Franklin Mint returns to the spotlight with this all-new tooling. Thinking about legendary muscle cars, one cannot help but recall the pedigree of the 442. FM did a fine job of making this model but also added the W-30 option that made the car such a stand-out in 1970. The option coding W-30 featured, among other goodies, an aluminum intake manifold on the 455 cubic inch motor, red fiberglass inner fender wells, and a fiberglass OAI hood. The car pumped out 370 ponies but managed a whopping 500 lb-ft of torque! That's stump-moving, long stroke power to be sure.
Franklin fashioned spring-loaded door hinging assembly to replace the old-style dog leg intrusions. This is a most welcome move for them and I hope they continue to offer it on future models. I'd like to see more realistic hood hinging and the use of chrome foil badging and emblems but one step at a time. I really can't complain about the tampo printing of the "442" and "W-30" insignias because they were done very well. The paint, Nugget Gold, is even and rich and has a nice glossy finish to it. The black hood stripes and accent pinstriping are applied beautifully. It was pointed out on our forums that the tires are incorrect. "Polyglas" is spelled with an extra "S". FM went to work on providing lots of detailing on this replica. The trunk carries nice carpeting with the spare tire and jack present. They are not removable. Three instructional stickers are seen under the trunk lid. Chrome plastic window, windshield, back light, trunk and hood trim pieces add an extra dimension to the detailing of the exterior. The interior also carries the full gamut of detail. Wood-grained accents are found on dash, console and door panels, and photo-etched metal highlights the fabric belt buckles and door sills. Photo-etch metal is also put to good use on the wipers.
The big show is under the hood and FM did a great job there. The perfect flat red paint was used to simulate the fiberglass inner fenders. Battery to starter cabling is in place and all plug wires, fluid lines and hoses are scaled in properly. Brake fluid lines are made from silver metal wire and warning labels are affixed nicely. "Oldsmobile" is spelled out crisply inside the forced air air cleaner housing and bright metal fuel lines and brake fluid lines are seen running down and back under the car. Extra high marks for the way they carried that out. The suspension is functional and doesn't get in the way of an accurate stance or ride height situation.
Overall, this is a very pleasing issue. I would rate this as a solid 9.5 on the Thrillometer scale. Issue price is $120.
-Tony Perrone
