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