24v and 538 Buick Roadmaster (1954-1960)

Richard----Yes, those early ones do not have the chromed wheels, or with grids under the roof. It also appears your early one has less silver trim.....that lower piece under the doors, and the small piece at the rear. I have also seen some without any of the side trim painted, which to me, detracts from this wonderful model. Best regards, Terry

I received this Roadmaster recently from an eBay seller; it was supplied with what I believe was a reproduction box, but that did not bother me unduly since I purchased the model for a very keen price. What had not been obvious before is that -- while the model is more presentable than these pictures make it look -- there is wear all around, and what appears to be the color of the yellow version is showing through from underneath. It would be easy to conclude that someone had a battered yellow sample and repainted it. However, when I compare this with my white-over-blue Roadmaster, the detailing all looks pretty original. (It is the version with the grid under the roof.) So the question is, is this some sort of clever repaint, or was it overpainted at the factory? And if the latter, why? Has anyone encountered a Dinky where this had been done before?

Jonathan-First of all, congratulations on getting a Dinky Toys Buick Roadmaster. As I have mentioned before, I personally feel this is one of the finest examples of a diecast model through the 1950s. The execution of the design, and the attention to detail.... both diecast and paint, is second to none..... Now, on to this example: at first glance, it appears to be a very nice example of the light blue body, with dark blue roof. But, as you mentioned, the appearance of the yellow finish under the chipped areas is most curious, and no, I do not happen to remember seeing an example of another model with this characteristic. A couple of things do stand out to me: 1. There is a lot of light chipping in many places, while the overall model is in quite nice condition. It kind of suggests that the blue paint is a bit fragile, and also a thick coat, and prone to chipping. 2. The view looking down at the top of the hood or bonnet....there is a cast detail line running from the front toward the windshield, at an angle. In your picture, this line does not appear real crisp or distinct, but rather like it was heavily painted over, leaving a soft rather than sharp line. I compared this detail feature with all 4 of my examples.....and all of mine have a sharp, distinct line, with no sign of a heavy or second coat of paint. From the photos you supplied, this is the single most troubling find; I dont know how to explain it away! I also would like to see some good closeup photos of the sides and also the rear. The other, obvious thought is, just why would anyone at the factory re-paint a model to a new color? Did they have lots of yellow ones, that were not popular, and did not sell, so they decided to re-paint a whole batch of them? If so, that would account for the otherwise excellent finish, and also the thicker paint. Maybe someone else can offer an opinion or enhance our Dinky knowledge..... Best regards, Terry

Johnny, Other models are known to have been overpainted at the factory. Some # 32a dark blue Panhard articulated lorries S.N.C.F. have been respraid in red for the # 32c Esso tanker version.

Jacques-Thanks for adding your comment. I would still like to see some other, better closeup photos, but it does not appear to have been done by a hobbyist. But, if it was done by the French factory, why? Maybe a batch were painted and the result did not turn out quite right? But re-painting would appear to be a hassle too; the model would need to be taken apart, the parts set aside, then the body run through the paint process, then all re-assembled. But by re-painting, the model then has too thick of paint, making it more susceptible to chipping as Jonathans example seems to show. Most interesting! Best regards, Terry

Thanks for your comments, gentlemen! Here are some additional photos comparing the model with another Roadmaster. I'm (cautiously) convinced this was done at the factory, based on the similarity in various details. (The silver trim on the sides appears to have been applied with a sponge, for example.) Though indeed, I'm hard put to see why this would have happened.As Terry notes, the layered paint is too thick, obscuring details, and obviously the top coat did not adhere well. I assume the repainting would have been done after the initial yellow coat, but before the model had been assembled.Apologies -- these are just quick iPhone shots, but hopefully revealing enough.

Jonathan--Thanks for posting additional photos.....I am now also quite certain that it is original and done, for some reason, by the factory. And I also think you are right, that they caught whatever was wrong, before assembly. I am now guessing that something did not turn out right with the paint...maybe the color was off, or more likely, the application just did not look right. I have a few French models that had a terrible paint finish....,kind of a frosted appearance, and not real smooth, and I was surprised they passed inspection. In any event, I think you have a very unusual example, and it has brought to light a little known occurance for many of us. Thanks again for sharing wiht us! Best regards, Terry

As most of you know, I retired from active collecting a couple of years ago.....but I recently made a brief, one-time return, to make a final, long sought acquisition.......the 24v Buick Roadmaster in the rare and hard to find ivory and metallic blue version. I have little actual information on this color combination, but from all appearances, it was the last color variation issued, and apparently only for a short time around 1959. The Buick Roadmaster made its final French catalog appearance in 1959, and is the only catalog showing this particular color. So I now have all five color variations of this most wonderful model....to me and many others, it represents the pinnacle of Dinky diecasting and paint detailing up through 1959. Best regards, Terry

Hello Jan 0, I do not know this document. It must be very rare. Roulet does not seem to know it either as it does not apear in his last book. It is not included in Claude Wagner's future book about all the French Dinky documents. I would very much apreciate if you could provide scans of this interesting sheet as well as it's dimensions. Kind regards.Jacques

Terry congratulations on this special purchase. Very nice that you still complete your collection. I think the Buick Roadmaster is one of the nicest cars that Dinky Toys France has made. When I bought this Buick Roadmaster a few years ago, I received a concertina leaflet with advertisement for the French Meccano Magazine dated Avril 1954 with the model in the box. I had never seen this before. These seem to be included in the box with the model at the time. Best regards Jan O.

Ok Jacques. Added to this. You can download them now. The size is 8 x 12 cm. Kind regards, Jan O.

Many Thanks Jan for this document.