Buick 1953 Estate Wagon Danbury Mint MIB

1953 Buick Estate Wagon.    Narrative and photos courtesy of Tony Perrone, Diecast.org.  He says it lots better than I!19

Fraud! Danbury has cheated. I’m sorry; this is NOT a diecast auto model. DM is trying to pull a fast one here. They somehow managed to find a way to shrink a 1:1 car down to 1:24th scale. And this model proves it! Oh sure, I’m as pleased as I could possibly be that they chose to do it with a gorgeous 1953 Buick Estate Wagon. And, ok, I’m suitably happy that they aren’t charging us prices commensurate with what a real 100 point restoration would now bring, but honestly, this is out and out deception. There is no way to gather all this detail into a small package like this, is there? First, and almost always foremost on the DM diecasts, is the paint. Come on, does this look anything other than a genuine auto body finish to you? Wonderfully scaled, the metallic nature of this deep and lovely color, Terrace Green, is the essence of a full scale car shrunken down to our collector size. All right, I’m over that, how ‘bout the rest of the replica?

In true Danbury miniature fashion, it is awesome. There are some authentic wood grained veneer inlays, here and there, that enhance the viewability of the piece and their color and texture contrasts richly with the interior and exterior color choice. There is an abundance of functionality and beautifully executed detailing to whet our diecast appetites too. It might be said that some of these are about the car’s magnificent hinges. We’ve come to think of DM as a leading pioneer in door hinges, rising above the old time dog leg hinges so prevalent in early diecast builds, and utilizing them whenever they’ve had the opportunity. But beyond those used here on all four doors, we are treated royally with the multi-link scissors hinges of the hood and the telescoping internal piston-type lifts of the tail gate window, folding slider rods of the lower tailgate and the spare tire cover hatch within. Then, too, we’re given an additional operational feature in the rear seating; more on that later. From the bottom up there is a tremendous amount of attention paid to the detailing. The Buick’s chassis exhibits everything from a trans cooler unit with flexible hoses to multi-link suspension componentry. The engine, as we’ve come to expect from DM, is almost inconceivable. The aforementioned scissors springs hinges are so accurate in their appearance and operation you’ll wonder how they could have been modeled in this scale. The engine bay is filled with all sorts of goodies in the form of fuel lines and plug wires to exceptional carb detailing. Even my washer bottle is full. When opening the doors, take care not to open too fully. Allow them to stop where they want to and do not exert any further pressure. This, of course, is a precision model and not a toy. With the doors open, take plenty of time to explore within. Up front the driver has a full complement of instrumentation. The dash gauges and radio sets are readable and the clock shows the time as 4:25. DM even fashioned a 'traffic light viewer'. Remember those? It sits on the dash and tells the driver when the light changes. The carpets are just what you’d expect from Buick and DM also gives us good detailing in the door panels too. As you take in the back seat notice that you may swivel the seat cushion forward allowing it to do a 180. The bottom of it is now in carpeting. Now fold the seat back forward and you have flat floor space all the way to the rear. Cool; a 1950’s SUV.

Let’s move to the rear of the car. Take note on your way that the fuel filler door opens as well. A word of caution is needed for the operation of the rear gates. Again, this is a precision model and fumbling fingers need not apply. Open the upper tail gate window first by using a fingernail to lift the chrome handle. Once slightly ajar you may want to grasp the unit and even give a tiny bit of downward pressure to open the panel. Here comes the strongest word of caution: don’t open it fully. The piston-type lifts may want to separate. If they do you can spend a little downtime reuniting them back to working order. Next, lower the bottom tail gate door. Notice the wood grain here too, but don’t miss the metal sliding hinges. There’s another that you will see as you lift the spare tire cover hatch. Yes, the tire is removable. The doors snap back in place and latch securely but the tailgate system stays closed with the friction fit of the two pieces. The bottom external gate hinges keep everything aligned perfectly. Do not overlook the metal antenna in the Styrofoam; it fits into the roof mount base. A driver’s spotlight and delicately fashioned wire wheels surrounded by monster-wide whitewalls complete the picture.

Once again DM has given us a great, called-for subject. They executed the build as if they actually shrunk a real wagon down to size for us and then threw in tons of detail toys for us to ponder. All in all I have to rate this a monumental 10 on the Thrillometer. Diverse subject matter, color choice, detailing and build correctness, all go into yielding a phenomenal model.

(03/19/2006)

Shipping is $15.00 by insured priority mail.  International $35.00.

Once again DM has given us a great, called-for subject. They executed the build as if they actually shrunk a real wagon down to size for us and then threw in tons of detail toys for us to ponder. All in all I have to rate this a monumenta