[Sticky] Lost Reviews - Franklin Mint & Danbury Mint

Danbury Mint  1947 Ford Tudor – DM1566

Ok, now, thanks to DM’s foresight, we’re heating up the diecast auto arena for Fords of the late forties. Hot on the heels of Danbury’s introduction of the 1948 Ford Sportsman, the DM Boys have just released this little bon-bon of 1947 vintage in Super Deluxe Tudor attire. This is classic post-war automotive brilliance in scale form. I pray it does well for DM so that we may see the balance of model styles that the Ford Motor Company offered during the end of the decade. DM conjured up a perfect body style to subsidize the Sportsman and in a most complementary color and equipment combo.

The two-door body, clothed in Monsoon Maroon paint, is not only fitting for the forty-seven but splendidly applied in glossy, even and smooth perfection. But the model’s looks are only part of the story. This review all hinges on, ah, well, hinges. As with the Sportsman, the new tooling utilizes the best hinges in the modeling craft world today. The hood, doors and trunk exhibit the wondrous work of moving metal parts that form a perfectly scaled duplicate of the genuine automotive articles. The hood employs an operational scissors-extension system coupled with minute actual springs to replicate the actual Ford assemblies. The body houses the front door-jamb internal attachment units that allow the doors to open realistically while the trunk lid is supported on dual folding metal suspension hinges.

There are far too many detail touches to enumerate in a review and they must be seen to be fully appreciated. But their presence affords a genuine look back on how the actual car appeared to its buyer. And since I was born the same year as this Ford I actually recall the car vividly through my examination of the DM recreation. You see, my parents owned its identical twin in 1:1 form. They kept it long enough for my mind to recall the car’s grace and sophistication for its time. I swear DM just miniaturized our actual vehicle. The engine bay reeks of a feature-rich material use to showcase the details. Vinyl-coated plug wires, metal-crafted fuel and throttle lines and, down below, the metal utilization of brake cabling are just phenomenal.

The interior has been opulently appointed with gauge readability, delicately striped seat replication and the attention, in scale, paid to the door panel hardware is incredible. The wind wing latch, window cranks and door handles are fashioned flawlessly. Dash knobs and simulated sunvisors are crafted exceptionally well. The chassis, trunk and wheel detailing is above the norm and the overall stance and shape of the vehicle is as perfect as my memory will allow without shedding a tear of joy.  I couldn’t personally hope for a better, more nostalgic look back on a wonderful automobile than this one. It should have a place in any diecast car collection. Order #8808-0015

TP 01/06/2009

Danbury Mint 1948 Ford Sportsman Convertible – 1555

As I write this, in August of 2008, I’m not sure we can still refer to the era as the ‘Golden Age of Diecast’. As the models were coming to us at an astonishing rate and from ever-increasing sources, multiple factors have dictated changes in our hobby’s environment. The costs of bringing a new model to market have risen sharply and many of the precision makers have cut back on their truly new offerings. And while The Danbury Mint has been impacted in these areas too, they continue to offer the newest and freshest subjects in precision diecast. Seriously, who would have predicted a 1:24^th scale forty-eight Ford a year ago? Who even knew how rare a convertible Sportsman actually was?

The DM boys did and thank goodness they took the initiative to risk countless dollars to bring a brand new entity to the marketplace. The model, while not quite as rare as the genuine article thankfully, is exquisite! It replicates a time in American auto history where auto makers were getting back to building cars instead of concentrating on war efforts. By 1948 boys back from WW II were entrenched in working jobs and feeding their families but somehow finding a couple of extra dollars for nice automobiles. Ford’s high end vehicle was the Special DeLuxe but they wanted something more to showcase their talents and bring in more new customers. Enter the Sportsman. Metal met high grade wood and it took a wholly different craftsman to fabricate and work on this baby. And, oh baby, was she a beauty!

If the Sportsman coupe didn’t make folks stop and stare at its elegance, the drop-top surely did. Only 28 1948 Sportsman convertibles were fabricated by Ford and they remain as rare as hen’s teeth today. DM continues their winning ways by not only releasing the model but adding such intoxicating details to the build. The chassis makes elaborate use of brass and silver-colored metal wire to replicate brake lines, and the suspension parts and steering details are wonderfully crafted to represent the actual Sportsman it recreates. Tolerances have never looked better. The door, hood and trunk panels all meet at close proximity and everything is straight and true. The fit of wood-to-metal, superb paint and the fit of boot and top are beyond excellent on this model.

The trunk lid opens on external hinges, well scaled, and shows off great detail on the inner trunk lid and floor matting. But it’s the internal trunk hinging that steals the detail glory here. They flex at the elbow and lend a great touch of realism to the diecast. There are chrome metal-foiled “Sportsman” scripts on the trunk lid and hood sides that add even more scale nicety. High-tech hinges allow the doors to open so we can see all the beauty of the interior work. The seats have terrific stitching simulation, scaled door handles and wind-wing crank and the floor shows fabulous carpet, pedal and mat detailing. The dash and steering wheel look good too. Engine-wise, the build is typically DM all the way. Once again, those magnificent scissors-springs hinges work beautifully and almost take your eye away from the center stage, the engine.

Wait until you see the firewall detailing, wiring and plumbing and all the model-builder’s materials that went into formulating the engine bay. You have to check out the delicate way DM replicates even the tiniest of details like the radiator overflow line. The battery looks real and the fuel lines make you believe that you could actually start the motor in this lovely auto. The paint is rich and tastefully done in Maize Yellow. This joins some very elite few DM cars that I hold in highest esteem. So while there may not be quite as many cars flowing off the assembly lines as there once was, the ones we are seeing as new toolings are fantastic!   TP 08/06/2008

Thank you Tony.....it`s hard (for me) to imagine these giant,heavy road-kings all in one collection,let alone sharing a single page......seems that outdoing yourself is a day`s work in your neck of the woods..............seriously tho,Thank You

UPDATE: they are now over two pages

Posted by: @john-barry

Thank you Tony.....it`s hard (for me) to imagine these giant,heavy road-kings all in one collection,let alone sharing a single page......seems that outdoing yourself is a day`s work in your neck of the woods..............seriously tho,Thank You

UPDATE: they are now over two pages

Thank YOU John. I had forgotten how many of these I did. And although what I recently found only accounts for a very small percent of them, they sure bring back nice memories of the great Mint cars we had for a fleeting time.

@perrone1 Tony, I had no idea that this silver 67 Roadster was so rare. It doesn't matter to me as it's not leaving my collection anytime soon.

Posted by: @bob-jackman

@perrone1 Tony, I had no idea that this silver 67 Roadster was so rare. It doesn't matter to me as it's not leaving my collection anytime soon.

+1 on that! Mine stays put too. Yes, they limited it to the horse power out put of the 1:1 car.

Added edit: Rarer still is the 1967 in Tuxedo Black with Red Stinger:

https://diecast.org/model-details/?pdb=10875

Danbury Mint 1955 Ford Thunderbird- "Winter Project" Diorama -1377

For me this is a natural ‘must have’. I love miniatures, cars and dioramas. I have DM’s miniature, “Harvest Time” by Bob Russell, displayed on my desk and I can easily get lost in its cold-cast farm, fields and buildings scene set in autumn. Almost along like lines, DM formulated a cold-cast base, set in rich, dark wood and challenges our imagination and foresight with the blasphemous handling of a precious, precision diecast, just recently released. Yes, that is the to-die-for Goldenrod Yellow ’55 T-Bird in deplorably weather beaten and rusted out condition. It is in a terrible state and deserving of nothing less than a 100 point restoration. The Danbury folks combined a genuine diecast, miniature parts and accessories and placed it all together in a diorama for us.

This is every bit as worthy a diorama presentation as was FM’s well received “Garage Diorama”. The cold-cast ground is replicated as an amalgam of earth, mud and grass. Setting the border on its Northeast corner, we find a barbed wire fence. The two fall trees, on either back side of the scene, are littering the ground with colorful orange and yellow leaves. Dormant grass tufts are sprinkled hither and yon and yield a clue as to how long the abandoned baby bird has sat idle. Up through the engine bay, we can see a grass tuft reaching skyward. Leaves, loiter about up front, too.

Mud, in the center of the scene, holds marks where the tires have sunk into the soft ground and tire patterns are easily visible. Perhaps the cinder block bears witness to the last performed chore on the once proud Ford. It holds up the suspension while the AWOL tire lies in front of the now rusted and obvious replacement driver’s door. From a red car it now sits ajar, at least in my set-up, on a turquoise and rust two-seater. The hood, and what’s left of the roof, is off of the car and in really pathetic shape. In fact literally half of the cloth top is gone, history, toast. The parts list of repair and replace items on this puppy are going to be pretty extensive.

At least, it seems, the engine is all here. The new owner covered the intake manifold with a small tarp and also stuffed a rag down the fuel filler neck. The external accessories include a case of oil and some antifreeze, a pneumatic jack, cross-lug wrench, jumper cables and a brand new tool box. Man, he’s going to need it. Talk about a rag top; it lifts off and reveals what might be a little of the story. Next to the duct-taped driver’s seat is a “For Sale” sign. It was in the center of the windshield. Note the clean spot where it used to reside. The word, “Sold”, in white letters, now appears on the dirty outside of the windshield. There is a drink cup with straw on the passenger’s seat and what may be a repair guide book. On the floor we find a photo-etched coat hanger, a wrench, I think it is ½ and 9/16ths., and an old license plate. It tells you from what state the car came. Oh yeah, a crushed soda can too, maybe. The trunk is a virtual time capsule of junk. The air cleaner housing and window crank lie within it. There appears to be a map and Ford brochures in there along with, well, I’ll let you figure out the rest.

DM was very thoughtful on how they went about distressing this whimsical little diorama car. Metal hash marks are missing from the side and what is left is slightly askew. The grillwork has had a run-in with something that pushed it in somewhat. That will need fixing. Only the, “Thunder” of Thunderbird is left on the driver’s side but the entire script on the other side is gone. Only one fender skirt remains and the fuel filler door is taking a dirt nap somewhere. There is good detail on the top frame, now readily seen since the moths have done their best to pack on weight for the impending winter.

Give the DM guys a large dose of credit for conceiving such a contraption. It brings a chuckle to me as I see it and explore the many facets of decay on the old icon. And don’t worry about a cover; a nice layer of dust will only add to the ambience of the piece. Great job DM!

Price will be $159, payable in 4 installments of $39.75 plus $7.80 shipping.  TP 01/21/2005

@perrone1 I don't have the black with a red stinger but I do have a black with a blue stinger

@perrone1 Great model Tony. I also have the beige version.

@perrone1 I'm kicking myself for never having pulled the trigger on this model or any other that was on a plinth. My reasoning was that I display my models in acrylic cases and had no place to store the bases. Big mistake.

Wow Tony, what a prodigious output. It is wonderful to see them all again on the website. I wonder just how many more are yet to come. Thank you very much!

Danbury Mint 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Coupe Ltd Ed 1467

Great review...sorry I passed on this gem.

Posted by: @bob-jackman

@perrone1 I don't have the black with a red stinger but I do have a black with a blue stinger

Yes sir, me 2! Overall, I like it better than the look of the black w/red.

Posted by: @david-green

Wow Tony, what a prodigious output. It is wonderful to see them all again on the website. I wonder just how many more are yet to come. Thank you very much!

Thanks David! If I can find and unearth photos to match the reviews I found - quite a few more.

Posted by: @sizedoesmatter

Danbury Mint 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Coupe Ltd Ed 1467

Great review...sorry I passed on this gem.

Thank you John; it's a nice model.