Sun Star brings out the 1:18 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner mould once again, the team is introducing a new colour, Bronze/Colonial White. This model is expected to arrive in August 2025.
Product# 1349
New Colour Sun Star 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner
I would caution against buying this Sun Star model. I bought one a couple of years ago in a previous color and was so disappointed that I got rid of it after just a few months, donating it to a local thrift store. The shut lines around the roof are very poorly executed, and the roof opening and closing mechanism is not smooth at all. I bought it because it was a unique idea for a die cast model, but the execution is really bad. Let the buyer beware on this one!
An addendum to what I just wrote above: There is no “glass” in the air-vent windows on the two doors, and the radio antenna is made of a very flimsy and fragile plastic rather than metal. Typical cheap corner-cutting by Sun Star, in my opinion.
While fascinated with Sun Star’s subject matter, I am less so with their execution. Having purchased two models, ’58 Continental Mark III and ’57 Eldorado Brougham (Castle Maroon), I have refused to even entertain purchasing another one. The Eldorado, in a word, was atrocious. The suicide doors were so misaligned that they would not close completely. The door and hood gaps were wide enough to insert a coin, among other things. I repacked it and immediately “tried” to contact the retailer. After several attempts to get a response from the company from whom I purchased it, I place it on Ebay for sale. Wonder why there are so many Sun Star models for sale on Ebay? The Continental just simply has beautiful lines BUT I’m afraid to touch it because every time I do something falls off. Sun Star is a huge conglomerate that appears to pay casual attention to its diecast business or has a business model that promotes quantity over quality. How some of this stuff gets through Quality Control is beyond me. It’s almost as if these models are built on the training bench and that’s a shame because collectors with experiences similar to mine will not make the mistake again. Does anyone know of a Sun Star hayday, ie. when they made quality models?
I completely agree with you about Sun Star. In addition to their cheap corner-cutting, their quality control is non-existent! To add insult to injury, their “customer service” is completely non-responsive. A major U.S. online die cast vendor recently decided to stop carrying their products; gee, I wonder why? For all of these reasons, I’ve decided to not buy any more of their models. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised their die cast business still exists. If any of you hobbyists decide to buy this Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner model, don’t say I didn’t warn you!