of course, there’s no place to store papers in there, as that would interfere with the bank reservoir. But it’s still fuckin’ cool. With some customization, this machine will show up in a future photostory as a convenient way of setting the stage.