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Volume VIII, Number 11 |
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Expanding the Collection
GRELL KYOSHO  Ferrari F1-2000  Ferrari F310-1996  Ferrari 1992 F92AT  Ferrari 1988 F1-87 PLAYART  Fiat X1-9 - trade  1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 sedan (U.N.C.L.E.) - trade  Porsche 911 Targa - trade COLUMBIA TELECOM  Chrysler 300C - $1.99  Cadillac XLR - $1.99 NOREV  Renault Clio R - trade  Renault Clio Sport - trade  Mitsubishi Pajero Paris-Dakar - trade  Renault Twingo - trade  Peugeot 107 - trade MATCHBOX  Jeep Rescue - $.99  Porsche 911 Turbo - $.94  Porsche 911 Turbo - $1.99  Ferrari 456GT - $1.99  2005 Dodge Charger - $.94  VW W12 concept - $.94  Land Rover SVX - $.94  Porsche Cayenne Turbo - $.94 MOTOR MAX  Pagani Zonda - gift  VW W12 concept - gift  1949 Mercury - gift  Lexus LS 430 - gift |
If there has been a month like this one, I don't remember it. The additions seen here have to rank as impressive as any assembled for my collection over a 30 day period. Right away I must thank Maarten Tys of Belgium, who has sent me in trade, some models I have wanted for years. thank you. A variety of other trades and gifts are also responsible for many of the great toy cars seen here and I am truly greatful. Clearly, selecting a 'car of the month' was too much for me. I finally narrowed it down to four, although many of the models shown here could qualify. Adding a second, and more complete, Ferrari 250LM by Majorette/Rail Route was both unexpected and wonderful. This chrome version is missing a rear wheel and a previous owner melted some of the cockpit plastic but I'm not complaining. This is the only example of the spider version of the 250LM, a car that won Le Mans in 1964, the closed version won in 1965. For many years, I have wanted a small-scale example of the pre-war BMW 327/28 Coupe. I would still like to see one but until someone makes one, I'll happily settle for this post-war EMW 327 by Grell. BMW had one of their factories end up in East Germany after WWII and this became EMW, producing the 327 model shown here. The Ferrari P5 concept by Speedy is a wonderful example of a very interesting car. The real P5 was built on a racing P4 chassis and it made the rounds of the car shows in 1968. Later, Enzo Ferrari provided the car to Alfa Romeo who created the P33 concept designed using many elements of the P5. Last, I finally bought the 5-car 'Grocery Getter' set by Muscle Machines in order to get their 1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. As the bases are screwed on, I swapped out the huge rear wheels with a set of front wheels from another Muscle Machines model. While still a bit cartoonish, this is the only Vista Cruiser in small-scale and the closest toy car to date, to my real 1972 Buick Sport Wagon. While seriously oversized, the side exhaust is actually close to the real system which exited on the side, but directly behind the rear wheels. My second selection of Grell models arrived via Belgium and they are even better than the first models. The EMW 327/3 Coupe has already been mentioned but all of these cars are quite interesting. Honestly, very few people are even aware of these East German cars, myself included. The Wartburg 311 Camping, 313 Sport Coupe and Melkus show that East Germans drove more than just Trabants. It would be interesting to see the production figures for a model like the Melkus. I expect they were quite low. The two IFA models represent earlier cars that were clearly influenced by Volkswagen and others. The Luxus Cabrio is charming. These Grell models are one of the biggest surprises of 2005 and the next set of cars looks to be just as interesting. Four more Kyosho Ferrari F1 models arrived this month, bringing my total to eight of these amazing miniatures. Ranging from 1988 to 2000, these grand prix racers offer a nice mix of recent Ferrari F1 designs. Kyosho is now releasing an even more comprehensive selection of Ferrari F1 models including cars of both drivers of a given year. Hopefully, these will also be easier to find. Three more missing Playart models joined the collection this month. They are a bit rough but I am happy to have them until better examples turn up. The Fiat X1-9 is in the best condition and joins examples from Corgi, Tomica and CF. The 1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 sedan was actually offered as a car from the U.N.C.L.E. TV series. This example has lost it's chrome mirrors and a lot of paint but this model is clearly unique in small-scale. The Porsche 911 Targa has been done by others but this Playart example is nice just the same. The paint is as thin as the Olds but that just shows it was well-loved by someone. The two models from Columbia Telecom are rather modest for $1.99 each. They do have rubber tires and metal bases but the overall quality is less than one might expect. The Chrysler 300C has empty headlight sockets and the shape is not right. The Cadillac XLR windshield is not supported and quite fragile. The name of this company is a curious one to produce diecast cars. Five new Norev models are always welcome. The Renault Clio Sport and racing versions are fun as is the Twingo and Peugeot 107. The Mitsubishi Pajero racer provides an excellent example of Mitsubishi's recent Paris-Dakar winner. This is the first non-European model from Norev to join my collection although others like a Nissan 350Z have also been done. Norev is also moving to do classic cars with three Renault models , including a Dauphine, already out. I hope to show these soon. Matchbox is an easy nominee for comeback of the year with excellent new models and much better colors for older models. The Jeep Rescue was found shortly after publishing last month's 'Jeep by Matchbox' article. The Porsche 911 Turbo in regular and Superfast trim, looked to good to resist. I am more selective in which Superfast models I want to add but the red Ferrari 456 was too hard to resist. The new Dodge Charger casting is quite good and appears to be another winning sedan from Chrysler. We can now see why the VW W12 concept originally had solid windows. Clear windows show how crude this casting really is. Compare it to the lovely example from Motor Max. The Land Rover SVX looks like it should be in the next Lara Croft movie and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo is quite well done. Jada seems to be finding a nice balance between new cars and older classics. The 1940 Pontiac is not stock but it easily becomes the earliest Pontiac in my collection. The 1939 Chevrolet Sedan is not the first example of this model with an earlier version produced by Ertl. The 1953 Buick Super is sharp in emerald green. Buicks seem to be gaining in popularity with toy car makers. The 1958 Chevrolet is clearly a custom but quite stylish. The Dodge Magnum Wagon has been done by at least four small-scale manufacturers so far and I expect we will see even more. What was the last wagon to receive that kind of attention? That's easy, I don't think and wagon since the Chevy Nomad has had this level of interest. Johnny Lightning has simply continued to offer the models collectors want. The Jeep CJ-5 in civilian trim looks just right. The 1961 Lincoln Continental sedan (I'll show the convertible version next month), might be a strong contender in the 'Car of the Year' nominees next month. I love the shape and color choice. The black-on-black 2005 Mustang GT is hard to see but worth the effort. The #19 Buick Riviera from the 'Spoilers' series is the first non-muscle car to appear. The Riviera reminds me of the Hot Wheels 'Sugar Caddy', another hot rod personal luxury coupe. I could not resist the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado in teal blue. It's great to have Mac Ragen in the driver's seat at JL as his eye for color and shape are seldom wrong. Motor Max is showing their skill with models like the Pagani Zonda C12 and VW W12 concept. The paint and detail for these low-priced models make them a great value. The 1949 Mercury and Lexus LS430 show that Motor Max is equally comfortable doing current or classic models. Older Majorette models are always welcome and the Lancia Monte Carlo in rally trim is one I have wanted for some time. The Citroen Dyane with the beach umbrella is simply unique. The umbrella rotates as the rear wheels turn. Note the different wheel styles. Was this inspired by a real car? Two more versions of Majorette's WRC Citroen and Ford models show that rallying is very popular in France right now. After Sebastian Loeb's second driver's championship and amazing all-stage victory in the Tour de Corse, this is easy to understand. The Volvo XC90 looks good in this new color. Maisto has raised the bar with their collector models but they have not neglected their budget line. The 1965 Buick Riviera follows on the heels of the same model from Johnny Lightning earlier this year. Finally the Riviera is getting some respect. The 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air is urbanized like the Riviera but represents a model worth having. New models in the basic line include a 1969 Dodge Charger and a 2005 Dodge Charger. It is interesting to compare these two models. The Chrysler 300C is becoming the most-produced model of 2005 and now Maisto has done it twice! The Peugeot 206cc makes a nice companion piece to the Citroen cabrio from Maisto. I was surprised to see the 2001 Chrysler Super 8 Hemi concept, released in 2005. It influenced the Dodge Magnum and perhaps that explains why it is offered now. The Toyota Scion Xb makes a Volvo wagon look like a sports car and now I have both Maisto and Matchbox examples. Over at Hot Wheels, someone decided that ugly speed wheels would look good on every model. I have yet to find anyone that agrees. We can only hope these go the way of the other sure-fire marketing ideas like animal-shaped toy cars or the 'cover every inch with idiotic tampos' school of toy car design. That said, the new castings are quite decent. I love the addition of yet another classic Ferrari GT racer. The 512M even has engine detail when the rear deck is raised. The Cadillac V-16 concept and surprise, another Chrysler 300C, show the design direction of American sedans. The 1969 Corvette makes an interesting comparison to the Custom Corvette of 1968. The Ford Anglia 105E was first seen as a Harry Potter promo and now appears in racing form. The yellow and black Union Jack on the roof looks a bit odd. Still, the casting is quite accurate and long neglected except by Matchbox, over 40 years ago. The Toyota AE-86 Corolla is a surprise from Hot Wheels and shows that drift racing in California is making an impression. The Ford GT40 in a version of Gulf racing colors is welcome but the wheels are not. Classic race cars should have classic race car wheels, period. Yat Ming's 1:72 scale collector models are serious competition for Hongwell and the Dodge Magnum Wagon may be the best example of this car to be done in small-scale. It looks perfect with honest road tires and wheels. For $1.50, these are a bargain and they can now be found at Wal-Mart.
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JOHNNY LIGHTNING MUSCLE MACHINES
 1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser - $2.00 MAJORETTE  Lancia Monte Carlo rally - trade  Citroen 'beach' Dyane - trade  2005 Citroen WRC - trade  2005 Ford Focus WRC - trade  Volvo XC90 - trade MAISTO  1965 Buick Riviera - $2.89  1962 Chevrolet Be Air - $2.29  1969 Dodge Charger - $.65  2005 Chrysler 300C - $.65  Chrysler Super 8 Hemi concept - $.65  2005 Dodge Charger - $.65  Peugeot 206cc Cabriolet - $.65  Toyota Scion xB - $.65 HOT WHEELS  Ferrari 512M - $.99  Cadillac V-16 concept - $.99  2005 Chrysler 300C - $.99  1969 Corvette LT-1 - $.99  Ford Anglia 105E - $.99  Toyota AE-86 Corolla - $.99  Ford GT40 - $.99 YAT MING  2005 Dodge Magnum Wagon - $1.49 JADA  1940 Pontiac Coupe - $2.99  1939 Chevrolet Sedan - gift  1953 Buick Century custom- $2.99  1958 Chevrolet Impala custom - $2.99  2005 Dodge Magnum Wagon - $2.99 |
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