Danbury Mint 1958 Ford Thunderbird Convertible – 1392
As collectors we have been asking for a, “Square Bird” for some time. I am grateful, personally, that it was the Danbury Mint who came to our rescue. Fresh off of my new love affair with their 1955, “Baby Bird”, in Goldenrod Yellow, I have been anxious to review the four-seater that replaced Ford’s beloved ’55 through ’57 two-seater cars. Robert McNamara, CEO of Ford in 1958, decided to give customers their requested extra trunk space and back seat with the new-for-1958 model. Also on his mind was Chevrolet’s competing Corvette, a car that developed the two place sporty car concept for America’s highways, two years earlier than the ‘55 Thunderbird’s debut. With the addition of quad headlights, a cube-like roof and lack of rounded body lines, the cars were termed, “Square Birds”. They were well accepted and the ’58 was named as Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. With a new unitized body, all new 352 cubic inch V-8 and very well appointed cabin, the T-Bird was now being touted as a, “Personal Luxury Car”.
Danbury has captured the unmistakable flair of this automobile perfectly. True to the era, many of the square bird’s styling cues, as with a good number of marques in the late fifties, were taken from aeronautic design menus. DM wonderfully replicates the side spears that appear as external rocket engines sweeping rearward. Above them, the car’s tailfins provide rudder stabilization while the taillights take on the appearance of afterburners. The diecast sits true and level and their color choice is period superb in the lovely Monarch Blue with a Winterset White top. Not too light, not to dark, the blue paint, applied elegantly, showcases the car’s lines amazingly well. The mastery of metallic scaling has never been done better. Of course this is an all-new tooling and with it came some challenges but also, some new advances. For instance, the rear bumper is removable. You may choose to replace it with the supplied extended bumper with continental kit spare tire. Piece of cake, right? Well, no, not exactly. You see, in that particular automobile, the gas filler neck was located deeply between the trunk lid and the conny kit. A long funnel was needed to gas up. The standard rear bumper had the gas cap conveniently located behind the license plate. DM had to replicate both. With the continental spare, there is a small black square panel that lifts up to reveal the cap and filler neck. On the standard bumper the cap behind the license plate is visible once you flip the plate down. DM has thoughtfully supplied us with a pick-type tool making the chore of viewing either cap a breeze. It also makes lifting hoods and trunk lids much easier.
Speaking of which, the trunk lid is yet another example of a challenge met. Borrowing technology from their ’62 Thunderbird and improving upon it, the lid is a marvel of detailing genius. The internal hydraulic systems replication, metal hinges, wires and materials are outstanding. The jack lies at the rear of the trunk amid wires and working hydraulic pistons. As with the real car, there is a folding panel on the forward edge of the trunk lid that unfolds and extends to fill the gap behind the seat when the top is down. Trunk fabric liner engulfs the removable spare tire. Remember; only display it in the car when you have the standard bumper in place. When the conny kit has been added the spare comes out, just to be correct.
The interior is beyond lovely. Seat patterning is deeply scored and stitching can be seen outlining the tops and side bolsters. The dashboard has been intricately detailed and the floor pedals and carpeting are flawless. The doors are on those marvelous internal hinges and even the door kick panels are treated to nicely embossed texturing. The visors fold forward or under, the passenger seat back folds flatly to allow rear passengers access to the rear cabin and stop for a minute to examine the rear windows in their down position. The 1:1’s window is a triangular shape, necessitated by the slant of the roof. When rolled down, only the smaller top portion of the glass is seen in the window cavity and DM, not missing a beat, duplicated this to a ‘T’. High marks on that boys, great attention to detail. By the way, the car has power windows. All four buttons are on the console between the front seats. To put the top up, fold the trunk lid extension panel down and lower the trunk lid. Place the rear section of the top in the slot between the interior and trunk and place the top’s front edge locator pins in the windshield frame holes. Snug, faultless fit. The top itself is beautiful. It feels like nylon. It has two realistic welt seems, one on top at the rear and one along the bottom edge. Before we get to the engine and ingenious chassis assembly, let’s look over the square bird’s exterior. Vying for attention with the exquisite paint job are the chrome trim, badging and top. Window frames, windshield and wiper chrome along with bumper chroming, has been done magnificently. The chrome foiled, “Thunderbird” script on each front fender and conny kit is excellent and the photo-etched grille and rear valance mesh is not to be believed. The pattern etching is first class. The antenna is scaled way down and looks better than anything that came before it. And, yes, it still functions.
The engine bay features all of the best detailing we have ever seen in precision diecast and more. DM does such a good job with heater hoses and their metal holding clamps. Equally as impressive are the bright metal wires simulating the transmission fluid lines and fuel lines. Plug wires, radiator overflow tube and coil wiring is astonishing. Following the fuel lines downward you find yourself at the fuel pump. This will give you a great look at the fabulous chassis componentry. There’s a wired starter, trans cooling lines, emergency brake cabling and some of the best suspension systems you have ever seen. In the rear, the trailing arm suspension operates on real coil springs and functional shock absorbers. The front system works on coils but the steering system is the bigger news here. The tie rods act realistically but the power steering piston also operates.
It took some time for this replica to see daylight but, oh how the wait was worth it. DM did their homework on this little jewel. An absolute must have for any detail-conscious collector. It gives the Thrillometer a work out by scoring a hefty 9.85!
Wonderful Tony. After all these years the memory senses suddenly reappear in your writing and pictures. My missing these reviews has been reawakened...thanks Tony.
Danbury Mint 1957 Ford Thunderbird Limited Edition – DM1500
As with the previous two Danbury Mint limited editions of the so-called, “Baby Bird” for 1955 and 1956, this model marks, for 2007, the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the 1957 Thunderbird. It was the car to mark T-Bird’s last two-seater (until the Retro-Bird made its debut in 2002). The argument has been made that it was the more elegantly styled of the early trio. Certainly it was slightly bigger, and some found it more refined when optioned with the likes of the Dial-O-Matic power memory-set seating and Volumatic Radio System where the volume increased exponentially with the car’s speed. Heady gadgets for 1957. The baby bird even sprouted little wings to earn its moniker. The exterior data plate color code for this offering is “X”; Dusk Rose. The interior data plate color code is “XA” for Black & White vinyl. Engine code on this specific bird was the “D” 312 cube, 245 horse V8. The flop top is black. Say what you will about the color choice but it definitely says, “1957” all the way. Most will call it pink and I can’t refute that. But the color, in soft light, is more like a blushing rose as seen at dusk. To the imaginative mind it conjures up a muted, sophisticated, high-end hybrid of an award winning English Tea rose.
DM’s 1955 Goldenrod Yellow T-Bird defined the breed with an awesome ‘50’s color, fabulous detailing and DM-style functionality on a new tooling. Their 1956 limited edition, in Raven Black, carried forward and improved on the offerings they previously made with the lower-tech ’56 Birds in Fiesta Red and Colonial White from 1989 and 1995, respectively. This ’57 follows the same high-tech route. Suspension is operational, skirts are removable, wind wings and sun visors work and the doors are internally hinged. And while the full scale car did not have a preponderance of gizmos, bells and whistles to clutter up the joint, the model is realistically faithful to it in miniature. Danbury’s engine department proves this completely but more on that in a minute.
The coolest features of the model are typically DM-introduced. I’ve already mentioned the door hinges but DM has also made an art form of the detail on the inside of their roofs. They use separate pieces to form door and trunk lock buttons, chrome metal foil the insignias and brand scripts and delight in detailing the most mundane, yet important miniaturization elements of ‘selling’ a replica. A good example of this is seen in the trunk. These older Fords used cantilever spring assemblies on the trunk hinges and DM built them in. The removable spare and tire jacking tools help ‘sell’ the precision shrink-to-size here. The interior is awash in believability. The gauges and instrumentation are truly realistic. The window cranks and door handles are perfectly scaled too. DM’s craftsmanship of the side scripts and chrome hash marks are phenomenal but be careful not to brush up against them as they are delicately replicated in scale.
Behind that gorgeous photo-etch metal grillwork is a grand sales effort dedicated exclusively to making you believe, no swear, that you are looking at a 1:1 perfect example of a factory stock ’57 Thunderbird. DM has pioneered that carb linkage thing and once again they excel at it with the “Thunderbird Special” V8 under the scooped hood. The scoop, by the way, is grilled in photo-etch metal. The linkage is grand and helping the total effort are the metal fuel lines, complete with fuel filter and perfectly scaled engine and heating stickers, plugs and wires. Color-coding of these plays an important role in the recreation of the engine bay’s incredible believability. So do the side fender vents. They open.
The last production 1957 T-Bird was produced on 12/13/1957 after extending build time by three months. A total of 21,350 ‘57’s were made, accounting for more units sold than either the ’55 or ’56. The car lost its two-place sports car role in Ford’s fifties history when the ’58 became a four-seat tourer and gone were the baby birds. DM made a fitting tribute to the car with its equipment and color choice. So call it blushing rose, dusk rose, English tea rose or Gypsy Rose Lee. But if you attach no prejudged connotation to the shade, it is what it is. Danbury has given us a gorgeous diecast of a beautiful car in its “so-fifties” color. It is perfectly representative of the day and you gotta love that! I sure do.
Franklin Mint 1951 Hudson Hornet Club Coupe- D4C LECC-VI Ltd Ed of 675 - E156
The usual cast of suspects worked on this, the sixth Limited Edition Club Car (LECC), for the DieCast Car Collectors Club (D4C). Three of the four Diecast Zone website’s board of director’s members, Jay Olins, George Dill and me, were joined by Raffi Minasian and Vincenzo Moccia as they have done for previous offerings. Raffi, as many of you know, was FM’s Design Manager and was responsible for some incredible diecast images of our favorite classics, the Hudson included.
First released in a metallic green, it was Raffi’s initial idea to use that model as a base for a slight departure of the LECC VI by retooling some additional parts. The team all agreed. I found some archival photos of the ’51 Hudson in two-toned clothing and shared them with the rest of the group. Everyone thought it would be a great enhancement of an already pleasing replica.
We then took some time to work with color combinations and Vincenzo worked the color combos into a photo that I submitted to him. When we reviewed the Bali Blue and Pacific Blue that worked so well to complement each other, we each agreed that we had a winner. Then Raffi employed the proper direction for the correct color breaks,
Raffi suggested the addition of a period-correct sun visor and fog lamps for the top of the front bumper. He worked up the retooling methods for our constituents at the Mint and off to the races went the Hudson. In the middle of construction Raffi configured one last master’s touch to the model and it received an addition of wire wheel covers, again, period-correct for the Hudson, and the transformation was complete.
At 675 units, it is our most limited edition to date and sure to be a long treasured part of the LECC team.
@georgeschire I have more George. They are not paired up with the original photos I took when doing the reviews so I am weeding through them and matching them to what I still have photo-wise.
Danbury Mint 1922 Ford Bucket T - Kookie’s Kar – DM1572
A product of the fifty’s car culture, I grew up watching TV detective shows like the 1958 released, “77 Sunset Strip”. Each week I tuned in to catch Stu Bailey (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Jeff Spencer (Roger Smith) deeply enmeshed in solving the latest crime caper that crossed their Los Angeles, CA. doorstep at 77 Sunset Strip. More than their characters, I eagerly awaited scenes with their cool cars, but prayed each week for serious camera time with the Kookie T. Car hop, Gerald Lloyd Kookson, ‘Kookie’ for short, (Ed Byrnes) parked cars on the Strip at Dino’s Lodge and drove a way-out T-bucket. He combed his hair while referring to everyone as, “Daddy-O” and the scenes became vivid memories of mine well past the sixties when the show finally ended. It was always that T bucket that lingered in my mind as I thought back on the entire genre of detective shows.
The little bucket was the conception of famed hot rodder and custom car builder, Norm Grabowski. The original version sported a blown ’52 caddy engine and a combination of body panels. He mated a ’31 Model A body to the front end of a ’22 Model T Touring body and brought up the rear with a pickup bed from a Model A. Later on, the bucket T was modified by swapping out a blower for four Stromberg carbs and altering the side exhaust from a tractor-style straight up design to the tucked-in chrome pipes that follow the bed rails rearward. This is the way DM rendered the car – in all its definitive period glory. Essentially red, white and blue, the diminutive hot rod exudes substantial charm.
Danbury took pains in getting everything right and it serves my old dusty memory well to see it again. They also crafted the hell out of the details. Just look at the fuel lines and spark plug wires. Set eyes on the photo-etched grillwork, pin stripes, front suspension pieces, the intricacy of the exhaust system. It is superbly delicate, accurate and detail-exacting. The interior features Norm’s skull head shift knob, the steering wheel floor boot, pinstriped dash with wood veneered dash top. And wait until you see the chassis assembly. The emergency brake and fuel line craftsmanship is marvelous and the ’56 Dodge Royal Blue paint is over-the-top! It’s bright, shiny and full of scaled pinstriping in red and white.
DM has been the master in creating hot rod and custom treasures for us collectors. I’m a big fan of their fantasy issues but maybe even a bigger fan of their genuine historically famous recreations. Thanks to them nostalgia is alive and well and preserves our cherished automotive dreams and remembrances.
Danbury Mint 1932 Ford "Little Deuce Coupe"- Ltd Ed – 1543
How can you write a review or examine this model without hearing the Beach Boys song run through your head? Clarence ‘Chili’ Catallo’s car started out as a hot rod in 1956. By 1963 it became legendary as the, “Little Deuce Coupe”. It appeared on the Beach Boys album cover featuring their single of the same name. Up until now the Danbury Mint has enjoyed unsurpassed detail excellence in several of their models that raised the diecast craftsmanship bar at the time of their release. I’m here to tell you that the Little Deuce Coupe raises it again and by a far greater margin.
When you hold this model or look at it from every conceivable angle you see a treasure in the form of a museum quality masterpiece. All I can say is that they must have had the 1:1 car for a couple years to be able to reproduce each and every phenomenal detail-rich part. Where do you want to start? Oh, of course, the engine. What was I thinking? This is only part of the magnificence that DM built into this ground-breaking effort. But, ok, let’s start there. Chili’s thirty two three window coupe is powered by a stump-pulling 1956 Oldsmobile V-8 with a big GMC blower topped with triple Stromberg 97 carbs. DM wired, plumbed and painstakingly affixed fuel lines, belts, starter wiring and exhaust pipes to the big Olds as if Chili were there to guide them.
Look sharply and you’ll see the incredible dipstick on the passenger’s side, the fuel lines as they work their way downward and the awesome detail of the stainless steel brake lines finned drums and super slick suspension components. What a fantastic job the DM boys did to connect all the exhaust tubing to the chromed pipes beneath the body. The lines and suspension pieces are just a brilliant sight to behold; they left me breathless. Check out the trunk, it opens from the front. The gas tank is mounted back here for better weight distribution, a throw back to when Chili raced this rod. The wired battery is there for the same reason.
Spend some time getting familiar with the interior. What a little marvel this turned out to be. Our legends are in good hands with the DM. Each button-tufted stitch comes alive the way this model was crafted. The fabric belts, floor, dash and steering wheel detail is abundantly evident here. And talk about getting the details right; even the windshield authentically pushes out from the bottom.
This may be DM’s finest effort to date in terms of authenticity, detail incorporation and historic accuracy. The subject is terrific and the execution magnificent. If I still used the Thrillometer, this would break the scale! Limited to production in 2008. Production ends forever on 12/31/08. My Little Deuce Coupe, you don’t know what I got! TP 04/30/2008
*A Personal Note: Something I am happy to share; a very welcome email I received from the late Chili Catallo's son, Curt Catallo, 5/26/2008:
"Thanks for taking the time to take such stunning photography and to write such a concise review of the Danbury Mint version of my dad's car. As excited as he would be to have his car so painstakingly recreated, he'd have been as thrilled as I was to see his car captured on your site. While the Danbury crew didn't have the car for "a couple of years", they definitely made the most of the time they had with her. It's fair to say that they know as much about the car as I do by this point. They created it as it was on the day of the album cover shoot (and the June '61 "Hot Rod" cover shoot), and were kind enough to make a couple of changes to the model that I haven't had time to perform on the car itself (the tailpipes, namely). As you may have gathered, I'm glad to see that you were as impressed with the work as our family is.”
Tony you are a treasure to all of us collectors who collect the FM and DM works of art. Happily I can claim to own all of the cars you reviewed. Thank you for your efforts to revive these wonderful memories.
Tony you are a treasure to all of us collectors who collect the FM and DM works of art. Happily I can claim to own all of the cars you reviewed. Thank you for your efforts to revive these wonderful memories.
Franklin Mint 1955 Bentley S1- Nbr Ltd Ed of 1500 – E416
This model, in its initial release form, has always commanded good buying loyalty. When it was sold on the secondary market, especially early on in its lifespan, it held its value reasonably well. Not that this is a benchmark for value but it does indicate a popularity with certain images. Surprising then, that it has not been reissued since it was first released in late ’97. In Dark Cherry Maroon over Silversand, the pseudo-Rolls Royce was well received and is still a very viable image to date. Perhaps a more restrained and sophisticated color combo for the Bentley is this gorgeous silver-grey over medium blue poly. It certain presents as a stately luxury salon of yesterday.
On a long wheelbase and very heavy, Franklin kept all the right qualities in play. The paint is elegantly finished and glossy. Photo-etch parts abound from the front grille and air intakes, to the radiator mascot on to the wipers. The antenna is scaled well and the hood hinged to afford nice functionality. Oh yeah, the four doors are internally hinged. The underside offers a particularly nice rendering of detail in the form of metal lines and the chassis is very well replicated.
The interior boasts glamorous detail from the simulated wood grain to the plush carpeting on the floor and bottom door edges. The trunk shows a carpeted shelf above the spare and jack and acts to showcase the limited edition plate. Keep in mind that this is fixed to only 1500 pieces; I think the replica will sell out in a timely fashion. The engine displays well for its time and even now. There are proper wires and plumbing and simulated fluid bottles to lend a nice look when the bonnet is open.
Overall, I am really pleased with the look, fit and finish of this grand touring machine. Issue price is $135. Coincidently, that is the same selling price as the original in 1997! TP 03/03/2007
