10 new cars, incl. Superfast Ferrari Berlinetta

Another (small) set of new cars - and unlike other sets - this set was better than expectations...

To start off, I got 2 new color variations - the blue and white AMC Javellin and the maroon Ford Cortina. Neither are super-rare - but both new to me.   Interestingly my childhood collection included both cars - the Javellin in blue (when the rivets gave out on the base, my Dad super-glued the base to the body) and the Cortina in light green. 

 Next, two more cars from my childhood collection - but unlike my childhood versions, these two are essentially mind - the Corvette and the Range Rover Police Patrol truck (though with a blue interior and light - unlike mine that had an orange interior and light). 













And of course, the rate Superfast Ferrari Berlinetta (my second in superfast - and my 7th if I include the green regular wheel versions (spoked and discs)). 

 And then 5 more cars in non-mint but pretty good condition...  Overall a nice find! 

Wonderful Impy Lone Star Mercedes 220 SE

What a wonderful find - an Impy Lone Star Mercedes 220 SE, with opening doors, trunk and hood.  Nicely detailed - though to my eyes the car sits a tiny bit higher than it should (compare it to similar vintage Matchbox regular wheel 300 SE - which sits overly low).  I don't have many Impys - so this was a nice addition.  And this is the first 220 SE that I own (the bane of Matchbox collectors is that we all have 100+ versions of every generation of Corvette - but no Chevettes....). 

The car even came with its original box in reasonable condition. 

I'm never sure what to call these cars....  Impy?  Lone Star?  Roadmaster?  Super Cars?  The cars are branded with 4 different brand names - as if they couldn't decide which one it should be...  Maybe the head of marketing came from General Motors (should this car be a Pontiac, an Oldsmobile, a Buick, or a Chevrolet?  Hmm, lets make it all of them - plus a Saturn!). 

Regardless, a very valued addition to my collection. 

The excitement of a new (to me) car collection arriving in the mail...

I've recently been buying collections (or 'lots' in Ebay parlance) of cars, as a way to get around the heavy shipping charges associated with buying individual cars.  I often try to buy them with the case, both as a way to store my endless collection, but also since I love getting my hands on vintage cases (and they essentially come free with the collection vs. costing $10-$30 when buying individually.

By the time the packages arrive I've frequently forgotten the specifics about exactly which cars were included, so its like Christmas, opening up a package, seeing a vintage case, filled with vintage cars from the '60s, '70s and '80s. 

Yes, I invariably end up with lots of duplicate cars, but I never mind that, especially for my favorite models.  I select the nicest duplicates, gradually upgrading my collection with better and better quality cars, and consign the poorer quality or unloved models to a box that I tell myself I will someday sell (though when that day will come is anyone's guess). 

Sometimes the collection I buy is thrilling, filled with high quality good condition cars that fill in gaps in my collection. 

But today's collection wasn't like that...  (sad face).  The condition of the cars was worse than they looked on the internet, with several with bent axles and others with badly scarred paint.  Yes, I got a few that were new to my collection (the superfast transitional greyhound bus, the baja beach buggy), and a few others that are rare (the red and yellow superfast transitional refrigerator truck - but in poor condition and sadly missing its back (and frequently lost) door).  But on the whole it was a disappointing purchase.  At least I got a nice condition vintage 24 car case.  As a kid I had a 48 car version of the same case, until it fell apart and was thrown away.  Not the oldest case I've gotten, nor the best condition, but a nice find nonetheless. 

Happy collecting to all of you fellow collectors out there...  This is John from Matchbox Frenzy, signing off... 

Coolest car ever? Vintage Siku Alfa Montreal.

Yes, its been far too long since I updated this blog...

And no, I probably wouldn't have even today, if not for the arrival of possibly the coolest toy car I've ever seen.  It was an ebay purchase of roughly $6.00 (inclusive of shipping - and expensive for me on a per car basis), but I'm ultra impressed by the car.  Definitely a case of paying a little extra to buy what you want... 

The photos of it make it look to be in rougher condition than it looks in the metal. 

But the lines on this car are so sleek, and everything about the car feels like quality.  Note the upturned angle on the end of the opening doors. 

My only complaint about it is that Siku painted the doors a different color than the rest of the car (which they also did on my similar era Ford GT40 - I wonder if they did it to all the cars with opening doors in order to highlight the feature?). 

This is one car that I won't be getting rid of any time soon!