O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle Sept 18

Richard,

Very interesting.  I was not aware that there were 4-Door Nomads.  I don't recall seeing one at car shows.  Were they even less common than the '55 - '57s?

Tom B

The early Nomad and Safari did not sell well, in part due to having only 2 side doors. The names were used for a short while on their standard 4-door wagons, but the "magic" was gone.

Richard

Thanks for an excellent survey of the upper end of the market. A couple of comments:

Vitesse makes some nice items for the money, but some of their cars don't look right. The shape of the tail fins on their '59 Caddy is off - it looks strange. They do make some nice late 40's - early 50's Chryslers. 

Eligor is expensive if you are buying new, but their '32 Fords can usually be found on eBay in the $20 range. Eligor makes a nice little '62 Corvair coupe. 

Rextoys also can usually be found in new condition for well under $50 on the secondary market.

Schuco makes some high-quality European models in the $50-60 range. I have a really nice 1930's BMW by Schuco, and also a Schuco model of an Opel Calibra I owned in Finland in the 90's. 

Some Minichamps models can be found on eBay under the Paul's name.

Some Franklin Mint models can be had cheaply on the secondary market; others seem to command premium prices. The latter category includes the '59 Ford Skyliner with operating retractable top and the '56 Olds convertible. The '57 Chevy, '53 Studebaker, Chrysler woody, '56 Continental, and several others can often be had cheap. As Richard says, look closely before you buy - some are better than others. Watch out on the fastback Hudson - the car came with an antenna at the top center of the windshield, which is often missing. The opening doors and hoods can be handy for set-piece scenes - a hood up by the side of the road, or a shady deal for goods out of a car trunk. 

One high-end producer not mentioned is Precision Models (PMI). Their line is thin but includes a nice '56 Chrysler 300B, a fastback Hudson, a Lincoln Capri convertible, and a few more that go well on a transition-era layout.

Minimarque, Spark, and Neo are almost impossible to find on the secondary market. Most eBay listings are by dealers, and prices are often higher than what you would pay from American Excellence. 

Brooklin, USA Models, and Durham also tend to have high prices on the secondary market, but I've picked up Durham prewar Lincoln Zephyrs, Fords, and Chevys in the $50-60 range. I have bought a USA Models '54 Chevy and '55 Imperial for a bit over $100 apiece, which is still steep but better than the typical $250 selling price. Brooklin is all over the map. Some of the earlier, poorly proportioned models are common on eBay at prices under $50 - but probably not worth it even at that. The newer, nicer ones are seldom offered under $80-90. However, certain of the better models seem to have been overproduced and can be had reasonably. These include some 1930's Hudson and Packard models. Brooklin's recent offerings of 1930's Buicks, La Salles, Pierce Arrows, etc. are gorgeous, but pricey.

This post is getting long. I'll post some photos of cars from makers on Richard's list in a separate post.

My dad had one of those 59 Chevy station wagons, can't recall if it was a Nomad or not but I know those horizontal fins could make the tail end leave the ground if the speed was right!

You're probably right, the only time I recall it happening was on the way to Nags Head.

There was a tight curve just before going over Currituck Sound to Kitty Hawk and he took it pretty fast and the tail started to become airborne.  All because there was someone in a VW Beetle passing everyone and my dad wanted to show him how fast American made cars could go.

Does anyone make a 1/43 1948 Buick Roadmaster in green?  He had one of those too and it would be nice to have a model of it.

I love the looks of the Sparks Chevy wagon. I see they also have a greenhouse roof line 59 Chevy that looks real nice. Azgary

1959 Chev wagon have model named Parkwood. I used owned several 1958 Chev wagon. Top model for 1958 is Nomad 4 doors with all chromes trims, next model is Brookwood 4 doors, it come with 6 or 9 passengers, next model is Yeoman (like 150).

I see Brooklin has a nice $$$$ 59 Brookwood version of the wagon. Azgary

Sure would like to see a "bathtub" Nash,  '49 or '50, if one of those were made on the lower price scale.  Ideally, it would be an Ambassador, but I'd take a "600" if that were available.  This is the style car that the American Pickers have parked on their lot in LeClaire, IA and has become sort of an icon for the show.  Being from Milwaukee, Nash, which was made in Milw and assembled in Kenosha, was a very popular car, probably the most common of all the independents.  The "inverted bathtub" styling was unique to Nash.

In fact I'd take a few of them.

Paul Fischer

I had an old girlfriend whose dad favored and owned several of the "bathtub" Nashes...

she was not a fan of them....

Colorado couldn't you find a younger girlfriend?

The bathtub Nash was made by IXO. Amore pricey one was made by Zauug and maybe Motor City.

Bob

Brooklin has a large following plus at least 2 "fan clubs". Heaven forbid you find fault with them on "Forum43"! Yes they do "everyday" cars (sedans, wagons, etc) in limited numbers, BUT...for well over $100. each I expect silver trim where it belongs, rather than body paint. Brooklin got away with this until NEO/American Excellence and a few others arrived on the scene with MUCH greater detail at $40. less.

I have 8 Brooklins, but I paid the price (about $40. each) to have 4 of them "detailed" by a pro. I know some of you detail your own, but I'm afraid to try.

I could not figure out how to register on "Forum43", which may be a good thing, as

I have found some Brooklin models to be bulbous....but..nothing else like them.  There are several appropriate for my period that I have not found at a price I want to pay. I

did see a 1934 Auburn sedan displayed, that would have been seen on the street,

vs. a Cord and boat tail speedster which would have been rare.  The site mostly

had the usual exotic European cars not seen here, though.

Here are photos of models from some of the makers Richard named in the opening post:

Rextoys

 1938 Cadillac coupe, with a Brooklin Buick for size comparison.

1938 Cadillac convertible, with La Cicciolina and the Pope as passengers.

A pair of Packards, military and civilian.

Eligor Ford pickup and sedan, next to an Ertl roadster. 

Franklin Mint

 A pair of Chrysler Town and Country convertibles. Franklin Mint on the right, I forget what the other one is - maybe Solido.

Fastback Hudson and a '53 DeSoto. The Hudson is missing its antenna.

Brick-red '53 Studebaker by Franklin Mint; the other is an inexpensive Road Signature piece.

'41 Chevy by Durham and a '37 or '38 by Brooklin. Note the size difference - I'm not sure if one of them is out of scale, or if the '41 was really that much bigger.  

Three 1941 models by Durham - two Chevys and a Ford.

Lincoln Zephyr by Durham 

Three classic 50's Chryslers: a '55 Imperial by USA Models, '56 300B by Precision Models, and a '55 300 by Brooklin. 

'54 Chevy by USA Models

True Scale '54 Buick

Two by Spark, a Delage Labourdette and a Talbot Lago

Brooklin

 A '31 Hudson roadster I repainted. The original orange color may be one reason that this is one of the few good Brooklins that can often be found under $50 on eBay.

A '48 Buick Roadmaster and a '54 Olds Fiesta. The Buick is one of Brooklin's early, poor-quality models and goes for cheap. The Olds is much nicer.

A gorgeous Brooklin pair - a Buick coupe and a Pierce Arrow

Two Packard roadsters and a LaSalle. The Packards are common and can be found at reasonable prices.

 Three more of my favorites - Hudson Terraplane, Studebaker Dictator, and Studebaker President.

And finally, four from NEO: 

'56 Lincoln,  '57 Caddy

'57 Buick Caballero hardtop wagon, 58 Chevy

York practice this weekend...lots of walking, Friday through a huge antique outdoor show, and then two train shows, Sat. and Sun.  Today I found a decent model of a 1937 Ford pickup, correct scale, by Hallmark (wonder if they did anything else pre-1941?).  Hanging loop has to come off the roof, and Xmas packages out of the bed,

but it will fit in with other pickups I have tracked down to park outside grain elevators,

stations, and freight houses.  It is a different year and style vs. what is available in

diecast (it is plastic).

CO Hi:  I got one of those Hallmark '37 Ford trucks last year following Christmas.  I did cut the hanging hook off of it and it looks pretty good next to the other 1/43 cars.  Fit right in.

Paul Fischer

Well, I did a search to answer my own question, and Hallmark did a lot of vehicles,

most after 1940, but the 1937 Ford pickup is common, and can be had for $10.00, while their 1940 Ford pickup, for reasons I don't understand, since everybody, including Brooklin, has done a 1940, is usually $40.00.  I found Hallmark did a number of fire engines, Fords and Chevrolets, 1929 and 1938 for Chevy, 1941, 1936 and earlier for Ford, but Matchbox did a lot for interesting fire truck makes like Stutz and Mack.  I can only use a few fire engines. Hallmark did do a 1941 Chevy pickup that is common. I have the 1937 Ford in hand and it is the right scale, as stated above, but I do not know if these others are (there are Hallmark "miniatures" that look avoidable).  I also found Hallmark did later Dodge pickups.  I did have their 1932 Chevy roadster, and found they did  a 1931 Ford Model A roadster, too.  I wonder if that series continues?