Further to JK's 'My Take' on the 1942 DeSoto

I've done a side-by-side comparison of the earlier BML vs. the new NBC versions of the '42 DeSoto. Here are the differences that I can see.

First off, the color. The NBC car is somewhat more grayish than the BML's Palomino Beige, which may or may not replicate Mr. Bulgari's 1:1. Complicating matters is that there are also two more tans and one more beige on the Auto Color Library's paint chip page for 1942, and of course the computer may re-interpret colors seen online. It would be nice if we could hold the model next to the 1:1 someday, but even that does not guarantee that the real NBC car was repainted faithfully. In JK's video he said the brown was about the same, and they are very close. To me the roof of the NBC version seems slightly "warmer" but it really is too close to call.

There is a little more detail to the wheels, in that the DeSoto script on the NBC model is faintly silver, kind of. Not sure if BRK scrapped them a bit or washed the red paint off somehow (see close-up pic). The rear windows got the same treatment as the windshield to allow a bit more "chrome". Chrome door and window handles were added to the interior, and they added an emblem to the center of the steering wheel. An antenna was been added too.

Clearly, the grille is much improved - the blackwash is darker and makes the vertical bars really stand out. The windshield surround has been scraped and polished. And there is a great multicolor emblem on the front of the hood. Pennsylvannia plates in black are installed front and rear now.

Just like for the hood, a DeSoto emblem has been installed on the trunklid, in place of the old chrome part. The DeSoto script seems more prominent on the rear bumper but I could not tell you why.

So is it all worth it? I bought BML029 in 2020 for $189, with US postage included. It's still listed on the Brooklin website at $213.24 (converted as of today), to which you would add about $30-40 for shipping from the UK. So maybe $250. The NBC model set me back $279, with shipping, but I had a second model ordered so if you order individually it might be around $290-295. You have to ask yourself if it is worth it for a few extras. All I know is, I now have a spare DeSoto to sell.