[Sticky] Lost Reviews - Franklin Mint & Danbury Mint

Posted by: @bob-jackman

Tony, the 32 is truly a work of art and worthy of your accolades. One nit, in your third paragraph you mention the brake lines. As I'm sure you know, Ford still had mechanical brakes in 1932. The colors on this model make it one of my favorite Iconic early Fords.

Thanks Bob. See, THIS is why you are such a resource to this site. 

I do not have the model handy - what was I looking at, the emergency brake cabling??

Edit: Found this pic for possible help Bob! THANKS!

Tony, my model of this car is displayed in such a way that I can't put my hands on it. You are exactly right it is the emergency cable.

Posted by: @bob-jackman

Tony, my model of this car is displayed in such a way that I can't put my hands on it. You are exactly right it is the emergency cable.

Thank YOU, my Bud! Changes made - grateful sir!!

Franklin Mint 1904 Mercedes Simplex- Nbr Ltd Ed of 1500 - E412

Brass Era cars are not for everybody. Some folks love them and will have to own this one and others will simply turn up their noses at it. I suppose I’m old enough to appreciate the simplistic elegance of design in one of these motor carriages while being young enough to not actually recall ever seeing one in the automotive flesh.

I have several brass era mint cars. Call it an attraction to the nostalgia of my parents’ day and age. I’ll rank this limited edition right up there with the best of them. No need to worry about tech, you couldn’t build much more into this early horseless buggy if you wanted to. Before I get into the highlights of this particular edition, a word about its antecedents. FM first issued the 1904 Mercedes in 1994 in a luxurious ivory, accented in brown. It was the same year they made a 1905 Rolls Royce. Lots of nice little brass featurettes on that wagon as well. Ninety four was a good year; FM also issued the 1911 Rolls Royce Tourer in ‘94. The year before that, they issued a 1910 Caddy brass era replica. My favorite of the period, a 1912 Packard Victoria, was issued back in 1990. FM was sensitive to brass era auto fans and in 1998 they released a popular 1911 Mercedes Woodbody Skiff. All still viable images today.

This Simplex is eye-controlling in bright, deep yellow. Get up close to appreciate the dark brown thin pinstriping that runs the length of the body sides and tops of the fenders. We get good contrasting qualities of color shading on the overall image by the use of saddle brown for the seats with chestnut brown paint on the frame, twin spare wheels and passenger step-up. The firewall is wood veneer and the rear occupants get opulent step-ups trimmed in brass. And brass is everywhere on this model. You will see it in the engine, inner firewall, radiator surround, lamps, steering wheel componentry, dashboard, down-top trim accents and wheel hubs. The wheels are simulated wooden spokes and look nice and the chassis view is pretty cool too. It isn’t functional but the trans is fabricated to show how the car powered its rear wheels; via dual-chain drive. There was no wind screen so goggles were indicated and unless you liked bugs in your teeth you didn’t smile while motoring in this buggy. But I just cannot help imagine how much fun this would be to drive today or what it must have been like back then.

FM put together a very pleasing color combo for this re-issue. Price is $135.  TP 02/02/2007

Franklin Mint 1958 Corvette Convertible- Nbr Ltd Ed of 500 – E507

Kudos to Michelle at Mint Models for commissioning TFM to do this little gem. Popular with the Corvette crowd, the ’58 model year is increasing in fan appreciation as time goes on. Essentially a one year offering, it substantially changed the face of Corvette but was not a commanding success when released. The ’53 through ’57 Corvette had single headlights, smooth hood, deck and fender tops. Here comes the remodeled ’58 with a washboard hood, twin chrome spears adorning the trunk lid and quad headlights. For ’59 they removed the hood louvers to placate the disapproving hoards. The spears were taken off too and the car reverted, somewhat, back to its plain-jane days. So, in essence, this became a one year treat for the people who liked it and more are finding favor with the rarity of its styling today.

Second only to silver in rarity and considered to be a much more prized color, Panama Yellow accounted for 455 Corvettes for 1958. It only came with charcoal interior and made a gorgeous presentation. Michelle enhanced its appeal by adding the auxiliary hard top, fuelie motor and second-color coves. She also had the “Fuel Injection” script and crossed flag badgings made from chrome metal foil and they look terrific. Don’t expect the bells and whistles of a new tech tooling; it is based on FM’s original offering dating back to 1993. What we do have is a gorgeous image of a beautifully period fifties icon and appointed very tastefully.

This model is available for order via email at service@mintmodels.com or by phone at (800) 341-4699. The issue price is $145. TP 08/03/2007

Long time fan of the '58 Corvette in any scale. Another outstanding review by Tony Perrone!

Posted by: @sizedoesmatter

Long time fan of the '58 Corvette in any scale. Another outstanding review by Tony Perrone!

Thank you John!!

@perrone1 Love the MB Simplex. I have the model in the Ivory color along with all of the other models you mentioned. My collection is all about the history of the automobile and these models do their part in showing the early cars and their design and engineering at the time.

@perrone1 As always Tony well written. It's funny how time changes people's outlook on some things. At the time the 58 and the 63 Split window came out, the reaction to both was fairly negative. Today the two revered.

Posted by: @bob-jackman

@perrone1 As always Tony well written. It's funny how time changes people's outlook on some things. At the time the 58 and the 63 Split window came out, the reaction to both was fairly negative. Today the two revered.

Agreed 100%  Thanks Bob!!

Danbury Mint 1932 Cadillac V-16 Roadster -1521

Please forgive me for speaking from the excitement of the moment, but as I first unboxed this magnificent diecast, my initial thoughts were superficial. I was tempted to pontificate in this review that anyone who did not have this replica in their collection should question the validity of the collection itself. It should be considered that important a release. It’s wrong of me, I know, to expect everyone to relish a classic such as this the way I might. So suffice it to say that I believe this totally new tool-up from the best minds in diecast today, the DM boys, is a phenomenal new issue. Talk about your stately classic automobiles; once thought to emanate only from early Franklin Mint, this DM masterpiece dutifully rocks my model world. The subject matter, excellence in build and the color choice is exceptionally exciting.

No doubt about it, the 452-B V-16 Caddy Roadster was a big car and it translates large into a 1:24^th diecast. Pick it up; it is substantial. The 1:1 was effectively a rolling billboard; big but rare. Only 300 were made. Cadillac did not use a standardized serial number system. Instead, at this point in production engine numbers were stamped on the right bank of the crankcase. Numbers started with 1400001 and ended with 1400300. Just for your thought process, consider the vital dimensions:

• Sixteen cylinders. (Is that like say, “Two straight eights glued together side by side, sharing a main crankshaft?”)
• Displacement: 452 cu. in.
• Bore and stroke: 3.00 x 4.00 in.
• Compression ratio: 5.36:1 (Standard); 5.00:1, 4.90:1 (Optional).
• Brake horsepower: 165 @ 3400 RPM.
• Main bearings: Five.
• Valve Lifters: Mechanical with hydraulic silencer on rocker bushings.
• Carburetor: Detroit lubricator type L-14.
• Wheelbase: 149 in.
• Front Tread: 59-7/8 in.
• Rear Tread: 61 in.
• Tires: 7.50 x 18

This was largely a custom-order car. These powerful, grandiose highway-going “automotive statements” could be had in nearly any color the buyer originally chose so long as his payment was substantially green. DM chose to paint the car a color that I had seen once before and fell head-over-heels in love with. Page 23 of Rob L. Wagner’s, “Classic Cars”. It is a photo of a 1929 341-B V-8 Cadillac Roadster. There are precious few color descriptives to name, much less attempt to explain, the shade that this car and Danbury’s model wears so elegantly. My close friend at the Mint calls it a Cinnamon over Chestnut but I completely disagree.

Forget the photos; you MUST see this exquisite lady in person to fully appreciate the hue of her beauty itself. I’d term the color a Warm Sienna, with just a hint of fine Mandarin blended into the mix. The fenders, lightly immersed in metallic, are close to a toasted Nutmeg shade. Ok, I wax poetic but the model is suitably waxed to a gloss perfection in its own right. Add a beige soft top or top boot, wide whites and a russet interior and you have a rich, luxurious statement suitable for display in the finest museum. The fit of the model is precise and exact. The doors, on precision internal hinges close tightly. The rumble seat opens and the fit of top and boot is faultless. Believe it or not, the suspension articulates evenly while granting perfect stance.

You may open the golf bag door too. You will find the same care given to the enclosure’s carpeting as that given to the interior. And the engine bay is to die for! Open either side, the rewards await in spades! Just behind the exquisite Goddess radiator mascot beats the heart of this rare beast. DM built in all sorts of detail elements to please the most discerning collector. Back when I rated these models on a ten-scale, I could never fully apportion such a gorgeous creation. But a 13, this opulent lady certainly deserves.   TP 06/01/2007

Miniature perfection in every way, both your pictures and the model. The color makes this model a complete home run IMO.

having the original green Phaeton, then the incredible black Fleetwood, probably still my favorite model, I reckon I was jumping up and down when your review came out Tony. Couldn't order it fast enough. thanks.

Thanks fellas!

Danbury Mint 1955 Ford Thunderbird  - DM1558

I love vintage Thunderbirds. These mid-fifties, “baby birds”, in two-seater, personal luxury and performance configuration are what kept the Corvette from taking an early demise. They were pure in form and uncluttered with non-essentials. Some among us might go so far as to say that the fifty five was the purest of them all. The fifty six had the continental kit; probably a little too much ‘junk in the trunk’ for pure design sophistication, and some will say that the fifty seven was a touch too elongated and had sprouted the politically correct tail fins for that specific year. Personally, I like ‘em all but have to agree that the fifty five warms every cockle of my heart.

When DM released the ’55 in Goldenrod Yellow, back in ’05, I blew a gasket. I see that diecast model every day and am glad it’s a part of my life. So how do I feel about this young, new upstart invading my ‘sunshine’s’ territory? Hey, the more the merrier and all hail the new baby; baby bird, that is! As a variant, this little treasure comes with the simulated soft top where the yellow Tweety Bird sports the hard top roof. Nice contrast and a most interesting display-mate. But all the quintessential elements of an attention-arresting diecast are still there and never more appreciated by this ‘Bird watcher and lover.

The paint is extraordinary in application and smoothness. The, “Thunderbird Blue” is, to my untrained eye, like a period blend of blue and green and more on the order of an aqua or maybe a turquoise – whatever, it is lovely. The top, in black, is the perfect compliment to the color choice. The seats are done in blue and white with dash accents in a much darker shade. The top fit is exceptionally exacting, the detailing is DM-excellent and the working features are always precise and welcomed. The doors open on internal hinging. The gas filler door opens on an opening trunk lid. The spare is removable and the inside is remarkably well detailed.

The interior is full of nice DM touches with scaled door handles and lock knobs. The gauges are realistic and the floor pedals and carpet are well done. The engine bay is DM perfection. The model exhibits the chrome ‘dress-up kit’ and features wiring, plumbing and fuel lines extraordinaire! The chassis is crafted in Danbury’ finery and rich with brake line and braking detailing. The overall fidelity to detail is obvious and the model portrays the 1:1 exquisitely.  Love T-Birds or not, the little replica is full of fun, color and features well deserving an honorable spot in any collection.   TP 10/04/2008