BROOKLIN AND THE 1948 BUICK ROADMASTER ESTATE WAGON

The standard 1948 Roadmaster Estate Wagon (BRK95) was released in November 2002 and deleted in January 2004. It is finished in raven black with red interior, wood like side panels, satin black roof, red license plate and whitewall tyres. A variation with darker wood panels exists.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY BROOKLIN CLUB

Based on the 1948 Buick Roadmaster Station Wagon, the S.F.B.B.C. chose to have this special done in a pale yellow gloss, both to show off the sweeping body lines of this classic and to capture the spirit of golfing at Pebble Beach and the other beautiful golf courses of the Monterey Peninsula. With the lighter body color, the black roof seemed too much of a contrast, so a dark shade of matte brown was chosen instead. The wood side panels were also done in a shade darker than the standard. The interior is done in a medium beige to complement the entire color scheme. Additional distinguishing features include dark yellow license plates reading "CALIFORNIA SFBBC 04" and the "S.F.B.B.C. 2004 - 1 of 200" designation on the baseplate. The factory was unable to remove the Roadmaster script from the front fender, so the model remains a 1948 rather than a 1947 as originally planned. Accompanying the Pebble Beach Buick are two figures produced for the S.F.B.B.C. by Dennis Battista, of Arttista Accessories, Pennsylvania. The golfer figure is based on Bing Crosby, dressed in period clothing, complete with Fedora hat and saddle shoes, golf club and pipe. His caddy carries his golf clubs and bag and holds the flag in his left hand. Creating the Buick Roadmaster Wagon was no simple task. A cursory examination of the multi-panel nature of the roof, side panels, and tail gate, needing to be precisely positioned onto the body, will give some idea of what goes into the making of each model. The total number of Buick produced was limited to 130. Actually, this is the number of models sold by the club, because there was an issue with the side panels. The models received by the SFBBC had poorly done panels so the Club decided to keep the best ones and return the other ones to the factory. Some were redone and sent back to the club and the poor ones were sold through J.M Toys.

J.M. TOYS

A color error version of the 1948 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon was produced in June 2004. They were found to have the darker S.F.B.B.C. wood panels placed onto the standard black Estate Wagons. Only 42 of these have been identified and were available from J.M. Toys in England. For further identification these Buicks were certificated for authenticity.

JOHN ROBERTS CONVERSION

Mid blue was chosen for this model with a cream and brown interior. All chrome was detailed, as the dash, and the headlights were clear resin-filled.

Author: Gianluigi Cappi

You may find more pictures and information on this model plus many other Brooklin stories in the Brooklin Models Collectors Guide.