Look for further shots of this classic sooner or later. It just screams to be used in some kind of diorama setting.
And I finally found the silver version:
I think this Chevrolet stepside pickup from the 1970's was made by Yat Ming.
And I'm almost certain that this was the same Chevrolet stepside, but a copy of the Yat Ming model made by another company as a knock-off.
This is a Hot Wheels Custom '69 Chevrolet.
Hot Wheels '56 Flashsider.
Hot Wheels '50's Chevy Truck.
This beauty is a 1968 Chevrolet C-10 pickup made by Greenlight.
Here's a Hot Wheels '83 Chevy Silverado.
Another Hot Wheels, this time a Custom '62 Chevy pickup.
This one is of a newer Chevrolet Silverado, made by Matchbox.
Matchbox Chevrolet Avalanche.
Hot Wheels released their version of the British-made Lotus Esprit in 1979 and called it "Royal Flash." The first version was in white, and apparently it was only released one more time, in orange. I started with an old first version model and decided it needed to be "brought back to life" by restoring it. Rather than recreating the original paint scheme, I decided to go with a finish in blue that would look deep. This would be achieved by using a certain kind of candy apple-type paint over a base coat of chrome silver. The car itself was in decent shape, as you can see by the above photo, but the wheels were pretty worn. I opted to update the wheels as well. 
Here's a view of the base, showing some age, but not pitted anywhere. The way it was designed employed only one rivet instead of the usual two. This would be drilled out and the body pieces would be cleaned and the paint stripped. 
Here's another view showing how the original paint was heavily chipped at most edges and the tampo in red, white and blue was all but gone from the roof. Despite this, I thought it had a lot of potential.
Here it is after the paint had been stripped and I was trying out some Hot Wheels real rider tires to see what they would look like. They ended up being a little too thick for the look I was going for, so I decided against using them.
This image shows all the different pieces laid out, newly cleaned and the body sporting it's base coat of chrome silver. The plastic window glass piece wasn't cracked anywhere and shined up nicely.
Here it is again with a test fit of the newly-painted body and with some different wheels and tires. It was starting to look like it would turn out nice and with a good "stance."
And here is the finished car, with it's new deep blue paint and the modern wheels fitted. It certainly brings the car into the modern era and gives it a distinctive look all it's own. I had a lot of fun working on this project and I can't wait for the next one!
I've always loved pickup trucks, so I felt it was high time that I spotlighted some of the various pickup trucks in my diecast collection. This post features mostly Ford trucks, but there's a Dodge and a Toyota thrown in for good measure.
Suntoys Toyota Tacoma 
Up until I was the age of 6, my family car was a 1956 Buick. I have fond memories of that car, so when I saw that Maisto was releasing a 1955 Buick, I had to have it. It debuted as part of a set in their Elite Transports series. It featured a COE flatbed truck hauling a 1955 Buick Century. The set is pictured above. I hate to break up the set because, however much I really like the flatbed truck, it's the car on back that is my allstar. The only detraction of the piece is that it's made out to look like some kind of dragster, with wide tires on the back and skinny ones up front. Other than that, it seems to be a fairly accurate representation of a 1955 Buick.
The first thing you notice is that it features a retro-styled paint scheme with lots of pinstriping and scallops along the sides; all done in silver so they really stand out against the black body.
The front end is really down in the weeds and is perhaps just a bit too low for your average car of the Fifties. But, it is detailed to include a colorful license plate.
Those classic 1950 styling cues show big time when viewed along the side and the wrap-around windshield is typical of that era. It also features wing windows that are all but a forgotten relic of the past.
From the side, the Buick design becomes quite noticeable. The distinctive trim is recreated to perfection and represents the period's affinity for the chrome look. The more chrome, the better.
From the rear, you can see this model is sporting dual exhaust. I'll bet it would sound real nice cruising by real slow.
Along the top, the intricate pinstriping is quite evident. Perhaps a little bit more than I would prefer, but it works well with the subtle metalflake black paint it covers.
The car lends itself to many interpretations and looks quite artistic when done up in collage form.
This last view shows the car with some normal-sized wheels and tires. Although sitting at a low rider stance, it's still more level and it's easy to see why the 1950's were thought of as a classic era in American automobile styling. Who wouldn't want a big piece of solid automobile around them when it's a beauty like this 1955 Buick Century. Check out the Maisto Elite Transports series - they've got some really unique cars and trucks represented.
Once a month, I'm going to start a new feature here at Diecast Desination. I'll feature some of my favorite diecast pieces with several detailed looks at them from different angles. Sometimes a piece will hold up from one angle, but not from others. By my definition, if they hold up when viewed from all sides, that makes them a classic. The first piece I'd like to put the spotlight on is an extended cab Ford F-150 pickup made by Suntoys. Suntoys are generally considered to be on the lower end of the quality scale as diecast vehicles are made, but I think they have a lot of character to them. They can usually be counted on to be accurate representations of the vehicles they represent, with extras such as emblems and grills tampoed on to add more realism.
From the front view, you can see the extra effort they made to make sure the grill and headlights stand out. There is also a tiny emblem along the side tampoed in the proper place and the taillights are painted red to look realistic.
Something I really like about this particular piece is that the axles are securely held in place where they belong. A lot of pieces like this feature axles just thrown in and when sitting on a level surface, can cause the body of the vehicle to sit too low over them, giving them a "low rider" kind of look. This pickup's axles don't move around and hold the truck at a proper height. Not too high like an offroad vehicle and certainly not anything resembling a low rider.
From any angle and any lighting source, I think it looks pretty spiffy. When I found this one, I went back and picked up a couple extras. Maybe they'll re-release this one in another color or two, but if they don't, I might have to customize one of my others and try another paint scheme. Perhaps a dark Ford blue or black.
Here it is from a rearward view in glorious black and white. It looks great from any angle!
