@Joe Hohmann posted:They were located 4 miles from me, and have been out of business for at least 20 years. This classic car series was farmed-out to 3 suppliers. 2 did good to excellent work, the other, shoddy. The one that is most in demand today is the '59 Ford retractable hardtop. It actually "works". I have 2...one displayed with the top up, the other displayed on my layout with the top halfway, with a group of people looking on. On FM cars, the doors and hoods open. This is a plus on layouts for "action" scenes. But to 1:48 car model collectors, that is a minus because of the wide "shut lines". All of these models only came in one color/color combo. Some are quite common, others, like the '56 Oldsmobile convertible, hard to find. These, like most FM offerings, were offered each few months via mail order for about $60. each. Today most sell on eBay for $20,-$30. (except for the mentioned Ford, which has gone for around $100.).
Joe, I often thought the quality varied between cars. I have a small collection of 1:24 "Vettes" from Franklin. Most are very nice quality, a couple not so good. Somehow I missed the '59 Ford retractable roof...that's a beauty! At the $100 price, I may have to go without one
