Danbury Mint 1948 Chevrolet

The boys are back in town, Danbury Mint boys that is. After a hiatus from the die cast market, with no new releases in two years or so, team Danbury stepped up to the plate, raised their bat, pointed to the center field wall and swung, and the announcer yelled "It's goin', goin', gone!" a home run on the first pitch; this mint still got it. Yes, I do consider the release of the 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan, in 1:24th scale, a home run. Just look at the model below; it's gorgeous. Sure if you aren't an old dude, or just love lines of a fine automobile you may not get it but everything about this model is mind numbing perfection, and still affordable to the average collector. You can't beat that!

The Danbury Mint '48 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan is a "Brand-New" tool, with many updated features, which I will get into later in this review. For now I would like to tell you a little about the automobile itself. For those of you that don't remember, or didn't realize, auto production was halted in 1942 to support the war effort and it didn't resume until the '46 models rolled off the assembly line.

With the end of WWII, America was thrilled to have all their young men return home safe and sound to their loved ones. And of course these young men had pockets full of money, separation pay, and they wanted to enjoy what they missed fighting for our country. The automobile was the iPhone of the day, it was the one thing every young man wanted to own upon their discharge and Detroit was eager to deliver on that dream.

However, not just any old automobile would do. The automobile these young men wanted was one that not only made a statement but was fun to own. Chevrolet had their finger on the pulse of America and knew what these young men wanted to drive. Hence, the 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline propelled to the top of the line for Chevrolet, and a statement was made when the Aerosedan sold 774,000 cars, leading the way to prosperity for many American families, my father being one of those boys who had to own this automobile when he came home from war.

I was surprised when word of this model became public; I assumed it was a re-labeled model, a model produced from another mint, it is not. Remember, this mint basically went quiet and models one at a time were disappearing from their website, as the sold out. Everyone, including myself, figured the glory days of die cast collecting were over, boy were we wrong. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of more models, such as this, to come?

So now that I enlightened you a little about the automobile allow me to express my personal opinion about the model. One of the first emails I received, when this model began to ship, was "Does it come in a white box?" No really, that was the question, and the answer to that question is yes. All packaging is true to the Danbury Mint, just as before, a labeled inner box covered with peanuts inside the infamous white box. Hey, it made me chuckle and I am sure it made you too. The model fits snuggly inside its Styrofoam clam shell along with two fender shirts, which are wrapped in red paper, and a tool (small tweezers, with a rubber coated tip) which can be used to install and remove the skirts. Inside the model is a piece of Styrofoam to keep the front seat from flopping around, and the spare tire, which is loose in the trunk.

Upon removing the model from its packaging you can't help but admire the beautiful paint scheme which was applied to this replica, Liveoak Green Metallic and Silver Gray Green Metallic, is simply stunning on this '48 Chevrolet. Not only will the flawless paint grab your attention but the chrome extras which were exclusive to the top-of-the-line Fleetline, which included window trim, hash marks below the taillights, Fleetline script on the deck lid, and triple-stacked "speedlines" on the fender, this one has it all.
Lifting the hood reveals the indestructible 216.5 c.i, "Stovebolt" six in all its glory, which is fully detailed including wires, hoses, fuel lines and factory labels on the appropriate parts such as the air cleaner and more. Also, the hood utilizes a new design for the hinge mechanism, which works flawlessly, you will need to gently depress the rear of the hood, when closed, to maintain the tight shut lines.

To open the trunk you need to gently pull the middle bumper guard towards you so the trunk lid will clear it. Now slip a business card underneath the handle to get it started to lift up then gently lift it open, you may need to work the lid up and down a few times to have it open fully but it will, just be patient. The spare tire is removable and it does sit in the wheel well until it is needed. And here again a new style hinge mechanism is used which works flawlessly too.

The interior of this model is gorgeous, get yourself a light source and pour over the dash and door panels until your heart is content. Wow! Doesn't do it justice; this is a "Cork Popper" all the way. The detail of the dash is superb, the seats look amazingly authentic, not cheap plastic toy seats, and the door panel is also highly detailed and authentic. I should mention the doors feature a 'New hinge mechanism too. Flipping the model over you will notice that frame which is made of plastic, and a stationary suspension, which I am in favor of; less breakage of suspension and to me that's a good thing.

Wrapping up the review my take on this model is it is a "Must Have" without question, color is correct, shut lines are tight, trim aligns correctly and stance is very good. Add to that the period correct whitewalls and full wheel covers, Houston we got a winner. The Danbury Mint 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan in 1:24th scale, retailing for $149 plus $9 shipping and handling is without question a homerun. And as far as JSS Software is concerned it deserves " 5 Corks" to; it truly is a "Cork Popper". Buy it!

Without a doubt this one is a keeper, we rate it a "Cork Popper" with a (5 Cork) rating for sure!