Diecast Destination

A True Classic

2012-02-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a real beauty I found the other day by Greenlight - a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. It's solid metal with both a diecast metal body and frame. It's part of their Motor World series. Check out the detail on this model:

Look for further shots of this classic sooner or later. It just screams to be used in some kind of diorama setting.

New Kid On The Block

2012-01-26T06:59:00.000-08:00

Matchbox recently put out an iconic legend - a station wagon! Yes, when most vehicle manufacturers are stuck on minivans and SUVs and crossovers, Cadillac released the modern version of the venerable classic. Matchbox has recreated this Cadillac CTS wagon in great detail. I've also seen this same model in silver, so be on the lookout for that one as well. Without further ado, here's the car:

And I finally found the silver version:

It's Truck Month Again!

2011-06-27T22:05:00.001-07:00

Once again, it's Truck Month here at Diecast Destination. And this month we're featuring Chevrolet trucks. So wander through the lot and see if there's anything you like!

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.

Restored Flash

2011-04-04T06:22:00.001-07:00

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!

It's Truck Month!

2011-04-01T02:43:00.000-07:00

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 Ford F-150

Maisto Road Warrior, based on a 1979 Ford F-150 stepside

A No-Name brand modeled after a Ford F-150 fleetside

Hot Wheels Ford F-150 4-wheel-drive

Maisto Ford Mighty F-350

Hot Wheels Ford F-150 4-wheel-drive

Maisto Ford Explorer Sport Trac

Maisto Dodge Ram Quad Cab

Suntoys Toyota Tacoma

Diecast Piece Of The Month, January 2011

2011-02-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

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.

Diecast Piece Of The Month, December 2010

2010-12-22T00:49:00.000-08:00

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!

Let me know what you think of this new piece of the month concept and if you have any comments or questions about any of my vehicles, I'll try to answer them.

Backgrounds Made Easy

2010-08-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

People ask me all the time how I take shots like the one above. They say, "It's Photoshopped, right?" But they're not Photoshopped. That's something that can be done, but my method is a whole lot easier and much more effective. You have to admit that the picture above sure looks smooth. That's because it's only one image, not several different parts of the image Photoshopped and digitally manipulated to be one. This post will show, in full detail, how I achieve my end results and each step I have to follow to get there. Read on and don't hesitate to leave a comment if there's anything I've left unclear or not fully explained.

First, my method works best when I find a picture with an obvious horizon line I can use; and the picture dimensions must be landscape instead of portrait. Although you can crop a portrait image down to where it resembles the landscape dimensions above, one that is already shaped where it's wider than it is tall works best. In the above image, of a border fence separating Arizona and Mexico, you'll notice that approximately two-thirds of the way down from the top of the photo, there is an imaginary line you can see where there is just dirt road. This will be my horizon line. More on that later.

After I have chosen the picture I'm going to use, I'll open it up in my favorite photo editing software, which is Adobe Photo Deluxe 2.0. This program came out in 1997, so you can see you don't have to have the latest version of Photoshop to be able to achieve similar results as mine. The key to everything is that I'm going to edit my photo so that it can be printed out on a sheet of paper that is legal sized, i.e. 8.5 x 11 inches. After my chosen photo is loaded in the photo-editing software, I'll change the dimensions so that the width of the image is exactly 8.5 inches. Your printer might cut off a little on both edges, but that's all right. You'll still have enough of the image for it to work properly. At this point, it doesn't matter what height your picture is because we'll be taking care of that shortly. In the above image you can see what I did next. I decided that this particular image needed more sky area above the top of the fence. So, I simply made the working area larger, without making the image itself larger. I randomly made it 8 inches tall. You can see the original image now centered in the working area. The next image will show you how to make your sky "taller."

To create more sky with which to work with, and I felt the image I was going for would work better with more sky above the fence, I duplicated part of the sky toward the top. Make sure you don't include any of the fence or other solid objects because you are going to stretch this duplicated area up to the top of the working area. In the above image, you can see the duplicated area of the sky I created and an arrow is pointing at the handle I'm going to grab and drag to the top of the blank working area. By having created this duplicate area of the sky right over identical sky below in the original picture, I now have a piece of sky that is not connected to anything else and has it's own properties. I will drag the handle so that it comes to the exact edge of my working area at the top. When finished, it will resemble the picture below.

Here is the extra sky area I duplicated and pulled up so that it covered all the blank area I had created above the original image. By duplicating an exact copy of the sky right over where the sky was in the original image below it, when I drag the upper edge, it doesn't move the lower edge from where it is found in the orignal image underneath the duplicate. In reality, all I'm doing is just stretching part of the sky so that it takes up more space above the fence. When done properly, and since it's on top of the original image below, what's below the duplicate piece won't show. And the fact that the new piece is just sky won't cause anything to look stretched - it's just non-descript blue anyway.

Now that I've got my top edge where I want it to be, I'll work on the bottom edge. It's time to create a new working area, so I'll extend it so that when I'm finished with it, it will be exactly 14 inches tall. Now, in my program, I have to first make it much longer than I'll need - anything that will trim down to 14 inches, because it always adds an even amount of new blank area above and below my image. In this case, I added 26 inches, trimmed all the white blank area above my sky, and then trimmed the bottom edge until it was exactly 14 inches tall. You can see an arrow pointing to the new bottom of my working area and by looking at the ruler on the left, you can see it is exactly 14 inches. Now for the part that makes my method most effective. I feel I have created this method, because I have not seen it done like this anywhere else. As far as I know, this might be the first time my method was ever employed. If so, now you'll be able to use it as well and get great results like I have been getting.

Like I did when I created some additional sky area at the top of the image to stretch up, I'll duplicate some of the dirt road over itself to pull down. You can see what little amount I had to work with when I did so. If you look close at the original image, you'll see a largish rock on the extreme left, just below the bottom edge of the fence, but immediately above the area I chose to duplicate. By making sure I didn't duplicate any of the area which had any objects that could potentially end up being stretched, this ensured that I would have plenty of plain dirt road area to work with and bring down to the bottom of my working area. An arrow points to the handle I dragged to get the duplicate dirt road area to stretch down to the bottom of the blank white area. Below was what my results looked like when finished dragging the duplicate dirt road piece. Since it was created right over the image below, like the sky was above, I could drag the bottom edge of the duplicate piece without changing the top edge's location in the original image. This is critical so that everything matches up when finished.

This is what my picture looked like when I had dragged the duplicated dirt road piece's bottom edge to the bottom edge of my blank white working area. The arrow points to show that it has been placed at the exact bottom which makes the image now equal 14 inches exactly in height. Once I got it to this state, I saved it as a jpeg and then printed it out on legal sized 8.5 x 11 inch printer paper. You can save it as a bitmap or tiff or whatever you prefer, that part doesn't really matter. All you need is something that can be printed. Once it is printed out, it should like this below:

This is what my finalised background image looked like after it has been printed - it is the actual version of the edit work I did and used myself. You might be able to discern that the dirt road area which was duplicated and stretched downwardly looks warped out of it's correct dimensions. And, you would be right. Here's how I a get around that so that the resulting image I ended up with "looks" normal from top to bottom for photographing:

Here you can see the image I created and printed out and placed into position on my homemade photo stand that is a permanent fixture upstairs in my house. The secret to getting the lower dirt road area to resemble it's correct original dimensions is that I'll bend the image and hold it in place with what I chose as my horizon line positioned at the bend area. By placing my camera almost "head on" to the front edge of my image and photographing it at such a low angle, (as low as I can get), this will make the stretched-out dirt road appear, to the human eye, like it originally looked. It's a trick of angles, but your eye will just see it looking normal again. That's how I get my diecast vehicles to actually "be" in my pictures and blend so well. You can place your car closer to the camera or farther back from the camera, depending on how in or out of focus you want your background to be. Now, a little more information on my photo stand and how I set up my images for lighting them and then photographing them:

My photo stand is sitting directly below two 4-foot-long fluorescent bulbs. They make a good, even light source, but any kind of light will ultimately work just as well. You just have to set your camera for the lighting type you use. Now, to describe what the numbered parts of my setup are:
1. My permanent photo stand, but if you have a two-foot square area on your table, this will work just as well. It doesn't have to be permanent.
2. A dark object, in this case a clipboard, to block the light from above. Heavy cardboard will work, too.
3. Empty instant tea jars to hold the object I use to block the light from above. These have the advantage to being extra tall and clear so that they don't block light from the sides.
4. A prop to hold the back of my image up straight. It can be anything. In this case, it was a small zoom lens!
5. My subject, which can be a diecast vehicle, a camera or an action figure - whatever I'm shooting and will fit in the width of my printed image.
6. The image I created above.
7. My camera. You can use a film camera or a digital camera. Once you've used your photo stand enough, you'll figure out what the best settings will be for each type of subject.
8. A sturdy tripod so that your camera can remain totally rigid for the long exposures my photo stand requires.
Once everything is in place like you see pictured, I'll set my camera to go off with the self timer and hold two sheets of legal-sized printer paper in my hands and reflect the light from above all over my diecast vehicle or whatever my subject is. By waving the papers left and right and up and down, I can get a good, overall even lighting on my subjects. Most exposures take in the 20 to 30 second range, so you'll have plenty of time to illuminate your subject all over and evenly. It really works well, as you can see in the very topmost image of this post. Here is the image I took using the background I created above:

This is my custom-painted Arizona Border Patrol car looking right at home at a border fence between Arizona and Mexico. And it looks like it's actually there, because, in a way, it is in the picture. I ended up only having to take one single picture because I know what my settings are generally going to be. It turned out like this and then I cropped it down to whatever size I wanted it to be, which in this case was so I could have a regular 4x6 inch picture made of it at the CVS Pharmacy photo booth. Once you get this technique mastered, you will be able to take images like these below, which all employ this same method of creating your prepared/stretched image, setting up your photo stand and taking the picture:

I call this one Mickey's Diner, 1955, because I converted it to black and white to make it look old.

Here's one of a jeep making it's way through the desert. The lower desert is actually a separate photo placed in front of the background image. I simply rolled it over a t-shirt to make it look round like a sand dune.

Like the above shot, I employed two different images for this shot as well. The grass was printed out and rolled around a t-shirt to make it look sloped toward the lake picture in the background. So, if you follow this method, there's no reason why you can't achieve similar results with your diecast vehicles. And it's fun, too!

By The Numbers

2010-08-07T01:44:00.000-07:00

Today's post features a baker's dozen of diecast vehicles painted up in racing colors and numbers. Look through them and see how many you can identify. Try to name the company they were made by and the type of vehicle being represented.

And now for the answers:

1. Summer Toyota Celica LB Turbo GR.5

2. Hot Wheels Thunder Roller
3. Matchbox Fiat Abarth

4. Hot Wheels HW Prototype 12

5. Zee Porsche 910

6. Matchbox Ford GT

7. Hot Wheels Turbo Streak

8. Hot Wheels Side Kick

9. Hot Wheels Pro Stock Firebird

10. Hot Wheels Mirada Stocker
11. Ertl Mountain Dew Buick

12. Hot Wheels Shadow Mk IIa

13. Hot Wheels Dodge Charger Stock Car

How well did you do?

Oh, The Humanity!

2010-08-05T09:16:00.001-07:00

I think most of you might recognize the title of this short post. Below, my Goodyear Blimp, made by Hot Wheels:

Mercury Blues

2010-06-05T01:30:00.000-07:00

Well, sad news for this post.... Ford has announced that they're killing the 71 year-old Mercury line of cars. Yet another American brand to bite the dust in the last decade. It's a terrible occasion for all the Mercury lovers, which includes myself. I had a Mercury as well and loved it. That makes several car brands we've lost in the last few years, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac and now Mercury, not to forget that they also cancelled the popular Saturn and Hummer lines as well. When will this madness stop? Below are just a couple of the Mercury models I have in 1:64 scale. Not shown are a couple of the big Mercury station wagons from the 1970's. Enjoy looking at these cars before they become extinct. Sad, sad day.

M2 Machines Auto-Thentics 1949 Mercury

Hot Wheels '56 Merc

Hot Wheels '69 Mercury Cougar Eliminator

Matchbox Cougar Villager

The Future Is Here!

2010-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Inspired, perhaps, by the motion picture Back To The Future, the DeLorean DMC-12 became bigger than life and is an instantly recognizable vehicle wherever it goes. It was the brainchild of former Chevrolet chief executive, John Z. DeLorean.

Produced between January 1981 and December 1982, nearly 9200 DeLoreans were made. They were notable for many things, not the least of which was it's unpainted stainless steel body panels and those gull-wing doors. It estimated that around 6500 DeLoreans still exist.

In December 2009, Mattel released it's version of this venerable sports car as part of it's Hot Wheels 2010 line of diecast 1:64 scale toy cars. As seen above, they were able to capture the essence of this car - the distinct lines of this beautiful silver automobile and the first edition even emulated it's stainless steel exterior. The original car's "turbine" wheels were matched by using Hot Wheels' chromed 10-Spoke wheels.

The front of the Hot Wheels version is quite a close copy of the original machine, right down to it's DeLorean Motor Company initials in the middle of the grille. It's low stance is all there, and the first version's silver paint is highly reminiscent of what you would have seen in your rearview mirror had a DeLorean been tailing you back in 1981.

Mattle was able to include a lot of detail in a 3 inch long car including it's uniquely-shaped gull-wing doors, the side trim and the louvres surrounding the rear side window.

For a December 1981 credit card promotion, three gold-plated DeLoreans were factory made and are authentic color variations for the car. Had not the company faltered after the arrest of it's creator, John DeLorean on drug trafficking charges, several other colors were planned. These have been described as black, yellow and red.

So far, as of the end of April 2010, Mattel has released just two miniature versions of this classic car; one in metalflake silver to simulate the original car's stainless steel body and a metalflake gold one to match the three gold-plated counterparts. It is yet to be seen whether or not Hot Wheels will choose the other colors of black, red or yellow or perhaps come up with new colors such as blue, green, purple or the classic Hot Wheels rarity color of pink.

One thing the Hot Wheels version has which is a nice touch is the rear hatch that opens. When raised up, you can see the spare tire area and the space behind the two seats. It was a nice idea to add this moving feature.

So, that has been a little look at my current favorite Hot Wheels, the DeLorean DMC-12. When it came out in 1981, the original vehicle made quite an impression on me as a 20-year-old young man. If I could have afforded one, I would have bought one - they were that distinctive looking for the cars being produced at the time. John Z. DeLorean died in 2005, but his company has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes and there are new/old models being assembled from the remaining parts made back in the early 1980's. They are about 80% new old stock parts and 20% new manufacture. Of course, they look just as distinctive, but have several new improvements built in. They are truly a car of it's time!

Now, it only remains for Hot Wheels to release a special version with their "turbine" style real rider wheels and the plain metal exterior. I'm thinking it would look something like the above custom. Of course I'll buy several just because I love the car so much! You'll probably have noticed that the Diecast Destination banner has this car as it's main subject, such is it's popularity with this author.

Dodge Viper - A Modern Classic

2010-03-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

When the Dodge Viper was first released in 1992, it immediately captured the attention of the public. After having made countless appearances in TV shows, video games, movies and music videos, it's still going strong. Here is my diecast tribute to this hot car.

Maisto 1995 Dodge Viper RT10

Maisto 1996 Dodge Viper GTS

Maisto 1998 Dodge Viper GT2

Hot Wheels Dodge Viper GTS-R

Matchbox Dodge Viper GTS-R

Customs I've Made

2009-11-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

To me, there's a certain satisfaction to be gained when you can customize one of your favorite diecast pieces and paint it in a color of your own choosing. That way, it makes it special, and in a sense, a limited piece. Depending on the amount of detail you want to add, you can make them look quite eye-catching! Now, my skills at customizing are not even close to the level I've seen being turned out by some people out there, but I still find it something I enjoy doing. Above is a Summer Toyota Celica LB Turbo GR.5. I had a beat up old one that I acquired long ago and attempted to make it look nice again. Below, you can see my less than stellar attempt. But it was one of the first ones I ever repainted:

Recently, I dug it out and redid it again. Below you can see a transitional state it took before I applied the final coat of paint to it. There was a point that I almost left it with the chrome look because it looked kind of nice:

But, I went on and finished it later and it turned out like this:

Some of the other castings I have customized is one of my favorite Hot Wheels vehicle called a Letter Getter. It is basically a big panel truck with lots of room for the sponsor's logo on the sides. This makes it a nice choice to customize as you can put whatever writing on it that you want. I chose "Kodak" for this one because I like to take pictures and use a lot of Kodak film:

I chose "FedEx" for the side of this one simply because you see them everywhere:

Here's an old piece I had that was all but ready for the trash. I decided to bring it back to life and fixed it up. Here is the shiny, new truck it became:

One of my other early attempts at repaining a toy car was this Hot Wheels Gun Slinger. Originally, it was Army green and had a gun. Well, I had long since lost the gun, so I repainted it black. But, I did keep the Army theme by applying a star decal to the hood:

Another bodystyle I like is station wagons. My parents had one when I was little and ever since then, I've loved them. I've had three real ones of my own since becoming an adult! So, anytime one is released in 1:64 scale, you can bet I try to get one. Here is a Hot Wheels 8 Crate, based on a 1955 Ford station wagon that I started to customize. When it's finished, it will be two-tone, white over red. But for now, here's what it looks like:

Other station wagons I've customized is one put out by Matchbox, an Audi RS6 Avant:

And what some might consider to be a station wagon, a Volkswagen T2 minibus, also by Matchbox:

Matchbox also makes a Dodge Magnum station wagon model, in two varieties. Here is one of them that I am going to stripe and make into an Illinois State Police car:

Here's another Police vehicle I made, only it started out as a Hot Wheels Highway Patrol car and became an Arizona Border Patrol car:

Here is a Maisto Chevrolet Camaro Concept that I painted anodized blue over a chrome base. It is one of the first cars I ever drilled out the rivits and took it apart the right way:

A Hot Wheels '65 Mustang Fastback that I painted gloss black and used the old basic wheels they used to use:

I started customizing this Zee Volkswagen Beetle to look like Herbie, The Love Bug. All it needs are the racing strips and numbers to be finished:

Here's an old Lindberg Line Hertz Truck that I painted black long ago. It's essentially a 1:64 scale model car, so it was easy to take back apart and paint:

My most recent custom is a Hot Wheels Cadillac Seville. They only made it for a couple years and in a couple different paint schemes. For one release, they used the big, rubber tires known as Real Riders. I decided this one needed to be a different color, I had stripped it down to bare metal waiting to make up my mind what color that would be. The other day I decided what I wanted, so I finished painting it and putting it back together. This is how it turned out:

So, customizing your own cars can be quite fun. It can take as little or as much time and effort as you wish to put out and at any level of effort, you can come up with some nice results. As I said, I'm not really very good at it, but I think they turn out to be some great looking customs that I'm proud to display!

M2 Machines Auto-Thentics Releases

2009-11-11T01:52:00.000-08:00

Castline, Inc. seems to have started this line around January of 2008 and already they're making their mark in the world of diecast. I've read that each car will be released in limited numbers of around 4000 to 5000 pieces for each model/color. That means, when you see them, you'd better get them before they're gone! This, then, is the release order for the M2 Machines Auto-Thentics line so far. I will try to keep it updated as new ones are released. The cars in each series each have a different paint scheme and/or wheel combination. Updated February 3rd, 2011.

Release 1A:
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air
1955 Pontiac Star Chief
1953 Oldsmobile 98
1951 Ford Crestliner
1957 Ford Fairlane
1954 Mercury Sun Valley

Release 1B:
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air
1955 Pontiac Star Chief
1953 Oldsmobile 98
1951 Ford Crestliner
1957 Ford Fairlane
1954 Mercury Sun Valley

Release 2A:
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air
1955 Pontiac Star Chief
1953 Oldsmobile 98
1951 Ford Crestliner
1957 Ford Fairlane
1954 Mercury Sun Valley

1955 Pontiac Star Chief - Release 2A

Release 2B:
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air
1955 Pontiac Star Chief
1953 Oldsmobile 98
1951 Ford Crestliner
1957 Ford Fairlane
1954 Mercury Sun Valley

Release 3A:
1955 DeSoto Fireflite
1957 DeSoto Adventurer
1954 Dodge Coronet
1955 Dodge Royal Lancer
1953 Ford Crestline Victoria
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Release 3B:
1955 DeSoto Fireflite
1957 DeSoto Adventurer
1954 Dodge Coronet
1955 Dodge Royal Lancer
1953 Ford Crestline Victoria
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

1953 Ford Crestline Victoria - Release 3B

Release 4A:
1955 DeSoto Fireflite
1955 Dodge Royal Lancer
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air
1954 Mercury Sun Valley
1957 Ford Fairlane
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

1955 DeSoto Fireflite - Release 4A

1954 Chevrolet Bel Air - Release 4A

Release 4B:
1955 DeSoto Fireflite
1955 Dodge Royal Lancer
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air
1954 Mercury Sun Valley
1957 Ford Fairlane
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Release 5A:
1950 Oldsmobile 88
1949 Mercury
1959 Cadillac Series 62
1958 Plymouth Fury
1957 DeSoto Fireflite
1954 Dodge Coronet

Release 5B:
1950 Oldsmobile 88
1949 Mercury
1959 Cadillac Series 62
1958 Plymouth Belvedere
1957 DeSoto Fireflite
1954 Dodge Coronet

Release 6:
1959 Cadillac Series 62
1949 Mercury
1955 Pontiac Star Chief
1959 Cadillac Series 62
1949 Mercury
1955 Pontiac Star Chief

1955 Pontiac Star Chief - Release 6

1959 Cadillac Series 62 - Release 6

1949 Mercury - Release 6

Release 7:
1958 Plymouth Belvedere
1953 Ford Crestline Victoria
1954 Dodge Royal
1958 Plymouth Belvedere
1953 Ford Crestline Victoria
1954 Dodge Royal

1958 Plymouth Belvedere - Release 7

Release 8:
1949 Mercury
1955 DeSoto Fireflite
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
1949 Mercury
1955 DeSoto Fireflite
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Release 9:
1954 Dodge Royal
1954 Dodge Royal
1955 Dodge Royal Lancer
1955 DeSoto Fireflite
1957 DeSoto Adventurer
1957 Chrysler 300C

1955 Dodge Royal Lancer - Release 9

Release 10 (Features cars pinstriped by Tom Kelly):
1950 Oldsmobile 88
1955 Dodge Royal Lancer
1951 Ford Cresliner
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
1953 Ford Crestline Victoria
1957 DeSoto Adventurer

1957 DeSoto Adventurer - Release 10

I have several of these models, so as I get them photographed, I'll be sure to post more images so you can get an idea what these highly detailed models look like. Please feel free to let me know what you think of them.

M2 Machines Auto-Thentics Preview

2009-11-07T03:31:00.000-08:00

Just over a year ago, a new diecast company started doing business. Their commitment was to produce highly detailed 1:64 scale vehicles of solid construction and quality materials. Having found a few in my area and purchased them, I can say that I am totally satisfied that they achieved their goal! These models are marvelous. I posted a 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria in a previous post, but I wanted to talk a little bit more about them here. I'm planning on another more detailed post showing these cars inside and out, but this little look should at least whet your appetite for them. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are several thousand words' worth of pictures for you to get acquainted with the fabulous line of vehicles in the M2 Machines Auto-Thentics line. The above lineup includes, from the top, the 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria I posted previously, a 1955 DeSoto Fireflite, a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air and then 2 different 1955 Pontiac Star Chiefs, with different paint schemes.

Here is a closer look at one of the 1955 Pontiac Star Chiefs. You can see the detail is terrific! The doors open, the hood raises and the tires are made of rubber and feature whitewalls. The interior is fully embellished with all the appointments of a real 1955 Pontiac Star Chief. Two-color seats and a realistic looking dash.

From this view, you can see that they have used several dozen parts to complete the vehicle. There are chrome headlight bezels with clear headlight inserts, the hood ornament is a separate piece and there is a generous amount of chrome down the length of the car. They have even replicated the brushed aluminum look over the rear wheel wells. Below, is a recreation of a 1950's diner using some of the M2 Machines in my collectin to add to the realism of the photograph. I can't wait to work up a closer look at these vehicles so I can post a follow-up on them.

Corvette Mania

2009-11-07T02:51:00.000-08:00

I thought this time I might feature some images of the quintessential American sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette. Probably every company that ever made a diecast car has put at least one Corvette into their line, and this post will feature just a few from my meager collection of the fiberglass-bodied speedster. So, please enjoy the show!

Summer 1956 Corvette

Maisto 1957 Corvette

Hot Wheels 1958 Corvette

Hot Wheels 1969 Corvette

Hot Wheels 1980's Corvette

Zee 1985 Corvette

Maisto 1997 Corvette

Hot Wheels 2009 Corvette

Well, I hope you got to see all the sports cars I just presented. Chevrolet Corvettes are fast and if you blinked, you might have missed them!

Blogger Has Issues

2009-11-07T01:48:00.000-08:00

I still can't get Blogger to work! It won't let me upload any images, and since that's what my blogs are all about, that leaves me nothing. I'll post something as soon as I am able. Thanks for understanding!

Update:

Well, I can say with authority now that it was definitely a Blogger issue. They seem to have added in a new editor, while keeping the old editor. They clash and do not want to work together. You have to upload photos in one editor, then switch over to the new editor to do the rest of your editing. Hopefully, it will at least continue to work this way and I'll be able to work around it. While it seems to be working, I'll upload some Corvette's I've been saving. If you see them in the next post, you'll know I got it to work at least once!

Station Wagons Redux

2009-08-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some more station wagon models, including the brand new, eagerly anticipated release from Matchbox of the 1971 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser:

Compare it to this Johnny Lightning version of a 1964 model:

A Johnny Lightning 1964 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser

A Matchbox Dodge Magnum

A Matchbox Audi RS6 Avant

A Hot Wheels '40's Woodie

A Johnny Lightning 1960 Ford Station Wagon custom

1950 Chevrolet 4-Door

2009-08-15T00:37:00.000-07:00

This is my Father's 1950 Chevrolet 4-Door, which he is doing a full body-off restoration and customization. I found out that a scale model of this exact car was made by Solido, but in 1:43 scale. It's not 1:64 scale, but as far as I've been able to find out, this is the only model of any scale that's ever been released of a 1950 Chevrolet 4-Door. I happened to find 3 different models online and purchased them, with the intent of customizing one to look like my Dad's real-life version. He's already said he's not going to have whitewall tires on his custom, so the tires off the police car version below will be the one's I use, along with this car supplying the model I work with. He's already channelled 1972 Chevrolet Nova taillights into the body area below the trunk lid, so I will have to remove the stock taillights from the 1:43 scale version. He's decided on a two-tone paint scheme, white roof over blue body, so as soon as he settles on which shade of blue he's going to paint it, I can get serious at starting my custom version of his real one. He's not devoting a lot of his time to work on the car, so it might be awhile before he finishes his version. I hope to have my miniature custom finished long before that. Stay tuned for updates on the customization process!

Black Is Black

2009-06-23T22:50:00.001-07:00

Just a bunch of black vehicles to match the mood I've been in lately.

Hot Wheels 1966 Batmobile

Suntoys Lincoln Navigator

Hot Wheels BMW 323

M2 Machines 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria

Maisto Dodge Ram Quad Cab

Hot Wheels 1933 Ford

Hot Wheels 1962 Chevy Bubbletop

Hot Wheels 1962 Chevy Bubbletop
(It's actually the negative image of a white one.)

Matchbox 2006 Ford Transit Van

Summer Porsche 917

Maisto 1934 Ford Hot Rod

Maisto 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera

Matchbox Sport SUV Police

Hot Wheels Ford Thunderbolt

Hot Wheels Ferrari F430 Spider
(It's actually the negative image of a white one.)

Maisto 2001 Chevrolet Suburban

Forced Vacation

2009-06-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

And, if that wasn't enough, now Google blogger won't seem to allow me to upload any photographs. My blogs all rely on photographs, so I suppose until somebody straightens this out, I won't be able to post anything on Diecast Destination temporarily. If it's not one thing, it's always a half a dozen others.

You'll all remember how lightning struck my computer a couple weeks back and I had to buy a new one. Well, my car had "issues" and it had to be taken into the shop for repairs. It's supposed to be around the tune of $700. (Not my favorite tune, mind you!) They were okay with me paying half tomorrow (when it's supposed to be finished), and the rest in a week or so. Well, today I find that I lost my job and I get my car insurance statement which will be due at the end of this month. Will it never end!?

Don't despair. I'll try to be back soon!

Matchbox 1965 Austin Mini Van

2009-05-22T00:36:00.000-07:00

Well, as promised - here is my modest collection of Matchbox 1965 Austin Mini Vans. The casting was first released in 2007, so it's pretty new.

This is the First Edition.

One without any markings on the side.

This one was found in a 5-Pack.

One found only in a 10-Pack. Dig that slice of pizza on the door!

And the first one released in 2009's City Action series.

I'm sure that there will be plenty more to come!

Follow Ups

2009-05-21T21:31:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven't been able to post for the last two weeks because a tremendous thunderstorm moved through my area and lightning struck my computer - taking it out completely. But, now I'm back online and until I can get caught up on everything, I wanted to post a few images to follow up on some previous posts. Well, here goes!

This is a Yat Ming Ford Station Wagon, here displaying a Fire Chief paint scheme. This vehicle will have it's own special post coming up soon - when I get some time to take more pictures of it - but for now it can be an addition to some of the station wagons I've featured here on Diecast Destination. Just check out these previous posts, Hot Wheels Station Wagons and More Station Wagons.

Here is another image of the Summer Toyota Celica LB Turbo GR.5 that I restored, with different wheels. I thought they resembled the ones on the original vehicle better, but I haven't decided whether I like these or the original ones I chose better. Time will tell, I suppose. You can check out all about those other wheels and the restoration process here.

This is an unused image of a Steam Roller from a special road construction post I did a short while back. There just doesn't seem to be many websites that feature 1:64 scale construction equipment, so like me, if you can't get enough of these tiny workhorses, you can see plenty more of them here!

What's not to like about pictures of plastic cows? Here is a Hot Wheels Stake Bed truck hauling them back to the farm.

As previously mentioned, more pictures of plastic cows to look at. This one is riding on the back of a Suntoys fire vehicle, with the bed removed.

This little Road Master Express Wheels Toyota Sequoia, by Suntoys, certainly got around during this post here, but it's back on the dusty (grassy?) trail. What adventures await for this little SUV? Stay posted and see!

And finally, this Matchbox 1965 Austin Mini Van just makes my mouth water to look at it! I plan on doing a post soon to show off a few of these tiny delivery vans that are in my collection. They seem to be popular and have come in many different guises which feature a multitude of business uses and corporate logos.

Humor In Diecast

2009-05-05T00:32:00.001-07:00

Everybody needs a laugh now and then - so please enjoy these humorous diecast photos!

"I tell ya, that fish was this big!" "Uh, huh."

"What!? Three cows can't need a taxi now and then!?"

"I don't know.... I was looking for something a little more heavy duty than this."

On My Desk Now 1

2009-04-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

These are some of the diecast vehicles that are on my desk right now, from left to right:

Matchbox Chevy Blazer 4x4, from the Croc Zoo 5-Pack;

Maisto Custom Shop Mercedes Benz S Class;

Motor Max 1978 Ford Thunderbird;

Motor Max 1979 Chrysler LeBaron Town and Country Wagon.

What's on your desk right now?

The Nissan 300ZX

2009-04-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today's post is about a classic styled car first released in the early 1980's. Nissan introduced it's successor to the 280ZX in late 1983, and named it the 300ZX. During the 6 years it was manufactured, it started out from being popular with the public to an out-dated looking vehicle that needed to be retired. But when it was first introduced with it's angular looks and styling, it caught the public's eye and also the attention of the diecast world. Just about every company that produces 1:64 scale cars produced their own version of the Z-car. Companies such as Tomica, Siku, Matchbox, Maisto, Ertl, Tootsietoy, Road Champs, Hot Wheels, Majorette, as well as the three highlighted in the picture above, Welly, Yat Ming and Zylmex all had their own version of this venerable classic. I'd like to go into a little more detail with the last three brands.

Welly's version, numbered 8380, featured opening doors and an interior with not much real detail. Their version is a copy of the Tomica car, but done in a realistic looking paint scheme. The tires are not too overly big to fit the wheel wells and the base is made out of black plastic. The clear windows show off the interior well.

The Yat Ming version, numbered 1027, is a fairly innocuous model, redeemed by realistic paint and graphics. It's doors do not open, but the windows are clear and you can see the interior in all it's detail. The base on this model is also plastic and the car itself is, overall, a very light-feeling piece. It does have the advantage of having a plastic piece in the back to simulate the rear bumper. The graphics say "Motor Sport" along the top of the roof and hood.

Another very light casting is the model by Zylmex, actually using the company name Zee for this one, numbered D78. The paint is nice, but the graphics seem a little thin and wear off easily. The windows are also clear on this one, but due to the black color of the seats and dark exterior paint, it's harder to make out the details of this interior. The base is gray plastic on this model and the doors do not open. The wheels are a good size and fit into the proportions of the wheel wells quite nicely. All three models sport their companies' typical wheel styles.

The view of the backs of all three models are similar, but there are differences. The base on the Welly mounts through a hole in the rear bumper instead of being riveted in the back. The Yat Ming has the aforementioned black plastic bumper piece and an insert for the tail light and license plate area in red. The Zee model's base is also mounted through a hole in the rear, simulating the license plate area. The stance of all three cars is pretty similar.

Looking through the open doors of the Welly 300ZX into the interior, you can see that there's not much definition anywhere. But, the opening doors are a nice touch.

The graphics along the top of the Yat Ming version are very understated, but nice and realistic. You can see that the interior on this model has much more detail than the Welly, even including the shifter column between the front seats. Two of the three versions simulate the side windows in the down position, this one and the Welly.

With it's thick windows and black seats, it's hard to make out much detail on the inside of this one. It's graphics seem gaudy in comparison to the other two, but overall, the car has a nice look to it's lines.
All in all, each of the three models has features that make them realistic in comparison and scale to the life-size models made by Nissan. These miniature replicas are all on the light size as far as weight goes, but this is typical for toy cars made in Asia. I have to say that I'm glad they're a part of my collection as they have a nice design, one which is quite appealing to my eyes. The choice of exterior paint on all three cars seems to be what could have been on the real models and are not too bright or gaudy, nor unrealistic colors. This is another plus for me.

One last note before I go. Although Mattel released it's own version of the Nissan 300ZX in 1985, it also released a version in it's Crack-Ups series that same year which featured louvers over the back and side windows, and which has not been released since or in their mainline. It was given the strange name of "Speed Crasher" and featured a rear bumper that rotated when hit to simulate rear-end crash damage. This could be something they might wish to look into somewhere in the future with the thought of updating the casting without the smashed rear bumper; as this is the only version with the louvered windows. They were popular back in the late 1970's and 1980's and I think they look kind of nice. As always, comments are welcomed and appreciated! Until next time!

Road Construction Bonus

2009-04-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

Just a little bonus to the Road Construction post. Here is a 1:64 scale steam roller framed with a real-life version of the same piece of heavy equipment in the background. I had to time the shot perfectly to get it.

Road Construction

2009-04-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

It's another road construction contract, so they truck the heavy equipment they'll need for the project into the site the night before they're due to start the job. And to do that, you'll need to start with a semi truck and a heavy duty flatbed trailer.

In case they need to dig up some culvert pipe, they have to have a big digger present. Here they're unloading the excavator.

This is the vehicle that will be doing the actual spreading of the asphalt. Oddly enough, it's known as an asphalt paver.

And of course, you'll need a heavy steam roller or two!

The heavy metal machinery is starting to build up.

And to pour those shiny white concrete storm drains, a huge cement mixer will come in very handy.

This is the bosses' truck. He's always moving around keeping an eye on everything. He gives the command to start paving the road!

The first load of fresh asphalt arrives and is loaded into the paver.

Gotta lift that bed high to get it all out!

You can see it goes right into the hopper of the asphalt paver.

The boss moves around a lot. He has to stay on top of everything and keep the job running smoothly.

Here is a close-up of the asphalt paver.

Once the paver goes through, the rollers follow.

It is these lumbering dinosaurs of the heavy equipment world which smash down the freshly-laid asphalt into a nice, smooth roadway.

Another load of asphalt is used up. A job such as this uses a lot of it!

Sometimes, you need a little asphalt to fill in a few areas along the edge of the road. Such as mailbox turnoffs, driveway entrances and side streets. This is where a front loader comes in handy.

The crew keeps moving right along until the job's finished.

And when the job is done, the boss looks on and says it's time to go to the next job - wherever that may be.

Rare Models

2009-04-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Regular readers of this blog will probably remember that I grew up with Hot Wheels in my collection from the very first year they were released. As such, they hold a special place in my heart. I'd like to show off a few of the rarer models of Hot Wheels that are in my collection, spotlighting "Haulers." Mostly commercial vehicles, but one station wagon model that will haul a lot of people. Well, here they are:

This is a 1939 GMC Panel Truck, by Hot Wheels, in Rat Rod primer. I'm certain that many companies in the waning year of the '30's would have liked to have had a delivery vehicle like this!

Another Panel Truck, this one a 1962 Chevrolet. Featuring a down and dirty stance, this is one stylish hauler that will flat haul the mail!

In the Fabulous Fifties, Ford introduced this popular little truck called a Ranchero. This is the 1955 Ford Ranchero, in black and silver. This is not your Grandfather's old truck! Back in the day, I had two Rancheros from the early 1970's; great vehicles.

Hot Wheels has always been known for it's own custom creations. This is their popular Deora II in a Panel Van version. The flames make it look fast, even when it's not moving!

And lastly, one of my favorite body styles - the station wagon. This one is a 1980 Cadillac Seville Estate Wagon. Kind of makes you long for the country, doesn't it? Just so you could own one of these lumbering log wagons.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this look at some of the rare vehicles in my collection. Don't be envious if you've not found any of these for your own collections, after all - it is the First of April!

Getaway

2009-03-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of places to get away to....

....and from.

I packed a light bag, grabbed the credit card and before 9 a.m., Simone and I were headed north on 90 out of Santa Barbara in the Toyota Sequoia.

Having lived within hours of the Sequoia National Park for most of my life, I had the thought to make that the first stop on our little getaway; it being the namesake of my truck and all. For the first couple hours, we just drove without talking to each other; it was a beautiful day and the sun shone warmly. Once inside the confines of the park, I left the road to find my own way around.

Those big trees are something to see!

We had stopped at a little store on the way and picked up some items for a picnic - a French loaf, cheese and wine. Once we found a suitable spot, we stopped and unpacked the buffet. Like the wine, Simone's smile has a certain intoxicating effect on me as well.

Termites from all over the world must love this place. They probably send back postcards to the termites at home telling of all the great wood to gnaw on. I prefer cheese myself.

Leaving the park, we came to a wooden suspension bridge. It was a long way up, but quite scenic.

We found some hills so I reasoned this was a good chance to try out the traction on the Toyota. Four Wheel Drive is a good thing!

The hills grew steeper, but it didn't faze our truck. It kept right on climbing to the top of the world.

Once we got to the top, what a view it commanded! We could almost see the Pacific Ocean. But not quite. Simone remarked with a slight yawn that she was getting tired. I nodded.

The natural rock formations were huge, but fairly smooth going. The wine tipped over and spilled in the back floorboard. We broke the rest of the bread up into crumbs and threw them to a flock of white and yellow birds we saw by the side of the road.

By late afternoon, we were both tired and ready to return. One last view of the cavern and we started back. I knew there would be hell to pay when I got back to my wife. Sigh.

Summer Toyota Celica LB Turbo GR.5 Restoration

2009-03-30T02:07:00.000-07:00

Summer Metal Products Manufacturing, Ltd., began making 1:64 scale toy diecast vehicles in the mid-1970's and marketed them under the name Summer (SM). Their first cars released used the numbers S671 through S698, starting approximately 1976-1978. Later in the same decade, they came out with their second group of vehicles using the numbers S8001 through S8108. It is from this second group and time period that the title car of this post first joined my collection. By 1980, my collection consisted of only two Summer vehicles, both acquired around the same time. The first one was a silver 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III, with the base number S692. It is pictured below:

Knowing that the numbering system they used for their first run of cars ended at S698, I noticed that my Rolls-Royce was among their final castings in this group. In fact, it was the next to last release in that first collection. The other car I purchased was the Toyota Celica LB Turbo GR.5, with the base number S8001. Seeing as how it was the first casting in the second list of numbers they used, it made sense to me that I got them both around the same time and that they had both been released close together. The Roll-Royce still looks like the picture above, but the Toyota Celica suffered more abuse. I suppose it was bias on my part that saw me treating the Rolls-Royce with more care than a Toyota. Through the early years I had it, the paint faded and chipped off in several places and the adhesive paper decals it had come with became very worn. Perhaps the paint on this first version wasn't as sturdy or something. Anyway, I decided to customize my Toyota and repaint it a bright red. Here is what it looked like for that first "restoration" attempt:

When it was originally released, it was blue and had a racing theme with decals that consisted of a number "1" and Esso sponsorship. Over time, my original car became so worn it looked a lot like this other one now in my collection:

I have also seen this same Toyota Celica with different decals, real tampos this time, and sporting the number "12" and Marlboro sponsorship. This model looks like this:

The reason I know that mine was the earlier release is by examining the base of both of these models closely. The first one, the Esso "1," has a base that shows the Summer logo, the model number, the name of the car and where it was made - "Made in Hong Kong. " The second release, the Marlboro "12," has had the name of the car and the country of manufacture routed out of the original mold. To me, that signifies that it is a later release rather than earlier. I'm told by Steve Masson that the reason the name was removed from the bottom of the car is probable licensing issues with Toyota. That makes sense, now that I think about it. Compare both bases and see what I mean:

Esso "1" base

Marlboro "12" base

Esso "1" base detail

Marlboro "12" base detail

Tampo detail on the hood of the Marlboro "12" version

Decal detail on the hood of the Esso "1" version

Back wing detail of the Esso "1"

You can see that the decals are obviously paper on the earlier version. Even though the name "Esso" was all but obliterated on the back of the car, I was able to recognize that it was the Esso logo. Compare below to see what I mean:

I have seen four different styles of wheels used on this model and they include a "5 Star" wheel, a "6 Point" wheel and a "4 Spoke" wheel. I have also seen a version with an un-chromed, white plastic "5 Star" wheel used.

The wheels on my car were all used up, but you can still see that they were "6 Point" wheels:

Seeing it's deteriorated condition, even after I had repainted it years ago, made me want to "bring it back to life," so to speak and make it look like it did when I first got it. It deserved that much. Most Summer models have a simple chrome-plated plastic interior, which in the case of my Toyota, held the front and rear wheels in place. Here is what the base and interior looks like, with the addition of the new wheels it so needed:

I decided to paint it close to the original color, a dark blue, but I wanted it have a little extra sheen. I used an automotive paint which first required a silver basecoat. Here is the basecoat with some early wheels holding it up for a picture:

I have since painted it with a couple coats of the upper color and reassembled it. I'd like to recreate the exact look of the original adhesive decals and add them on in the proper places, but I don't know - I think it looks kind of nice with no designs on it anywhere. What do you think?

So, there is the complete story of my Summer Toyota Celica LB Turbo GR.5 - from it's humble beginnings to it's colorful present restored appearance. Tomica has made a version of this casting, so it must be popular with other people besides me. Even though Summer vehicles are considered to be some of the cheapest made, I think there's a certain attraction to some of their models. Does anybody else have Summer models in their collection that they treasure? I'm almost certain that I've seen this same casting of a Toyota Celica race car in a group of non-descript vehicles packaged in a big set. It's tempting to buy this set just to have a new version of my old favorite to go along with it's older sibling!

Update:

I've also been informed by Steve that this little Toyota was based upon a real-life race car driven by Harald Ertl, in 1977, and Rolf Stommeln in 1978. While my car seems loosely based on the paint scheme that was used in 1977, the Tomica version of this same car is almost identical to the 1978 paint scheme. The actual car showed speed and promise, but in the end turned out to be disappointing in it's racing results. Too bad! But I like my little version anyway!

Update:

As you can see, I have found a new version of this venerable casting. The only thing about it is that it is a cheaper version - the seats (there are two of them now instead of only one) are molded into the base and there's no dash or steering wheel; and the body looks similar but it is slightly different. It's much thinner metal, too. There are also side windows molded in, not just the windshield piece. I suppose it's mainly interesting in that they just won't let this casting die. It's painted with no racing decals on it and made to resemble a regular car:

Fired Up

2009-03-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

From a young age, I always had fire rescue vehicles of some kind or another. Whether it was the long tiller trucks with ladders that raised up and down or complete playsets with warning signs, barricades, figures and vehicles. When a fire broke out, I could handle it! Perhaps that is why to this day diecast fire trucks and vehicles hold a special place in my collection. Here are some of the fire department vehicles made by Maisto, in their Fresh Metal collection, that are a proud part of my diecast collection:

Mercedes Benz Tiller Truck

Cab detail of the Mercedes Tiller Truck

Pumper

Ladder Truck

Cherry Picker

Equipment Truck

Fire Department Search Truck

Maisto also has a Denver Pumper, a Snorkel truck and a Utility Truck painted in fire engine red to go along with their other fire vehicles. I'm still looking to add those to my collection. I've also heard that a 1955 Buick Century is coming out shortly, painted in red and white and sporting "Fire Chief" graphics. I can't wait for that one!

The Lindberg Line - Mini-Lindys

2009-03-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

For Christmas of 1968, I got not one, but two brands of tiny 1:64 toy vehicles. Hot Wheels were new and so I found 2 of those underneath the tree, a Deora and a Custom Eldorado with that oh, so satiny smooth black top. But another brand also debuted that year. The Lindberg Line, which had been making model kits of cars, trucks, airplanes, and the like for several years, introduced a new line to compete with Matchbox and especially Mattel's new cars. They called these realistic little vehicles Mini-Lindys. Mini-Lindys came in a tiny, black box and were basically plastic model kits, roughly the size of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars which snapped together and were fastened with two screws in the base. They had rubber tires and metal axles and weights that could be added to give them a little more "heft." It appears that they released 32 different models overall, (with eight additional models appearing after the Mini-Lindy name was no longer being used), of which the black moving van pictured above was one. It was called a "Ryder Truck," and was based upon a Ford truck cab and running gear. I painted mine black, but it came molded in bright yellow plastic, to match the Ryder corporate colors.

Lindberg offered the Mini-Lindy line from 1968 to 1970, at which time they split the vehicles up into specialty groups and gave these new sub-series names like High Rollers, Truckin' Big/Over The Road, Van Go, Big Wheels, Speedy Wheels, Hot Shots and Super Sports. They were even released in a few sets. This then is that initial group of 32 vehicles, listed in numerical order:

Series number and name:
1. Porsche Carrera.

2. Ford Pickup.

3. Corvette Stingray.
4. XKE Jaguar.

5. Ford Mustang.
6. Jeepster.
7. Volkswagen Camper.

8. Chevy-Van.

9. Camaro SS.

10. Fire Engine.
11. Dump Truck.
12. Greyhound Bus.
13. Mail Truck.
14. Cement Mixer.
15. MG-TD Sports Car.

16. Tow Truck.

17. 1968 Corvette.

18. Austin-Healey 3000.
19. Volkswagen.

20. Mercedes SSK.

21. 1930 Packard.

22. Ford Camper.
23. School Bus.

24. Tractor-Trailer.

25. Ford GT.
26. 1970 Porsche Targa.

27. 1970 Maverick.

28. AMC AMX.
29. 1970 Ford Cobra.

30. Dodge Charger.
31. 1970 Dune Buggy.

32. Ryder Truck.

So, there you have it, the complete lineup of 32 different cars and trucks. Even though some new models were released in 1970, with bright red boxes instead of black, the line named Mini-Lindy was phased out. If I come up with some additional pictures, I'll add them in, as well as any new information or corrections that might come up.

The additional 8 new castings released after the end of the "Mini-Lindy" named line appears to have been these cars in the Super Sport series:

1. Cadillac Eldorado.

2. Continental Mark III.

3. Chevrolet Vega.

4. Buick Riviera.

5. Pontiac Grand Prix.

6. Chevrolet Corvette.

7. AMC Gremlin.

8. Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

More Station Wagons

2009-03-24T02:01:00.000-07:00

And now, just because I like them so much - here are some more great station wagons in 1:64 scale!

This is a Maisto 1962 Chevrolet Biscayne. It came in an Elite Transport set.

A Maisto Fresh Metal 1932 Ford Woody.

A Motor Max 1978 Chrysler LeBaron.

A Johnny Lightning 1960 Ford.

The following three models are all by Matchbox. First, an Audi RS6 Avant. It's one of my favorites and I have over 50 different ones, in six colors.

A Dodge Magnum R/T. I wish these had seen a much wider release.

A Dodge Magnum Police Wagon.

Here's another Hot Wheels '40's Ford Woodie.

Another Hot Wheels 1955 Ford, called 8 Crate.

And lastly, my real life station wagon, a 1996 Ford Taurus GL. See? I told you I loved station wagons!

Hot Wheels Station Wagons

2009-03-24T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my little blog about little cars and trucks! I'll be talking about all kinds of vehicles, made by all kinds of companies. Today's post is about my favorite type of vehicle - the station wagon.

Since 1970, Hot Wheels has released only a handful of station wagon models. 16 to be precise. They're not all that easy to find because several of them have either been released in special lines and not the basic line, or seen limited release. Most of them have a home in my collection and I'll be spotlighting those. The few models not in my collection are the Dodge Aries Wagon, Classic '31 Ford Woody, Jack Hammer, No Madder What, Lomad and Poison Pinto. Now to talk about the others.

The first station wagon model released by Mattel was the Classic '31 Ford Woody, in 1969. But in 1970, the second one was the Classic Nomad, a 1955 Chevrolet Nomad 2-door wagon. It has been a very popular model and in fact, it was re-released with the name Alive '55 a few years later.

This one is the classic '40's Ford Woodie, here shown in a Real Riders version from 1983, but first released in 1980. It has been another popular style which has seen almost continuous versions. In fact, both the first two models described here have variations released in this year, 2009.

Two wagons that haven't yet made it to the regular $1 line is this beautiful '50's Buick Woodie, as well as the '57 Buick Station Wagon pictured below. I'm hoping that both of these fantastic body styles will see a general release sometime soon because they're just so outstanding. The '57 even has an opening hood.

This Purple Passion Woody has also seen only a limited release, in the Since '68 series. Looking pretty inviting as a surf woodie, it's also another clean model that should see a wider availability.

The next model is a Mercedes Benz 300TD, a casting first made by Corgi, but acquired by Mattel and released in 1997. So far, it has only seen a single release, in one color. Fortunately, that release was in the basic line.

Another popular model, at least for me anyway, is this 1955 Ford Station Wagon, which Hot Wheels named 8 Crate. There have been several other releases and in several different colors, since it was unleashed as a First Edition in 2003. This is that first edition in black and silver. It sports an enormous mid-located V-8 engine which pokes through a special window on top.

The last one I'd like to show is one that just came out in early 2009, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Wagon. It has taken the collector's world by storm and has already become quite popular. It is this vehicle which is featured in the header photo for this article. So, there you have it, a closer look at those rare, hardly-seen vehicles - the station wagon. How many of you grew up with parents who had one of these great big lumbering family cars? I did! My parents had a 1967 AMC Ambassador Station Wagon. It made me fall in love with station wagons at a very early age.