Franklin Mint 2006 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy- Nbr Limited Edition of 9900

Like art, you may not know what it is but you know what you like. The same holds true for me. I am certainly no cycle expert but I like what I see in Franklin’s bikes. From a precision detail standpoint, they are the berries in diecast motorcycles. In fact, I’d go so far as saying that their scale bikes are diecast art.

Take the 2006 Fat Boy for example. Harley-Davidson crafted a Softail cycle with a hardtail look, hiding the rear suspension. FM duplicates it with grace. H-D builds in a whopper of an engine at 88 cubic inch displacement (1450 CC’s) producing 85 foot pounds of earth-moving torque and FM renders it flawlessly in 1:10th scale. The wiring is magnificent. The front suspension is operational too and the twin forks are full of little niceties. Tiny little screws are realistic, the brake cabling is extraordinary and even the handle bars possess fine miniature characteristics. FM does a beautiful job with their tampo prints. Almost unseen with the naked eye are graphics on the engine: “Sequential Port Injection”, “Fat Boy” and “Twin Cam” and “USA” on the right side engine, warning labels on the chassis down tubes and fantastic Harley-Davidson logo printing on the tank sides. The paint is faultlessly applied and has gorgeous gold pinstriping to highlight the remarkable finish.

The front and rear brake rotors are drilled and slotted photo-etched metal, they look phenomenal; and the working parts are many. The rear rider’s foot pegs fold down, the right side foot brake works on a miniature spring, the left side gear shift operates up and down to simulate the 5-Speed tranny, the kickstand folds up and down and the belt drive rotates as the rear wheel revolves. Everything is well defined from the operational elements to the static pieces in each assembly giving an overall view of highly-precision detail. Yeah, I may not know art but I know what I like and this is great model art. Nice job FM! The issue price is $135.

-Tony Perrone