Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a "Merry Christmas" and a "Happy Holiday" to you and yours and to Thank you all for your support this last year.  I wish you all Peace.

S.

Heads Up: Tractor Supply

Hey there.
I don't if you guys know this but you should check out your local Tractor Supply. They have repaints of Johnny Lightnings, Ertls, Tomicas and Racing Champions castings being sold under the Ertl name. The JL International Pickup and Wagoneer are there, so if you missed them in the Forever 64 releases then that's a good place to start looking.  The pickup shown below even has a metal base as opposed to the plastic one the Forever 64 version.
Happy Hunting!

Tonka Truck Art Photo

I've posted a lot of toy cars here but this photo is an artistic rendering.  This is the first one in a series of toy photos. I saw this Tonka in a yard being used as a landscaping feature and I had to shoot it.  It's still being useful even if children aren't playing with it any more.

I've decided to sell this image in my Etsy store click here for details if your interested in owning one for yourself. Enjoy!

New Additions: Toys R Us Fast Lane Cars

This weekend I visited a Toys R Us in the nearby city and noticed that they were selling all new castings in their Fast Lane line of diecast cars.  Usually these are Motormax or Realtoy castings that are sold under this in house label but these seem to be new with no other manufacturer markings.  I found 2 10 packs with no repeats in models.  1 is pictured here.

For generics they are nicely done. They have interiors, decent paint schemes and good realistic details cast into the models like steering wheels, gas caps, windshield wipers and like. So next time you find yourself at a Toys R Us, check them out if you are into make believe models.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

Unless someone can tell me what manufacturer these are from I will feature them in a Fast Lane section in the museum when I start taking the single shots.  Seeya there!

New Additions

Have you ever seen the show "American Pickers"? A couple of weeks ago I got to experience that.  A friend of a friend of my brother knew a guy who was selling his collection.  So I fueled up the van and paid him a visit.  He was a really nice guy and just let me dig through boxes of cars in his workshop storage.  In all the years I've collected, I've never gotten the opportunity to do this. 

 

Long story short; I had a blast and found this group.  I would've had fun even if I hadn't found anything.  There was a lot to look at. Some are beaters but a lot are in nice shape although they have been played with.  We agreed on a fair price and now I have to add them to the Museum for your enjoyment.  I know you're excited. :-) 

Happy Hunting!

Donations!

2 new additions last week in the form of donations.
The viper came from Alan who has sent me a car before, and a big "Thanks" go out to him. The Thunderbird Stock Car from Revell came from a customer at the shop that I work in.  He found out I was a collector and had this car collecting dust at his house and decided to give it to me.  Nice guy and a "Thanks" goes out to him as well.

The Revell stock car did have a detail that I found funny.  It was still in the original box and when I removed it and flipped it over to take it off the base, there was this sticker warning of the dire consequences I would face if I went any further.

Good Lord I've ruined the model, my present and future enjoyment of it and I'm apparently going to Hell.  Take heed, and please take better care in your endeavors...

To Boldly Go... Into a dump bin.

Geez! I don't know about you, but the Hot Wheels Enterprise was very hard for me to find.  I never did find the first version but I finally scored this "battle damage" version in a newly created dump bin at Walmart. I don't know why Mattel has kept this model at 1 per box this time, treating it like it was a Treasure Hunt.  They had to know about the cross collectibility with this vehicle and that it was going to be very popular and in demand so why limit it that severely? It is illogical...
I guess I'll keep digging.
Enjoy!

Designer Don Hood Art Exhibit

This review isn't so much about a particular toy car but of a designer of cars. Today I attended an art show at a local community art gallery in the town of Kerrville Texas. It featured the work of Car Designer Don Hood. He worked with Chrysler and General Motors in the 60s through the 80s.

The gallery was hung with original sketches and art work of his automotive design. Concept drawings abounded showing space age and futuristic thinking applied to the models such as the Oldsmobile Tornado, Chrysler Imperial, Olds 442 and Race Cars. Each was hand drawn and painted on paper in the days before computer aided design. It also included his work on one of the more famous cars he worked on, the Plymouth 'Cuda.  It was a joy to walk around and see the concepts and think about what might have and could of been if certain design cues had been adopted by the automobile makers.  

At the last minute I grabbed a Hot Wheels '71 Cuda as I  left my house and posed it with one of the exhibits.  I kind of liked that little extra touch of history for the car.  The sketches are the beginning of that design and toys are the end.  The toys representing that vehicle are still being made even after the real cars have long been retired. 

The lovely hand model is the TSHF Museum's very own Vice Poobah of Retail Procurement : David

As we were finishing up our viewing of the show, we realized that Mr. Hood was there in the lobby. So I got to meet him and thank him for sharing with us the fine work that I hope more people will get to see.  Not only so that he can get some well deserved credit for his contributions to automobile history but also for fans of the genre to experience some rarely seen art of the automobile culture.  

This is me meeting Mr. Hood.  He's patiently holding the Hot Wheel I brought that I thought might make a interesting story telling element to the picture but it didn't really work out.  You can't see it so it looks like he's introducing a trained monkey man.  Photo by Mrs. Super Happy Funtime.

And now the bad news.  Because of my busy work schedule I haven't been able to visit the show until today (July 28) and report on it.  This was the last day it was going to hang.  I don't know where these works will appear again.  So, if you were in the neighborhood and wanted to attend, sorry, it's gone.  But at least I've got some pictures to share.  Enjoy!

By the way, here's a link to the local newspaper's online article about the show.

Red Carpet Review: Hot Wheels Back To The Future Time Machine

The Super Happy Funtime Virtual Diecast Vehicle Museum Presents 

A Red Carpet Review: 

Featuring Hot Wheels Back To The Future Time Machine

from the 2013 Retro Entertainment edition.

I have been buying some of the Retro Entertainment cars when they have come out in my area but I haven't opened a package to take a closer look until now.  I assumed that what I was paying the extra money for was the fancy package and better paint job and rubber tires... and I was right, but in a good way.  The first one I've looked at is the Back To The Future DeLorean. 

First of all, I was more impressed with the paint job than I thought I would be.  The metallic grey looks more realistic and they got more of the details painted in, like the tail lights.  The rubber tires and rims are also more authentic looking.  Another feature you get with the deluxe version of the car is a metal base.  It adds a nice weight to the car and is painted black.  As for the package, well it's nice but I rip most of the packages off the cars anyway so I'll let you be the judge.

Check out the pics below for comparison with the original Hot Wheel and to see some of the added details. As for me, I guess I'll go open some of the other cars from this line that I've bought and see what they have to offer. 

Happy Hunting.

Red Carpet Review: Greenlight 1976 Chevrolet G20

The Super Happy Funtime Virtual Diecast Vehicle Museum Presents 

A Red Carpet Review: 

Featuring Greenlight 1976 Chevrolet G20

from the County Roads Series 8 edition.

Most of you know by now that Greenlight Collectibles makes a good model and this van is no exception.  This one caught my eye at Toys R Us with its unique color and "normal looking" delivery van graphics.  Also, it reminds me of my wife who is a wonderful cook and makes a mean cupcake. :)

The details are great with the exception of the position of the steering wheel.  It comes straight up out of the floor board instead of an angle out of the dashboard.  This bothers me a bit, but unless you stick your face up to one of the windows you don't notice.  Strangely, the van shares a casting number with their Dodge Van.  I'm not sure why since the base and body are completely different.  They just use a letter to differentiate the two.  The Chevy is 060A the Dodge is 060B.

When I was photographing this review I noticed on the back doors a website for what I thought was a made up company.  It turns out this is a real bakery in Greenlight's home town of Indianapolis.  What's the connection?  Who knows?  But I bet there was some free cupcakes involved.  

So now you enjoy the pictures and I will go to the kitchen and dig around for a dessert.

Seeya!

Red Carpet Review: Hot Wheels Scorchin’ Scooter

The Super Happy Funtime Virtual Diecast Vehicle Museum Presents 

A Red Carpet Review: 

Featuring Hot Wheels Scorchin’ Scooter

from the 2013 Motorcycles edition.

In 1997 the Scorchin' Scooter appeared as a First Edition and everybody went crazy for it.  It was unique and it was a cool design and it stood out since it was the first motorcycle Mattel had put in the basic range since the 70s. As is the case with many popular castings there have been a lot of variations made of this model as well as inspiring many more motorcycles to join the lineup. 

Then Mattel did another thing with the pioneering Scooter, they took a cue from another 70s product, the Rumblers, and gave the Scorchin' Scooter a rider.  A skeleton, in fact. And in my opinion recaptured the feel of the original bikes with the modern casting that breathed new life into the Hot Wheel motorcycle lineup in the latter decades. Nice Job, Mattel!

You can check out some motorcycles in the Museum here. 

Sorry there are no Rumblers.  None survived my childhood. :)

New Addition - Donation!

The museum got a new donation a couple of days ago from Alan in Texas and it was this really nice '57 T-Bird Houston Astros Promotion.  I usually take cars out of the blister pack but I think since this one is in good shape I'm going to keep it sealed.  This was totally unexpected and appreciated, as I didn't have one of these and I use to live in Houston.  So, "Thank You" and take care!

Red Carpet Review: JL's 1981 Jeep Wagoneer

The Super Happy Funtime Virtual Diecast Vehicle Museum Presents 
A Red Carpet Review: 
Featuring Johnny Lightning's 1981 Jeep Wagoneer
from the Forever 64 Release 27 edition.

When Johnny Lightning put this model on their blog as a sneak peek, I was excited. The Wagoneer is an under modeled vehicle in this scale which is surprising given its history as one of the first SUVs.  When I finally found this model at the store, I wasn't disappointed.  The details and features on this model are well worth the purchase price and demonstrate that Johnny Lightning can still produce a great toy car.  Please enjoy the pictures, and remember you can click on the image to make it larger.

Crush!

I've been seriously busy with work so its been hard to update. I am even planning on doing a review on a recent model but I can't get enough time to do it.  So in the meantime, here's a "coming soon" pic.  The Monster Truck Crushstation.  All I have to say about this truck is I would like to drive it to work... or at least to a seafood restaurant.
FYI, When this gets uploaded 4 more will as well. Seeya!

Dogs enjoying a ride.

A couple of days ago I posted a pic on Facebook of dogs that ride in various diecast cars.  There are 4 in the picture and then I remembered a couple more.  One of them is "Ol Roy" in the back of this Hot Wheels replica of Sam Walton's truck that was issued in 1999.  Below is a detail shot. The standard view of the truck will be added to the Museum site a some point.  Enjoy.

Modified Chevy Race Cars

I was checking out my new Johnny Lightning Modified Chevy and decided to do a comparison picture with the old Zee Toy I had in the case.  They look good together like they just slugged it out on the track.  I didn't realize it when I bought it but the JL is an older Ertl casting. It still has the Ertl company info on the base. I didn't have the original issues, so it's nice to finally get the model. 

Toy Show 2013

I just got back from the toy show in the city and I found a few things.  There were alot of people out hunting today and the venders were selling, but for me I didn't find as much as I usually do.  But I did, and of course it was fun to hunt for it.  On a side note, my wife found 2 new citizens of Spiralton that were hiding in a cigar box at one of the vender tables. (The little red guys)
Below is a pic of the new additions to the museum.

Happy 2013, Elvis Style

I hope you all are doing well so far this year.  The museum's first picture on the facebook page was a study of French design in the 90s.  In contrast, on the this blog, I would like to start with a good ol' American over-the-top bling bling Cadillac made for Elvis.  If Elvis was a superhero this would be his "Batmobile".  It reminds me of the 60s TV Batmobile which would make since since both were designed by George Barris.
Oh by the way, this model is a Hot Wheel and was issued in 1997.