What Are Considered The Best 1:24 Diecast in the Market?

[Slimguy]

I am considering investing in a few Diecast autos and want to keep it at 1:24 scale.  What do those in the know consider to be the very best on the market?  I am not looking for inexpensive per se...really interested in top quality, the best of the best?  Thanks in advance for your comments and opinions.

[Gramps46]

The old standbys are the Franklin Mint and Danbury Mint.  Many of these are now coming online as the older collectors are having to liquidate their collections.

Sticking with 1/24th these are some that are worth checking out.

https://www.automodello.com/THE-ONE24-s/197.htm 

A good place for reviews is: https://www.diecast.org/diecast98/html/asp/list_reviews/review.asp

The Hachette Collections are quite nice but not the top of the line.

Wellys are also nice but again not the top of the line.

Edited March 19, 2019 by Gramps46
spelling of course

[Snake45]

I guess it all depends on your subject interest. 

As Gramps said, the DM and FM stuff are great, but long OOP. If they made what you want, and you can find it, they're top of the line. Interestingly, they sometimes go for very reasonable prices. I only own 3 or 4 of them but haven't paid over $25 or $30 for any of them. I don't have all the packaging and papers, but then I don't really care about that stuff. 

M2 seems to make a good product in their price range ($20-30, depending on where you get it). I have 5 or 6 of their things and am very pleased with them. First Gear also makes some nice stuff for a couple bucks more. 

The Welly name is not an automatic guarantee of good quality. They've done some outright junk. But they've also done some that punch WAY above their modest price point, especially if you can find the good ones for $10 at Rite Aid. 

Other brands I have that I like: Maisto, New Ray, and Burago. Some of the Johnny LIghtnings are nice too--others, not so much. Revell did some good stuff a few years ago, but doesn't anymore. Greenlight also does some good stuff. 

If you find something you're interested in, come here and run a search in this section--if it's good, it's possible someone here has written it up, with pictures. Or just post asking. We'll give you our honest opinions. 

Oh, BTW, "investing" is probably the wrong word to use with these things. You probably won't ever get your money out of any of them, much less a profit. Only buy what you LIKE, and enjoy it! 

Edited March 19, 2019 by Snake45

[Slimguy]

Thanks Gramps and Snake...I appreciate your advice very much.  I will do some internet searches on your suggestions and begin my quest.  I agree Snake, investing was a poor choice of words.  I do not expect to get anything more out of this beyond appreciating fine detailed scale models.  

[randyc]

Also, check for Crown Premiums.  Use that as the search on ebay.     Limited selection, but pretty nice cars - their 57 Chevy is as nice as the FM and DM cars.   I compared them all and kept the Crown.  Mine is the Enterprise Rent a Car 50th anniversary set.  They make nice 67 GTO, Cutlass, Charger, models.  Sometimes they will have advertising tampo'd on the bodies, but a few swipes with some nail polish remover will make short work of that. 

Search Wix 1/24 - they make an excellent Cobra model - discussed on here quite a bit.   Wix makes a nice GT40 that would make a nice historic replica with a repaint.   Gramps is working on one of those now.  Wix offered a beautiful set of Challeneger in 1/24 & 1/18 in the box. The  1/24 '70 Challenger is best you'll find anywhere.   Can usually find the set in a nice box for around $50.  You can't build that nice a 1/24 Challenger.  I promise.   Very few in the world could build as nice a model.    The Wix 53 Vette is nicer than the Franklin Mint, which is pretty crude, but today's standards.   In my opinion.  Wix has a 57 T bird.   Wix also had some clunky models along the way.   

Icons makes (made?) some nice historic racing models, including the Wix Cobra mentioned above.  

And the Mint models are always out there.   You can find deals if you are patient.  I'm doing mostly 50s cars and have made several great deals.   If you area  modeler and don;t mind making a few repairs, you can often make even better deals.  Some of their cars are kinda funky though.  The 71(?) Cutlass comes to mind  - the front and rear are a little off.  hte Danbury Mint 68 Chevelle is pretty awful.   THe Franklin Mint Falcon is just plain wrong on the front of the hood.  But if you gotta have it....  If you got to have boxes and provenance, you are going to pay more.   But sometimes that is the best way to protect the cars in shipping.  I've had to fix a lot of cars and have had collectors send me cars for repair.   

The sire diecast.org has reviews of many of the Franklin and Danbury Mint cars.  I always check there first.   

First Gear makes some nice cars, but they are uysually 1/25.   69 Chevelle, 68 El Camino, 67 Fairlane, 70 Boss 428 - all NICE cars.  

And seems like many of us here are often selling stuff.  I am most always.  

Look through this area of the forum for more reviews and photos of stuff we've collected along the way.  These guys are excellent advisors.  I trust them all and look here everyday for new acquisitions.  

[Tom Geiger]

If you also like light trucks,  First Gear has done some amazingly detailed vehicles!

As you are buying older diecast models, look carefully at the paint surfaces. Some of the vehicles are "rusting", as in the metal under the paint is deteriorating.  It affects different brands, even the premium ones.  Others can elaborate.

Automodello will be at NNL East this year.  Check out their fine finished  models at the show!

Oh, if you are collecting finished models, don't overlook plastic models built by others.  There are always built models, some with amazing details, for sale on eBay.   A guy in our club no longer builds, but is always buying these.  I'm amazed that some of them were sold fairly cheap!

Edited March 20, 2019 by Tom Geiger

[randyc]

I have sold a LOT of built ups.  I don't make a lot of money per se on them, but I have sold enough models, plastic and diecast, to pay for a new riding mower, which I needed.   Many of my builtups have been in storage for several years, so opening a box becomes a bit of an event.  Things I forgot I had built and want to keep or things I can sell to buy more new stuff.  

And yes, most older diecasts will show some "rash" in the paint.   And descriptions in listings are not always truthful.  And sometimes, even the best description and photos will still make a buyer unhappy.  Been on both sides of that.   In the 40 or so cars I bought last year, only ONE was completely perfect.   I sold it on.   I even have a Franklin Mint 57 Chrysler 300 that was removed from box first by me that shows some rash.  So it really doesn't matter if the car is displayed or kept in box, rash can occur.   One theory is that a car that has been displayed and waxed over it's life will hold up better.  I don't know.   

So long as the metal doesn't appear wavy, the rash is just a paint imperfection.  how you feel about that is up to you.  I don't mind a little paint rash.   I try to NOT buy cars that look badly pimpled.  however, if the metal looks wavy, the metal may be getting ready to come apart.  I had a Classic Metal Works 49 Mercury that fell completely apart.  And it was not played with or anything.  

The 1/18 Ertl 68 Chevelle in black seems to suffer from some pretty sever issues as well.  I have seen this one for sale repeatedly with metal issues.  I also had one with issues.  Not sure if a stripping could stop it.  

 

[Mike999]

Everybody else has covered the OP's question.  But since he's in Long Beach, CA, I'd suggest he hit some of the big flea markets in the Los Angeles area, like the Rose Bowl or the one at Pierce College in the Valley. 

He should find a bunch of die-casts he can examine in the flesh...or metal...for "rash" and other problems. They're usually cheaper than eBay and he won't have to pay shipping or wait for delivery.  I used to hit those flea markets occasionally when I lived in L.A.  Just be prepared to sort thru a LOT of NASCAR diecasts.

I'm 3000 miles away now in a rural area, but have found many great diecast deals at local flea markets.  Even though I promised to stop buying 1/24 diecasts, I couldn't resist the '57 Ford Retractable and a pair of '48 Tuckers - one in Waltz Blue and the other the gold 50th Anniversary version. Those came from one woman who was selling off her late father's huge diecast collection, all Danbury and Franklin models. 

Crown Premiums was mentioned, and I found the Crown diecast below at a flea market for $10, IIRC.   It was released back in 2000 as a premium for Lennox. Again, I just couldn't resist. Where else are you going to find a 1920 Studebaker, carrying a 1/24 scale furnace? 

[randyc]

On 3/23/2019 at 8:10 AM, Mike999 said:

Everybody else has covered the OP's question.  But since he's in Long Beach, CA, I'd suggest he hit some of the big flea markets in the Los Angeles area, like the Rose Bowl or the one at Pierce College in the Valley. 

He should find a bunch of die-casts he can examine in the flesh...or metal...for "rash" and other problems. They're usually cheaper than eBay and he won't have to pay shipping or wait for delivery.  I used to hit those flea markets occasionally when I lived in L.A.  Just be prepared to sort thru a LOT of NASCAR diecasts.

I'm 3000 miles away now in a rural area, but have found many great diecast deals at local flea markets.  Even though I promised to stop buying 1/24 diecasts, I couldn't resist the '57 Ford Retractable and a pair of '48 Tuckers - one in Waltz Blue and the other the gold 50th Anniversary version. Those came from one woman who was selling off her late father's huge diecast collection, all Danbury and Franklin models. 

Crown Premiums was mentioned, and I found the Crown diecast below at a flea market for $10, IIRC.   It was released back in 2000 as a premium for Lennox. Again, I just couldn't resist. Where else are you going to find a 1920 Studebaker, carrying a 1/24 scale furnace? 

 

Dang, where is the LIKE button?!