My Top Ten favorite diecast cars my in my son's toy box

Okay, I admit it.  I REALLY like to play with my son when he plays with his toys.  It's part of the reason I wanted a son in the first place, I think.  He has a small box full of Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and a few other brands that I picked up in good condition at yard sales and flea markets   He has his favorites (mostly trucks with larger wheels and his Lightning McQueen stuff), but seems to enjoy the quantity.

Here are my ten favorites in his box, in no particular order.

1. Matchbox Superfast Dump Truck #58 FAUN.  1976.

He's got two of these.  Nice large bed, solid construction, just an overall good design for a dump truck.  The bed practically stands vertical when dumping.

2. Matchbox Superfast Green Planet Scout #59

Another fun design from Matchbox.  Good solid car, and I have always enjoyed space and sci-fi themes.

3. Maisto GI Joe Jeep.

 I've never been big on Maisto cars - their larger stuff is better, but the Hot Wheels-sized vehicles tend to look good but have poor quality.  Their GI Joe collection is a little bit better made.  The wheels have a little "give" to them, and though it does not roll all that well, it's a fun, authentic design.

4. Hot Wheels Baja Breaker van - 1978.

 I had a green one as a kid, and found this to be my favorite diecast van design.  High wheels, a hood that opens, and an overall fun design.  I just picked up a later orange one at a flea market.

5. Ertl Ford F-350 Service Truck.

 Just a fun truck with solid construction by ERTL.  There are not too many like this one out there, particularly in details. 

6. Matchbox Ruff Trek - 1983

A modified Subaru pickup.  A tan truck which was actually one of my favorites as a kid as well.  Lots of nifty details.

7. Hot Wheels Torino Stocker - 1982 "The Hot Ones."

Another one I found in mint condition at a flea market.  Good, clean lines and fun paint.

8. Majorette Explorateur

It's missing a cover, but Majorette made some quality, well-built cars in the past.  This is a neat safari off-roader with some guys in the back and some nice detail.

9. Matchbox Rolomatics Badger - 1976.

A hefty little truck with a rotating satellite dish.  Matchbox tended to make broader vehicles than Hot Wheels, and this one came out nice.

10. Majorette Jeep Grand Cherokee

Another solid nice off-roader from Majorette.  The tailgate also opens up with some sort of critter in the back.

BONUS 11: Matchbox Convoy NASA Peterbilt Tracking Vehicle

I'd get in trouble if I started hanging on to some of the NASA diecast stuff I come across, but I hung onto this one.  A fun tracking trailer and truck.  Matchbox made several nifty vehicles with NASA themes in the 1980s, when Space Shuttles were still cool.

Anyway, there it is - my son loves cars, and it has created a little more of an enjoyment that I had as well.

Latest Haul

Good stuff this past weekend.

The wrestler-looking guy on the left is a "Weird Ball G.R.U.N.T. Team Spitball Louie" figure.  MIP the things go for $100+.  I'll just say that that one figure will pay for everything else in the picture.  The line is birthed out of the madballs craze back in the 1980s.

Some of the other figures look like He-man knockoffs.  That's because they are.  REMCO made some pretty good ones, and then some other companies got similar molds and started making similar figures for dollar stores back in the 1980s.  Many are wrestling-themed.  The Action Figure Archive has probably the best current archive, with a bunch more discussed on the forums.

The purple guy is an incomplete "Auger" figure from Inhumanoids, a wholly underrated line with some neat monster figures.

The white guy with horns and yellow bee are The White Knight and Meuton from the Blackstar figure line.  They're okay - the line does have some devotees, as it's more or less a He-man knockoff line in its own right with decent figures.

The red dune buggy in the middle I grabbed because it is specifically tagged as being "Made in West Germany."  Well-made little buggy, too.

Those hot wheels from the 1980s are in VERY good shape.  I target the Stingray Corvettes specifically for my personal collection.

That's all for now.  Good hunting!

13 August 2011 Random Toy Finds

Here's what I got.  I paid $2 for the following:

 Two Remco trucks, two Little People cars, a McDonald's Batman: Brave and the Bold Plastic Man and Aquaman; Two generic kayaks with guns, a Rescue Hero, a Chap Mei figure, a CORPS figure, two Hot Wheels and that red car is called a "Shift Kicker."

Interesting bits and pieces.  I've always liked what Remco made through the years, and these cars are on par with Tonka (and the police truck is quite nice anyway).  The two Kayaks, as most GIJoe knockoff-type toys go, make no sense but are kinda cool all the same.  Plastic Man can't stand up right, but the Aquaman is half as poseable as the Super Powers Aquaman and has way more personality.

That's what I got.  All is for sale, so shoot me an email or something if you're interested.