I agree with people who maintain that $125 is too much for layout cars, but there are exceptions, and I allowed myself one as a Christmas gift to myself.
This 1955 Buick looks identical to one my uncle had - I'll call that the excuse. However, truth is I set out to buy a '55 car; my layout is supposed to represent 1955, and I had too few "this year's model" on the layout.
I'll also add that I much prefer 1/43 cars (to 1:48) as the slightly larger size looks better in my eyes on the layout, particularly around big, scale locos - regardless of what the real-world situation was I like the slightly larger cars. But it's hard to find good mid-50s normal (non-exotic, not expensive) cars and Brooklin makes many.
Anyway, this is a fairly good model. It is exactly 1:43 scale, near as I can determine, looks good, and has mostly correct features and details: the Special emblems are, according to photos of actual cars I've looked at, located about a scale 16 inches too far to the rear.
I have two previous Brooklin models, a '49 Buick and a 52 or so Dodge. Like them, this '55 is extremely heavy and has good, heavy paint over it, but this one has much better detail with chrome wipers, hood ornament, fender vents, etc. whereas they just had cast features. I feel I got a bit more for my money. Brooklin, as some other diecast makers, paints over tiny molded/cast details on their cars (at least this one and the others I own) such as emblems, thin chrome strips, etc. That might be acceptable on a $20 model but it is annoying given the extreme price they charge. Here (zoom view in photos) I used an Xacto #11 and carefully scraped off the paint from the Buick Century emblems, filler door chrome surround, front Buick letters, and rear chrome key insert. This reveals the bare metal underneath which, even after it weathers a bit, still will look bright enough to make the model look a lot better. I'm thinking of doing the same to the windshield and rear window surround, etc., which should be chrome, but I'd disassemble the car to do that first and will save that for another day . . .
The second photo also shows a $7.00 New Ray '55 Buick Century convertible, a car that was, in the real world, exactly the same dimensions. Although often listed as 1:43, it's actually right at 1:48. As I said, I prefer 1:43, and this New Ray, and its similar size Olds and Pontiac cousins, sit on a low shelf, not on my layout.
