And then, there were two. I can hear the standard comments now, about this being a repaint, as if it were some used up model that someone snatched up and repainted. No, it is the existing ’53 Buick Estate Wagon tooling with its own fresh new paint and opted out with standard wheels and wheel covers. Just to be fresh, different and new.
I suspect I may be a more ‘blue’ kind of guy that a ‘green’ one. Although I adore the Terrace Green wagon issued in ’06, I believe I like this Imperial Blue model a little more. I certainly cherish the chrome wire wheels of the green car but the full wheel-covered version hits me as a more representative version, perhaps, of what you would have seen in the day. The darker, richer color contrasts against the wood in a manner that pleases my eye. The whitewalls, slim red rim of the standard wheels and the blue and white interior are striking in person.
But the model’s most striking allure lies in its details and functionality. As with the first wagon version, the gas filler door opens, the four doors are mounted on internal hinges; the tailgate folds down on elaborate folding metal hinge-rods revealing a secondary presentation of genuine wood. The rear window flips up on twin two-piece telescoping hinges and even the spare tire cover is hinged and operates like the real McCoy. The red-wheeled spare is removable.
Here’s where it gets cool – open the back doors. Carefully flip the back seat bottom up and forward. It will lie flat. Next, push the seat top forward from the opened rear and it, too, will lie flat giving you a flat cavernous space for all sorts of cargo. Each piece works like the precision model it is intended to be. The hood rises to show off those exquisite hinges and the Buick mill is ready for inspection.
Whether wire wheels or covers are your cup of tea or the green paint pushes your buttons more than the blue, DM once again gives us choices. I like that, and LOVE this model!
-Tony F Perrone
