in this world of fast paced change and individuals always lusting for the latest and greatest, most flashiest, fastest, lcd and rhinestone ridden toys, there are always bound to be people and things left behind. the ones left behind are what i call: the quiet beauties. they have been silenced by advancement yet when examined, they exude a timeless beauty of their own.

skymarks once produced such a beauty in this american airlines 777-200 example. these sample models (who knows how many were made) are the only known chrome plastic model to exist. now i dont know the full story behind this but i was told that the process was a hit or miss. if the chroming process went awry, the entire model had to be chucked and the process restarted. perhaps the cost/benefit became a problem for skymarks to continue production. however i want to believe that the process could have been perfected if only they stuck to it. practice makes perfect right? but alas the world will never know. my hope is that one day a plastic manufacturer would take up this process again, for i believe it can breath new life for plastic collectors like me. there are those like me who will never buy a $100 model.

so as the world around me continues to go gaga over the latest $100 diecast equivalents, i reflect and look back into the past to forgotten beauties like this one. it is a quiet world here, but a peaceful one. a world where fewer and fewer are residing but others like me are able to find sentimental, valuable diamonds in the rough.

before i was able to get the physical model in front of me, the only photo i had was of this one. finding this model for myself became a goal that i thought i never could reach. patience pays off.