O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle Aug 21

After WWII, many cars were on a 3-year design cycle...basically the same look with minor trim/grill changes. For Ford, 46-47-48, next was 49,50,51, then 52,53,54. The next "look" was 55-56, and after that, pretty much a new look every year (57, 58, 59, 60). Then, starting in the '60s, back to "cycles", as well as new sizes (compact and mid-size).

Richard:  lNice bunch of representative, early '50's cars.  One minor knit to pick, the Kaiser is actually a 1954 model.  It has the restyling done by Brooks Stevens which gave it the almost "Buick like" front end.  Also the tail lights on the '54 model were larger than the previous few years.

When Kaiser first was announced in 1947, it's design was a very plain slab-sided style with very little adornment.  Then, in 1951, they introduced the basic car like the one you have shown but with a plain, straight line grill, the stylish windshield with the "dip" at the top center, and the wide chrome piece just above the rocker panels.

Kaiser had no engine production of it's own and used the Continental flat-head six, modifying it with larger valves and higher compression than when the engine was used industrially.  I think that they rated it at about 115HP.  As other car makers began introducing their OHV "square design" V-8's, kaiser had no challenge to offer.  There was some talk of using the new REO, OHV six cylinder, gasoline truck engine, but apparently they weren't able to make a deal.  Instead, on the Manhattan, the top of the line car,  they furnished a McCulloch supercharger, to try to make the old, very inefficient six make a bit more horsepower.

That was the last full year for the Kaiser, which had merged with Willys-Overland and was soon going the way of all the independents over the next few years.  The Aero-Willys, compact sedan, incidentally was continued to be offered until the mid-1960's, production moved to Brazil, however.

Paul Fischer

1951 Mercury by Franklin Mint.  The last of the "lead sleds". 

Tom B

I guess I mislabeled the Kaiser. Models of most of the first year in a styling cycle are often not available so I found models that are similar The Kaiser production moved to Argentina in 1955.

Once again, many thanks Richard.

Richard,

I don't know if you've covered these 2 before but here's 2 1/43 models I picked up at the local Rite Aid this afternoon:

 A 1955 Mercedes Benz 300S, made by Welly ($3.99):

And a 1953 Cadillac Series 62, made by Kinsmart/Kintoy ($3.99)

Is there any way all these "Chronicles" can be linked together, like what's been done with Ted Hikel's Freight Car Guide?

Bob, That's a great idea. Being a 1 year newbie,I have spent a lot of time in search trying to find the past forums. This is a great resource and I look forward to it each Friday.

Thank you so much Richard for the fine job you do. Now if OGR could make them easier to find, that would be great.   Azgary

How about some Cuban Chrome. 1956 Ford & 1954 Pontiac.

Bob

Here's my contribution for the week's topic.

 An inexpensive early Corvette. I forget who made it, maybe Road Signature?

A gorgeous '54 Buick by True-Scale. Right up there with Neo for quality. It even has a radio antenna.

'54 Chevy Bel Air by USA Models. This is very similar to the '53 my mother had when I was little. I saw a lot through the windows of that car, including watching Grand Trunk Western steam go by as we waited at railroad crossings. 

'54 Mercury and a pair of '53 Fords by Collectors Classics (Buby). These are really nice models. They also made a model of the hardtop with the tinted glass roof section. I thought I had one of those, but when I dug these out to photograph them it turned out they didn't, so now I've got my eye out for one. 

'48 Buick Roadmaster and '54 Olds Fiesta by Brooklin (or is it a '53?). The Olds is a nice model. The Buick is early Brooklin, made before they learned what they were doing. Not one of Brooklin's better efforts and even uglier than the prototype, but I got it cheap and it's an OK period parking lot filler. 

Low-end Caddy by Ertl for Toys R Us and a somewhat nicer Buick by Solido.

A Hudson Hornet and a DeSoto by Franklin Mint. That generation of Chrysler products were UGLY. Models are among Franklin's better ones. Opening doors and hood. 

A pair of Studebakers, the blue one by Road Signature and the brick-red one by Franklin Mint. This is one of Franklin's best, and you can usually pick one up in the $20 range.

Here's a Brooklin Buick.

Beautiful model, have to look for it.

I Had the blue & white TS Buick listed on the forum buy/sell @ $55.00 + $7.00 shipping.

Bob

Richard...this is such a great ongoing thread!!  Thanks so much!!

Alan

Southwest Hiawatha I won a Industrial flat car with a 54 Corvette on it that looks just like the one in your photo.

It IS a very nice model, but they fell short on research. You could NOT order factory 2-toning like this on the '54 Buick...only "55 and later. The '54 was roof-only.

That's OK, I still like it and will be on the hunt one. The two-tone effect makes the model.

The models of the glass top version comes in the only two color versions available from the factory...lt. yellow w/green top, and lt. green w/green top. The other 2 Collector Classic versions...lt. blue. as well as white, were never offered to the public.

I have visions of a 54 Mercury with chrome wheels and baby moon hubcaps. Let's not forget a 3-speed on the column w/overdrive, 3 two-barrel carbs and twin smitty's with chrome pencil-tips out of the rear. Yes, I'm living in the fifty's again.

Found a couple more lurking in a corner of the storage room.

'53 Caddy by Welly. A cheap car, but it looks pretty good on the layout. 

Chrysler police car by Vitesse, and an Eligor '32 Ford roadster done up as a fire chief's car. These two cars apparently were made for the TCA Cal-Stewart meet, as they say Cal-Stewart Police and Fire Departments. Both of them will probably lose the Cal-Stewart markings; I bought the Chrysler as a donor car for a business coupe body kit, and I'll most likely clean the decals off the roadster.