Better Late Than Never: Finding This Year-Old Plymouth 440 'Cuda, From M2 Machines

About a year ago, I got into the premium American muscle diecast brands. That means Greenlight, Auto World, and M2 Machines. The first M2 I added to my collection was an olive green/black roof '71 HEMI Cuda from the Auto Drivers series. From there on out, I designated the 'Cuda as my favorite classic American muscle car. To keep things going, my second M2 was a purple 383 'Cuda with the signature 383 vinyl, in contrasting white, slapped on the doors and the rear fenders. That one was from the Detroit Muscle series, Release 27.

I dug up old photos of both, shown below:

And just the other day, I walked into Walmart to check out the diecast selection. Naturally, I found nothing of interest. No new product. The Hot Wheels were already scalped clean. Matchbox was nearly nonexistent. The premium diecast section was pitiful. However, I spotted one gem among a pile of mundane M2 cars that have been sitting there for the past months. It was this purple 440 'Cuda from the Detroit Muscle series, Release 27. If you're paying attention, that's the same wave as the aforementioned 383 'Cuda I found last summer.

Yes, Walmart has managed to not put out any new stock in the recent months but somehow, someway managed to unearth a batch of old M2's. If they're as good as this one, then keep them coming. Purple is just a great, great color for basically anything. This 'Cuda even has purple wheels to match. Otherwise, it's totally bare. No '440 vinyl or contrasting two-tone roof that you normally see M2 do on these models. In a time where I've started collecting fewer and fewer M2's because of their quality issues, this is a welcome rare addition to the collection.

That makes seven '71 'Cuda's, by M2 Machines, on my shelf right now. It never gets old.

Mopar or No Car: Two Classic Chargers From Greenlight

When it comes to classic muscle, nothing beats Mopar. I don't know who's fastest around the track, but I know who's gonna be winning the beauty contest. And it's definitely not going to be anything from GM or Ford. Case in point: these two right here, a metallic olive green '68 Charger and a bright red '70 Charger topped with a white roof.

Both are by Greenlight. In my opinion, they are the best when it comes to muscle cars in 1/64. When I first started blogging, I posted about them all the time because I couldn't stop myself from grabbing their cars off the pegs. This stuff seriously looks good, despite quality issues, super fat tires, wobbly stance, and what have you. It's been a dry spell here as of late, and there hasn't been much new product to choose from. I would not order these online because of said quality issues; you really have to inspect each model before buying.

However, I did manage to find some releases here and there, and I think I struck gold by picking up this pair.

The '68 comes from the GL Muscle series, which is really the quintessential Greenlight product line. The '70 comes from the somewhat-new Barrett Jackson series, which is essentially an extension of the GL Muscle line. As I said, they do muscle better than the competition. They do classic muscle car wheels better than everyone else. Greenlight also has great taste when it comes to paint selection and paint schemes. They don't overdo the designs and throw flames on everything. Just simple, clean, and period-correct decos.

Enjoy this wonderful pair.

That olive green though...

Oops, I Did It Again! Adding a Third 1/18 R33 GT-R To The Collection

It's official: I am now more than just a 1/64 collector. I am a 1/18 collector as well.

In all honesty, probably not, but it's all about the models. If someone makes the car you love most, you get it no matter the brand or the scale. Unfortunately for me, I have to dive into larger scales to get a model of my favorite car, the R33 GT-R. Fortunately, there have been some very nice ones coming from the premiere, high-end brands. My third R33, in said 1/18 scale, has arrived.

Cue the Gran Turismo-esque cover photo, because what else goes better with Skylines than GT?

This is the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) V-Spec, by AutoArt.

And I got it in the best color ever: Midnight Purple.

AutoArt has produced this model in a few other colors, namely white, silver, and blue. It was tough, but I had to pass on those. Look, an R33 is an R33, but I always knew deep down inside that I wanted that Midnight Purple the most. While the other colors are quite plentiful, I had to do some searching to find a store with the color I desired.

I purchased this model from ezToys, an online dealer that specializes in model aircraft but also sells quite a few AutoArt pieces as well. They have a very formidable selection with very competitive prices. Luckily, they had this exact model in stock and at a slight discount to boot.

I have to say it was not all sunshine and blue skies.

My package arrived with the car bubble wrapped and separate from the standard AutoArt box. When I unwrapped the car, I found both of the side mirrors broken, likely during transit. I quickly sent an email to ezToys asking for an explanation. To their credit, they replied very quickly and told me that they had issues with AutoArt's shipment of this particular model. Many of them arrived broken as originally packaged (they even sent me a photo of one with a mangled front wheel housing), so they asked that AA wrap these cars and ship them separately from their boxes. It sounds a bit strange and counter-intuitive, but this is per their word and I'm not making any of this up.

In any case, the good thing is this is an easy fix with a few minutes of time and a little bit of glue. I really did not want to go through the trouble and wait a couple weeks just to get a replacement that hopefully doesn't break on the way here. Therefore, we worked out a resolution in which I received a partial refund on the purchase and kept the car. (Of course, there's that whole issue with resale value, but we don't care about that over here.)

A few dabs of Krazy glue and the R33 is looking like new again.

Overall, I'm about as satisfied as I was with all my other 1/18 models, which is very. After a couple of "boring" resin models, it's refreshing to get back to diecast again. The steering does wonders for photos. Opening parts are a bonus. There's just more detail inside and out. AutoArt prides itself on the number of individual components used to make each model, and that's something every collector can appreciate when they get up close with something like this. That fine mesh on the front grille intakes. The intricate hinges and tiny screws that you see when you lift up the hood and the trunk. Those photo-etched badges that remind you this is a GT-R and not your everyday Japanese econobox. That's why AutoArt models command the premium that they do. And that's why, in a world where everyone seems to be shifting towards resin, collectors still love their diecast cars.

Lastly, the obligatory family photo:

Project Premiere/World Class, Day 24: Ultra Volvo

From one Swede to another, today's feature is the Matchbox Ultra Class Volvo 760.

This one I obtained from a fellow LaLD member as part of a 2-car set with the green Jaguar XJ6. Together with the Saab shown in the previous feature, they make up a great trio of models that you wouldn't expect to see in 1/64. As I always say, collecting "normal" cars is infinitely more fun than collecting sports cars. It's something that Matchbox has always excelled at doing, and this is no different.

The Volvo's got all the frills, including opening doors and working suspension, a la Tomica. While it's nice to have added features, they usually come at a cost, especially when it comes to that suspension. This is a prime example of that.

The rear badges are part of the casting.