Harry P. Posted March 30, 2016 Author Posted March 30, 2016 Let's see if I can remember all the working features...Operating convertible top.Opening rumble seat.Wheels steer through the steering wheel.Driving lights steer along with the front wheels.Headlights work, dash gauges illuminate, brake light works when brake pedal is pressed, hi-beams can be tuned on and off.Courtesy lights come on when a door is opened.Cowl vent operates.Hood vents operate.Operable golf club door with a set of period-correct golf clubs.Running board toolbox opens, tools included.Moveable "wind wings."Moveable wipers.Did I forget anything?
High octane Posted March 30, 2016 Posted March 30, 2016 It is gorgeous Harry, and I might have one of those myself.
Snake45 Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 Let's see if I can remember all the working features...Operating convertible top.Opening rumble seat.Wheels steer through the steering wheel.Driving lights steer along with the front wheels.Headlights work, dash gauges illuminate, brake light works when brake pedal is pressed, hi-beams can be tuned on and off.Courtesy lights come on when a door is opened.Cowl vent operates.Hood vents operate.Operable golf club door with a set of period-correct golf clubs.Running board toolbox opens, tools included.Moveable "wind wings."Moveable wipers.Did I forget anything?On my El Camino, the bucket seat backs fold forward. And it has a reasonably scale radio antenna.
Tom Geiger Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 My last three Danbury MInt vehicles were bought as used trucks. They are a 29 Dodge, 31 Chevy and 42 Ford. I got these when Avenel Hobbies in NJ had their going out of business sale. They had been in the glass case for eons, but I believe I paid like $130 for the trio. Of the three the only one we might get plastic on someday would be the Ford. So why not buy great replicas of pickups we'll never see as kits? I also recently purchased the 1933 International Bud truck, missing the accessories and bed wood. I saw it ending for $30 postpaid so I grabbed it. I will base a model project on it someday when I find inspiration.
traditional Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 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.
traditional Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) 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. Edited April 2, 2016 by traditional
Greg Myers Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 I always liked Danbury cars, and was happiest with some of their famous Customs like George Barris's Hirohata Merc. Cheers, Lance WOW ! Now that's a nice collection. Did they also do the Garbowski / Kookie Tee Bucket ?
Harry P. Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 WOW ! Now that's a nice collection. Did they also do the Garbowski / Kookie Tee Bucket ?Yes.
Harry P. Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 Another DM favorite of mine is this '57 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, one of the more "over the top" '50s designs. This is an older DM model; they were still using those inaccurate "dogleg" door hinges back then... they ultimately got rid of that type of hinge and went with more a more realistic door hinge design. But aside from the door hinges, the rest of the model is first rate, with typical DM level of detail.
Harry P. Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 The rear window really goes up and down...
om617 Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 These are all amazing Anyone got the 54 Cadillac Coupe DeVille? Or maby the convertible,never seen them in any good pictures close ups.
traditional Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 WOW ! Now that's a nice collection. Did they also do the Garbowski / Kookie Tee Bucket ? here's Danbury's 'Norm Grabowski Kookie's Kar'
traditional Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 These are all amazing Anyone got the 54 Cadillac Coupe DeVille? Or maby the convertible,never seen them in any good pictures close ups. Here they are!!
MrObsessive Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 These are all amazing Anyone got the 54 Cadillac Coupe DeVille? Or maby the convertible,never seen them in any good pictures close ups. I got that one too... https://public.fotki.com/MrObsessive/diecast-corner/1954-cadillac-eldorado/
om617 Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 Thanks for sharing guys. I love the 54,somthing about it compared to the 53 and 55 that just makes it look more slim and elegant.
Harry P. Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 This 1936 Packard is another of my favorite DM models. Yes, it comes with an up-top, too... but I don't know where it is!
Ramfins59 Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 I got one of those '57 Mercs on EBAY cheap because it was missing an antenna...... I fixed that with a piece of guitar string. Also got a '57 Plymouth, '57 Studebaker, '55 & '56 Packard Caribbeans...... all beautiful cars.I'd love to get one of the DM '54 Caddys, but they go for really stupid money on EBAY. I've got a Modelhaus '50 Caddy kit that I haven't built yet, a Welly '53 Caddy, a DM 'pink '55 Caddy, a built Modelhaus '56 Caddy, a DM '57 Caddy, a built IMEX '58 Caddy, and an unbuilt Monogram '59. There doesn't appear to be anything out there in 1/24 - 1/25 scale for '51 or '52's.
sjordan2 Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) The Danbury and Franklin cars are also excellent assembly kit donors. There is no affordable kit of the Bugatti Atlantic -- only a very rudimentary kit version of the Bburago diecast -- but the Franklin Bugatti Atalante T57 SC has an awesome chassis/engine/interior setup and has the exact same wheelbase. Shouldn't be hard to put the Bburago Atlantic body on it, or swap parts depending on which source you want to go with. Edited March 31, 2016 by sjordan2
traditional Posted March 31, 2016 Posted March 31, 2016 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
Harry P. Posted March 31, 2016 Author Posted March 31, 2016 Cliff... I've been collecting them for many years, but slowly. I don't have a ton of them... maybe 20-25, tops. But included in my rather modest collection are the 1/12 scale '57 Chevy Belair and '30 Cadillac... both are loaded with working features and are amazing models. And with DM now defunct, their value can only go up...
Tom Geiger Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 And with DM now defunct, their value can only go up... Don't count your money too fast. During the reign of Franklin and Danbury there were a number of cheap knock offs on the market. I can post photos of cheap replicas of the Danbury '53 Chevy wrecker as well as a '55 Olds convertible. These look nice but don't have the detail level. But they sold far and wide for $10-15 each. With the Danbury / Franklin tooling still out there, in the hands of the Chinese, will they be flooding the market with diecast off the tooling? Time will tell.
Snake45 Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 This thread made go look at a Danbury Mint list site today. Wow, they had a bunch of cool stuff I missed! Will have to keep my eye open for bargains on some of them.During the reign of Franklin and Danbury there were a number of cheap knock offs on the market. ... These look nice but don't have the detail level. But they sold far and wide for $10-15 each. With the Danbury / Franklin tooling still out there, in the hands of the Chinese, will they be flooding the market with diecast off the tooling? Time will tell.Looking at some of the pics on that list, I saw several cars that I've bought obviously cheap knockoffs of, right down to the color and options. They're obviously cheap diecasts, and make no pretense at being real DMs. I also saw a few that looked VERY much like a couple of semi-nice M2s I've bought, and I wondered if they came from DM tooling with somewhat less detail. Hmmmmm.....
traditional Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 (edited) 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 Edited April 1, 2016 by traditional
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