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'63 Cadillac Ambulance Modfied
Topic Started: Feb 12 2015, 11:26 AM (1,189 Views)
pjedsel
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Muscle Car
:huh: Just saw the ambassador's report on another board. Mattel is their so called cost saving mode has modified the '63 Cadillac Ambulance by placing a sunroof in it because it had to much metal. :o I keep wondering how they are saving money by modifying castings and having to create new molds or whatever. So much for realism!
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Chris W
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Midsize
That's a shame really -- another step in the wrong direction. A better option would be to raise the price.

A number of collectors have suggested that Mattel sell Matchbox to another company. One different option that an individual suggested was to just merge the Matchbox castings into the Hot Wheels line. I'm beginning to think that may be more desirable than to continually cheapen the Matchbox brand.
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zzziippyyy
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Drive it like you stole it!
A sunroof in the ambulance....thats just wrong!
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Brian49
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Station Wagon
I really hate to see them take a great classic model and decide to destroy it!
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ems90
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Fullsize
Here it is.......

Posted Image

Glen
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Lil' '86
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Minivan
An ambulance with a sunroof? :nah:
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Douglas
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SUV
It's so the patient relaxes, like they are out on the beach sunbathing. lol

Seriously, as weird as it is, and wouldn't have thought they'd ever consider something like this on this casting, for some (probably) cost cutting reason they did, but I don't hate the casting because of it, the overall model still keeps that classic ambulance appeal for me, though I think they might have molded ridges or some sort of texture to the top part of the window insert so you cannot see through the roof.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, maybe I'm in the minority here, but if memory serves there's supposed to be a patient on a stretcher (and on the hearse, a casket) in the rear. Problem is, you can't really see that detail. At least with the roof now, you can at least see inside the back. Maybe I'm making the best of the situation, but I like the idea.
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Douglas
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SUV
juantoo3
Feb 13 2015, 08:54 PM
OK, maybe I'm in the minority here, but if memory serves there's supposed to be a patient on a stretcher (and on the hearse, a casket) in the rear. Problem is, you can't really see that detail. At least with the roof now, you can at least see inside the back. Maybe I'm making the best of the situation, but I like the idea.
Good point Wes. After thinking about it, It kind of reminds me of past Lesney Mbx, like the #47 Ice Cream van, the #50 Kennel Truck, and the King size Racing Car Transporter, and probably others made with some sort of see through roofs, I guess in part they may have done this for the child's enjoyment, to see what's there and think about what could be going on inside the model in their imaginations too.
Edited by Douglas, Feb 14 2015, 10:07 AM.
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cody6268
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Minivan
To me, that is one upside. At least one can see the interior.

But, I do know that this is more specifically a 1963 Cadillac Superior Rescuer High Roof. Moving the Beacon Ray way too forward just doesn't look right.


Here's a pic of a 1964 (still looks the same) Cadillac Superior I found on the internet.

Posted Image



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chris.p
Compact
An odd thing - ambulance with a sun roof!

To be honest, if the metal saving was really necessary I 'd have preferred to 100% plastic body, with no sun roof, and a decent metal base.

Chris
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JeepXJLover
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Minivan
I actually kind of like it. At least its in a believable livery.
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wall-e
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Station Wagon
I'm glad I have the earlier release without the sunroof. It wouldn't be to tough to fill it in, but why make this change in the first place? If it's to cut costs, then just make the whole roof out of clear plastic, with window frames cast in.
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mbx64
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Matchbox Collector
Yes, it is upsetting. I know I have said this before, but I will say it again. It is one thing to make new castings in such a fashion, or with a plastic body and metal base, but to go into the "Mattel Golden Era" archives and to deface the models that we all loved and talk so fondly of these days is a whole new story.

Tsk, tsk, tsk....
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y'know what? You're right.

Maybe it is time Matchbox should just close shop and go the way of High Speed, Yatmng and Johnny Lightning. Maybe the next generation of kids should be deprived of little toy cars altogether. Who cares anyway?

Most folks (read that as 90% plus) are not willing to shell out $3 or more a pop for each mainline model that likely will end up in a trash can within a month anyway. So why bother? It is a hopeless cause, and the engineers can't win for losing trying to stay competitive while retaining some semblence of respectible representation, let alone pleasing "fans" (a.k.a. "collectors"). Matchbox should just close shop and go home. Sorry guys, end of an era. That's all folks.

None of it matters anyway. The folks crying the loudest are the smallest segment of the market...just like how in real life the tiniest minorities *force* their ways onto everyone else by sheer volume. It still wouldn't matter, that vocal minority wouldn't be satisfied if they were presented the world for a penny...something would still be wrong! Too much plastic! Too much metal! Too many tampos! That's an ugly color! It's not like the old days! Too much tat! What were they thinking???

Hang the lot of them, I say! Send Matchbox to the grave and be done with it!
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b2young
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Sad firefighter
I think Hot Wheels spelled the end of the era of Matchbox. But not necessarily the way you might think I mean....rather by increasing the number of HW mainline models every 5 years or so. They're up to 250 models in the main line! No wonder Matchbox doesn't get a budget that allows them to continue to make "diecast" metal bodies; they're up against their biggest competitor--their own "brother", as it were, and it's their own parents forcing the issue.

I'm going to risk flack for this next thought.... Matchbox should drop all "regular" street cars, give the molds and design department for those to Hot Wheels, and Matchbox should become the scale-model arm of Mattel producing only emergency vehicles (all models of actual vehicles, past and present--including police cars) and all commercial vehicles, construction rigs, and other things that aren't normally allowed to drive down your neighborhood public roadways (farm tractors, bulldozers, cranes, etc).

Along with this, Hot Wheels can take all the "imaginative" generic tractors and other fantasy vehicles...so for whoever is (for whatever unknowable reason) averse to collecting anything without the "Hot Wheels" brand/logo, they can add some of the current Matchbox copies of Hot Wheels' weirdest styles to their collections.

Let's give Hot Wheels all the stuff we complain about most in Matchbox, and make Matchbox the realism side of the Mattel diecast program. (Again, giving Hot Wheels all the "regular" cars from Matchbox, even the ones people here seem to like the most.)

Yes, Matchbox's core consumer base will be greatly reduced, but Hot Wheels will pick up that segment--the money all goes to the same place, anyway--yet the Matchbox brand will be able to concentrate on what they do better than Hot Wheels ever did, make realistic models of real heavy equipment, emergency vehicles, and the like. The Matchbox staff at Mattel will be greatly reduced, but there will still be people who seek out the fabulous emergency vehicles, and tractors and trucks from Matchbox. If you want civilian automobiles like you see driving down your neighborhood streets, Hot Wheels will be your source.

The only option I see beside this is to take all the "normal" civilian cars from Hot Wheels and give them to Matchbox; leave Hot Wheels ONLY with race cars, "funny cars", modified/souped-up street cars, "concept" cars, and the like. If you want a car with race track graphics on it, buy Hot Wheels. If you want a car or truck with giant jet engines in the back, buy Hot Wheels. If you want a Nissan Sentra in a normal civilian color (no "race" numbers, advertising), you have to buy Matchbox.

[One more note: give Hot Wheels all the impossible/ridiculous generic emergency vehicles--Blaze Blaster, Crime Crusher, etc.--and restrict the Matchbox lineup to only the most believable/realistic-looking castings (Hazard Squad, SWAT truck, etc) and licensed models of actual emergency vehicles and big rigs and the like).]
Edited by b2young, Feb 16 2015, 01:02 PM.
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Douglas
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SUV
I disagree Blair, Hot Wheels needs take that SWAT truck too! lol You know how much I love it. :D
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

I'm at the point with Matchbox I'm not really sure if I care anymore. They can still do nice models in the $1 as evidenced by the fox body police car issued last year along with a few others. Time will tell if the police/fire premium line this year does well or not. Hot Wheels has many globs of plastic in their lineup as well now so it's not just contained to MB. Perhaps moving the MB line to premium only has it's merits and I'm not opposed to that. If it would I'd suggest utilizing the realistic licensed models of the past 10+ years plus new castings. It seems the forces that be, namely box stores who demand MB/HW here in the US sell for $1 or less, keep the Mattel brands at a certain detail level. Thus we see the continued erosion of multiple parts, metal bases, and paint tampos. Mattel would be sunk if they left the box stores but they can't increase details of their most basic lines either. Darned if you do and darned if you don't. That's life.
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pjedsel
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Muscle Car
If I recall there was a time when Mattel said that Matchbox would be the realistic brand and Hot Wheels cover the other stuff. But that didn't seem to last very long. Like Tomica buying JL and ERTL it was a sad day when Mattel bought Matchbox.
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markkaz
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Fullsize
I think that it looks fine but at some point, the $1 USA price point won't be viable or there won't be any realistic models.
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69ch
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General 01
This may sound off the wall ... Me thinks by removing the pot metal from the roof is not so much to save money on the material itself but rather it will save money on the shipping expenses. Think about it, hundreds of thousands of Hot Wheels VW Bus on a huge ship coming from overseas and all the extra weight per case it adds up on fuel bills. No more metal bases, again each case weighs less with a plastic base for the same volume. Just a thought.

Eric
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Deaken002
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Microcar
Its such a shame all this cost cutting and generics, its no wonder you can barely find Matchbox in its home country. The generics, lack of realism and lack of cars in my opinion have done it harm here. From my expericance as a kid groing up in the 90's to the very early 00's, me and my friends all had 80's early 90's matchbox, once we where older (still kids) we moved on to 1/43's ( Cararama, Vangaurds) because they were just like the cars on the street. Surely kids today who like cars still want cars they see on Top Gear and on the street rather than all the generic off roaders that all look the same (MB), or generic coupes that all look the same (HW). There must be a reason why Tomica, Siku, Majorette, Maisto (mostly) don't feel the need to move away from realistic stuff.

On the Price front, all this cost cutting and no one outside of the US see the benefit, these are almost $3 items over here, they get cheeper (quality wise) but the price has gone up 50% in the past couple years, where as other toys haven't. For Instance a lego set that costs $50 is around £30 in the UK, a Lego minifigue $4 US and £2 UK, a video game $60 is £45, majorette is £1, but HW And MB are $1 and £1.50, the character cars are the worst sinners, $3.50, but in the UK £4.99!
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome aboard, Deaken!
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Deaken002
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juantoo3
Feb 18 2015, 11:22 PM
Welcome aboard, Deaken!
Thanks!
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b2young
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Sad firefighter
I had to do a quick check of currency exchange rates to see that £30 is approximately $46 today. So, roughly the same price for Legos there as here. Not so long ago £30 was more like $60 US.

I guess that's part of your point....little diecast cars actually cost more in the country of their invention than here, while other toys are about the same?

Oh, and welcome aboard from another relative newcomer to Swifty's!
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