Matchbox M4A3 Sherman Tank

With Memorial Day prompting thoughts of our soldiers and veterans, I had to pull out my die-cast tanks.  They are just little reminders of our military and the role they play in keeping us free.  This tank earned its stripes in World War II.  It's the Matchbox rendition of the famed M4A3 Sherman Tank.

Matchbox M4A3 Sherman Tank (front)

This tank has fixed treads and little wheels hidden under the chassis.  I like rubber treads, but over time they do tend to disappear.  Using wheels is probably a very practical decision for Matchbox designers.

Matchbox M4A3 Sherman Tank (side)

 The specks are "pre-weathering" dirt painted on by Matchbox.  It does give the tank a well-used look.

Matchbox M4A3 Sherman Tank (rear)

Hot Wheels 1969 Volkswagen Squareback Art Car

I recently picked up this interesting addition to my Hot Wheels collection at my local Kroger grocery store.  It's the Hot Wheels "art car" version of a 1969 VW Squareback.

Hot Wheels VW Squareback Art Car

Volkswagens (particularly Beetles) have long been popular with artists who have used them as a canvas for creative expression.  For example, this VW Beetle (below) was decorated entirely with colored tape.

Photo By Ninad Katyare (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Hot Wheels has released a whole series of art cars, but I think this VW is the best example of what people typically identify as an art car.  It's also great to know that Mattel hires hippies in this day and age.

Hot Wheels 1969 Volkswagen Squareback Art Car

Other great looking art cars in the ten car series include two versions of the Morris Mini, a Chrysler 300C, the Combat Medic (delivery van), a Camaro, and a Mustang.

Hot Wheels VW Squareback Art Car

I always love a die-cast car with personality and these art cars have plenty.  I'll have to round some more up.  Art cars show that the automobile doesn't always have to be a hot rod in order to express one's personality and be creative.

Hot Wheels Art Car

If you'd like to read more about Art Cars as a form of creative expression, check out this title from Amazon:

Matchbox Desert Thunder V16

The full-sized trucks that race in the Paris-Dakar Rally are some of the most amazing vehicles in motor sports.  The Matchbox Desert Desert Thunder V16 is a great looking rendition of one of those trucks.  It's tall, imposing, and it has all-terrain tires.

Matchbox Desert Thunder V16

From the front, I think this truck looks like Russian Kamaz truck.  Based on Russian Army trucks, these trucks are designed for all kinds of extreme conditions.

 The Desert Thunder V16 definitely has the toughness and strength down cold.
 

Matchbox Desert Thunder V16

To see some of the real Dakar rally trucks in action, check out this video:

 Of course, if the going gets rough, there are two spare tires aboard this monster.

Matchbox Desert Thunder V16

Johnny Lightning 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner

Today, we had to reach deep into the box of bad ass cars to find a photography subject.  Behold, it's the Johnny Lightning rendition of the 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner!

Johnny Lightning 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner

The Roadrunner was a lower cost alternative to some of the more bloated muscle cars.  1971 was perhaps the last great year for the car.  Buyers could get a 440-cubic inch V-8 with a 4-barrel carburetor that produced a whopping 370 horsepower.  A 426 Hemi was also an available option.  The aerodynamics of the car were greatly improved over previous years and it was a great car for highway handling.  In the real world, many Roadrunner buyers opted for detuned 383 cubic inch V-8 models that had lower insurance premiums and could run on regular gas. 

Johnny Lightning Plymouth Roadrunner Photo (front)

In a world where cars seem to get smaller and smaller, it would be a lot of fun to cruise in an old school muscle car like this Roadrunner.  It was truly a personal coupe and it could be had with an awesome stereo and 6-way power leather seats.

Johnny Lightning 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner

Johnny Lightning Roadrunner (rear)

Johnny Lightning Plymouth Roadrunner

Matchbox Freightliner M2 106 Fire Truck (Pumper)

Matchbox fire trucks are fun to collect.  I think they bring the kid out in every collector.  As a child, fire trucks and police cars were the most dramatic cars in any Matchbox collection.

The current Matchbox Heroic Rescue Series offers plenty of cool fire trucks.  The latest fire truck in my collection is this Matchbox Freightliner M2 106.  This is a very realistic looking die-cast truck.  I like the tires and the detail of the paint job.

Matchbox Freightliner M2 106 Fire Truck

This truck is number 60 out of 125 in the MBX Heroic Rescue series.  I was fortunate to find mine in a Dollar Tree.  However, they are still available online at Amazon.com. 

Matchbox MBX Heroic Rescue Fire Truck (Freightliner M2 106)

This truck looks very good against a line of brush.  I could see it rushing to a typical California brush fire.

Matchbox Freightliner M2 106 Fire Truck Head On

This Matchbox fire truck makes a great addition to any collection of die-cast fire apparatus.

Matchbox Freightliner M2 106

Freightliner trucks are available in many configurations.  However, if you are wondering what a Freightliner M2 106 looks like in real life as a fire truck, here is one from Wikimedia Commons.

Freightliner M2 106 photo by order_242 from Chile (Freightliner M2 106 Crew Cab 2014) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Hot Wheels Buick Grand National

Back in the 1980s, Buick created a monster based on the Buick Regal.  It was called the Buick Grand National.  It sported a turbo-charged V-6 and it could blow the doors off of any Corvette or Camaro.  It was the stuff of legends.  For example, the FBI reportedly ordered some and had the speed limiter removed allowing the car to reach speeds above 124 miles per hour.


This die-cast Buick Grand National is from Hot Wheels.  It's from their 2011 HW Performance series of cars.

Hot Wheels Buick Grand National

While this casting is cool, most Buick Grand Nationals came in black.  That is the official color of bad ass.  The Grand National retired in 1987 when GM switched the big Buick from a rear-drive to front-drive platform.  Grandpa got his Buick back and the legend died.

To read more about the amazing Buick Grand National check out this retro road test. If you like this style of car, you should also check out my Chevy Monte Carlo.

Matchbox 2006 Ford GT

The sun streams through our bedroom window at first light and our dog starts stirring.  It's Sunday and I'd love to sleep in.  But, I know he has to go.  Fortunately, the "golden hours" of the early morning and late afternoon provide the best light for photography.  I slipped a couple of die-cast cars into my pocket and we headed out.  Today an amazing car made it's way into my pocket.  The rising sun illuminated my shiny silver Matchbox 2006 Ford GT.

Matchbox 2006 Ford GT (out on the town)

I have other examples of the Ford GT.  Check out my Gear'd Up Ford GT and GT40.  The other cars may have more realistic paint.  But, this one from Matchbox has the spirit of motorsport with really great wheels and a fast look!
 

Matchbox 2006 Ford GT

 The Ford GT is one of America's most exotic looking sports cars.  Here my American sports car that looks like a foreign car sits along side an American restaurant that looks like a foreign restaurant.

Matchbox 2006 Ford GT (rear quarter)

The Matchbox version has curves and seams in all the right places.  In the annals of racing history, this cars predecessor the Ford GT40 holds a special place.  Back in 1963, Enzo Ferrari announced that he could sell Ferrari and Ford wanted to buy.  However, Ferrari rebuffed the Ford offer.  Henry Ford II got angry and set out to beat Ferrari on the track.  The Ford GT40 did just that.  The story is amazing:


Whenever someone prattles on about how great Ferrari is--and it is an undeniably great company--the Ford GT project is a reminder that when the American auto makers put their minds to something, they can prevail.
That's what makes the Ford GT a great car to have in my collection.

Johnny Lightning Mustangs

This pair of Johnny Lightning Mustangs rounds out our week of yellow diecast cars.  On the left is a Johnny Lightning 1968 Ford Mustang and on the right is a Johnny Lightning 1994 Ford Mustang GT.

Johnny Lightning Ford Mustangs Old and New

Johnny Lightning 1968 Ford Mustang Community Chest Car

The Johnny Lightning 1968 Ford Mustang was part of a series to commemorate the popular board game Monopoly.  It shipped with a small pewter Mustang to use as a token on the board game.

Johnny Lightning 1968 Ford Mustang  Community Chest Car

Johnny Lightning 1994 Ford Mustang GT

This yellow 1994 Ford Mustang pales in comparison to the 1968 edition.  However, it did ship with a Pamela Anderson collectors card to commemorate the popular television series Baywatch.

Johnny Lightning 1994 Ford Mustang GT

I don't think there is anything wrong with the casting.  It just seems like yellow and white is a color combination that is destined to fade into the background.

Johnny Lightning Ford Mustang Comparison

When it comes to side-by-side comparisons, I have to go with the vintage 1968 Ford Mustang.  The model just looks cooler and the blacks and reds of the Monopoly motif simply contrast better with the yellow than the white stripes of the 1994 edition.

Over the years, I think that the Ford Mustang is probably my favorite car model.  While I drive a reliable old SUV, the Mustang almost always turns my head.  In my collection, I've got lots of Mustangs from Johnny Lightning Racers to vintage pony cars from the 1970s.

While I don't like the yellow and white of 1994 Mustang, Mustang designs always turn heads.

If you are looking for more information about Johnny Lightning Ford Mustangs, check out this Mustang page on PaulsPonies.com.  He has a really nice collection of die-cast Ford Mustangs of all sizes.

Johnny Lightning Racer X Shooting Star Die-cast Car

This Johnny Lightning shows the most commonly seen Racer X car from Speed Racer cartoons.  A couple of days ago, I posted the open-wheel version of the Racer X car.  Here is the Racer X Shooting Star.  This is the car that Racer X is most often seen driving.

Johnny Lightning Racer X Shooting Star

 In die-cast car from from Johnny Lightning, the Shooting Star has a smooth almost other worldly feel.  It's a really slick model.

Johnny Lightning Racer X Shooting Star

 Here are some different perspectives on the Johnny Lightning Shooting Star.

Racer X Shooting Star (rear)

Racer X Shooting Star (top)

Here is a short video montage of Racer X from the Speed Racer cartoon:

Here's a more elaborate die-cast model of the Racer X Shooting Star:



If you'd like to see a pretty cool artist rendition of the Racer X Shooting Star check this one out on Deviant Art.

My Johnny Lightning Tom Daniel Lil Van Dune Buggy

To keep the yellow die-cast car theme going this week, I'm turning to my Johnny Lightning Dune Buggy.  It's features a hot flame job on the hood. This dune buggy actually has some history.  It was originally designed by Tom Daniel a creative artist hired by Monogram models to create wild hot rods to add to the model makers line up.  You can read more about Tom Daniel and his designs here.

Johnny Lightning Dune Buggy

Johnny Lightning Dune Buggy (front)

 It's been a while since I posted any pictures of my dune buggy.  Here is a post of this dune buggy in sunny Florida. 

Johnny Lightning Dune Buggy (rear quarter & engine)

Hot Wheels 2006 Dodge Viper

Few cars have captured the imagination like the Dodge Viper.  This bright yellow car is the Hot Wheels version of the 2006 Dodge Viper.  While this model year loses some of the retro-curves of the original Dodge Viper, the raw power and aggression remain.

Hot Wheels Dodge Viper (front on)

Hot Wheels Dodge Viper (profile)

If you'd like to see another cool Viper, check out this pull-back version of the Dodge Viper.  It's got a similar paint scheme, but a different look.

Hot Wheels Dodge Viper (rear quarter)

No matter who makes a die-cast Dodge Viper, they always make an interesting addition to a miniature car collection.  This 1/24 scale Maisto Dodge Viper is a great example of the breed!

Johnny Lightning Open Wheel Speed Racer Racer X

Fans of the Speed Racer cartoon series are probably familiar with "Racer X."  Apparently, he was the long lost brother of Speed Racer and a mysterious secret agent.  This Speed Rally game page explains the background of Racer X.


Since Racer X was an important character in the cartoon series, there are many different Racer X cars.  This Johnny Lightning Open Wheel version of the Racer X car is a great looking die-cast car.  It has an aggressive stance and the svelte looks of a late 1960s/early 1970s race car.

Johnny Lightning Open Wheel Racer X

The car also makes a great model to show off during what is quickly becoming yellow die-cast car week on this blog.

Racer X Die-cast Car (Top View)

Returning to the Speed Rally game. The idea of a dice-based "war game" based on 1/64-scale diecast cars sounds pretty inspired. It would give adult collectors of Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and Johnny Lightning cars a chance to show off their collections. If you are interested, poke around on the Speed Rally homepage.

Racer X rear engine view

From the rear, this Racer X engine looks like something from a Volkswagen.  Could it be Formula V for Racer X?

Racer X side view

Speed Racer was probably one of the most popular Japanese Animation cartoon series to ever hit the United States.  If you'd like to own some of the first episodes, here they are from Amazon!

Hot Wheels Mooneyes Anglia Panel Truck

Dean Moon was a legend in the Hot Rodding hobby and performance parts industry.  He built and sponsored many drag racers in his day.  His shop was known by the Mooneyes logo.  Today, it continues under knew ownership.  The Mooneyes logo is depicted on this Hot Wheels Ford Anglia Panel truck.

Hot Wheels Mooneyes Anglia Panel Truck

Dean Moon is perhaps best known for those smooth stainless steel hubcaps that are on so many vintage hot rods.  While these aren't made by the Moon company, they are similar in look.


If you'd like to read more about the man, this Hemmings article on Dean Moon is a great place to start.

Hot Wheels Mooneyes Anglia

I like the personality of this Hot Wheels car and I love the fact that it does have a sense of history.  Some Anglia castings have hoods that open, but this one does not.

Hot Wheels Mooneyes Anglia (front)