Review: Franklin Mint 1:12 Scale 1967 Corvette L88 Roadster
Manufacturer The Franklin Mint
Scale 1:12 1" Model = 12" Real Item
Genre` Vintage Corvette's
M.S.R.P $500.00
I know I promised this a long time ago.. So here it goes!
You too can now own one of the mostsought after Corvette's of all time!
As with my Action Racing Review I have to reiterate that anyone who knows
me or my passion for die cast collection knows that I do not have much
good to say about The Franklin Mint either. Generaly speaking I have seen
every 1:24th scale item that "The Mint" has to offer and I have rarely ever
been impressed with thier offerings or the prices they command for such.
I never would have even considered purchasing this car from them if it was
anything other than 1:12th scale or larger. You see , I have this craving
for large scale models. Yes they are hard to store and if you think it's bad
finding room for 1:18th or 1:24th's then you need to buy a couple larger
scale models!
This particular model from "The Mint" is actualy casted from real fiberglass.
Every part of the car that should be glass is glass and every part that should
be metal is metal. The body has a smooth feeling in your hands that lacks
the coldness of die cast metal and would be impossible to replicate the
real feel of the Corvette without using this material. The body is casted from
a thick fiberglass material and the paint process applied is second to none.
The only company I can think of that comes close would be AUTOart or
Exoto. The paint work really is THAT GOOD!
Open the hood and you are greeted by the legendary L88 427 CID Big Block
Chevy in all it's splendor, from the "Tonawanda" decals on the valve covers
down to the mesh screen on the Functional Air Induction that the L88 cars
ran. It's all there and it's all duplicated very well. Remove the air cleaner
to see the carburator. Spin the fan or revel in the fact that they used a real
throttle return spring!
Move on to the interior, when you open the doors you will notice that FM
must have installed magnets inside the doors and door jambs because
when you open and close the doors they actualy "snap" into place and there
are no springs on the door hinges (which are coincidentaly made of metal
and look like the real thing).
The interior is nothing less than spectacular with rich thick black carpeting
and working features abound. Step on the brake pedal and the brake lights
come on. Move the parking brake to and fro. Push in on the key in the ignition
and the engine springs to life (sound recording). Or hit the horn to be greeted
by the familiar sound of the Corvette's horn tone. The detail does not end
there. You can open the glove compartment or turn on the head lamps (both
high and low beams), tilt the real leather covered seats forward or wind the
windows up and down. Yes even the wing windows function lilke the real
counterparts.
Close the doors and let's open the convertible hatch. This is where I was
somewhat dissapointed with FM. They must have ran into engineering
problems and rather than delay and fix the problem they decided to circumvent
the problem completly. What I am babbling about is the fact that this car
has a real cloth top in the hatch. All the pieces are there from what I can
see that would make this top retract and extend. But as I said, due to some
engineering problem they decided to rivet the top in the down position.
A major dissapointment at this price range, considering that Kyosho's BMW
X8 has a working cloth top for $200.00 or so less dollars.
Flip the car upside down and you see the familiar Corvette drivetrain setup
with working driveshaft and half shafts (with real universals!) and a fully
functioning suspension. The 4 speed stick transmission has metal linkages
running from the side and there is full brake detail underneath also.
You can turn the spinners on the rims to remove them and expose the
rotor and caliper detail. Note there is no spare tire, the area where the
spare would be is occupied by the batteries and speaker system.
In closing I have to say if you are a Corvette Enthusiast (and why else would
you be here?) this car is a must have item. Franklin Mint has produced a
model on par or beyond one of the companies I hold in high requard (Exoto).
Check one out at your local Franklin Mint Store and you just might walk home
with one in hand!
Pro's:
Absolutely gorgeous finish!
Tons of intricate detail and electronics
The use of Fiberglass on the body makes this car have a silky smooth feel
in your hands that would be impossible to duplicate in die cast metal.
Con's:
It's Franklin Mint! Once you buy one, you will be SPAMMED TO DEATH!
The engineers at Franklin Mint decided to put a real working cloth top in
the car and then rivet it to the chasis so you can't use it :confused:
Re: Review: Franklin Mint 1:12 Scale 1967 Corvette L88 Roadster (LS1-Corvette00)
Nice review of a very nice piece...
Now.. why don't you buy one of their thousand-dollar pewter '57 Corvettes and do a review on it... :jester
I'm with you on FM's quality (with the exception of their Harleys, which are actually pretty decent pieces). Neither one of the "mints" can hold a candle to Auto Art or Revell Creative Masters.
If I find a spare $500 layin' around, I might just get one of these... :seeya
Re: Review: Franklin Mint 1:12 Scale 1967 Corvette L88 Roadster (GSDreamin')
GS,
Thanks.... I saw the brocheur on that thousand dollar pewter job.. It's not
available yet (not to my knowledge) and it makes me wonder why in gods
name is it 1K? Does it have more detail than this car?
There is no doubt that FM does make "some" pieces that are to die for.
Like you said, thier Harleys are exquisite as are thier fire engines and that
Tank they have out is awesome as well!
But they are SO living on thier name, which IMHO is like Bose. :)
Re: Review: Franklin Mint 1:12 Scale 1967 Corvette L88 Roadster (LS1-Corvette00)
My wife ordered it for me for my birthday and I just received it. Up to about 3 years ago I had the full size version same color combination(not an L88) but a 427/400 hp sitting in my garage. I did a frame up restoration on the life size version so I was kind of skeptical on the authenticity of the FM version. I can tell you they did a first rate job and nailed the details perfectly. It may be a little pricey but im my opinion its worth it. Now if FM would come out with an acrylic display case(or if anyone can recommend a source) I would appreciate it.
Corvette Store
Review: Franklin Mint 1:12 Scale 1967 Corvette L88 Roadster
