In the America heartland, the temperature frequently dips below zero on cold winter mornings, draining power from many cars’ batteries. For nearly a century, motorists have depended on AAA for that crucial jump start. And AAA has always relied on its local network of service trucks to get customers on the road as soon as possible. In the mid ‘50s, the “Battery Service” truck from the Harris Brothers’ Mobilgas station was a familiar sight. Many a stranded driver was glad to see the classiic Pegasus emblem on the side of the truck, for it meant they would soon be rescued. Rigged with a utility cabinet and vise, a battery charger on wheels and a full rack of batteries, the truck was equipped to charge or replace a battery—whatever the motorist needed. And now the Mobil Battery & Quick Start Service 1956 Chevy 3100 is part of The Fabulous Fifties Road Service Collection. It has been crafted in die-cast metal by Matchbox Collectibles—the Greatest Name in Die-Cast.
Diecast Toy Car,Diecast Car,Diecast Vehicles, Model Car for Collectible-Matchbox,Corgi, Lledo, vanguard, Hot Wheels
Saturday, May 14, 2011
HOT WHEELS TATTO MACHINES OPEN WIDE 1992
As you can see this is a very nice horror artworked themed vehicle. Officially this was part of the 1992 Tattoo release by Hot Wheels, there's a few other okay vehicles such as Street Dog (vicious dogs) and Skull Rider (skull and snakes), both of those are on BMWs by the way. They are not in the league of Open Wide but you might want to look into them. The rest of the Tattoo series isn't worth looking into at all. By the way they come with a few bonus tattoos of dentures too, I threw mine out, the paper had gone a bit yellow even inside the sealed pack so it's a gamble if you get yours and they actually can be applied to skin if you're into that. The blister pack is actually quite tall as well, a lot taller than you're average 1/64 sized blister card. You've got to take this out the pack though, it's that good.
Open Wide is basically a van covered in a number of dentures with fangs, they don't all belong to the same owner as some are for thin snake like mouths and others wide canine types. All have some yellow substance dripping from them meaning getting bit by these dentures isn't just going to hurt or cause the loss of a limb, but if you somehow survive, you're likely to contract rabies or some other awful disease as well.
The colours of the van are yellow and maroon, applied in sort of a spray painted look. The Hot Wheels vehicle itself is nothing special, basically a van with very average cheap wheels, it's officially a Baja Breaker brand van. It's an ugly van, the designers couldn't decide if they wanted a rectangle rear window or a ship type circular one so went with both in the one bit of plastic. Without the great paintwork you'd probably pass on this Baja Breaker thing. It is a sturdy Hot Wheels vehicle though I'll give it that.
The artwork is brilliant though! You've got eight fanged dentures on this thing. Three on both sides, and two on the roof. Unlike most Hot Wheels artwork, the three mouths on each side aren't the same but are six different mouths opened in different menacing poses. This means you can display it with either side facing the front then change it for a different look. There's no dentures on the rear doors, probably because the designers were so embarrassed by the circle rectangle window mistake, that they forbid the artists drawing any attention to it.
Open Wide is a must own for any horror artwork die-cast vehicle collector. --James N Sympson Shop here
JOHNNY LIGHTNING COCA-COLA 1968 PONTIAC GTO
This vehicle was released as part of the 2003 Coca Cola Polar Bear Series. Even though it doesn't have any polar bear imagery on the actual vehicle it did come in the same designed blister pack with the backing card of a polar bear and two cubs putting a star on top of the Christmas tree that the rest of the series had. This particular vehicle was not released to the shops with the others but instead, it was offered for purchase by members through Johnny Lightning's website. This means there weren't as many of these made as the other vehicles, meaning it is harder to find in collector stores and online websites than those other vehicles.
This is a yellow 1968 Pontiac with a thick dark blue bordered in white strip down the sides and over the bonnet and boot (hood and trunk). On the side strip is the Coca Cola word logo in white as well as the top part of a winking snowman wearing a red scarf and black top hard with the words ICE COLD written on it. The white Coca Cola word logo is also on the boot. On the roof the same winking image also appears but this time it's a full body image. He is holding a glass of Coke in both hands in front of his body. He's standing beside a yellow real estate type sign with the words For That Refreshing New Feeling. There's also the red Coca Cola with white letter logo beside the Snowman's head. In the background there are snowflakes falling.
The wheels are quite good with red rimmed tyres where you can see the tread. The seats dashboard and other parts of the interior are white. --James N Sympson Shop here
Thursday, May 12, 2011
VANGUARDS 1/50 THAMES TRADER BOX VAN 'LUCOZADE'
The Thames Trader box van comes in the smart, and familiar, yellow color scheme of Lucozade. This will make a very pleasing addition to the collection. Shop here
VANGUARDS 1/43 LEYLAND COMET TANKER
The Comet cab is linked with a tanker body, producing a very nice model. The initial livery is Power, in its green coloring set off with gold lettering. Shop here
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
YAT MING 1/18 - 1923 FORD T BUCKET WHITE DIECAST CAR MODEL
A stunning replica of one of Fords most recognizable and iconic car. Beautifully crafted 1923 White Ford T-Bucket Diecast Model Car features opening trunk and steerable front wheels. No collection is complete without this beautiful car.
TOY CARS OF JAPAN & HONG KONG
This book presents a unique selection of the most rare and collectible toy cars made in Japan and Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. Three particular groups of toys are covered: the magnificent large-scale tinplate cars made for the American market; the smaller but equally sought-after Japanese diecasts by Model Pet, Micro Pet, and Cherryca Phenix; and plastic friction-drive cars made in Hong Kong. Some of the toys pictured are so scarce that they are believed to be among a mere handful that survive in mint condition with their original boxes. This book provides many fascinating new insights to the history of the companies that made and distributed the toys, using long-forgotten trade journals, rare catalogs, and interview with people who worked in the toy business at that time. See more
THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO TRANSPORT TOYS
This is a magnificent album of gorgeous double page color spreads. Everything from pedal cars, die cast, tinplate, and other materials.
A useful feature is the inclusion of the same figure in each spread so that one can immediately see the comparative sizes from one to another. This is especially useful in the case of the early Matchbox which were not made to any consistent scale. Instead they wer made to fit the box!
Thus the overall dimensions in inches are given instead.
More modern diecast is often made in 1:50 scale (metric O guage) and 1:43 scale is close enough to look well on an O guage model train layout.
Not a reference but a dream book: Especially the hard-used timplate Buddy L and pedal cars which were not made as collector's items.
I well remember the Doepke line of construction equipment made in the late forties. Twelve fifty then, now extremely collectable and expensive.--El Cutachero See more
SCHUCO CLASSIC TIN TOYS: THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE
Saturday, May 7, 2011
SCHUCO 1:43 MERCEDES-BENZ CLC
The Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class is a luxury compact car produced by the Mercedes Car Group division of Daimler AG since 2002. It can be powered by a variety of gas or diesel engines, in four or six cylinder designs. Schuco is a legendary German toy manufacturer, founded in 1912. The company achieved worldwide fame with its toy cars manufactured in the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, many of which were patented. While Schuco continues to issue a limited number of metal retro-toys for collectors, today the company is better known for its amazing diecast vehicle replicas. Working directly with manufacturers and car collectors, Schuco painstakingly re-creates each vehicle in miniature, often incorporating tiny details only visible with a magnifying glass. Most Schuco models are issued in specified limited quantities, and once gone, will not be made again. That’s why wise collectors know that a Schuco model isn’t just a purchase: It’s an investment with a lifetime return of enjoyment. Shop here
VANGUARDS 1/43 AUSTIN 1800 DRAGON'S TAXI
The Vanguards diecast collection centres around classic British vehicles through the last five decades. Now produced by Corgi the finish on each model is an accurate representation of the original car. With a deep paint luster, and fine details such as wing mirrors and door handles, these models are a pleasing addition to any classic car collector.
Dragon Taxis is the largest private hire and taxi company in Wales with over 450 licenced vehicles and drivers. This model represents their humble beginnings. Shop here
Monday, May 2, 2011
CORGI 1/50 SAVIEM JL20 ANIMAL TRANSPORTER - PINDER
It is good to see the Pinder (Jean Richard) models appearing once more from Corgi, as item primarily intended for the French market. The animal trailer has been seen, now linked with the Renault Saviem tractor unit, a good, but slightly basic, casting. Shop here
Sunday, May 1, 2011
EFE 1/76 BRISTOL UTILITY - PROVINCIAL
The Gosport based company have a large fan-base and their unusual emerald green livery looks good on the Utility. Love the advert too! Shop here
CORGI 1/43 RANGE ROVER VOGUE TD6 WHITE GOLD
Corgi has selected four Great British Motoring Icons to model as part of the anniversary range. The models are all of the actual vehicles tested at the time by Autocar or Motor magazines and each includes a re-print of their original road test. You can see what the experts thought at the time and compare the model with photographs of the car when it was new.
This model is of the superb 2002 Range Rover Vogue that combined superlative off road performance with every day luxury for the well heeled. Shop here
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