Putting color to a pewter Danbury Mint

Looks good!!

@David Holcombe.  So you got a Danbury Mint pewter model apart.   So whats the secret?  Are they glued or what?   Here's my effort without disassembly.

We now know that a Danbury Mint pewter can be taken apart.Great job David! I would also like to know the answers to John Quilter's questions. Your project has given me encouragement. I'm thinking of doing one and replacing the pewter tires and wheels with rubber and metal tires to add realism and also to make the painting easier. I assume from your pictures that the body does not detach from the fenders?

I am still not sure how Danbury Mint pewter models are put together with such permanence!  Here are two products that I have used:

but neither is a miracle worker.  Small parts were easier after a little while, but I was never able to even expose a true seam to detach body from fenders. I couldn't even get the roof separated, and that meant no decent detailing of the interior for me.   I like wheels that roll, and the Danbury solid metal wheels don't.  But full replacement was beyond me.  Besides, I like the look of these spoked wheels on the phaeton. 

I'm also working on the 1933 V16 Cadillac Town Car.  Hope to have it finished soon, and I will post pictures.   

David, fantastic transformation!

David and John Q., great job. My regret is that I never bought into these pewter models. Painting them really brings them alive.

@bob-jackman  For those that are critical of scale keep in mind that all Danbury Mint pewter items are not correct 43rd.   Here are some dimensions if one is considering buying and painting.   I believe these are "relatively" correct.   Stanley Steamer 3.78",   Stutz Bearcat 4.4",  Maxwell 3.59",  1911 Buick 2.82,  1932 Chevrolet 4.02.  Ones that are oversize are 1931 Cadillac phaeton 5.85 and Pierce Silver Arrow  6.13.   The last two I acquired in error and am now flogging on Ebay.  Details on others would be welcome.    As for converting to rubber tires check the ones handled by Diecast Direct or check your local hardware store for a wide selection of O rings.  Mounting them would require grinding off the metal tire and filing a groove in the wheel for retention.

John Q., Thanks for the reminder about the scale of these pewter models. Yes I am fairly picky about scale accuracy in my models although I do have some exceptions in my collection.

Thank you David and John for all the information exchanged here. I have several Danbury Mint pewter vehicles, a few repeats which I think I will have a go at painting.

I read somewhere years ago that Danbury used melted metal ( lead, pewter?) to attach the parts. If so, no wonder they are so hard to take apart.

Yesterday I put aside the Danbury Mint 1932 Chevrolet phaeton after finally getting something of a balance on all four wheels.  I appreciate John Quilter's dimensions above, and I fear this Chevy is a little over-scale.  But it's still rather unique in anything close to 1:43.  

For the last several days, I've been playing with the Danbury Mint pewter 1933 Cadillac.  While the Golden West Super Solvent weakened some of the glue enough to dislodge smaller parts, as happened with the earlier Chevrolet phaeton.  Unlike the Chevy, however, the Cadillac base came off and the interior became accessible. With a little research, I chose to go with the solid black exterior and primarily gray on the interior.

And here is the result:

Yes, I added the chauffeur.  He is closer to 1:48 (Lionel scale) as that seemed to fit this model better.     Also added is a quick shot as I looked over the top of my computer into the front yard:

Life is too short not to have fun every chance you get.  Enjoy!

                                             David

David:   What's the overall length and wheelbase of this Cadillac?   Just checking 43rd scale accuracy.

And that must be a rare albino squirrel.  Are they common?

@john-quilter   Thanks for your enquiry, John.   I am convinced this 1933 Cadillac is undersized for 1:43, but that is based only on my poor eyesight and comparison with my other models and figures.  Here are a few pictures that might help:

And here it is beside the GLM 1934 Packard 12 LeBaron Sport Phaeton:

  I would really appreciate your conclusions.  

                                        David

Well my research in the very comprehensive Crestline book on Cadillacs is a bit in conclusive because there were so many versions of Cadillacs in 1933.  The V8 and V12 cars were on a 140 inch wheelbase (3.25 inch in 43rd) and the V16 cars on a 149 inch wheelbase (3.46 inch).   Your models shows three chrome moldings on the back edge of the front fender and a ribbed front bumper and these would indicate a V16 car as the V8 and V12 cars do not show these features.  So with your model showing a 3.25 wheelbase it appears to be a bit undersized for 43rd scale, measuring out to be about 46th scale.   But I welcome  research from others.