O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle Aug.28

1955 must have been the year that most 1954 car buyers (except Buick, Olds, Cadillac) must have said, "I should have waited a year". Lincoln was about the only one to put off a "new" look until 1956.

My parents did not believe in credit payments, so in '55, they bought a used '52 Ford. Because I was a 13 year-old car nut, I was crushed. A '59 Ford was our first new car, paid for in cash. Their frugal life style paid off in the long run, both for them, and for my 2 sisters, one brother, and myself.

Really good theme this week, Richard. This is close to what you presented.

Just makes me cringe how much of a better choice of makes and body styles there were right then when I started driving, than the awful, limited and generic offerings of

today...AND the makes then were greatly reduced from 1929, when choices and makes and bodies ran from A to Z.  Mechanical reliability has improved astronomically, with no more carburetors to rebuild, and points, plugs, condensors to fool with, but styling and choice seems to have reverted to....much worse than the Model T, itself once considered a generic car.  No wonder the '55-'57 Chevies are such milestones.

Here are a few shots of models from that era. More later; I have quite a few that I haven't photographed yet. I expect this will be a popular week as the mid-Fifties to the mid-Sixties were in many ways the golden age of Detroit.

Three top of the line Chryslers. '55 Imperial by USA Models, '56 300B by Precision Miniatures, '55 300 by Brooklin. I remain mystified as to why Chrysler kept the '55 grille on the '56 300.

'56 Lincoln and '57 Caddy, both by Neo. I like the Neo version of the Lincoln better than the Brooklin, both for the color and for crisper detail. Cheaper, too, since it is resin cast rather than white metal. I also like it that Neo did the regular version of the Caddy, with the square tail fins, rather than the more often modeled Eldorado. 

Come to think of it, this looks familiar as well.

Here's a headsup on coming Neo/AE. 1956 Rambler 4dr sedan, 1954 Jeep wagon in dark red color and several more coming.

Bob

My favorite 1956 was the Lincoln Mark II.  What a beautiful car.

This one is by Franklin Mint. Great paint work and nice details. If you are willing to settle for a broken hood ornament they can be bought very cheap.   Azgary

Gary, great looking car! Where did the lovely Greek Revival behind it come from?

Redshirt, That is a Plasticville mansion! Lots of them on the bay. Azgary 

I love your posts of the cars,keep it up.I am going to Europe in two weeks to see what I can afford.

Mikey

Speaking of going to Europe, years ago I found (one) hobby shop in London on a trip

and brought home some structure kits.  Where would you go to look for such as 1/43rd

diecast vehicles (and hope to find U.S. prototypes)?  With the rush of vacations, to see

the tourist sites, I have never had time to look for Spielwaren, toy or hobby shops,

and rarely drove into cities looking for them.  You would think you might find Brooklins

in London, if not cheap?  I never saw such stores in the Paris area, or elsewhere in

France.  Europeans buy a lot of die cast, so they are getting it somewhere.....

I've looked in shops in Italy and Germany, and found 1:43 models selling for far more than they do in the US. I think a "value added/VAT" tax may be the cause.

I am just slow in resigning myself to the fact that there is nothing made in vehicles,

of interest, or of the period, like there is nothing made in trains.  (except for a few

stray Brooklin vehicles that are now over $100)

I will try to post on here again, hopefully I will not be slammed for may opinion like the last time.

Richard I like this thread each week. I find it very informative since I am not a car knowagable guy. It seems like 55 (and there after) was a very good year for cars, finding cheap drug store cars for my lay-out seems to start mainly with the 55 year. So I will date may lay-out 1955, I  plan a parade (Founders Day) going down the main street and use convertibles to carry dignitaries in the parade and use the few pre 55 cars parked around the town.

Again I look forward to this thread each week even though I seldom contribute. 

It seems that one category of 1:43 car models getting a lot of attention is "dream cars" that were created for the GM Motorama, and also for Ford, Chrysler, and others during the '50s.

Years ago, Great American Dream Machine (GADM) made some nice ones, but they retailed for $225. each. Now Minichamps, Best Of Show (BOS), and others are making great quality ones in the $75.-$95. range. The usual production run is 1,000 models. I got a Minichamps '56 Buick Centurian a few days ago that is stunning!

The mid 1950s seem to be a popular modeling era

Here are a few more 3rd generation post war 1/43 models

1956 Plymouth Plaza by Brooklyn

This is the 2nd year of their design cycle

1956 Pontiac Star Chief by American Excellence (NEO)

This is also the 2nd year of their design cycle

1957 Rambler Super by Brooklin

This as well is the 2nd year of their design cycle

1956 Cadillac Fleetwood limo by Green Lightning

This is its 3rd and last year of their design cycle

I wish this was available in black. Great model at around $100. I have the '59 Cadillac limo by Motor City.