Tales of Toy Cars - New finds for August 2005

Volume VIII, Number 9/10

Expanding the Collection

The following toy cars were purchased or received in trade by Doug Breithaupt in the previous month. Some are new but others are older diecast acquired from other collectors. The prices paid are also shown. This addition to 'Tales of Toy Cars'. is intended to share recent finds with fellow collectors. If you have found some interesting diecast cars recently, let me know and send an image if possible, attached to an e-mail.

KYOSHO

BMW 2002 turbo - $3.50

BMW M3 - $3.50

BMW M1 - $3.50

BMW V12 LMR - $3.50

BMW Z4 - $3.50

BMW Z8 - $3.50

Ferrari 288GTO - trade

1958 Ferrari 246F1 - trade

POLISTIL

BMW M1 - trade

Ford Escort - trade

YAT MING

BMW E60 530i - $1.49

Porsche Cayenne Turbo - $1.49

Honda Civic custom - $.50

Mercedes-Benz Sedan - $.50

Chevrolet Impala Taxi - $.50

MATCHBOX

Footwork Ford F1 - trade

Ferrari F1 - trade

Lotus F1 - trade

Jordan F1 - trade

Williams-Renault F1 - trade

Jeep Hurricane concept - $.94

London Cab - $.94

Mercedes-Benz SL55 - $.94

Mitsubishi Eclipse - $.94

Volvo XC90 - $.94

CARS OF THE MONTH

Dino 246GT - Kyosho (trade)

2005 Ford GT - Matchbox - $.94

Once again, two models have been selected as 'cars of the month'. While this month brought many new Kyosho models to the collection. The Dino 246GT has a place of special affection. Kyosho labels it as a 'Ferrari Dino' but in fact these cars never wore a Ferrari badge or were sold as such. Many owners later retro-fitted a Ferrari badge to the tail and indeed, the Kyosho example is offered just that way. The badge on the nose says 'Dino' as it should. The quality is excellent although it should be at the prices these models command. This one and the 288GTO came in trade for duplicates I received among 12 Kyosho BMW models.

The second model is the new Ford GT by Matchbox. This model is exactly what Matchbox should be offering in their 1-75 line. The quality is fine for a $1 toy car and the casting is accurate and nicely scaled around 1:60. Even better it sports correct colors and I even like the wheels. Welcome back Matchbox!

A contact in Japan was able to buy 12 new Kyosho BMW models for me in Tokyo. At about $3.50 each, the price was better than I expected. Curiously, they came in boxes that did not identify the model inside so there was no way to avoid duplicates. Six of the 12 were unique castings with four color variations and two exact duplicates. I have already made trades of three of the variations/duplicates for the three Ferrari models by Kyosho shown here so this was not a particular problem.

Another trade resulted in two models from Polistil's Rally series of the 1980's. I did not have any models from this series and the BMW M1 and Ford Escort were both very welcome. The BMW is a curious choice for a 'rally' series although they did participate in an M1 only racing series. The Ford Escort was a very successful rally car. As the packages indicate, there are some other interesting models in this series, all of which I am now seeking!

In small-scale, Yat Ming has been primarily focused on 1:72 scale and the results have been impressive. Most recently found at Wal-Mart for less than $1.50, the quality of these little cars is most impressive. I added the latest Porsche Cayenne, a BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes-Benz SL55. Yat Ming has not given up on 1:64 scale however. A six pack of cars brought three new models. The Honda Civic custom has a Hot Wheels look but is a unique Yat Ming casting. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Chevrolet Impala Taxi are made without interiors and have that cheap-thin metal feel and look as well as 30 year-old wheel designs that have become a Yat Ming trademark. Too bad Yat Ming can't put some of their 1:72 scale features and quality into the 1:64 scale models.

Anyone who doubts that Matchbox is back in the toy 'car' business, simply needs to look at the Ford GT, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mercedes-Benz SL55, Volvo XC90 or Jeep Hurricane concept shown here. It is great to see these new castings with realistic colors, traditional Matchbox scale and quality and even with decent wheels. The London Cab confuses me. First, there are the position of the front wheels. Is this just a defective example? Second, Matchbox has a better London Cab casting that has been around a long time. Is the new one cheaper to produce?

The five Matchbox F1 models from about 1992 were sent to me by Christian Falkensteiner and I have yet to figure out what to send back in trade. I have known about these for a long time but never found them. Even though they all share the same casting, the authentic racing colors make them very welcome to my collection. Thanks Christian.

The Mitsubishi Colt by Tomica also came in a trade and become the oldest Mitsubishi model in my collection. The wheels identify this as a very early Tomica model and a great addition.

The five models from Johnny Lightning are an interesting mix. The Nissan 350 Z was on a sale table and I could not resist it. As a rule, I avoid these Christmas models but they do have a nice sparkle. The '70 Pontiac Firebird is perfectly colored in avocado green. In 1970, your car could match your kitchen appliances! The Plymouth Belvedere must be a Mac Regan model. Mac loves these bread and butter models and I agree. Even more fun is the comparison of this Belvedere with the only other Belvedere I have, by Ertl. They share the exact same colors! The two new 'Spoilers', #21 and #22 had to be added although I am still missing several older numbers.

The five Muscle Machine Tuners were also on sale and I liked the restrained graphics. The Mazda RX8 is actually a new casting for me. At $1 each, I could not resist.

The Dodge Charger III concept by Wheeler is another of their Matchbox-inspired models of the early 1970's. Wheeler seemed to like the concept cars best.

A six-pack of Real Toy models for $3.99 was an easy decision, especially as I needed all six models! Real Toy is still doing the best paint-work of all the non-collector brands. For me, this makes them very collectible. I like all these models for their quality and realism and I love the price. Real Toy seems to have a special affection for German cars.

A few new Hot Wheels were worth adding this month. New colors for the Corvette C6, '47 Chevrolet and 427 Cobra are quite restrained for HW. The Cockney Cab II perfectly represents a model that could only come from Hot Wheels.

Jada has done a good job creating unique castings and the 1940 Pontiac is an excellent example. Pontiac models of this vintage have been completely neglected up to now. Sure, it's a custom but a darn good one and the paint quality is high. The Mustang GT-R looks perfect in blue and white and is also very well done. Jada deserves credit for thinking outside the box.

I could not resist these two images of the Kyosho Ferrari models. Here is a creative and cost effective way to protect these models. Real cars are sometimes protected the same way. Long-term, the shrink-wrap might cause problems with the finish, I don't know. I would not be too sympathetic for someone who did not release these beautiful models and put on their tires.