Pros: Lots of flash and chrome, many opening\moving parts, nice engine compartment.
Cons: Single color, boring interior looks cheap. Hood and trunk hard to open. Below average detail.
The Bottom Line: Overall a nicely detailed and solidly built model, but poor coloration and the availability of similar, better finished, models in the same price range leave me saying "average".
luxuryliners's Full Review: Anson 1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertable
Introduction
I collect 1:18 scale models of Cadillac's from all decades. Part of my 1940's era segment of the collection includes this 1947 Cadillac Series 62 by Anson. The car is a striking symbol of American luxury immediately following WWII. Anson offers several versions of this model in both coupe and convertible form in colors including gray, red, blue, gold, magenta, black, and others. The model I own is a coupe version with solid black roof and gold body. I want to disclaim that this version was a limited edition and may vary in color slightly from the model available for purchase on this site. If a more accurate product link becomes available I will relocate this review but until then thanks for reading and enjoy!
The Company:
Anson makes a wide variety of die cast cars in various scales. Anson Industries LTD is based in Hong Kong and I own three models from them including this, a 53 convertible and 73 Eldorado. I am very happy with all three models despite a few minor problems with each. The full product line can be found at www.anson-scalemodel.com and contact information is as follows:
Anson Industries LTD RM 802, South Seas Centre, Tower 2, 75 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
The Box:
Packaging for this model is a red box with viewing windows in front, on top, and behind the car. A black plastic base supports the car in its box, and a gold sticker displays the Anson logo along with "1947 Cadillac Series 62" script. With all the Cadillac models I own the relatively smaller size of the box for this car, as compared to the 24 others, really helps in the storage area.
Product Description
Large bulbous fender wells extend out over white-walled Firestone tires at all corners of the car. The large, rounded, hood and trunk continue this pre-aerodynamic, round, theme and add a feeling of solidity and heft to the car. The body is done in a single, reflective, paint color, gold in my case, broken up by chrome, plastic, strips and other details. My coupe has a black, plastic, roof that has realistic texture, but convertible versions obviously lack this feature. Door handles, the trunk handle, taillights, chrome strips centered on the fenders, bumpers, the grille, and window trim are all made of chrome plastic.
Slicing the hood in two is a strip of chrome capped at the front end with a large hood ornament; a figure with a large ball for a head and wings pushed back analogous to a hawk diving toward its prey. Set slightly below the hood ornament rests a chrome Cadillac crest, complete with surrounding "V" on the leading edge of the hood. Two round headlights with plastic lenses frame the upper edge of the wide grille; a striking feature with 34 vent holes that conform to the shape of the front of the car. "1947" is proclaimed in clearly legible print on the centrally located license plate set into the front bumper. Both front and rear bumpers feature two bullet shaped decorative elements that if I recall correctly were referred to as "dagmars" by some.
The fact that the coupe version of this model that I own features a permanently anchored roof that somewhat obscures the interior is really not such a bad thing. Interior detail is not the worst I've seen but its single tan color and all plastic compostition lead me not to envy owners of convertible styles. The bench seats, steering wheel, rear arm rests, gear shift selector lever, and turn signal multifunction lever, are all there molded in the same boring color. The speedometer, radio, clock, and other dashboard details are included in the form of finely etched chrome pieces and the brake and gas pedal are made of black plastic but that is about all the color variation you get.
Overall I rate the interior detail as slightly below average and the interior coloration as below average and dull. I have certainly seen better interior detail (see links to other Cadillac 1:18 reviews at bottom) and the convertible version of this model just makes the situation worse. For the price of about $30 though, interior detail is acceptable in the coupe (roof included) version of the model.
Exclusive to the driver side of the vehicle are a chrome rear view mirror and front mounted antenna. The centrally divided windshield and single panel rear window are plastic but all other windows are left open. A strip of chrome runs along the base of the windows and roof section and windshield wipers look nice albeit only semi-realistic due to their separation from the body, unlike many models that just mold them into the body.
Underneath the long, triangular, hood sits one of the highlights of the model. The engine is molded in black plastic with most details included in realistic size and shape. Unfortunately the hood is very difficult to open or shut as it sticks and struggles against you every step of the way. Once you finally get it all the way ajar the consummation of that struggle combined with the nicely detailed engine make it all the more rewarding. The radiator, engine block, air filter, and several other items are all apparent; plenty detail to convince someone as unversed in 1940's engine design as I am. I would have liked to have seen some stickers or painted on details in the engine compartment in addition to the molded plastic but this model does not have that.
A winged Cadillac crest is the defining feature of the trunk. Just below that a realistic, vertical, handle serves dual functions; looking good and aiding in pulling open the sticky trunk lid. I dislike the tail lights on this model because they have no lenses, instead they are all chrome, divided into three elements. The head lights have clear lenses so I don't understand why the rears don't have red lenses. Without lenses the tail lights have a sort of unfinished look that actually made me wonder if pieces were missing (I checked and they aren't).
Concealed below the trunk lid is the trunk compartment furnished with a spare tire all in the same tan color as the interior. I'm glad that the trunk, doors, and hood all open as it adds value to the replica but I really don't like the color schemes used. The gold paint used on all die cast metal body panels is very shiny and nice to look at, the epitome of the coveted "solid gold Cadillac" but I was surprised to find how easily it scratched or wore. All plastic pieces seem reasonably durable but the bumpers, front and rear, have both fallen off and required reattachment after bumping them against a wall. The bumpers wrap around the front of the fenders and stick out a bit so bumping them against a solid surface with enough force can knock them off, even so reattachment is simple.
7 screws secure the model together on the bottom. Some details including the engine, transmission, muffler and exhaust, gas tank, and chassis elements are molded into the black plastic underneath the car. The tires sport a realistically etched tread pattern to match the true to life side walls with Firestone logo, tube type, 700-15 designation, and other details raised from its surface.
Final Thoughts
Excellent photographs and some information for the grey version of this model can be found here ( http://www.diecastmodelswholesale.com/servlet/the-3686/1947-cadillac-62-1-fdsh-18/Detail ). I do like the number of moving and opening parts on the car and the gold paint job looks nice. This models greatest asset is the amount of detail put into all interior and exterior parts. Its greatest downfall is that these details feature no unique coloration and rely on an extensive use of molded plastic. I can't find anything that really stands out for that "wow" factor on this model. Among other Cadillac models (see below) some of which are from Anson I just don't see this as having any distinguishing features or detail so I will rate it average. For the price, however, I would not be too quick to overlook this model as an addition to your Cadillac 1:18 collection. If you are on the fence with this one I might suggest you look at the similar product here http://www.toywonders.com/productcart/pc/5591.htm that I own but haven't yet reviewed.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.