Classic Metal Works 1974-76 Buick Estate Wagon in N Scale?

[pmpexpress]

https://www.themanual.com/auto/the-hideous-station-wagon-from-national-lampoons-vacation-could-be-yours-sort-of/

While not unusual in the case of non-studio sales of original movie and television show props, I intentionally omitted the 2013 Mecum auction and Hemmings listings because according to several different sources, the provenance of the listed car was unknown and there was no documentation conveyed with the sale.

Since the theatrical release of National Lampoon's Vacation, quite a few replicas have been fabricated over the years.

Most of the aforementioned replica cars are inaccurate due to the use of an incorrect Ford LTD Country Squire model and/or various body and/or interior detail discrepancies.

There is also some dispute over whether or not the late, legendary car customizer George Barris was involved in the creation of Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

Presently, there is no mention of the Truckster on the Barris Kustom Industries website.

[peteski]

I owned a Suzuki Swift--GM bought them from Suzuki and re-badged them as Geo Metros. The original models had 3-cylinder engines; mine had a surprisingly peppy fuel-injected 4-banger. Actually, not a bad little car. They had enormous leg and head room in front and in back--much more than many larger cars. If I put the driver seat all the way back, I couldn't reach the pedals (and I'm 6 feet). I used to haul around 3 adults with me, and there were never any complaints of being cramped. If only they had rack and pinion steering, the'd have been very enjoyable little cars to drive.

My 2006 Scion xB (Toyota bB outside of USA), which I owned from 2006 to 2019 was that type of a car.  Nicknames "fridge", "box", "toaster" among others. Had enough power to get out of the way. It had a very low center of gravity, so it handled surprisingly well for something that looked square and tippy.  Extremely easy entry and exit, and oodles of head and leg room, front and back.  Wide tailgate and the back seat folded perfectly flat.  The right front seats back would also fold down creating a flat space from the dash all the way back.  A fun to drive, and a very useful vehicle.

I traded it in for 2019 KIA Soul, which while similar type of a vehicle, it is not as easy to get in and out of, has less usable space inside, the back seats do not fold flat, and has a narrower tailgate.   While the KIA has more fancy features, I sure miss my "box".  If they were still being made, I would have bought another one in an instant.

[nkalanaga]

DKS:  I loved my Metro, and would probably still be driving it, if an idiot hadn't wrecked it.  They were parked on the shoulder of the road, pulled out in front of me without signaling, then immediately slammed on their brakes to make a left turn.  I had no time to dodge or brake.

To make it worse, Kentucky law says if you rear-end someone, you are at fault, for "following too close".  No excuses allowed.  The person in front can do what they want, unless a cop sees them breaking a law.

On the good side, I was uninjured.  My brother-in-law, 6 feet, 300 pounds, also had a Metro.  He ran off one of the narrow roads back here and ended up nose-down in the ditch.  Totaled the car.  He got a minor scratch on his forehead.  He fit so tight that he couldn't rattle around!

They may not have been the toughest cars on the road, but they were safe for the occupants.  And, yes, they were suitable for vacations.  Mom and I took several from Kentucky to Washington state in mine, and we took my sister one year.  Three adults and luggage in a Metro for two weeks!  Fortunately, we learned growing up how to travel light, trying to fit two adults, two chidren, and a large tent, icebox, etc in a 1967 Datsun PL411 sedan.  Yes, it was a tight fit!

[cfritschle]

Below is a "bumper to bumper" comparison of the new station wagon with the Classic Metal Works Impala.



The luggage rack on the wagon is removable, but I haven't figured out what to replace it with that would be closer to scale.  Also, the wheels on the Buick appear to be a little undersized.  The wheels from the Impala look like they would be just the right size for the Buick.

[peteski]

This reminds me that while they did it correctly in H0 scale, in N scale they didn't
 make the back side windows curve in  the rear.



If there is still any doubt, let me say that I'm not impressed with this brand new model from CMW.  I know that we are supposed to be all exited and praise-full about every now model produced in N scale, but I prefer to tell it how I see it.

[davefoxx]

I think my top bid would be about $200. 

Agreed.  Underneath that cool movie prop's exterior is still a crappy 1979 Ford station wagon.  That era is not exactly the pinnacle of Ford quality.  I should know; my first car was a 1981 Ford Escort.

DFF

[DKS]

That era is not exactly the pinnacle of Ford quality.

IMO that applied across the entire domestic auto industry. From 1965-1985 or thereabouts, everyone was cutting corners to maximize profit. The big push was into plastics, which were pretty crappy materials back then. Knobs broke off. Dash boards warped. Grilles cracked and shattered. Switches and other controls were mostly made of plastic and failed--I recall seeing how the turn-signal-cancel mechanism would simply self-destruct after several years, because it was all plastic. Body steel also got thinner and thinner, and they took fewer anti-rust precautions.

Engines and drive trains, however, were mostly holdovers from an earlier, more robust era. My father had a '67 Ford Country Squire, and the engine was super-tight and reliable. He kept it in top running condition and, while many other things were failing on the car, that engine remained tight and reliable for the 10-12 years he owned it. I mentioned issues with steel: the frame on his car rotted to the point he had to have reinforcing bars welded to it. BTW, he hated automatic transmissions, so he special-ordered the thing with a three-on-a-tree stick shift. I drove it a few times--what a beast. You almost needed to hulk out to operate the clutch, and you had to double-clutch it.



It calls to mind the Yugo: it really wasn't a bad car. But what doomed its reputation, for the most part, was because they were so cheap, people treated them like they were disposable. If the car was cared for properly, it was a reasonably reliable vehicle. Heck, I think in Mexico they still race the darned things...

But, of course, as in all things, YMMV.

[bman]

. BTW, he hated automatic transmissions, so he special-ordered the thing with a three-on-a-tree stick shift. I drove it a few times--what a beast. You almost needed to hulk out to operate the clutch, and you had to double-clutch it.

Reminds me of the 1967 Buick LaSabre my father found and bought used back in 1977. The gentleman who sold it ordered it with a three on the tree and the 340 small block.  He pulled an air stream trailer with it until he and his wife quit traveling due to age. Nice Reese hitch on it was great for pulling out tree stumps.  Also the whole golf team from high school fit in it on the way to matches.  A family friend was down on their luck so my dad signed the title over to them as they needed a car and we enough cars to go around anyway. I miss that land barge at times. Lots of space and my 1980 Ford Fiesta almost fit in the trunk.

[bbussey]

A set of leaf green Estate Wagons arrived today from MBK. That seems to be the most popular color and looks the best in the photos. The models look much better in person. The body tooling is comparable to the Impala. The rear bumper does not sit properly, but that is fixed by removing most of the tab that locks into the body, leaving two perpendicular posts. The wheels definitely are undersized. I have a ton of Impalas and Galaxy 500s, so I took a set of wheels from a 500 Taxi and swapped them onto the longer Buick axles which made a huge difference. The rear bumper needs chrome paint still. And the roof rack could be thinned and chromed as well. But it looks decent with just a little work.

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Interestingly, they still have the Galaxy 500 tooling. Makes little sense to tool new wheels when they have suitable ones already.

[bbussey]

The roof rack annoyingly is cemented in place, but I was able to pry it out. I filed down the rack thickness by about a third, and filed down the width of the five sides on the inner perimeter by about a third. Looks much better. The rack posts push down on the glass, so I cut them to match the roof thickness.

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[peteski]

I'm sorry Bryan - I'm still unimpressed. It looks even worse in your photos than in the "beauty" shot I found (and posted here) in the N-Scale Magazine. It again looks like it was dipped in honey. I'm not talking about the paint thickness, but the rounded shapes all over it (like the window openings).  I'm sure the paint does not do it any favors, but the body molding itself is the main problem.  Plus the plastic body seems very thick. with the "glass" deeply inset in the body (well except the windshield which seems to be applied from the outside.

Roof rack?   Is that what that was?     The entire model looks very crude.  Compared to the older Impala model, this one looks like one of those cheap Chinese N scale models available in bulk on eBay (just this one is painted a bit better).  I know we are supposed to get all excited when a new model is produced, but I just can't warm up to this one.   

Look how thin the pillars are, and how sharply angled are the corners on all the windows.
And the roof rack . . .





I'm really surprised seeing your very high modeling standards that you would find this thing acceptable.

[bbussey]

I said it’s basically comparable to earlier CMW models and that it is passible when viewed at actual size as opposed to G scale size.

A replacement rack formed from wire would help also.

[tehachapifan]

I'm thinking a tarp over Aunt Edna would hide any dimensional flaws with the roof rack.

[cfritschle]

Atlas "proved" N scale automobile models could be made with very thin but sturdy injection molded plastic bodies, and an even thinner flush fitting clear plastic window insert when they made the Ford Taurus 18 years ago!

And while the Atlas Taurus still had some manufacturing limitations, it did not take much to make it even better.  For anyone not familiar with the Atlas Taurus, here is a link to show what could be done to enhance it.  http://nscalevehicles.org/tips_n_tricks/atlas_taurus.php

I realize the extra effort it would take to mold a more "precise" model would also make it more expensive, but I really wish more manufacturers would give N scale modelers a chance to offer input on the design and tooling for new models.

I should also add that Classic Metal Works has some of the best N scale automobile interiors, and the new Buick is no exception.  However, why put so much effort into tooling an interior that cannot be easily seen?  I am trying to stay neutral, but the new Buick fell a little short of my expectations.   

[peteski]

I should also add that Classic Metal Works has some of the best N scale automobile interiors, and the new Buick is no exception.  However, why put so much effort into tooling an interior that cannot be easily seen?  I am trying to stay neutral, but the new Buick fell a little short of my expectations.   

Thank you for chiming in and supporting my views Carter.  They could really do better (especially since this is a newly tooled model).  Like you said, there are plenty of examples of N scale model automobiles that are less clunky. Even if the 40+ year old Wiking models are much better executed than this model, produced (likely using CAD and EDM) in the year 2020!  I hope they are monitoring thif forum.  I'm voting with my wallet, but that is not going to do much good.