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Bert Finds the Matchbox; A Nostalgia Trip
Topic Started: Oct 22 2015, 10:00 PM (23,064 Views)
guy64
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microbuss
May 3 2016, 10:25 PM
saay a XKE was driven by Pryor & Wilder in Silver Streak B)
Yup!

"Where can I take you, Sir?"

"Well... I left muh Jag in Kansas City..."
Edited by guy64, May 4 2016, 01:45 AM.
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guy64
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A blue one for Bert...

Posted Image

... and it's 1/64 (per the base). Which makes it perfect for Bert's world.

Does it get any better than this? For a buck, I mean? Not only a great subject in the perfect scale, it's done in believable colors inside and out, carries tampoes of maximum effect, runs on generic wheels that are realistic, the right size and appropriate for the car, absolutely nothing done wrong. All for $1 US.

It's a toy and a model!

"Yeah well, you had me sold with 'blue' and '1/64'. Ya made my day, kid."

Not me, Officer. Matchbox!
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:34 PM.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm still drooling over the Kitties...
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guy64
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Wish I had more kitty colors to show you, juantoo3. :petkitty:

Oh, wait! Here's a more recent kitty in green...

Posted Image

... British Racing Green, if I'm not mistaken.

Another near miss, scale-wise for this XK8, but a very good model. Once again Matchbox opted for prototypic colors. The leather-colored interior looks great peeking out from the BRG body. The wheels work perfectly with this retro design, and tampoes are used once again to maximum realistic effect.

"Is that all, kid? Isn't there something else?"

Mmm... yeah, there is. Without any tint in the windshield glass, the "A" pillars are almost invisible. With a slight neutral tint in the plastic they would show up better, but the best thing would have been to paint or tamp the windshield frame as was done on some of the New Beetle cabrios seen earlier. (We know you can do it, MB.)

"There, see? I knew you find something."

Yeah, and while I'm at it maybe I should check your uniform for dust...

"Hey! Don't touch the uniform..."
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:36 PM.
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guy64
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Back to an old favorite casting...

Posted Image

... and one of the few "New Superfast" models we have.

I'm not crazy about purple as a vehicle color, but we like the look of the wide whitewalls under this truck. Tooling issues were beginning to show around the time this one was issued, though. Fortunately, the metal flake paint makes them less noticeable.

"Who owns this one, kid? A winery?"

Don't see any such logo on it, Officer. Sometimes purple just means purple.

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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:38 PM.
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guy64
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Bert has just one word for this car...

Posted Image

"Schweeeeeet!"

Strangely, it's hard to tell this Mercedes-Benz SL55 is a bit big at 1/61 scale. (Maybe that's why Bert doesn't seem to care.) In any case, it's another prime example of how well Matchbox can do a $1 model when they want to. The only issue besides scale is the unpainted windshield frame which makes the windshield itself almost invisible.

"You're not complaining about being able to see out of the car, are you, kid?"

No, Officer. I just wouldn't want you to be wasting your time chasing after cars that look like they have no windshield.

"Oh. Well, I'll watch out for that."
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:40 PM.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:thumbup:

(I think I like the purple pickup just a fuzz more... ;) )
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guy64
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Took us a while to latch on to this one...

Posted Image

At 1/63 (per the base), MB's take on the Austin Taxi is very close to our ideal scale. But even making allowances for the slight over-bigness, we're surprised that the car is still so big. I always had the impression that it was a smaller car. Neither did I expect to find it in this color. In fact, I have a tough time imagining this car in any color but black.

"Thought it was smaller? Always black? Kid, you've seen A Hard Day's Night too many times."

No, Officer, I just wasn't paying close enough attention when John, Paul, George and Ringo were climbing in and out of the things.
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:42 PM.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOL...I imagine if John got ahold of one it would look considerably different than all black.

Come to think of it, isn't there a "newspaper taxi" out there somewhere by someone?

This isn't the one I was thinking of, but it will do:

Posted Image
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guy64
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juantoo3
May 10 2016, 08:10 AM
LOL...I imagine if John got ahold of one it would look considerably different than all black.

True, but all that came a few years after A Hard Day's Night, which was done during the B+W, "Mod" era.

Reporter: "So, are you a 'Mod' or a 'Rocker'?"

Ringo: "Mmmm... I'm a 'Mocker'..."
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guy64
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Speaking of Beetles, one of the better $1 Bugs...

Posted Image

... though I still prefer the full-disc wheels on this much-used casting. These wheels aren't bad, they just seem less appropriate for a Bug than the "Fuldies".

Aside from that, this is a great issue of MB's 1/58 scale '60s Bug. Done in a realistic solid color with ace tamping, good glass color (iow, none), they even did the cloth top cover! Usually we see these touches used together only on PEs or SFs.

"But kid, it still doesn't look any smaller, even in this color."

Yeah, I noticed that, Officer. Appreciate you pointing that out.

"Well, it is my job, y'know."

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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:44 PM.
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guy64
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We would have preferred "Fuldies" on this VW van as well...

Posted Image

... but again, these racing wheels with the tri-spoke knock-off hubs look good.

"Better than if they'd gotten all 'flowery' on you, right, kid?"

Right, Officer. So right. B)

Btw, this version of the VW van as well as the green Bug, white XKE and dark red London Taxi are all from the "Euro Classics #2" 5-pack of 2007.

"Uh, that's only four cars, kid. Where's the 5th?"

I'm sure it's on the way, Officer.
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:45 PM.
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guy64
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As promised to Bert...

Posted Image

... from that "euro Classics #2" 5-pack.

The venerable Land Rover 90 casting is spec'd at 1/62, but it's another one of those renderings that seems stretched in width. The "slate blue" (per BAMCA) color is more subdued than the bright blue of the initial release, giving it a more serious look. The wheels are still generic of course, but these more realistic wheels demonstrate how much better MB designers have gotten with wheel design. The "realism factor" of this casting has been increased noticeably by their use.

"Yeah, I like these wheels better. But you still can't beat that old bright blue."

Indeed, Officer. We miss the "Gumby Effect" here.
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:47 PM.
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guy64
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Sooooo... Bert is a bit late today (tonight) thanks in part to Photobucket's maintenance schedule...

Posted Image

... so we got all "military" about it. (Gotta "blow up" our PB connections someday.) ;)

This one is definitely a wife-unit buy. I never would have brought it home otherwise. For one thing, it's 1/57 (and may be even bigger than that), and for another thing, it's way too big. Yeah, I know that's the same issue, but it bothers me twice as much as usual, for some reason.

"Maybe the huge wheels, kid?"

Could be. I kinda like off-road Bugs as a concept (if they're close to 1/64). But these wheels suggest a 4x4 Bug, which strikes me as strange for a rear-engined air-cooled compact-derived Baja racer. Yeah, it's "just a toy", but still... :blink:

Oh well. It's military (-ish), which will make it a good military flatcar load along with a certain over-sized Jeep concept car of similar but shinier color.
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:50 PM.
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guy64
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Since we were late yesterday, let's do this a little early today...

Posted Image

... and take a break from Bugs as well.

This "Road Rescue" Camaro is definitely no Bug. Another welcome use of the '95 Camaro Z-28 casting, it's from the "At Your Service" series of 1999. Interesting choice for a rescue vehicle, since we can't find any place to put a stretcher or anything like that.

"Yeah, well, that's what we use to rescue people from having to... walk... home, or somewhere... anywhere."

Oh. Got it. So, how do you like that amber-colored glass, Officer?

"(Sigh.) Well, it does come in handy to reset my eyes after I've spent all day in one of those blue-glassed things they make me use sometimes."

I thought you had the 2K Olympics Tahoe for that.

"I did, but that went back to Oz, I think."
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:54 PM.
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Douglas
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The amber glass must be like those Blue Blockers sunglasses, helping protect Bert from those harmful rays of UV and blue light.
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Mark F.
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A variation with slightly different wheels:

Posted Image
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nice presentations, as always. And you too, Officer sir.
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Hobie-wan
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Never seen that particular olive bug variation before.
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guy64
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Thanks to Mark F. we get a good look at that little splotch on the rear bumper. "Jumper Cables", hm?

"Makes sense, kid. You won't get a gurney into a Camaro. I've tried."
Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:55 PM.
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guy64
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Bert's seen sports coupes, SUVs and crossovers in his department's fleet, but only one wagon. Now...

Posted Image

... he gets a second station wagon. This one isn't the traditional black and white, though. This time Matchbox got a bit "new skool". They're still non-committal regarding the scale but we'd bet it's a tad under 1/64; maybe 1/67 or 1/68. MB stuck with the same number on the front fender (054). The unit number is "680" on the rear. (Can't tell what the unit # is on the B+W version.)

As a vehicle type, the station wagon ("estate car" in Europe, if I'm not mistaken) is something that "takes me back". The first wagon my family had was a brand-new '60 Chevy 4-door, a full-size monster that was bronze-colored inside and out. Riding in it was like being in a giant copper pot. I loved it. It seemed to be like a second home there in the back, which was my favorite perch. My two sisters were welcome to the passenger seat; I preferred to have the rear compartment all to myself. I could lounge in any corner to watch the world go by, or stretch out on my back and let vehicular motion rock me to sleep (which could happen on long trips). All I needed was a blanket and a pillow. Open the tailgate and my room had a back porch. Once in a while my dad would let me sit on the open tailgate and dangle my feet as he drove through the neighborhood on the way from a store. (Seat belts? What are those? A tailgate doesn't need seat belts!)

I don't think Bert's childhood was quite so idyllic. But he seems to be glad the department got another one of these.

"Glad? You kidding? I've got another fast unit with a place to throw perps after they've been hog-tied properly."

Must be hard getting them out, though.

"HECK no. Just drop the tailgate, put the thing in reverse, jam the gas and then the brake. Perps roll right out, easy-peasy. Can't do that with the Camaro."

Well then, you must be very happy about having two at your disposal.

"Oh yeah! Hey, show that other angle, huh kid?"

Sure Officer...

Posted Image
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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 08:05 PM.
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b2young
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Mark F.
May 15 2016, 11:59 AM
A variation with slightly different wheels:

Posted Image
A form of (American) ADAC, methinks.....
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guy64
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Saw a brief burst of these Ford Transits on the pegs when they first came out...

Posted Image

... then they seemed to disappear rapidly.

We snagged one early on. A very decent model, it's a bit disappointing at 1/69 scale (per the base), and just outside our scale window on the low end (currently 1/67). But, it's a useful vehicle for a mrr layout, so I figured I'd put it in the background to hide its smallness.

Next to Bert though, the smallness is revealed quite plainly.

"Just doin' my job, kid. No need to thank me."

Not blaming you Officer, just pondering where to put it.

"Park it in a back alley somewhere. Nobody will ever notice it's too small. Probably."

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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 07:59 PM.
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guy64
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Once again, an old favorite...

Posted Image

...made to look..."old", I guess.

It's not the first green produce F-100 MB has done, but it's probably the most interesting so far. We always love it when a casting we like (and can use) is branded with a plausible business logo. And, manufacturers' attempts at "aging" or "weathering" a model are often fun (if not always believable). The dull paint, brown interior, dull silver grill, bumpers, running boards and black wheels do lend a dingy look to this well-used pickup truck. (Although the coarse green paint goes beyond "dull" into "coated with stucco" territory.)

What I can't figure out are the silver markings on the fenders. I think they're supposed to be scratches. What else could they be? But their every-which-way appearance is baffling. How do you get scratches like that on truck fenders? Driving through a corn field, or a briar patch? Cactus? Scratches from that type of motion would be horizontal, wouldn't they? These look to me like something you'd get from whipping the thing with a bicycle chain; all higgledy-piggledy.

Anyway, the "Farm Fresh Produce" logo is very nice, as are the tamped Ford badges and door handles. The racing wheels are anomalous, but not too noticeable when left un-tamped. All in all, a welcome effort by MB.

"Kid, if those are scratches, they're fresher than the produce."

Good catch, Officer. Let's leave them alone and see if they rust.

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Edited by guy64, Jul 14 2017, 08:02 PM.
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Mark F.
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guy64
May 18 2016, 09:04 PM
These look to me like something you'd get from beating the thing randomly with a bicycle chain; all higgledy-piggledy.
That's my guess. Probably the work of some thug sent by Monsanto. :executioner:
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