Johnny Lightning Monopoly Water Works Truck in the Garden

It looks like this spring has sprung and this 1:64 scale Johnny Lightning Monopoly Water Works truck has sprouted up in this flower bed.

Johnny Lightning Monopoly Water Works Truck

Welly Alfa Romeo 4C Drugstore Find

Here is another great little die-cast car from a local drugstore.  This one is from RiteAid.  It's a 1/24 scale Alfa Romeo 4C by Welly.  This is a cool little car with opening doors.  It's also priced low enough for kids to actually play with.  Yet, the beautiful Alfa lines will always make it great for display on a desktop.

Welly Alfa Romeo 4C

The real car starts at about $55,000 and is propelled by a 237 horsepower 4-cylinder engine.  According to this Car and Driver review, it's a fast but uncompromising sports car.  It's the sports car that many old sports cars used to be. But, like old sports cars, the driving experience promises to be unforgettable.

It's exciting to have real Alfa Romeo sports cars wandering the roads of America again.  This model is a great commemoration of their return.

Finding one of these model Alfas can be tough.  Kids at the drugstore play rough with the toy cars on display. 

Kinsmart 1955 Chevy Stepside Pickup

I recently ran into this unusual die-cast toy truck at my local CVS.  This model is a 1/32 scale 1955 Chevy Stepside Pickup made by Kinsmart.  The thing that is cool about this one is the paint job.  This little die-cast truck has a "weathered" look complete with muddy tires and mud splatters on the door.  It looks like a really old working truck.

Kinsmart 1955 Chevy Stepside Pickup

I give kudos to Kinsmart for this model because it really is a creative approach to the die-cast car market.  If you can find it and add it to your collection, this old truck is sure to be a bit of a conversation piece. 

 

Hot Wheels Datsun 510 Bluebird

This Hot Wheels Datsun 510 Bluebird is dressed for rally racing.  It's from the 2010 Nightburnerz series of cars.  This Hot Wheels car is loved for its stance and racing attitude.  However, the real Datsun 510 had an impressive record as a rally racer.

According to Datsunhistory.com, the Bluebird 510sss took team and class championships in the famed East African Safari rally in 1969.  It won the rally entirely in 1970.  You can see the aggressiveness of the Bluebird in the Hot Wheels car below.

This little Datsun has an impressive following and remains popular today.  It is a classic Japanese car.  There were two generations of Datsun 510.  The first generation was called the Bluebird and was introduced in 1967.  It sold in North America from 1968 through 1973.  A second generation of 510 was called the Nissan A10 Violet around the world and was sold as the 510 in North America from 1977 to 1981.  The Hot Wheels 510 Bluebird is obviously a first generation car much like the one shown below.

Photo by By Motohide Miwa from USA (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Cars like the Datsun 510 solidified Nissan's reputation and a maker of reliable, low-cost, cars.  In the late 1960s, Road & Track loved the Datsun 510.  While they tested the base model, they found it a sporty little thing.  The Hot Wheels version also fits that description.

Hot Wheels Jaded Dragster Owns The Night

Here are a couple of shots of a Hot Wheels dragster called Jaded.  It really shows up well at night illuminated by street lights.  The first photo is edited only to crop out extraneous details.  Otherwise, the camera was set on auto and provided this image.  Without retouching, I think it captures the atmosphere and reality of night. 

Hot Wheels Jaded Hot Rod

This second photo was auto-adjusted and then adjusted to "pop" further.  It allows the viewer to see the Hot Wheels car more clearly, but the photo seems grainier.

Hot Wheels Jaded Hot Rod with adjustments to "pop"!

I think I like the first photo best.  But, the second one is interesting as well.

Corgi Range Rover Police Car

Staying with a British theme, nothing epitomizes the British die-cast car theme more than die-cast vehicles from Corgi. This Corgi Range Rover Police car is perfect!

Corgi Range Rover Police car (front quarter & roof)

Corgi Range Rover Police car (front quarter)

Corgi Range Rover Police car (side view)

Corgi Range Rover Police car (rear quarter)

Corgi Range Rover Police car (profile & roof)

Hot Wheels Midnight Otto

This little Hot Rod is called Midnight Otto.  Hot Wheels based it on a real custom hot rod.  I like the way that the flash lit up the windows.  It looks like this Hot Wheels is the official car of fiery demons!

Hot Wheels Midnight Otto