History of Revell Cadillac Brougham kit

[Vietnam Vet67]

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/?p=910562

[MrObsessive]

Interesting article!

Back in the late '90's I did a near thorough remake of that Brougham. Practically every body panel had to be corrected in some form or fashion, and I even made a working "air" suspension for it. As luck would have it though I mishandled the body one day,.and it dropped on the floor breaking up into several pieces. I put the busted up body in a box, and never worked on it again.

I gotta see if I can someday resurrect that one..........Of all the '50's Caddys, that one is my favorite and it's too bad that there was never a proper kit of a 1957-'58 Eldo Brougham.

Edited September 25, 2017 by MrObsessive

[randyc]

Ok, next time it comes out, I'm getting one.  I googled it and Randy B's build came up in images and it is spectacular.  Not going to correct, but just build OOB.  

[randyc]

Another article I am reading now.  http://hotrodbunny.com/the-history-of-the-revell-57-cadillac-eldorado-brougham-model-kit/

 

[Eshaver]

Randy, THANK You for sharing the Cadillac story ! I actually knew a man in Los Angles with one of these cars who lived up the street from me .

 

[unclescott58]

The hotrodbunny.com article is very interesting and much more complete.

 

[randyc]

HotRod Bunny is Brad Leisure's site, I think.  So he's "one of us"  Lots of model related articles if you explore the site.  I looked at it a lot after reading the first article.

 

 

[Art Anderson]

Interesting article!

Back in the late '90's I did a near thorough remake of that Brougham. Practically every body panel had to be corrected in some form or fashion, and I even made a working "air" suspension for it. As luck would have it though I mishandled the body one day,.and it dropped on the floor breaking up into several pieces. I put the busted up body in a box, and never worked on it again.

I gotta see if I can someday resurrect that one..........Of all the '50's Caddys, that one is my favorite and it's too bad that there was never a proper kit of a 1957-'58 Eldo Brougham.

I too have started an accurized  model of the Revell '57 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham.  Having seen, and studied (a bit at least) the real one owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (it was Tony Hulman's personal car), the Revell kit is a lot more accurately done than most people believe.  Many modelers are of the openion that the real car is too short--nor realizing that the actual cars ARE shorter than the mass-produced 1957 Cadilacs.  However, there is one dimension that is shorter, and that is the length of the front clip--forward of the frong wheel wells--by 3 scale inches (minutely shy of 1/8").  This is based on dimensional sketches that the late Bob Clidinst (who was a long-time Speedway staffer, and consumate scale model builder).  The fins are a bit too blunt, and not quite tall enough--but that is pretty much it.  Revell also missed the twin airscoops at the rear of the tops of the front fenders, as well as the cowl vent.  Other than these issues, the kit is actually far more accurate than most believe.

Bear in mind that when Revell worked up this kit, model car kits were in many ways, a step-child of the industry--us early "Baby Boomers" were far more into models of aircraft, even naval ships--so the kit was done in the same manner as Revell worked up their companion model kits, the Lincoln Futura and the Pontiac Club de Mer dream cars--two-piece "clamshell" bodies.  thus the Eldo Brougham suffers from that.  But, by dimensions, it is pretty much accurate for proportions, according to my late friend, Bob Clidinst.

Art