traditional

Sorry,,Double post

Just one more of FM's early castings that I still enjoy looking at.......1956 Continental Mark II. Their original edition was in black and this one was a later 'limited Special edition'....hence the goofy plaque in the trunk. This casting was done when dog-leg doors were state of the art. I believe that Harry's DM '53 Buick Skylark was the first diecast model to improve on the dog-leg doors by making the front edge of the doors swing in instead of out.

Here are a couple of models that Franklin Mint actually captured better than DM,............the early post war Chevy panel and Suburban. FM got the windshield proportion fairly accurately while DMs version was too harsh and flat across the top. Incidentally, my panel version was never done in production by FM. The model was bought on ebay and was an FM prototype for the panel van, but done in the color and trim that was used only on FM's Suburban. It's probably a 'one-off' and is one of my favorite diecast models.

When FM was on their game, they also built some well done models. They seemed to lose interest as time went by and weren't interested in matching DM's level of detail, but some of their models were favorites of mine. Here are a couple of FM's well done Packards....a 1940 180 Custom 8 by Darrin, and a 1934 Convertible Sedan

Yes they did do a '48 Sportsman

Another of Danbury's famous custom series: the 1958 Watson styled '58 Thunderbird. This car was one of the instigators of the 'panel painting' craze in the late '50s To this day, I'm amazed that Danbury was able to print the silver panel painting so seamlessly. Even the fine pink pinstriping between the silver and the candy purple is flawless.

Years ago, Brian Dunning, proprietor of a shop called Vickie's Gifts in California, started having his own line of high end 1/24 diecasts models (mostly late '50s and early '60s Chevies) made in China. The company was called West Coast Precision Diecast (WCPD) and although the models were popular, Brian eventually found that the effort involved was simply too much for the compensation they afforded. I'd bought a few models from them and during the company's 'hayday', quite a few years ago, a friend of mine had mentioned to Brian that my brother and I had restored a '61 Chevy Sport Coupe and he immediately began putting together a package of most of the parts that would be needed to modify one of their '61 Chevy models ( an all black Impala SS) into Larry's and my particular Impala car. The parts arrived in the mail one day and you can imagine how quickly the modifications became a labor of love. The doors had to be filled and painted since ours didn't have the door mirrors, the SS badges were replaced with Impala markings, an optional rocker panel molding was fabricated in polished aluminum, the grille bar was modified from a Revell '59 Impala, The black roof was replaced with an ermine white insert, a simulated remote control mirror was added to the driver's front fender, a stock optional tri-carb intake was added to the 348" motor and all the optional air-conditioning detail (compressor, hoses, drier, etc.) were scratchbuilt following the details on our 1/1. Our 1/1 was evidently a California air-conditioning package that included the white top, and the dealer installed optional rocker panel moldings, etc. so although Larry and I would have probably preferred a solid color and no rocker moldings, that was the correct way to restore our car and the model reflects exactly the vehicle that we restored years ago. Following are a few pics of the model as well as a couple of pics of the full size car. Following are three pics of the original 1/1 Restoration

Danbury Mint's well detailed '41 Chevrolet deluxe wagon. Interesting that they eschewed the whitewalls for this model.....probably a lot more typical without the whitewalls in the day, even though the restored versions at car shows now-a-days would almost always have whitewalls.

Danbury's '49 Oldsmobile duo.........the coupe and 'woodie wagon'. I believe that 1949 was the last year for the GM wagons to be available with real wood trim. Danbury's introduction of the '49 coupe predated Revel's plastic kit of the same car by a few years.

Danbury's companion to the '56 4-door hardtop that Harry showed earlier. ........ a '56 Buick Roadmaster convertible. Oh, and Harry, ,Notice that they used smaller windshield wipers on this version so they wouldn't be knocked off when opening the engine hood

Harry, This has become a super fun thread. I had no idea that you were an avid Danbury Mint collector, but I'm really pleased to hear it. Like you, I'll try to pull out and photograph more of them during the next day or so. Cheers, Cliff

Here they are!!

here's Danbury's 'Norm Grabowski Kookie's Kar'

Another diecast manufacturer that I really liked was WCPD (West Coast Precision Diecast), a small company that always tried to 'raise the bar'. They made far fewer models than Danbury....mostly late '50s and early '60s Chevies, and their Cadillac Sixteen, a GM show-car from 2003 was WCPD's crowning touch....while the show car wasn't my favorite vehicle, the 1/24 model was simply exquisite. The amount of detail, finish, and engineered fancy hinges, etc. makes it really memorable. Attached are some pics of the Cadillac Sixteen as well as a couple of WCPD's '59 Chevies........an El Camino as well as a Sedan delivery.

Harry, Thanks for is a very appropriate forum thread. To me, Danbury Mint was the epitome of diecast models and, in many ways, of models in general.....they were affordable and yet they never stopped 'stepping up their game' with more and crisper details. They brought us the miniature working hood hinges, non-dog-leg door hinges, opening gas-filler-doors, printed seat patterns, etc., etc. I credit them with my need now to add finicky detail to my models like carburetor return springs and linkages, etc. I still can appreciate curbside models, but I'm no longer personally satisfied building that type of model anymore. I'm surprised that 50 years later, the plastic model kit industry still expects models to be displayed with the engine hoods off. Here are just a few of my favorite Danburys. There are so many more.

The blue Shanghai Diesel is embossed (on its 'stand') as 1/10 Scale, and the others, while not actually stated, look to be approximately the same.

I have a bunch of Speccast, GMP, and Action racecar motors, as well as a couple of less detailed Caterpillar Diesels, but my favorite motor models are these Diesel promos, most of which were found on a trip to China a few years ago. The blue Shanghai Diesel motor was given to me by a friend in China whose mother worked for Shanghai Diesel and said that only around 50 of that promo were produced for some particular occasion. All the motors are well detailed and nicely cast / assembled, and most of them came with an acrylic dust cover. I believe that the Volvo motor is made under licence for use in some Chinese busses. Although motor promos won't be everyone's 'cup of tea' I figured a few of you might enjoy seeing them.

It's 1/18 Scale.....Thanks for that reminder. I've now added that info to my above post Incidentally, Tom, I hope to meet you in a few weeks at NNL East Cheers, Cliff

BOS Models has just come out with a reasonably proportioned 1/18 resin '60 Valiant V100 that I was able to easily modify into the V200 model by changing the side trim and gutter moldings with chrome foil, and also adding white walls, the chrome trim around the trunk-lid simulated spare tire (plated jewelry wire), and adding home-made backup lights (short sections of polished aluminum tubing. The red interior was evidently only available in the V200 model in 1960 , so the minor modifications seemed appropriate to me.I'd have preferred a different color (red or white) because I believe that the silver color is a little too bright to be accurate for the one available on the real car in 1960.....but, hey, I like the model anyway. Maybe it'll be 'repopped' one day in another color. As limited edition resin models go, these BOS-Models are quite reasonably priced (less than $100 from American Excellence) and the finish is good.

Jurgen, As always, your modeling skill, attention to detail,, and your photography are strictly 'first class'. A treat to behold.

Window trim fabricated using plated jewelry wire

Danbury Mint has made some outstanding diecast models over the last 15 years, but not every one 'reached for the top'. Their pair of limited edition 1951 Fords (both hardtop and convertible) had notable proportion issues {sagging rear quarters, overly wide front bumpers and windshields, too tall roof, simplicity of engine compartment details, overly deep gas tank and spare tire well, etc.) Compounding the problem, the early production issue of the 'Victoria' hardtop often suffered from extreme metal fatigue, a condition caused by impurities in the casting metal. In this case the result was a progressive expanding and/or cracking and crumbling of many key diecast components...trunk lid and hinge, hood and hinge, doors, and main chassis. The normally rare and costly model soon becomes junk.My brother, Larry, bought one of those very inexpensively a few years ago and, using the pristine '51 trim components, has combined a Unique Replicas '49 Ford convertible (copied closely from a similar Danbury '49 Ford), a very basic MotorMax '49 Ford Coupe, and salvageable components from the otherwise 'fatigued' Danbury '51 Ford.Carefully cutting, grinding, bending, and mechanically fastening (screws, pins, etc) the diecast components, and applying Bondo to achieve reasonable panel shut lines and fit, he has produced a durable model of a '51 Ford Coupe...a vehicle not currently produced in 1/24 or 1/25 kit or diecast form, and seldom seen in resin. Though certainly not one of his usual scratch built projects, the model, none-the-less, took a full month of fairly steady work to complete and becomes an additional shelf model that isn't likely to be seen often in other collections. DM's somewhat disproportionate original '51 Victoria....Larry's was decaying (hood, trunk-lid, doors, chassis) due to metal fatigue Body sag eliminated and Motormax roof fastened on Coupe upper door mated to Unique Replicas lower door (to take advantage of the DM hinges) Unique replicas '49 Ford trunk-lid and engine hood modified to replace decayed DM '51 Ford version Unique Replicas chassis (with floor detail ground away) to replace fatigued DM chassis Body and doors being blended and finished

Geez, Harry, That's a great idea. I also have a bunch of them that I don't want to throw out but they're just crammed into one corner of a bookshelf in my toy-room.......something productive to do on a rainy day.

My brother, Larry, and I (and a few friends) will be heading there with a full minivan early on the Friday......Looking forward to putting faces to the names. Let's all wear name tags to simplify that part of the meet-n-greet. Cliff Read