Elvis Presley 1956 Cadillac Eldorado

       

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Made By:
Jada Toys
Scale:
1/24
MSRP:
US$24.99
Overview:
Packaging (Design):9/10
Packaging (Durability):8/10
Casting (Body):9/10
Casting (Interior):7/10
Casting (Chassis):8/10
Casting (Engine):8/10
Paint (Exterior):7/10
Paint (Interior):N/A
Paint (Trim/Graphics):7/10
Overall Panel Fit:9/10
Total Score:8.0/10

 
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Jada Toys 1956 Cadillac Eldorado
Jada Toys 1956 Cadillac Eldorado packaging Jada Toys 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Elvis figure Jada Toys 1956 Cadillac Eldorado interior Jada Toys 1956 Cadillac Eldorado engine Jada Toys 1956 Cadillac Eldorado trunk Jada Toys 1956 Cadillac Eldorado rear

 
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Background

Elvis bought his 1956 Eldorado in Houston, flying to Texas to make the purchase and then driving the car back to Memphis for its final custom touches. Legend has it that he brought the car to a local shop, crushed a handful of grapes onto the hood of the then-white Cadillac, and told the painter to match that color. Further looking to impress The King, when the car was delivered it had Kool-Aid sprinkled into the carpet to give the car a grape scent to go with the new color. The car is currently on permanent display in the auto museum at Graceland.

 

Packaging

Essentially the same as the pink Cadillac, but in the updated box with a cardboard top left corner. The elements have been rearanged some to fit the redesign: the Jada logo is in new corner, Elvis' signature has been moved to the bottom left, and his portrait to the bottom right. The rest of the box is essentially the same, down to the spotlight silhouette on the back wall of the interior tray (albeit updated to match the new figure).

 

Casting/Paint

A hefty metal body with a smooth finish and clean edges. Seams are generally nice and straight, and are particularly good around the difficult break between the hood and the cowl. The Cadillac's extensive chrome is all represented by separate plated plastic parts, to the degree that some areas that should have been painted - like the vent window frames - were left as untouched clear plastic. Clear plastic was also used for the headlights, windshield, and inner taillights, and transparent red was used for the outer taillights. The paint has a good shine but a fair bit of orange peel and a bit of pull-away at the edges of panels, apparently an ongoing problem with dark candy colors. The side spears are painted white, with a fair bit of fuzzing along the color breaks and a chip near the left taillight. The only printed elements are the hood badge and rear license plate, the latter being the same gold "Elvis" on a black background that we saw on the pink '55.

The engine is Jada's usual all-chrome affair with its separate radiator hose and batwing air cleaner. The interior and trunk are cast in the same milky off-white plastic as the pink version, but without the roof it's more obvious that more paint was needed. As it stands, the only parts that aren't off-white are the chrome steering wheel and pedals, speedometer sticker, and the purple door hinges visible under the dash. The chassis is a single piece with cast-in dual exhausts, engine and transmission bottoms, frame rails, and gas tank. A set of separate chrome sidepipes are screwed into place, and the wheels are gold-painted parts with vinyl tires and painted whitewalls.

 

Features/Accessories

The hood, doors, and trunk open on nice, smooth-working hinges. A 1/24 Elvis Presley figure is also included, posed in mid-dance. It's not a great likeness, looking more like a mid-eighties Andrew Dice Clay than Elvis Presley despite the silver lamé jacket. Some more (or better) paint apps would help.

 

Accuracy

Other than the skipped colors, this is a faithful replica of Elvis' famous purple Cadillac. Scaling is pretty good, right around 1/24~1/25.

 

Overall

The casting here is very good, and what paint is here is decent, but more paint was really needed. A black wash on the grille, silver window frames, a purple carpet...any or all of these could have really elevated the car. As is, the whole thing just feels a tad unfinished. But it's a good base, and for anyone willing to do a little custom work it could be a real show piece.

 

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