Hot Wheels A-Team Van (GMC Vandura)

This one is VERY cool - there was only one A-Team and that was the TV series, not the crap film version. Based on the GMC Vandura, this van is probably one of the most iconic TV cars of the 80s besides KITT.

For a 1/64 it is done very nicely. An even better custom job has been done by Eric Loon within his blog. I may very well get some red enamel paint and touch up the red stripe as well - let's see how motivated I am feeling.

Mattel do a 1/18 version but I think that is a little too much. Far too big to fit in the garage, and at £54.99-odd, it is a little bit too much.

I think that this one will join the troops on my desk at work.

Quit your jibber jabba Fool!

Opel collection - expanding the garage for next to nothing.

By sheer fluke, I popped into Kiosk on Sat a couple of weeks ago (CH Newsagent chain), and whilst having a quick looked at the magazines on offer, my eyes were promptly drawn to the Opel Collection.



The first mag is €4.99 (CHF9.50) – which is for the Commodore GS/A, with subsequent issues being €12.99 (CHF24.99), and like most of these type offerings, grow in to a collection over a great number of weeks. The collection is available in the German speaking areas of Europe – so that is Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and to date the series will span 20 models.

The first model is as per below, which is an Opel Commodore GS/A Coupe. What is good, is that the publisher clearly states who the manufacturer is of the model, and in this case, it is IXO Models. I need not go on about them, but suffice to say, stamp of approval. A well detailed model that exacts how it was built when it first came off the production line. Well detailed tampos and accurate proportions make this one of the bargains of 2011 so far…..

Now for those of you – like me – have grown up on Vauxhall, this looks to be a great set to collect. There are a few cars that don’t really appeal, such as the P1 Kapitan, and Olympia Rekord, all of which where made in the 1950’s, which is not my era of collecting so there will be some weeks where I will simply not get the next model in the series – little point of spending the cash when it can on summat that you are not really keen on when you can put that money towards summat you actually want as part of the 1/43 garage.

Some model highlights include :
6. 1951 - 1953 OPEL OLYMPIA
7. 1989 - 1992 OPEL LOTUS OMEGA
(normal language: Vauxhall Lotus Carlton – remember that 1991 beast with 380BHP and 180mph unrestricted, which made the Sierra Cossie look like a 2CV….)
8. 1957 - 1960 OPEL OLYMPIA REKORD P1 4-doors
9. 1992 - 1998 OPEL ASTRA F CABRIOLET
10. 1973 - 1977 OPEL REKORD D 2100 DIESEL
11. 1977 - 1979 OPEL KADETT C GT/E COUPE
12. 1975 - 1988 OPEL MANTA B/ GTE
13. 1935 - 1937 OPEL P4
14. 1953 - 1955 OPEL KAPITÄN
15. 1963 - 1965 OPEL KADETT A COUPE
16. 1972 - 1977 OPEL COMMODORE B GS/E
17. 1990 - 1997 OPEL CALIBRA V6
18. 1974 - 1975 OPEL MANTA A GT/E
19. 1959 - 1963 OPEL KAPITÄN P II
20. 1966 - 1970 OPEL KADETT B RALLYE COUPE

I am hoping that the range will become easily available within kiosk in Switzerland – as stated before, unless you are a completest, i see there no need to “collect” models that do not appeal to the individual.

As they come available, i hope to review the ones that i like the look of. The models from the 1970s to 1990s are the ones that really stand out for me.

Overall, €12.99/CHF24.99 for a good quality 1/43 model every two weeks I think is great VFM. If you think about it, 1/43’s normally hit the €28-40 mark. As I mentioned before, unless you are a total Opel nut, this is quite a good series to pick and choose the models that suite the period that you collect.

Further details on the collection can be found here:
HTTP://WWW.OPEL-SAMMLUNG.DE/INDEX.HTML

Careful: website is all in German!

Matchbox 2012 already out - but looks like Mattel have got it very wrong.....

The MCCH is for me now only used as a point of reference with regards to confirming data and information for the website I run matchbox1-75.co.uk.

it is very rarely these days that I actually read any posts as most of them are totally irrelevant (shade variations, etc...).

However, one member has actually posted a picture of a 2012 1-75 release on a long card.

I have to say that Mattel has got it superbly wrong yet again. Why the re-branding of the MB logo? What was wrong with the lozenge logo?

And the artwork - well, now it has got a little cartooney -

What was wrong with the 2011 packaging? For me, this re-ignited my passion for the brand - the MB logo, the fantastic artwork, the overall presentation. It worked - and worked very well.

But the new direction in branding seems to take us back a little to the Hero City days on 2004 & 2005 - and thus does not seem like the product can be taken seriously. I think Mattel forget that young children don't necessarily like stuff being thrown at them as if they were still 4 years old. Given that some of these little people may actually like the realism as per the 2011 packaging, it is not at all clear what direction Mattel want the brand to take. The days of John Coyne seem to be long gone, and there are only now smatterings of acknowledgements to the root so the brand and heritage. If it ain't broke, don't fix......

It remains to see if these indeed will actually sell. They may well do, so then I eat my words. But I doubt it.

And more to the point, WTF are 2012 models and packaging doing out in October 2011, when we can barely find the actual 1-75 range for 2011 itself?

This is sheer lunacy - Mattel surely have lost the plot a little. Time to make a decision - keep the brand properly going by investing in distribution and getting the product on the shelves, a return to the original packaging as per 2011, and marketing it well. OR just kill it off.

No wonder there is going to be - in say 20 years time - a possible death in the 1/64 scale market. Current collectors may well have stopped, or pass on (to the other side), and then where does that leave it? Technology is changing every single day and will the next generation of children want a 1-75 as a collectable toy OR some new fangled gadget which does far more than a diecast model? My betting is on the latter.

I await to see over 2012 how well this "new packaging" does, but I suspect it may very well bomb. Mattel, I would like you to prove me wrong (but I sincerely doubt it as you simply cannot be arsed).

Tomica 40th Editions

As part of the Bali haul that I bought back, it was a good opportunity to get those models that you would not normally see within the Tomica shelves of - say TRU – within SE Asia.

These models are classic Japanese cars from the 1960s to the 1980s. I am not a scholar of Tomica by a long shot, but I am sure that these were former castings of yesteryear and re-created for today.

Each model comes with a fancy box and a display plinth which is most probably why they command the extra premium over the standard models. I have to say that there is nowt major or stunning about them – they are just standard cars in posh wrapping – no extra detailing involved, but I suspect that is reserved for the TLV range more than anything else.

The cars below are a Toyota Crown police, Toyota 2000GT, Nissan Bluebird SSS, and Toyota Corona. These models complement the current 1/64 range by Tomica as well.

Always good to have within a collection and I happy in the knowledge that my Tomica collection is slowly but surely expanding with these periodic additions. More so, that I now have a good collection of 1/64 Japanese cars when the likes of Matchbox or Hot Wheels would never consider producing such.

Why Matchbox have re-branded......

I was looking for a clear Matchbox logo to update matchbox1-75.co.uk, when I stumbled across this site.


http://www.popgun.com/?portfolio=matchbox-rebrand -

Below is the snapshot of text as to why Matchbox have re-branded. Upon reading the below, this single handly refutes all notion that they are influenced by the likes of the MCCH Forum and the wims and requests of the collector. So as much as the 20-strong army on that board believe that they have a hotline into Mattel, things are becoming more evident - and again my theory:

1. Mark Curtis is desperate to keep kudos with come involvement with Mattel - this started off in 2005-odd and Mattel gave weight to the gathering of people in New Mexico. Now the MCCH Herd expect a show model which Curtis gets from Mattel, etc every year. I believe that Mattel are just being polite. Curtis needs his ego massaged and hence why wants the exclusvity of Mattel backing "his" board.

It will be interesting to see what would happen if Mattel pulled any support from the MCCH and severed ties with Curtis.....perhaps he would revert to eating more pie? (by the size of his lardyness, I think that the answer is yes).

2. Mattel are interested in Sales and not the collector. If they want the older audience to collect diecast, then it should be the Hot Wheels brand. Look at the premium lines of 1/18 and 1/43 scale modes that are coming out and the wonderful castings in 1/64 scale. As mentioned in a previous blog, the pickings of casting lie within the Hot Wheels stable and NOT the MB one.....

3. The direction of the Matchbox brand is very clear - ACTION and ADVENTURE. Like it or not, Matchbox seems to be moving away from the traditional car segment and getting all Lara Croft....

Below are some choice quotes:

Our workflow started with child’s point of view— young boys are in awe of big vehicles. Their power and presence makes them appear larger than life.

Rugged, Heroic and Unstoppable were guiding key words that described the Matchbox vehicle lineup and spoke directly to boys’ imaginations and how they interact with their toys.

With both hands on the wheel, the young Matchbox driver is ready to take on any adventure he can dream up.

I do not see any reference to the adult collector - and again, the so-called Ambassador roll appears to be little more than a goodwill exercise to the small minority of collectors.

It is very clear - those who have a romantic affair with Matchbox are going to face disappointment as the brand progresses. And the refusal to acknowledge this is going to be their downfall. It seems that it is only a matter of time before the range is moved to what I call the larger "Bruder" toys (large Trucks) that you can very easily take to a park and get dirty and muddy.

And with that direction we could see the folding of diecast under the Matchbox name......

SuperKings were the best thing that drove my imagination when I was growing up, yet Mattel have refused to invest in these models again. The HW site is bang up to date, MB is two years out of date. The toys are aimed for the 2-5 year old market and then once exposed to the likes of PlayStation and other character franchises, then the work is done.

Maybe I am reading a little bit too much into it. But the reluctance of Mark Curtis to accept anything bad about Mattel is bordering on silly.....and that collectors do not influence Mattel in any way shape or form.

As an aside, believe it or not, I quite like the 1-120 line up for this year - I care not for the graphics, but as for a bunch of cars and vehicles, it makes a good selection to choose from.

As ever, it would be good to get some free, unrestricted thought and opinion on this particular blog - and welcome comments from those from the MCCH who are muffled with their views.
_______________________________________________________________________

On the brand

Ever since the introduction of Hot Wheels in 1968, Matchbox has lived in the shadow of its more colourful, exciting and flashy Mattel brand-mate. However the Matchbox vehicle line has always kept its wheels firmly grounded in reality with trucks, ships, military and adventure vehicles at its core.

Popgun collaborated with Matchbox on a major brand overhaul that began by redefining the target audience, brand personality and attributes. Rugged, Heroic and Unstoppable were guiding key words that described the Matchbox vehicle lineup and spoke directly to boys’ imaginations and how they interact with their toys.

Following much exploration it was decided to retain the equity in the existing 70′s Matchbox letterforms, but update the weight and finish to align with the new brand values. Packaging, structural concepts, segmentation and trade dress soon followed.

With fresh gas in the tank and a GPS pointed toward success, the awesome new Matchbox brand can demolish any type of terrain.

On the graphics

Beginning in 1953, Matchbox has maintained the fine tradition of product line illustration for packaging in order to spark a child’s lively imagination. Wanting to change its recent illustration style from a flat, comic book approach to realistic renderings, Matchbox looked to Popgun to refresh its style, incorporating rich detail for their young audience to study and discover.

Our workflow started with child’s point of view— young boys are in awe of big vehicles. Their power and presence makes them appear larger than life. We transformed Matchbox’s 3D production files from grey scale models with little detail, into vivid vehicle illustrations, that, combined with evocative backgrounds, bring together an over the top sense of realism.

With both hands on the wheel, the young Matchbox driver is ready to take on any adventure he can dream up. Vrooooooom!

The Apprentice - a load of old tut?

Well Sirralan – as I like to call him – is back on BBC1 this evening with some more idiots seeking their 15 mins of fame and actually wanting a £250k investment off him for some half-brained scheme that they have.

The Apprentice for me now is pure reality TV entertainment – and and no longer a business show that you can learn from. The 14 hopefuls have to audition fro their chance, but I really do think that they want to seek fame in a posh kind of way rather than from a professional viewpoint – why would you put yourself through the entire process and expose your flaws and character on national TV?

AND the majority of “Apprentices” have not lasted the distance. Stella English is now suing Lord Sugar for constructive dismissal after he refused to renew her £100,000 a year contract with his company. Yasmina Siadatan left Lord Alan Sugar’s business empire - after falling pregnant for a second time in less than two years.

Not good – and what awaits the fate of the next bunch of numpties?

Yes, they are going to get into Whiskey Mist and Mahiki every now and again, but truth of the matter is that they will fade into Z-List oblivion very soon after. No-one remembers who got fired first…..and they are back to their normal day job and become unrecognised.

For me, this is now turned into a spectator sport – watching people squirm and make mistakes and wanting the horrible ones to fail miserably so they can be told “you didn’t make it your loser” – like Big Brother without the 24 surveillance.

For all the shows flaws and misgivings, and even thinking it is a serious business programme, this is good value for the next 14 weeks -

Lets see who is the next Stuart “The brand” Baggs.

Interesting to note that Bordan Tkachuk – one of Sirralan’s trusted circles - has not made it back on TV since his wonderful gaff:

"I know what ISP is. It's an Internet Service Protocol. And that's what you're providing. It's not a telecoms operating licence. It's a protocol that allows telecoms over bandwidths.
"I've been running Alan Sugar's companies for the last 25 years, and that's why I know a little bit about technology."

Not all the contestants on this programme are a bunch of complete twats.

Oh, and just to get you in the mood – brilliant video from Youtube – says it all…..

New Vanguards arrivals to the 1/43 garage

So Santa came and delivered two more additions to the 1/43 garage.

VA12200 - Ford Sierra XR4i - Cardinal Red

VA10307 - Ford Cortina MKIII 2.0 GXL - Evergreen



Notes:

As can be seen from the pics of the XR4i, the rear bumper is not on properly. I am quite annoyed with the quality control issue, and this model should never have been released unless it was properly checked....

However, a good model to have in the garage, but won't be displayed due to the dodgy bumper. (No, nothing I can do as this was a X'mas present).

With the Cortina, I am still not happy with the wheels that are on the model.



As from the photos and the original Cortina image as per above, the wheels are just not right, which detracts from the model itself, which is a half decent casting.

They got it right on the 'L' model, but why not the GXL????

Same thing happened with the Dolly Sprint, whose wheels were on the model are shockingly bad.....

So, not bad, but could be better

Next models due for review are the RS Cossie 2dr and the 309GTi.....should have those back home in 2 weeks time.