Danbury Mint 1:24 1955 Ford Thunderbird- "Winter Project" Diorama

For me this is a natural ‘must have’. I love miniatures, cars and dioramas. I have DM’s miniature, “Harvest Time” by Bob Russell, displayed on my desk and I can easily get lost in its cold-cast farm, fields and buildings scene set in autumn. Almost along like lines, DM formulated a cold-cast base, set in rich, dark wood and challenges our imagination and foresight with the blasphemous handling of a precious, precision diecast, just recently released. Yes, that is the to-die-for Goldenrod Yellow ’55 T-Bird in deplorably weather beaten and rusted out condition. It is in a terrible state and deserving of nothing less than a 100 point restoration. The Danbury folks combined a genuine diecast, miniature parts and accessories and placed it all together in a diorama for us.

This is every bit as worthy a diorama presentation as was FM’s well received “Garage Diorama”. The cold-cast ground is replicated as an amalgam of earth, mud and grass. Setting the border on its Northeast corner, we find a barbed wire fence. The two fall trees, on either back side of the scene, are littering the ground with colorful orange and yellow leaves. Dormant grass tufts are sprinkled hither and yon and yield a clue as to how long the abandoned baby bird has sat idle. Up through the engine bay, we can see a grass tuft reaching skyward. Leaves loiter about up front too. Mud, in the center of the scene, holds marks where the tires have sunk into the soft ground and tire patterns are easily visible. Perhaps the cinder block bears witness to the last performed chore on the once proud Ford. It holds up the suspension while the AWOL tire lies in front of the now rusted and obvious replacement driver’s door. From a red car it now sits ajar, at least in my set-up, on a turquoise and rust two-seater. The hood, and what’s left of the roof, is off of the car and in really pathetic shape. In fact literally half of the cloth top is gone, history, toast. The parts list of repair and replace items on this puppy are going to be pretty extensive.

At least, it seems, the engine is all here. The new owner covered the intake manifold with a small tarp and also stuffed a rag down the fuel filler neck. The external accessories include a case of oil and some antifreeze, a pneumatic jack, cross-lug wrench, jumper cables and a brand new tool box. Man, he’s going to need it. Talk about a rag top; it lifts off and reveals what might be a little of the story. Next to the duct-taped driver’s seat is a “For Sale” sign. It was in the center of the windshield. Note the clean spot where it used to reside. The word, “Sold”, in white letters, now appears on the dirty outside of the windshield. There is a drink cup with straw on the passenger’s seat and what may be a repair guide book. On the floor we find a photo-etched coat hanger, a wrench, I think it is ½ and 9/16ths., and an old license plate. It tells you from what state the car came. Oh yeah, a crushed soda can too, maybe. The trunk is a virtual time capsule of junk. The air cleaner housing and window crank lie within it. There appears to be a map and Ford brochures in there along with, well, I’ll let you figure out the rest.

DM was very thoughtful on how they went about distressing this whimsical little diorama car. Metal hash marks are missing from the side and what is left is slightly askew. The grillwork has had a run-in with something that pushed it in somewhat. That will need fixing. Only the, “Thunder” of Thunderbird is left on the driver’s side but the entire script on the other side is gone. The car underwent a headlightectomy on one side; just wires remain. Only one fender skirt is in place and the fuel filler door is taking a dirt nap somewhere. There is good detail on the top frame, now readily seen since the moths have done their best to pack on weight for the impending winter. Give the DM guys a large dose of credit for conceiving such a contraption. It brings a chuckle to me as I see it and explore the many facets of decay on the old icon. And don’t worry about a cover; a nice layer of dust will only add to the ambience of the piece. Great job DM!

Price will be $159, payable in 4 installments of $39.75 plus $7.80 shipping.

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