All,
The 1958 Plymouth Surburban is an H.O. Scale (1/87) model. Length is
approx. three inches. It is made by a company named Athern that is known
for model railroad freight cars and locomotives. www.athern.com is their
address. $4.50 is the S.R.P. but you can get them for less. ($3.85 in 1999)
The model is of a two door Belvedere wagon. The colors I have seen them are
not necessarily an attempt to reproduce any accurate factory paint. Just
what they have in model railroad colors. They have a rather dull satin
finish. They can be ordered in undecorated (Unpainted).
It has a very faint outline of the Sportone chrome on the sides and the
'shark fin' trim on the tops of the front fenders. The tail lights are flat
across the bottom and tend to resemble a '57 chevy.
The grille and front bumper are one piece but are a rather good likeness of
the real ones and are painted silver. The grille has a V and the verticle
bars that hold the horizontal bars are even there. The front bumper has the
optional ends also. The rear bumper is silver and is a close match to a
real one. There are even the back-up light pods on it.
The only major detraction to the body is the fact that the sides are not
curved in on the bottoms. the sides are straight down. This was done as an
expedient for the mold making process.
The hubcaps look very much like the turbine 'caps but the whole tire hubcap
assembly looks rather small in the wheel wells. The tire and 'caps are
black. There is a metal axle that holds the wheels on.
The chassis is a whole other matter. It is just a blank place to mount the
wheels to the car. Part of the rockers are molded as part of the chassis
and show black on the bottom edge of the sides. The lower grille has a
black surround around it that is also part of the chassis.
There is a clear piece for the glass. The curves on the ends of the front
windshield are a bit sharp.
Not a bad model overall considering that it was intended for the model
railroad market of 1958. I have two of them. One is a light blue (From
approx. 1964) and a red one (from 1999). In case you didn't figure it out,
I also do model railroading in the winter when I can't play with my cars.
Larry
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