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**guy64** · 09-24-2019, 05:51 PM

After battling to get to our own pix in that photo storage place we no longer use...

... we get to our subject. And our subject is blue!

I think this is the FE. Mattel sure has gotten a lot of mileage out of this '70 Chevelle casting, even making it into a convertible. Good thing they did a decent job on it. The stance is a little high, but I do remember seeing modified muscle cars jacked up just like this back in the day.

"I think I was still in the Academy back then, kid."

I'm surprised you weren't still in a crib back then, Officer.

**guy64** · 09-25-2019, 07:06 PM

Not a whole lot of Isuzu in the diecast world...

... not in the HW world, anyway.

According to Wikipedia, the Isuzu VehiCROSS (sic) was produced from 1997 through 2001. The photo heading their article even shows a yellow one, like this. Since this one has two doors (not 4), it appears HW did the production car, not the concept. For some reason Mattel's rendering strikes me as being close to 1/64. What does Bert think?

"Looks close, kid. And congratulations for being able to say 'ee-SOO-zoo' instead of 'ee-ZOO-zoo' like most people I know."

Hey Officer, I was schooled by Joe Isuzu himself! I remember him saying, "If you buy one now, we'll give you a brand new house!"

**guy64** · 09-26-2019, 02:06 PM

No telling how much mileage HW has gotten out of this casting...

... but it's got to be a lot.

It's been re-tooled more than once, even as a hard top. But Mattel's take on the classic VW Bug always has that HW "attitude"; the wheel arches are somewhat enlarged, the wide tires stick out in the obligatory HW way, and the rear tires are bigger than the front. Best part? It's very close to 1/64. That's significant because HW usually makes cars this small in a somewhat larger scale. (Compare with HW's renderings of Asian compacts.)

This one is a de-tampoed Surf-n-Fun Bug. Looks much better this way, we think.

"Sure does, kid. I can't believe they hid some of that gorgeous blue under a bunch of silly tampoes."

Yes Officer, even Mattel can make a bad call now and then.

**guy64** · 09-27-2019, 06:25 PM

The Peugeot 405 is a car I've seen done by very few brands...

... not that my experience proves anything.

Besides Mattel, Majorette is the only other diecast maker I know of that's rendered the car in "3-inch" scale. I don't know that I've ever seen a real one, but the fact that HW did this car at all leads me to suspect it's a popular car somewhere, certainly in France! "Matty" took his usual HW approach with it, fat tires and all. Otoh, he seems to have used the same diameter tire all around (which is nice). From photos of the real one, I suspect Mattel's rendering is quite close to 1/64.

"Looks like you'll hafta crunch some numbers again, kid."

Maybe I'll do that as part of our next photo shoot, Officer.

"Our next what, now?"

**guy64** · 09-28-2019, 05:04 PM

A casting that just has a certain undefinable appeal for us...

... even with these wheels.

They do stick out a bit much, don't they? Would tend to be a problem in a typical parking space. But with the dirt bike on the back bumper, the separate shell, the metal base... What can we say? We like it!

"Yeah, so tell 'em what it is, kid."

No need to, Officer. Says what it is right on the side.

"What? Where?"

Just back away from the vehicle, Officer... now look at the door...

"Wh... oh! It's a Bronco. That would make it a Ford, right?"

That's how it works, Officer.

"Pic looks a little dark, kid."

Mm-hmm. Clouds are moving in...

**guy64** · 09-30-2019, 05:33 PM

And now, a favorite Corvette casting...

The opening hood gives it an advantage, of course. The interior details don't hurt either.

It's from the days when moving features were not so few and far between in the $1 HW world. Granted, a buck was worth more then...

"Kid, this one is lookin' veeerrry close to 1/64 to me."

Looks that way to me too, Officer.

"Woulda been nice if that was confirmed with some hard numbers, though."

Yeah, I know, Officer...

"Just sayin', kid..."

**guy64** · 10-01-2019, 11:14 AM

A fairly mundane car rendered in a fairly mundane way...

When I found this Dodge Omni it was a surprise to see it done so... stock. Not that I was disappointed. I was delighted!

We were just beginning to buy diecast cars specifically for our mrr layout, and finding everyday cars depicted in everyday non-modified condition was a treat. Especially when the item is so close to 1/64 scale. And for a buck!

"I dunno, kid. Those wheels don't look very 'stock' to me."

Generic Hot Wheels wheels, Officer. Don't let them worry you.

**guy64** · 10-02-2019, 01:30 PM

Our favorite version of the HW Aerostar...

Just looking at it makes me hungry!

I'm not sure how accurate this rendering of the Ford Aerostar is, assuming it's supposed to be an Aerostar. (There does appear to be a tiny chrome oval on the grill.) But I like its look anyway. We have two other versions including one "Flip Out", and we've never seen it with anything but chromed glass. Bert still wonders what the inside looks like.

"My interest is purely professional, kid."

I never would have thought otherwise, Officer.

**guy64** · 10-03-2019, 03:30 PM

Our first Hot Wheels Mustang...

... was a "goodie".

Not a bad way to start a HW Mustang collection. This casting has been used extensively by Mattel, and a non-opening hood version exists. We like the opening hood. It fits pretty well (not all opening HW hoods do), lifts easily and lays down completely without "persuasion". The interior has also been seen in a light tan. Not sure which version is more htf.

This was also the first HW we found with these wide whitewalls. They're kinda much for a stock 'Stang, we're thinkin', and they came out long before Luigi taught Lighting McQueen the virtues of whitewalls.

"These HW people are always pushing the envelope, kid."

Makes you nervous, does it, Officer?

"Kid, I'm not often 'nervous'. I'm always very alert, however."

I'll be sure to advise the "HW people", Officer.

**guy64** · 10-04-2019, 08:36 PM

Another favorite HW casting, in a favorite format...

... Real Riders!

It seems the term "Real Riders" has been broadened by some hobbyists to refer to any 1/64-ish diecast replica with separate vinyl or rubber tires on plastic wheels, but Mattel invented the term. Initially it denoted a vinyl tire on a very 70s-esque finned wheel which was also very realistic. Found in white or silver, the RR wheel/tire combination made any casting look great. (Though RRs didn't always roll very well.)

Combined with a great rendering of a cool 1980s Chevy S-10 pick-up with a light bar and an open bed with interesting "items" on the floor, RRs could only make a winner into a sure-fire winner (not to mention a desirable collector piece).

"I wanna see more of these, kid."

You have, already, Officer. Don't you remember?

"Well, it's been a while..."

Exactly what I've been telling you, Officer.

**guy64** · 10-05-2019, 02:59 PM

Hot Wheels and Ferrari...

... a natural combination.

In our part of SoCal, we don't see a lot of Ferraris. Unless we venture into the Newport Beach area, then we might see a couple. (Lambos show up there, too.)

Point is, it's hard to get a feel for scale when one shows up in "1/64-ish" diecast form. Still, I get the impression that this F 355 Spider is close. Maybe a leeeetle big.

"I could get into it, kid. Well, if I had bendable joints."

Well, Officer, if you really would like to sit in some of these rag tops, I could... um, modify you, and..."

"Never mind, kid! I'd rather just stand around."

Yeah, I kinda figured that.

**guy64** · 10-05-2019, 10:06 PM

From long ago and far away...

... a time when McD's put real honest-to-goodness Hot Wheels in their Happy Meals.

Yes, this Chevy Citation came to us in a Happy Meal. It's a full-on regular-edition HW, which means it's way better than anything McD's puts in current HMs. If we didn't have this, I'd have forgotten that such times existed. I also woulda forgot why we started going to McD's again. It seems like ancient history.

"Is this thing 1/64, kid?"

Well, Officer, I measured it against my Dad's Citation, and the length came out between 1/64 and 1/63. The width was around 1/60, IIRC.

"So It's kinda fat, then."

Yes, Officer, but for some reason it's hard to tell.

**guy64** · 10-07-2019, 02:21 PM

One of very few Treasure Hunts we have...

... one of two, actually.

It's been so long since I found it, I don't remember if this Lotus was the first or second TH I found. You'd think I'd remember something like that given how seldom a TH crosses our path. Plus, this is a real TH with Real Riders, from the days before the "Super" TH and "not-as-much" TH nonsense. (Our other TH is from the same era.)

I do remember that both were found in grocery stores during the pre-Christmas season. Scalpers don't do grocery stores much, I guess. Yeah, I hadda pay $1.29 or so instead of a buck, but at the time I didn't see that as any reason to leave it on the peg.

"It seems kinda big for a Lotus, kid."

Sadly true, Officer. Probably so big as to be outside our scale window, even. But, I mean... lookit those wheels!

**guy64** · 10-07-2019, 05:36 PM

One of the first HW Ferraris we brought home...

This P4 got my attention with its wheels. They're not gold. If anything, they're more like brass. I suppose they're intended to look like the anodized alloy wheels that were used in racing at the time. Not a bad look, Mattel.

"This is another one that seems a tad large, kid."

Yes, Officer. That is apparent with you standing there.

"Yeah, well, I told you I was good at this."

And you didn't pad your resume at all, Officer.

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