The Tootsie-Toy model that (almost!) beats out a cool, antique Lesney Matchbox casting - a stalwart model of any Lesney aficionado's collection!

Who would ever think that a Tootsie-toy could ever compete with a Matchbox car?

Tootsie-toys were cheapy - without interiors - without glass - without suspensions...  ...cheap drugstore 5-packs of cars that uncles and aunts would give you to fill out your collection - with their undiscerning eyes failing to grasp how much of a throw-away toy they just got you...

So imagine my surprise when I found an antique fuel tanker in a hobby store, with a solid heft to the model, and turned it over to read "Tootsie Toy" on the bottom!

I lined it up with the red Matchbox Major-pack No 8 fuel tanker ("Thornycroft Tractor" and "Thornycroft 2400 Gallon Trailer Tanker") and the resemblances were astonishing.  The colors matched almost exactly.  Both were labeled as "Mobil".  The sizes were almost dead even - the Tootsie-toy is slightly longer only due to the nose of the conventional tractor vs. the cab-over design of the Lesney Matchbox.  Neither had window glass (window glass would not become a common item in Matchbox cars for another 5-10 years) nor suspensions (not common until the advent of Hot Wheels cars 10-15 years later).  In short, the 2 were true competitors in almost every way.  Sounds like a recipe for a "Matchbox Frenzy" comparison test!

But once we get to an actual comparison, it becomes clear - the Lesney Matchbox is obviously the nicer and higher quality model.  The level of trim detail is just greater (by quite a margin).  The wheels are higher quality.  The tractor has a base plate to it.  The trailer hitch is less stone-age.  

So what is it about the Tootsie Toy that got me so excited?  Well, mostly its the heft of the trailer.  It feels like its carved from a solid block of metal - as if there is no empty space inside of the trailer.  The heft of it is truly amazing - it is obviously heavier than the Matchbox.  

While the detail can't compare to the Matchbox (the Tootsie-toy comes off as somewhat crude in a direct head-to-head comparison), on its own it appears nicely detailed - especially for a Tootsie Toy!  And then there is the size comparison - which is dead on equivalent in scale proportions.  This is indeed a Tootsie-Toy that directly competes with a classic stalwart of the Lesney Matchbox line.  And that's really where my surprise and astonishment came from.  

So chalk this one up as the one Tootsie-toy that every true Lesney Collector should have in their collection - the only Tootsie-Toy that I've yet found that truly deserves to have a place alongside other classic Lesney models!

P.S.  If you are a Stephen King fan, you might be familiar with his first film "the Duel" - a short movie about a psycho in a fuel tanker truck terrorising a salesman out on the road.  If either of these trucks were black instead of red - they'd almost be candidates for the duel's tanker truck!

Which is the best of the recent hyper-premium (RLC and above) Porsche 911s from Hot Wheels and Matchbox?

Recently, several hyper-premium (RLC-quality) Porsche 911s have been released, including:

1. an ultra-expensive Hot Wheels "Mattel Creations" Daniel Arsham Porsche 930 (late '70's 911 Turbo) in white, 

2. a Hot Wheels "RLC Exclusive" Porsche 964 911 "Magnus Walker" "Urban Outlaw" in mint green, 

3. a "Matchbox Collectors" 1980 Porsche 911 Turbo in a pepto-bismal pink.  

All of these cars originally retailed on the Hot Wheels/Matchbox Collectors website for $30+ (including shipping) (the Arsham Porsche was twice that amount), and all sold out immediately.  I bought them on Ebay after the fact, and had to pay roughly $40 each for the 2 less expensive ones, and $130 for the Arsham Creations one.  

Just a few years ago I couldn't imagine ever paying more than $10 for a single car.  And now, I'm writing a blog entry about 3 cars - 2 of which were $40 and 1 of which was $130?!?  Seriously?!?  

So given the relatively insane price points of all of these cars, you'd be forgiven for wondering whether ANY of them are worth the price, and, if you were just going to splurge for 1 of them, which one was the nicest...  

So let me cut to the chase.  They are ALL extremely nice.  All of the paint jobs are spectacular.  All are wonderful models. If you can afford (stomach?) the price points to buy them all, then buy them all.  Period.  

But there are a lot more questions that you may have, such as:

1.  Are they actually worth $40 to $130 each?  

Well, that completely depends on your own financial circumstances and views on toy car value.  But I can at least assure you that they are "nice" models.  

2.  But more importantly - which is nicer?  How do they stack up?  If you were to only buy 1 of them, which should you buy?  

For this question, I have an easy answer for you.  Third place is clearly the pink Matchbox.  Its a nice model, but it just can't compete with the 2 Hot Wheels cars.  So if you don't want to buy them all - then cut out the Matchbox first.  

The race between first and second place is much closer, and so close that it may come down to personal preference, but for me, the ultra-expensive white Arsham studio car wins out over the green 964.  If you only buy 1 car, buy the white 930.  On the other hand, if value for the money is considered, then the green 964 easily wins - since it is just 1/3 the price point of the white 930 - but almost its equal.  

There you have it - that's my judgment!  

Now read on - for a more detailed description of each of the cars!

Pink Matchbox:  This is a very nice car.  In fact, if you view it on its own, you'll really like it, with a nice casting body, amazing paint, and great wheels.  Viewed on its own, the "gotta-have-it" factor definitely kicks in.

The paint detail is amazing - the rear lights detail is the best of the 3.  The deep-dish FUCHS wheels are period correct - even if I'm not crazy about the superman blue color of them.  The opening doors is a nice touch.  Finally - the thickness of the whaletail rear-spoiler feels just perfect - I didn't realize that other whale tail spoilers were way too thick and clunky until I looked at this Matchbox one in detail..

There ARE a few negatives...:  Most importantly - I think the casting is a reused casting from the earlier "moving parts" series.  While the moving parts 911 turbo was a nice casting, this materially more expensive version of the same casting doesn't give you much more to justify the higher price tag.  Are you really willing to shell out $40 to get what is basically a color variation (albeit - a very nice color variation) of a casting that you probably already have?!?  

Plus, the base is PLASTIC, which feels pretty cheapy at this price level.  The color choice for the black interior is unfortunate - the 2 Hot Wheels interiors are lighter with tons of painted-in detail, making the Matchbox's straight black somber interior seem cheap in comparison.  And finally, while the overall paint quality is great and the color scheme works, I just can't quite decide how I feel about a pepto-bismal-pink 911...!  

Again, while the prior paragraphs may make me sound as though I'm not a fan of this model, it's not true.  It is a VERY nice model.  But its not perfect - and its just not quite in the same league as the even NICER Hot Wheels models.  That all makes it an easy 3rd place finish.  

That leaves us with the 2 Hot Wheels premium models - a 964 against a 930, and this time the race is CLOSE.  Both models are absolute exquisite, almost jewel-like in their detail.  

The green 964 initially catches your eye more than the white 930 - mostly because of the mirror-like reflective quality to the paint.  But actually the paint is SO reflective that it is a little unrealistic, such that AFTER that first initial impression, I began to be less high about the paint.  

The opening trunk is a nice touch , with a highly detailed engine bay.  I love the custom after-market gold wheels (though I've read other internet commentary that didn't like the wheels).  The interior is beige, but with an absolutely beautiful tartan insert on the seats that just takes it over-the-top.  With its metal base, the model has a nice heft that the plastic base Matchbox can't touch.  Overall, this is an amazing model - well worth even the $30-40 entry purchase price - and it's hard to imagine that anything could beat it. 

But then you look at the white Arsham studio 930...   ...and...  ...you just can't take your eyes off of it!  The white paint is...  ...amazing...?  ...flawless...?  ...perfect in execution and choice of color...?  How much more complementary can I get about it?

Simply put - I love the color.  In addition, the paint detail is equally great/perfect.  

The wheels are beyond perfect (aside from the tires oddly saying "Arsham Studio" on them when they should say "Pirelli" or "Goodyear").  I absolutely love the choice of wheels/design of the wheels.  

The interior is off white - with beautiful contrasting seating surface trim.  I couldn't imagine having a nicer interior - that is until I compare it to the 964's interior - with its amazing tartan inserts (c'mon Hot Wheels - why couldn't you have given us those Tartan inserts on this car?!?).    

So, in sum, the Arsham 911 wins, eclipsing even the amazing 964 (albeit for a LOT more money).  

Again - all 3 cars are great pieces.  If you have the funds, buy all of them.  If you can only buy 1, splurge for the Arsham 930.  If you can't afford the Arsham, then buy the 964.  You can't go wrong with any of them!