Some Recent Hot Wheels Letter Getters

I may have said this before, but my favorite Hot Wheels vehicle is the Letter Getter.  When it was first released in 1977, it was painted to look like a U.S. mail truck.  It's been in the lineup continuously since then.  For some unknown reason, Mattel has renamed the Letter Getter as the Combat Medic.  I can't figure that one out.  But here are some recent versions of the Letter Getter that I've added to my collection - starting with the Pop Culture Women of Marvel category version called the Scarlet Witch.  It was a brand new release I found on July 5th, 2017.  It features real rider tires and a metal base:

Hot Wheels 1957 Buick Station Wagon

This Hot Wheels station wagon was based upon the 1957 Buick Century Caballero Estate Wagon and was first released as part of the Ultra Hots series, in 2007.  Regular readers of this blog will know of my lifelong fondness for station wagons, so it was a natural that I do a full spread on this excellent piece.

It features classic lines - my Dad had a 1956 Buick when I was little and the design from 1956 to 1957 was not changed much.  They were big and roomy vehicles.

This model has an opening hood and a metal base, just like Hot Wheels of old.

It even sports real rider tires!

From the front, that classic Buick grill really stands out.

All in all, it's a piece that when I first saw it, just had to be added to my collection of 1:64 scale station wagons.

It's The Time Of The Season

Once again, it's that time of year which everybody groans about but can't do anything about - Winter.  Yeah, baby it's cold outside, but who wants to get out in all that snow and ice?  Around here in Southern Illinois, it certainly ain't no winter wonderland.  To spotlight this season in diecast, I've chosen two cold-weather vehicles made by Maisto.  You'll probably recognize both from having seen them at work around your area as well.  Without further ado, here is a snowplow that keeps the roads scraped and the power company truck that keeps busy putting electric lines back up.  Enjoy!

 Maisto Snow Plow at work on an actual ice-covered road.

It says "Fire Department" on the side but it's called the "Maisto Utility Truck."  Used by electric companies everywhere.

Super!

I just found this Hot Wheels Super Van the other day - and is it ever a sharp model!  Can't say that I care all that much with the commercialization of the piece, but, it looks nice with the real riders.
 

McDonald's Hot Wheels

Currently, the 2013 crop of Hot Wheels included in McDonald's Happy Meals are out.  I haven't gotten them all yet, but here's a preview of a couple I have picked up.  And for you guys out there - you don't have to buy a Happy Meal to get them, you can buy just the car by itself!  Unfortunately, they're all plastic this time.

Bad To The Blade

(I'm not overly fond of this one.)

My personal fave so far - Circle Tracker

Dune It Up

More Humor In Diecast

You can't take life too seriously, so that's why I can always find humor in anything.  Even little toy cars.

Save my walrus.

There's a joke here somewhere.

Your classic Pimpmobile.

No joke here, but it does have lots of possibilities for a funny caption.

This is a customized vehicle of mine I call "The Druglord."

Car stripped while Police turn a blind eye.

A monster truck got loose at Harrah's.

3 out of 4 giant Astronauts prefer the easy-opening hatch on the new DeLorean DMC-12.

Cows and Diecast - A Perfect Combination

These are just some random pictures of cows posed with diecast vehicles.  I hope you enjoy them - I know I sure do.

Truckin' Big

The Lindberg Line had a long history of making model kits of military vehicles, planes, ships and cars and trucks. In 1968 they released a line of Hot Wheels-sized model kits called "Mini-Lindys." For more information on this series, see this link. This series ended in 1970, but Lindberg kept adding new models and re-releasing old castings in new series. One model from the initial 1968 series was called the Ryder Truck, a Ford-based moving van. It was re-released in the Truckin' Big series renamed "The Moving Van." It came molded in yellow, but I painted the one I had black:

Here is the original instruction sheet that came with it:

On the other side of the instructions, were directions on how to put together the little garage that also came with the kit. These are some of the trucks that were in these subsequent series, such as "Truckin' Big," "Hi-Rollers," "Over The Road," "Van Go" and "Big Wheels":

"High Rollers" series:
1. Dump Truck. (Mini Lindy No. 11)
2. Mail Truck. (Mini Lindy No. 13)
3. High Hauler. (Mini Lindy No. 32)
4. Van Machine. (Mini Lindy No. 8)
5. Cement Mixer. (Mini Lindy No. 14)
6. Tow Truck. (Mini Lindy No. 16)
7. Pickup Camper. (Mini Lindy No. 22)
8. Tractor-Trailer. (Mini Lindy No. 24)

"Van Go" series:
1. Gypsy Van. (Mini Lindy No. 13)
2. Can Van. (Mini Lindy No. 7)
3. Van Camp. (Mini Lindy No. 22)
4. Van Do Van. (Mini Lindy No. 8)
5. The Moving Van. (Mini Lindy No. 32)
6. Travelin' Van. (Mini Lindy No. 23)
7. Mighty Van. (Mini Lindy No. 12)
8. Vandit. (Mini Lindy No. 2)

"Big Wheels" series:
1. Pickup and Camper. (Mini Lindy No. 22 - I would really love to acqure this model. It features a Chevrolet pickup on the cover, but is actually a Ford truck.)

"Truckin' Big" series:
1. The Moving Van. (Mini Lindy No. 32)

There are others in these series, but I'm still researching which models were released.

A True Classic

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

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!

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.