hot wheels highway Flashback August 2004 Iwas going through a brand-new The Gov’ner 21/100 First (at the time) 2004 “E” case of Hot Wheels that I had ordered Editions online. Our local stores were so far behind that it wasn’t even worth A. semigloss black plastic body, going out hunting for new cars, so I started ordering full cases from a metal Malaysia base, bright-red- place on the West Coast to keep current. When I opened the case, painted taillight, black & white HW it looked pretty normal, with the usual sprinkling of new releases and logo on rear plate, chrome windows, a bunch of earlier ones. I grabbed a handful of the older cars from and black 5-spoke wheels with wide the box in hopes of maybe finding a Variation, and started compar- whitewalls ing them to ones I had from the previous month or so. It wasn’t that B. same as (a) but with a dark-red- noticeable at first, but when I put them side by side with the others, painted taillight there were some Variations. That’s why I always say, if you’re looking C. same as (a) but with red-tinted The Ozzenberg ditched the brown fenders for reddish ones. for Variations, you really need to windows with a bright-red-painted have another one in your hand to compare it to. taillight The first car I pulled out was the Plymouth Barracuda (45/100) from D. same as (c) red-tinted windows and a dark-red-painted taillight the First Editions Fatbax Series. I like that casting; I always have since I E. the addition of a metallic silver-striped tampo on the rear fender and no taillight or HW logo was a kid. Yes, it’s a caricature of the original Snake Funny Car, but I really F. the body changed to gloss black plastic with a red-tinted windows, metallic silver-striped tampo on rear do like it in either form. After looking at it, I noticed that the yellow was fender, no red taillight or HW logo, and b5sp with wide whitewalls lighter and the windows were black instead of silver, like the one I had G. same as (f) but the side-striped tampo on rear fender is gray enamel instead of silver metallic found before. There ended up being both lemon yellow and mustard yel- H. same as (e) with the tires changed to thin whitewall tires (the most difficult Variation to find) low variations with black and silver windows, and one with a ZAMAC The original version of the Gov'ner had chrome windows and wide unpainted body with black plastic whitewalls. windows. The next one I noticed was the The final of eight variations had red windows, a silver tampo on the The Cat-A-Pult started with the co-molded wheels on the top, but Gov’ner—no. 21 in the First Editions fender, and thin whitewalls. they were changed to 5-spoke wheels (middle) and then finally to Series. The first version, which I 3-spoke wheels (bottom). had found a few weeks earlier, had a semigloss black plastic body; the The tampo on the original one I pulled from this case was gloss Slikt Back was mostly sliver black, so it really stood out. Along (shown), but later versions with being full gloss, it substituted much more purple also had thin whitewall into the flames. tires instead of the wide whitewalls it The first Variation I originally came with. found was the Fat- The chrome window bax Barracuda. The was changed to windows changed a transparent dark red, from silver (far right) and the taillights and to black (near right), Hot Wheels logo were and two different now missing. This had shades of yellow me looking for more were used for the in my boxes of extras, body (both of these and I couldn’t believe are lemon, but there what I found! were also mustard versions and even an unpainted Zamac version). 50 DCXmag.com
❑ No. 86 Brutalistic in candy purple metallic and 3-spoke wheels with pr5 ❑ No. 142 Tag Rides Tropicool (Ice ❑ No. 96 ’Tooned Sixy Beast in light Cream Truck) in candy tangerine and purple pearl with pink pearl ghost 5dot wheels flames on the hood and 5-spoke wheels; three sets of tires, all three are ❑ No. 194 Roll Patrol Scorchin’ Scooter different sizes in aqua enamel ✇ ❑ No. 139 Tag Rides ’68 Cougar in gold The Variation of the Asphalt Assault changed the hood from body-colored to flat black, and later to gloss black. It felt good to find some new varia- tions finally after the dry spell I was having! I sat down and started to look at everything else in the case. After going through it all, here’s what I found: ❑ No. 50 Slikt Back had much more purple in the tampos, and the fade on the side had gone from being silver to being purple. ❑ No. 51 LeMelt originally had a gloss- black-painted metal two-rivet Malaysia base. The ones I pulled had a flat black base with two rivets or with only one rivet in the front. ❑ No. 73 Asphalt Assault now had a flat black hood. The first release had the hood the same color as the rest of the car (mustard pearl metallic). Later that year, the flat black hood was changed to gloss black. ❑ No. 75 Ozzenberg had a fender color change from brown plastic to maroon plastic. ❑ No. 88 Super Gnat was darker candy tangerine in body color. The “one8” on the side was more gray than white, and the maroon in the side tampo was more of a light purple. ❑ No. 94 Phantom Racer was now candy tangerine metallic instead of the pearl orange metallic. ❑ No. 136 Final Run Cat-A-Pult co-mold wheels were changed to chrome 5-spoke and then to 3-spoke. The new releases for that case were: ❑ No. 29 Maserati Quattroporte in silver-blue metallic with 10-spoke wheels ❑ No. 64 Fast Fuse in silver metallic with 5-spoke wheels ❑ No. 69 Crooze Batmobile flat black with 5-spokes ❑ No. 79 ’Tooned Lamborghini in orange with pr5 wheels winter 2018 51
OUT OF THE BOX BY THE DCX CREW AT A GLANCE WHAT WE LIKE Automodello MODEL + Hideaway Headlight ’65 is 1965 Buick Riviera 1965 Buick Riviera the Riv’s best model year Gran Sport Gran Sport + Automodello’s meticulous The Style and Performance Apex MANUFACTURER craftsmanship for Buick’s Elegant Flagship Automodello + Big 1:24 scale in seven GENRE different colors! Luxury sport classic SCALE 1:24 PRICE $300 to $465 (depending on edition) Buick has applied the “Riviera” name as the top trim designation on its flagship coupes and sedans as far back as 1949 to connote a certain European-style elegance and exclusivity. But it wasn’t until the Riviera was launched as its own standalone model in 1963 that Buick finally achieved the world-class allure to which it had aspired. The ’63 Riviera was nothing short of a revelation in style and sophistication— instantly elevating Buick’s image and estab- lishing the brand as GM’s lead entry into the “personal luxury car” segment. Yet the Riviera almost wasn’t a Advanced Styling, led by Ned in particular were languishing, feature finally restored the clean, Buick at all. Bill Mitchell had taken Nickles, to get on it. and it pulled out all the stops to sporty visage that Mitchell and over the reigns as GM’s styling win the XP-715, even hiring an Nickles had originally intended. chief in 1958—the same year Nickles came up with a design, ad agency to help them polish Ford effectively established the which was dubbed experimental their own internal presentation to e 1965 model year also intro- personal luxury segment with the project XP-715. One of its most GM management. It worked; the duced another Buick institution: the launch of the hugely successful distinguishing features was the design was awarded to Buick and Gran Sport (GS). e Riviera had supplementary grilles on the the car was named the Riviera. delivered the style and sophistication underbird 4-seater, a product leading edges of wide, blade-like Buick sought from day one, but for which GM had no answer. front fenders that concealed Much of the XP-715’s styling for ’65 it wanted to enhance the Mitchell knew he needed one, headlights—revolutionary at the made it through to production, car’s sporting image, so a package and set about conceptualizing a time. Early versions were referred but the mechanism for the hidden was devised to sharpen the car’s 2-door, 4-seat coupe inspired to as the “LaSalle II” and it was headlights could not be made to handling (via stiffer shocks, springs, by European sports and luxury thought the car might be used by work reliably, so they were shelved and anti-roll bars), and squeeze models he saw on a trip to the Cadillac to revive that brand name, in favor of conventional lights inboard more power from the 425-cubic- London Motor Show. Specifically, but Caddy was already selling on the grille. It took until 1965—the inch “Nailhead” V-8 (via an aggres- he wanted to evoke the sharp everything it could build, and third and final year of the 1st- sive cam, and freer-flowing intake roofline, rear deck, and character declined to take on the project. generation Riv—for the bugs to be and exhaust systems). It is this GS lines of a Rolls-Royce, with a Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Buick all finally worked out, and a stacked pair version of the Riviera that Auto- stance and sporty aggressive wanted a crack at it. Buick sales of headlights was tucked into the modello brings to us in exquisite nose like a Ferrari’s big GTs, and fenders behind grilles that opened 1:24 in a veritable rainbow of seven instructed his designers at GM’s factory colors. All the cars have the clamshell-style. is stunning same level of detail: abundant. In this 52 DCXmag.com scale you can really appreciate the care with which etched metal is used for even the smallest details, like the hood ornament, wiper blades, and mesh screens in the hood vents. Multiple layers of it form the window surrounds on the pillarless hardtop, the driver’s side of which
e standard edition Astro Blue is gorgeous and has all the detail of the more limited editions at a lower price. THIS CAR MADE A STATEMENTWHEN ITWAS NEW, AND ITMAKESJUSTAS STRONG A STATEMENTTODAY. Right: All the Riv replicas share luxurious interior appointments, but the detail shows best on the Regal Black Homage Edition. Below: All Automodello Rivieras come mounted on a stylish base inscribed with the edition. is Tribute Edition color is called “Sahara Mist.” is open (windows down) is no engine to ogle; the particulars FINAL THOUGHTS Verde Green and Sahara Mist. e while the passenger’s side of the Buick 425 must be inferred. Homage Edition is Regal Black, and has the windows up. Paint Truthfully, Nailheads are seldom Debate rages among Buick three different Enthusiast Editions— is outstanding, and the pretty to look at, but the GS enthusiasts as to whether the in Arctic White, Flame Red, and smooth, polished finish model’s 360 horses had it where it clamshell headlights of the ’65 were Burgundy Mist—are being made in really enhances the crisp counted; it could motivate the long, an improvement over those of the totals of just 19 each. Each variation lines of the Riv. low Riv to 60mph in about seven ’63-64 Riv. We fall firmly in the pro- deserves a home on a collector’s seconds, and on up to 130mph ’65 camp! It has the look that the shelf. If cost were no object we’d e interior colors despite the car’s more than two designers originally intended, and probably opt for the burgundy, but vary almost as widely as the tons of bulk. What are pretty to for our money the ’65 Riviera is one given how sharply limited editions exteriors, and match them well. look at are the GS wheels—big of the most perfect designs ever to rise in price we think the standard Not surprisingly, the best view is 15-inchers that are vastly more emerge from any General Motors blue is the way to go—it’s a beautiful afforded by the lighter upholstery— attractive than the not-very- division. Sure, the light mechanisms color, an amazing model, and the particularly the tan in the black car, convincing phony wire spoke were dodgy, but who cares? If you savings can be used to pick up one but the blue is nice too. e Riv hubcaps of the non-GS models. want reliability, buy a Honda! is of Automodello’s 1:43 models with was all about luxury, and both front Automodello does a great job with car made a statement when it was a little change to spare! We’re a little and rear occupants got coddled in them too, capturing the look of the new, and it makes just as strong a surprised more model companies plush bucket seats with a center slim whitewall tire with its squarish statement today. have yet to produce a ’65 Riviera, console ensuring their personal bias-ply profile. e stance is good but we’re certainly glad Automodello space was not encroached upon. up front, although the car sits just Automodello is making a Detail on the seats, armrests, and a touch high at the rear (Rivieras statement by releasing seven stepped up. ✇ the like is excellent, as is the faux were deliberately set low to different Riviera GS models in 1:24, wood grain on the console. Note the enhance their long, low profiles). in four different trims. e standard SOURCES extreme forward pitch to the gear car is Astro Blue, while more limited selector; this is spot-on, although Tribute Editions are available in automodello.com; diecasm.com the handle itself is perhaps a touch longer than scale. It’s impressively WINTER 2018 53 thin though, as is the steering wheel. No seatbelts are visible, but nobody used them in 1965 anyway! As a sealed-body model there
TBF AVENGERIINN TTHHE HEANHGAARNGBYGAERRYRYARRISH FLIGHT WING GRUMMAN’S GRAND SCALE TORPEDO BOMBER Distributed by Aiken’s Airplanes, Flight Wing’s 1:18-scale static display model is a replica of the Avenger flown by Lt. (j.g.) George Bush. Referred to as a “Built N Painted” model, the Avenger, as with other 1:18-scale display models in the series, has many movable parts and comes with an expertly applied finish. Priced at $198.95, the Avenger spans an impressive 36 inches and is 27.25 inches long and 9 inches tall at the top of the canopy. For a static display model, it is impressive. ree posable crewmen as well as a torpedo and eight wing-mounted rockets are included in the package. AT A GLANCE SCALE 1:18 PRICE $199 e scale radial engine is nicely detailed. e rotating aft gun turret is a focal point on the Avenger. It is nicely appointed 54 DCXmag.com with machine-gun and interior detailing.
OVERALL, I THINK THE GRUMMAN TBF AVENGER FROM AIKEN’S AIRPLANES WOULD MAKE A NICE ADDITION TO ANYONE’S COLLECTION IF THEY HAVE AN INTEREST IN NAVAL AVIATION HISTORY. Here’s George, posing for the camera before his next mission. PHOTOS BY PETER HALL e aft crew door is hinged, Here, you see the Avenger’s big wing folded into the storage position. and it opens and snaps shut. WINTER 2018 55 Also shown here is the lower machine-gun position and the tailwheel assembly. All the control surfaces are hinged and nicely molded with accurate details.
Grumman TBF Avenger Entering service in 1942, the Grumman TBF Avenger first The three-man crew gives you saw action during the Battle of Midway. Developed the scale of just how big the full- by Grumman for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the size Avenger really was. torpedo bomber was also used by several Allied air and naval services. The Avenger’s crewmembers included the pilot, a At first glance, the model you can position them to prevent turret gunner, and a radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. looks scale and the colors the landing gear from retracting, For armament, the Avenger was originally equipped with used for the finish are close to thus making the model stable one forward-firing .30-caliber machine gun in the nose (later scale when compared to my as it rests on its gear. All the replaced by two wing-mounted .50-caliber guns), an offset Federal Standard 595B color control surfaces and the flaps .30-caliber gun in a rear-facing gun turret (later replaced with identification color chips. The are hinged, and they can be interior surfaces in the cockpit moved to various positions, a .50-caliber areas also look accurate, with giving the model a realistic gun), and a zinc chromate green finish. appearance. Between the two a single The large greenhouse canopy main gear are the two large .30-caliber structure as well as the rear gun belly/torpedo bay doors, which hand-fired turret have raised framing, and are hinged and can be opened. machine gun the two sides of the cockpit The ceiling and the areas inside mounted canopy slide independently the bulkheads are painted and under the on rail channels. Beneath the have some surface detailing. The tail, which canopy, there is a nice amount of included torpedo is molded with was manned interior detail including the pilot’s an attachment bracket, which by the radio seat, the instrument panel, and slips into place with two friction- operator/ a radio and other details for the fit alignment pins. Unlike the bombardier. radio operator to use. The turret full-size Avenger, which had two swivels and the machine gun bifold hinges for each door, the With its moves up and down along with model’s bay doors are one piece large, single the scale framing and armored and have single tab hinges for bomb/torpedo bay, the TBF was able to carry one Mark 13 gunner seat. Just below and simplicity. torpedo, a single 2,000-pound bomb, or up to four 500-pound aft of the turret between two The wings are also hinged, bombs. With a range of 1,000 miles and a 30,000-foot ceiling, observation windows on the so they can be folded back the Avenger had superior performance to anyprevious U.S. right side is a hinged crew door into the storage position. The Navy torpedo bomber. that opens and snaps shut. This hinge bracket that allows this is Powered by a 1,700hp Wright R-2600-8 14-cylinder gives access to the aft gunner angled, so as the wing is moved double-row radial engine, the Avenger was Grumman’s first bay, and you can move the lower back toward the tail, the outer torpedo bomber and was the heaviest single-engine aircraft machine gun. wing panel moves vertically of World War II. The prototype (XTBF-1) first flew on August 7, All three landing gear are as it did with the full-size 1941, and Avengers remained in use until the 1960s, primarily retractable, and the tailwheel Avenger. There are no locking by the U.S. Navy in anti-submarine electronic countermeasures spins and can be canted left and mechanisms, so the wing and in training roles. Many Avengers were exported to Canada, right. The tailwheel snaps into panels droop downward when France, Japan, and the Netherlands, and some were even the down position and is nicely folded back. Also included are converted for use as civilian firefighting aircraft. detailed. The main gear move up molded-in gas caps, navigation Pilots who flew it said that the Avenger, for better or worse, and down and fit nicely into the lights with clear lenses at the flew like a truck; it was extremely rugged and could absorb a wheel wells. Two spring-loaded wingtips, and antistall slats at lot of damage, holding itself together to return its crew safely support struts are hinged so that the outer leading edges. Rivet to their aircraft carrier. In total, more than 9,800 Avengers were produced, 7,500 of which were assembled by General Motors and carried the TBM designation, while the TBFs were built in-house by Grumman. 56 DCXmag.com
Presidential Pilot George Bush Perhaps the most famous naval aviator to fly the During their attack, the Avengers encountered Avenger was George H. W. Bush (later to become intense antiaircraft fire; Bush’s aircraft was hit by flak the 41st president of the United States). Bush joined and his engine caught on fire. Despite this situation, the Navy in 1942 and became the youngest naval Bush completed his attack and released bombs over aviator ever, in June 1943. his target, scoring several damaging hits. With his engine afire, Bush flew several miles from the island, He flew Avengers with VT-51, from USS San where he and one other crew member on the TBM Jacinto. On September 2, 1944, he was shot down Avenger bailed out of the aircraft; the other man’s over Chichijima. While Bush parachuted safely and parachute did not open. It has not been determined was rescued at sea by the submarine USS Finback which man bailed out with Bush as both Delaney and (SS-230), neither of his crewmen survived. Bush White were killed as a result of the battle. Bush waited earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for completing for four hours in an inflated raft, while several fighters his mission after his TBF had been hit. circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine USS Finback. For the next Bush piloted one of four Grumman TBM Avenger month, he remained on the Finback and participated in the rescue of aircraft from VT-51 that attacked the Japanese other pilots. installations on Chichijima. His crew for the mission included Radioman Second Class John Delaney and Lt. (j.g.) William White. The Avenger is nicely detailed inside and out. Here, you see the lifelike instrument panel The big fish (torpedo) looks great in the belly of the Avenger. It is held in position in and the independently sliding canopy panels. the large torpedo/bomb bay with friction fit alignment pins. A total of eight air-to-surface wing-mounted missiles are also included in the package. The wings are also well detailed with the ailerons and flaps hinged and movable. depressions, panel lines, and The hook that is supplied with very stiff and fragile. They look Airplanes would make a nice cloth-covering details and rib the model is simply the very end great standing next to the addition to anyone’s collection detailing are molded into the of the hook, which is screwed Avenger as the pilot goes over if they have an interest in naval rudder, elevator, and ailerons for into position. It pivots up and his checklist, but I was not able aviation history, especially those an attractive overall appearance. down but is not functional. to position a crewman in the aft with a soft spot for our 41st The only feature I would As I already mentioned, the gun turret. have liked to have seen with crew figures are posable and president George H. W. Bush. ✇ this otherwise nicely detailed I placed one of them in the Avenger is a retractable and cockpit for photos. The other Bottom Line SOURCE detailed landing-hook assembly. two crew figures I found to be Overall, I think the Grumman aikensairplanes.com TBF Avenger from Aiken’s WINTER 2018 57
MODELS IN MOTION BY MATT BOYD RC4WD 1:18 Gelande II Land Rover D90 RTR A Factory-Built Demo Truck with Legit Off-Road Chops In the diecast world, 1:18 is a considered a large scale, and an excellent platform for delivering tons of scale detail. But in the realm of radio control, 1:18 is pretty small, and most offerings in that size tend to be somewhat lacking in scale realism. Most—but not all. RC4WD has established itself as one of the preeminent RC authorities in scale authenticity with their standard-size (roughly 1:10) trucks, but what truly sets the company apart is that the realism does not come at the cost of functionality. These trucks are some of the most capable in the scale class, and the company offers literally hundreds of aftermarket scale parts and accessories to customize and personalize virtually any rig. AT A GLANCE But there’s a big difference a second, as well as the chassis the only thing the Gelande II lacks MODEL between 1:10 and 1:18. Squeezing beneath it. e body is molded is a detailed scale interior, but there Gelande II Land Rover scale realism and off-road ability out of hard plastic—thicker than is certainly plenty of room if you D90 RTR into a package barely half the conventional Lexan RC bodies, wished to customize one. size is a challenge, but if anyone with much more surface detail. e MANUFACTURER were up to it, it would be the guys various trim items—door handles, As you’d expect of a showcase RC4WD at RC4WD. To prove that their mirrors, marker lights—are all for RC4WD’s catalog of optional “little” Gelande II chassis has what separate pieces. Even the rivets are hop-up parts, it wears quite a few GENRE it takes, they sent us a sample accurately molded into the shell. of them. e laser-cut screen Ready-to-run radio- that their in-house crew built to headlight and side-window guards controlled scale 4X4 showcase a bunch of their scale e head- and taillight lenses have are crafted from stainless steel accessories for the Land Rover hollowed recesses behind them and powder-coated, as are the SCALE D90 body. It’s been painted (it to allow installation of functional windshield perimeter rollbar, body 1:18 (RC) comes in black from the factory) LED lighting. e bumpers are side-guard bars, and rear ladder. and treated to a bunch of their machined billet aluminum. About PRICE bolt-on hop-up parts, but it e elaborate roof rack is the $200* (stock configuration) should be noted that the running gear remains stock. Aside from a WHAT WE LIKE bit of extra roll-over protection, the bolt-ons don’t change the + Scale looks that rival performance you can expect from diecast trucks the stock ready-to-run package— and we did most of our testing + Legitimate off-road with a stock RTR so as not to risk capability RC4WD’s demo shell. + $200 for fully functional But let’s admire that shell for RC and scale looks is a serious bargain 58 DCXmag.com
same, and just like the headlights, could more than double the sticker internal springs isolate the chassis and featuring functional bead lock the rack’s light pods have hollow of the base model! from bumps. The electronics using an internal aluminum locking pockets for mounting LEDs. There Just as impressive is the necessary to make the D90 radio- ring. They measure an inch in is a spare tire cover, bolt-on fender chassis, which starts with controlled—the steering servo, diameter, making them 18-inchers extensions complete with stainless aluminum ladder frame rails. motor, and combination speed in scale—quite appropriate for steel intake vents for the engine, The suspension is serious off- control/receiver—are tucked up this type of truck. The tires are and laser-cut stainless steel road fare: an aluminum 4-link out of harm’s way. scale replicas of General Tire Dirt diamond plate hood side panels. suspension with realistically cast With a 4X4, the wheels and Grabbers, crafted of soft rubber Everything is precisely crafted and metal axles in front and rear. Even tires play a huge role in the overall with foam liners to flex over rough mounted with tiny screws, not glue. the functional transfer case has a appearance of the vehicle, and terrain to grip effectively. The The detail would put many diecast scale look, and is cast metal as well; RC4WD spared no effort to make wheels have been repainted but models to shame, but it does come it and the differentials are stuffed the rolling stock believable. The otherwise are exactly what you at a price. If you add all of the extra with metal gears for durability. wheels are 6-lug wagon wheel- get with the stock truck! bolt-on bits you see on this truck it Scale-looking 40mm shocks with style rims made of stamped steel In terms of performance, the winter 2018 59
RC4WD 1:18 GELANDE II LAND ROVER D90 RTR e Gelande II comes fully ready-to-run, with a controller and lithium battery pack. Below: e chassis may be even more impressive than the body, if that’s possible! e frame, suspension, and driveline are almost entirely aluminum and steel, and remarkably scale in look and function. e RC gear sits in the engine bay, and the battery lives in the cargo area. Gelande II is a surprisingly capable run up rocky trails in Below: Check out the metal axle hous- little off-roader. It is geared more realistic fashion. e ings with functional gear diffs, 4-link for climbing obstacles, so it’s not Base RTR set, which suspension, and offset drivetrain with a exactly speedy, but it trundles includes everything functional center transfer case. And to think along at a good clip—more than you need to get we get excited about diecasts with rotating fast enough to be realistic. e rolling except a driveshafts or coil springs! suspension and tires offer plenty battery charger, costs of climbing grip and articulation— just $200—around the enough that they could certainly same as many 1:18 diecast models utilize more torque if it was with comparable external detail available. ere are a number of but without a fully articulated all- aftermarket motor swap setups metal chassis that moves under out on the Internet that can its own power! It’s a phenomenal potentially provide more grunt if value in stock form. e array of you’re up for some light wrenching, factory hop-ups this particular but the stock setup should be truck wears is outstanding, and adequate for most users. e there are more still in the RC4WD springs do seem a touch stiff— catalog—including some other perhaps a bit more weight (along wheel and tire combos that would with some extra power to move it) be worthwhile additions to any 1:18 might provide even better climbing custom truck build, RC or no. And stability and realism. Something to keep an eye out for the Gelande experiment with! II chassis to return as a future project—possibly under a scale I love the fact that this little Land Rover has the scale and diecast body! ✇ detail to look at home on a shelf next to my 1:18 diecast models, SOURCE and can also be pulled down and rc4wd.com is truck wears bolt-on extras such as powder-coated stainless-steel side-window My favorite add-ons are the stainless diamond-plate hood side panels with their vents. e mesh guards, plus tubular stainless-steel perimeter roll bars, a ladder, and a roof rack tiny screwheads are the actual attachment method—no glue here! with LED-ready light pods. 60 DCXmag.com
QUICK LOOK Check out the louvered windows and chrome tubing for the ladder and roof rack! GreenLight’s resurrection of the Highway 61 brand is bringing back several classic castings—including this Custom Chevy shorty van. HIGHWAY 61 1976 CHEVROLET G10 CUSTOM VAN 1:16 | $125 By Matt Boyd T he day of the press release announcing GreenLight Toys’ acquisition of the rights to the Highway 61 tooling library—and their light custom vibe—little touches like the brow over the intent to re-launch the windshield, the de-badged grille, and the chrome tube brand—was one of the roof rack. ere are more obvious ones too—the wheel most exciting in recent arch extensions and side pipes, for example. Originally the memory. Long a favorite body kit had a deep front spoiler, but that got knocked off among collectors who somewhere during the ve hicle’s travels. e chrome side appreciate high-value, mirrors are gone as well. But there’s plenty left to give us a high-content models of good sense of what to expect of the finished model. a wide and interesting e best part is all the opening panels—the front doors, variety of American side slider, and rear doors all open. Together they give classics and muscle Even in preproduction form, the custom interior is spectacularly ’70s, and the tremendous access to the interior, which is molded in a cars, many of us have opening side and rear doors give great access. pale red hue. e accommodations are seriously ‘70s—up been in mourning since front are a pair of captain’s chairs, while just aft is a cabinet Highway 61 ceased production several years ago. and counter top (it’s just got to be a wet bar!) e rear section is dominated by What sounded great on paper that day is now a reality in metal—or will a loveseat lounge area with another cabinet (a mini-fridge maybe?) Above the be by the time you read this. We got an advanced look at prototypes of loveseat is a cutout for a porthole window, but the body casting has none—at the first two new Highway 61 cars in advance of their projected September least not yet. e whole rig rolls on chrome slot-mags with staggered rubber. 2017 release. You can see the companion car—an Alpine White 1970 Dodge ere’s no opening hood or engine cover in the cabin, but flip the model and Challenger R/T—in our “Mopar Movie Magic” feature on page 16, but we also you can see it’s got a smallblock V-8 backed by a TH400 automatic. No way to wanted to give you a closer look at the ‘76 Chevy G10. As GreenLight warned tell if it’s the 2- or 4-barrel (G10s came with both), but with side pipes and us (and you can see in the photos) both models are rough—they’ve definitely big rear tires we’re going to assume the buyer ponied up for the extra had some miles put on them! But the return of Highway 61 is a big enough 20 ponies—165 versus 145. deal that it’s worth sharing, and examining some of the features we can look We’ll bet quite a few collectors pony up the first Highway 61 release in forward to on the production pieces in the coming months. nearly a decade, and rightly so. Welcome back Highway 61! is van is one serious hunk of metal. GreenLight says the casting is closer to 1:16 than 1:18, but comparing the model’s 6.1-inch wheelbase with the full- SOURCE size shorty van’s 110-inch WB confirms that it is almost exactly 1:18—certainly greenlighttoys.com close enough to look reasonable next to your other 1:18 vehicles. I dig the 62 DCXmag.com
MAISTO OFF ROAD Maisto’s Raptors share a common base casting, but the suspension, wheels, and extra acces- KINGS FORD F 150 RAPTOR sories move the Off-Road Kings version into another category of cool. 1:24 | $25 est. By the DCX crew an available V-8. For the first time ever the Raptor would rely exclusively on a V-6—the 3.5L EcoBoost twin-turbo that outmuscled the 6.2L by offering Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) has cooked up some pretty impressive 450hp. With less weight and more power, the new Raptor has the distinction performance specials over its 25-year history. And unlike the tuner of being faster on-road than the old SVT Lightning—and it’s also the most divisions of many other brands, Ford’s in-house hot-rodders got their capable factory vehicle off-road that Ford has ever produced. start with a truck! Technically, SVT launched two vehicles simultaneously—the SVT Cobra version of the final-year Fox Body Mustang, and the SVT Lightning, Maisto clearly recognizes the broad appeal of the Raptor, and has produced based on the ’93 Ford F-150 short-bed pickup. two versions in 1:24 scale—a stock 2017 and a new modified 2017 as part of its new Off-Road Kings series. Both are extended cab trucks and share e Lightning was essentially a muscle car with a bed instead of a trunk. It the underlying body casting, but the latter sports a high-lift suspension, big was stylish and quick—and got quicker still in 1999 when the 2nd generation wheels, a pre-runner style roll bar and spare tire in the bed, a roof rack, and a debuted with its 360hp supercharged V-8—but being low-slung with low- wedge-shaped front bumper/brush guard with a built-in winch and LED light profile tires and a stiff suspension, it had absolutely no off-road capability. bar to match the one on the roof. Paint on both models is great for the money, with the Off-Road Kings version trading in the stock truck’s metallic paint for ey remedied that deficiency a decade later with the introduction of the a brighter shade of blue with contrasting red rear fender stripes and a black SVT F-150 Raptor—SVT’s first 4x4. Initially offered standard with the F-150’s stripe on the hood. regular 310hp 5.4L V-8, the optional 6.2L 411hp V-8 was the hot ticket, and for 2011 the 5.4 was dropped, leaving the 6.2 the only engine until Raptor Interiors are virtually identical, and pretty good for the scale and price point. production ceased after 2014. e model returned in 2017 with the trucks you ey’re mostly black plastic, but Maisto’s knack for sprucing that up with a see here, based on the all-new aluminum-body F-150, which lightened the variety of textures and a bit of accent paint is on display here. No opening Raptor by 500 pounds! More controversial was the decision to discontinue hoods—perhaps because there is a sizeable Raptor fan contingent that is still frosty about the lack of a V-8, despite the EcoBoost being substantially Both versions have faster. One interesting tech tidbit: the stock raptor has an independent front opening tailgates suspension developed by Fox Racing that has 13 inches of travel. e Off- and doors, but the Road Kings truck abandons the independent setup for an old-school solid Off-Road Kings Raptor axle with a 4-link. It looks cool, but we wonder if a real Raptor owner would adds this pre- ever do that! e big tires with beadlock wheels are another story—there runner-style roll bar and spare are legions of Raptor owners upsizing their rolling stock, and these mount. look very believable. e Raptor has achieved cult status among Ford truck guys, and it is far and away the most capable off-road performance truck offered by any of the Big ree. Its status and dominance makes it a good get for Maisto, and a good bet for success for collectors of all ages. And they’re so affordable you can get both—the stock model retails for less than $20 and the Off-Road Kings version perhaps $25. SOURCE maisto.com WINTER 2018 63
QUICK LOOK Left: e Martini racing livery plucks at the nostalgic heart strings, while the hybrid wizardry tickles the technophile brain. Right: e interior detail is excellent, and the red piping accents match the exterior nicely. Below: Removable roof panels give an excellent view of the cockpit and stow neatly under the front bonnet. AUTOART PORSCHE 918 WEISSACH EDITION MARTINI LIVERY 1:18 | $220 By Matt Boyd Porsche has, at times, been accused of lacking a certain degree of emotion. With its engineering so refined and precise, it is the supercar that appeals to the rational side of the enthusiast brain. ey are extremely fast, and their handling is more organic and intuitive than virtually any other machine out there. But those virtues don’t come at the cost of driver comfort or reliability as they do with certain more, shall we say, dramatic exotics. at said, the machine you see here is proof that are a few poets mixed and changes pitch depending on speed and stability requirements. e one on in with the mathematicians at Porsche. e 918 Spyder is Porsche’s the model moves too; a button under the rear diffuser releases it, and you can most advanced vehicle ever. e main structure is a carbon-reinforced change the pitch manually. While we’re examining the rear end, check out the plastic monocoque, stuffed with a hybrid powertrain that marries a 608hp engine cover. ose two giant vertical exhaust outlets are effectively straight 4.6L V-8 with a pair of electric motors—one on each axle—totaling 285 pipes right up out of the headers because the 918’s V-8 has reverse flow additional horsepower, as well as energy recovery systems to recycle heads like an old Cosworth F1 engine—intake air enters from the outside and some of that thrust back into the battery to be used again when you wish the exhaust exits through the center of the V. to rocket to 60mph in 2.2 seconds and scorch the ¼-mile in 9.8 seconds Remove the roof panels for an excellent view of the interior. ose at 145mph. And because it’s a Porsche, it stops and turns too. So there’s panels can be stashed under the front bonnet in a small recess that is all the your dispassionate physics lesson. room permitted by the electric motor system driving the front axle. e red e emotion starts at that paint job—a lustworthy ode to Porsche’s rich piping on the seats complements the Martini colors nicely, and the racing racing history in the form of the Martini Racing theme continues throughout the rest of the colors that come as an option on the Weissach interior with a few concessions to luxury, like the Package—adding a few more bucks to the 918’s infotainment screen on the center stack. e huge nearly $900K! AUTOart wisely offers both Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires are gorgeous—they versions in 1:18—this classic white with gloss have full sidewall markings and realistic (shallow) black wheels, plus a flat black car with the tread, and are wrapped around beautifully same Martini accents and silver wheels. ey’re patterned multi-spoke wheels with carbon- both beautiful, but to my mind, if you’re going to ceramic brake rotors clearly visible behind. go for a retro-race theme, stick with the original e 918 is eminently more attractive and white base coat. Most of the white Martini- alluring than the last Porsche supercar, the dressed 918 photos I’ve seen have white roof Carrera GT. AUTOart’s Martini is nearly as panels that carry the color stripe over the top, stirring, but at a much easier-to-finance scale! but AUTOart keeps the removable roof panels raw carbon fibre like the spoiler. Speaking of e vertical exhaust stacks come right up out of the center of SOURCE which, that spoiler is active and raises, lowers, the reverse-flow heads on the 608hp V-8. autoartmodels.com 64 DCXmag.com
e Buick Caballero was the only 4-door hardtop wagon offered by GM, and BoS depicts its charismatic styling beautifully. BEST OF SHOW 1957 BUICK CABALLERO ESTATE 11:18 | $120 By the DCX crew 957 was a banner year for styling at General Motors. GM Design chief Harley Earl’s signature styling elements—the hardtop sedan body, the wraparound windshield, factory two-tone paint, and tail fins—came together in perfect balance across much of GM’s product line. ey yielded what is perhaps the best-looking Chevrolet ever made: the 1957 Bel Air. But the iconic ’57 Chevy wasn’t the only car to share those traits. Pontiac and Buick got similar treatments, and Buick even got a station-wagon version of its hardtop sedan, charismatically called the “Caballero,” which was the only 4-door hardtop station wagon available from GM at the time (the Chevy Nomad was a 2-door them some very alluring wagons. In the Summer 2017 issue, we reviewed its Olds Vista Cruiser, and here we have the gorgeous ’57 Century Caballero hardtop wagon). e Caballero was built in Garnet Red over Shell Beige. Stylistically, the ’57 Century marked the first usage of Buick’s “VentiPorts” on its smaller chassis. ey—in combination on Buick’s “small” chassis, but the term is with the hitch in the beltline in the rear door, and the trim at the midline that matches it and traces the rear wheel arch—give the collector a lot to take in. relative with its 122-inch wheelbase and But none of it overshadows or unbalances the look of the car, and the model does an excellent job of representing it. e checkmark-shaped badge in the 17-foot length from bumper to tailfin. It came notch at the midline with its “Caballero” script is nicely laser-etched out of metal, as are the “Buick” on the hood and “Estate Wagon” on the rear gate. in two trim levels—the Special and the top- e nicely done wire wheels Buick’s signature toothy grille looks great. e contours of the ’57 closely match that of the ’57 Chevy, but the vertical bars are uniquely Buick and very shelf Century—and had style to rival its more and wide whitewalls are a tasteful. e tail fins are a little busy and the model’s droop slightly more than famous Chevy cousin. It had performance, signature ’50s Buick styling the real car’s do, but otherwise the model does a nice job with all the chrome. too. Buick had created the Special/Century element. e large expanses of “glass” (thin, distortion-free plastic) give a fair as its performance model by installing its most powerful engines into look at the interior detail, despite this being a sealed-body resin model. I really like the wire-spoke wheels with broad whitewall tires—this as much its smaller sedan. For 1957, that meant a brand-new 364-cubic-inch as any feature defines a ’50s Buick, and this model does a nice job with them. e Caballero was only made for two years (1957–58) and only about version of the “Nailhead” Buick V-8. e base Caballero Special got the 14,000 were built, so it is highly prized among collectors today, with pristine examples auctioning for more than $100K. e BoS model is limited to just 2-barrel carb with 250hp, while Century models got a 4-barrel, good for 504 examples, and at roughly 1/1000th the price, we expect these to go pretty quickly. While the Buick Caballero is not the household name that the 300hp. It could be backed by a 3-speed manual transmission, but most Chevy Nomad is, it is just as interesting from a styling perspective and well worth adding to your collection of ’50s classics. opted for the 2-speed Dynaflow automatic. Century models also offered SOURCE creature comforts american-excellence.com like power windows, brakes, steering, and seats, plus factory air-conditioning. We’ve mentioned in the past how Best of Show (BoS) displayed a talent for selecting unique and intriguing American e large, distortion-free windows give a nice view of the classics to model in well-detailed interior on this sealed-body replica. 1:18 resin—among WINTER 2018 65
REAR VIEW e first-year Impala has long been overshadowed by the ’57 Bel Air and ’59 Impala that bracketed it, but it has a flamboyant charm. The Forgotten First Impala BY RON RUELLE The latter half of the 1950s brought a bold, dramatic new direction for General Motors’ styling, particularly at Chevrolet. Without separate fenders bulging out of the coachwork, the smooth-box ’55–’57 Bel Airs became instant classics. e ’59 Impala, with its wild batwing fins and nested teardrop taillights, though controversial, was daring and fresh from every angle. Many claim the similar 1960 models straightened that design motif into the best-looking big Chevy yet. Consumers seemed to like them at the time, and although fins fell out of fashion, it didn’t take long for people to prize these as classics too. We skipped a year, though. e 1958 Chevrolet was not generally seen as an improvement on previous models. It sold well but, for decades, was regarded as the least desirable Chevy of that era. So what happened? After three years of increasingly flashy but clean-lined cars, GM decided Danbury Mint’s convertible was very detailed, and with the wheel skirts and a Continental a new platform was in order. “Longer, lower, and wider” sounds like a good kit, it was even flashier than the hardtop! recipe, but the extra ingredients of overly busy chrome trim made the cars look bloated. e new quad headlight design, coupled with a set of running kept Ertl designers occupied for what you find on most models. lights/turn signals below, resulted in a very cluttered face indeed. e rear months. Some variants of this is car required a lot of pieces to view was even more so, with gobs of round taillights, diagonal fins, and a model even have wheel skirts and replicate. If you want a better view weird roof vent above the backlight. a Continental kit on the back, just in of those seats, check out the 1:24 Considering how few miniature 1958 Chevys are available compared case all that glitz isn’t enough. e ’58 Impala convertible Danbury to the surrounding years, diecast companies must have agreed. But in police versions actually do away Mint created with the exact same 2000, Ertl produced a 1:18 American Muscle model of the ’58 and darned if with some of the side chrome. And interior scheme. ey also offered it doesn’t look pretty cool. e sheer for good measure, there’s even a hardtop and lowrider versions in number of parts required to movie version of the white Impala various colors. DM’s cars were replicate all those chrome seen in American Graffiti. originally priced above $100 but can pieces must have Open the hood and the sometimes be found these days for engine bay is rather colorful, less on the secondary market. with the basic plumbing and e ’58 has become a sleeper wiring present. e underside classic for those who want to of the hood is painted yellow own an affordable full-size Chevy to represent the insulation. Flip from that era. Since those ’55–’57 it over, and the silver exhaust and ’59–’60 cars have become and gas tanks stand out nicely prohibitively expensive, many from the rest of the chassis. e collectors have taken a second suspension and driveshaft, though look at the ’58 and reconciled their nonfunctioning, are separate pieces differences. What was once seen that add a lot of depth. e interior as excessive and enormous is now e busy trim must have is surprisingly festive, with merely regarded as a flamboyant taken Ertl designers months to sort out, but the tricolored seat inserts testament to an iconic era of results paid off—this model and even more separate was very well appointed for chrome bits. e interior automotive design. ✇ its price range. door panels are far more detailed and colorful than Ron Ruelle is the Social Media Guy at hobbydb.com. 66 DCXmag.com
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