Copied Porsche 910... Did Playart copy Corgi, or vice versa?

It sounds patently obvious to say that diecast cars are models of real cars...  ...Yet it is not actually always true.  In some cases, they are actually models of OTHER model cars.

I've seen it with Maisto flagrantly (and poorly) copying Matchbox' Audi Quattro.  And in this post, I show a fascinating example of Playart copying Corgi's casting (although I suppose that there is a chance that Corgi copied Playart casing).



There are several companies who produced models of this car, the most well known of which is the (red) model by Lesney's Matchbox.  That one actually looks very different (particularly in size, its easily the largest of the five) from the other models.  I also have a Dynawheels model (in brown), a Zylmex model (in blue, #910), a Playart model (in blue) and a Corgi Junior/Husky model (in yellow - a "Rockets" version with extra speedy wheels/axles).  Missing from my photos is a Speedy model that I spent an hour fruitlessly tearing apart my Matchbox collection trying to find.  Regardless, the last four are very similar in appearance and size, particularly the final two.  And upon closer examination, it turns out that the final two are actually copies of each other, with similar casting lines, choice of detail, etc. Examining the base and especially the opening engine compartment shows a very similar choice of detail.



In fact, the only two questions are 1.  Who did the copying...   Was it the second tier Playart copying toy giant Corgi, or was it the greater scandal of Corgi cribbing a design from no-name Playart, and 2.  Why bother?  Could it really have been that much harder to create an "original copy" of the real car?

P.S.  I suppose that as long as I'm showing 5 distinct (or is it 4?) models, I should at least pick a winner...  Who modeled the 910 best? 

Although I'm a big Lesney Matchbox fan, its easy to assign the Matchbox in 5th place.  Its a little too big, and just looks different from the others. 

The next 4 are closer in comparison, all nice and worthwhile models in their own right, even though several come from brands that aren't typically collected. 

In fourth place I assign the Zylmex, while its very nice - it just doesn't have the opening back hatch or the quality wheels of its competitors. 

The final three are in almost a dead heat.  But the Corgi's stance/wheels sets the model a little too high, giving it a 3rd place finish. 

Between the final two, the DynaWheels is missing the opening hatch of the Playart (and the Corgi), but the metal roof gives it an advantage over the all plastic roof of the Corgi and PlayArt.  The wheels also are slightly nicer.  Overall, its enough to put the DynaWheels in first place, ahead of the Playart. 

And of course the biggest irony is that the copy-cat Playart took 2nd place, beating out the copied Corgi...!

Thanks for reading! 

'70's Mopar police cars - which would Rosco drive?

...all this talk about the '68/'69 Dodge Charger comparo post (General Lee!) and the recent '70s Firebirds post (Smokey and the Bandit!), inevitably makes me think about the other guys - the '70's police cars, sometimes driven by daft Rosco Coltrain-types, sometimes driven by the heroes themselves, who were always competing with the good/bad guys...  And for some reason, they were usually in Dodge and Plymouth Mopar police cars vs. Chevys and Fords... 


So...  ...how have these '70's Mopar police cars been modeled in 1:64 scale...?  Are there any good models?  Read on and see...!

First up is the one of the newest models, the retro Dodge Monaco Police car, released in the last few years by Matchbox.  I've heard other bloggers comment on how excellent of a model it is...  ...but for this casting along with the other retro Matchbox, I remain solidly luke-warm.  I think I'm put off by the overly shiny (and hence cheap looking) plastic grills combined with the ultra-wide wheels... 

But even I have to admit that this particular casting's not too bad.  It's size is reasonable - and I'm a guy who loves seeing the big '60s and '70s American cars modeled - especially when its a more normal car vs. another endless muscle car.   It's trim and detail are reasonable.  On the downside, it's tires are too wide (though the wheels look good), it's light bar too fake and plasticky, it's bottom base-plate ridiculously fake and plasticky, etc.  As with other retro Matchbox castings, I wonder why collectors are so interested in them - especially when authentic vintage fair-good condition castings are available for not much more on E-Bay.

Next up is the champion, the Lesney Matchbox Plymouth Gran Fury police car, a car from my childhood and so the archetypal Matchbox police car for me...    Yes, this one is an immediate favorite for me. 

It's a smidgeon longer than the above Monaco, a full size car from the Lesney era.  THe metal baseplate gives it a nice heft, the light bar is solid, the metal work in the grill is quality, etc.   All in all a great model!  ...Though not as great of a model as the earlier Mercury police car (but that's not Mopar!), nor of the Hot Wheels Mercury police red-line (a favorite model of mine), but a solid contender from the Lesney era.  On a scale of 1-10, a solid 7....   Does it get any better than this...?

Next up are the Kidco Dodge Monacos, in regular, lock-ups (rubber tires!) and burnin' key car form.  All but the key car have opening doors and a full interior.  They are sized right in line with the Lesney, though I wonder how realistic the 2 door configuration is for a police car.  The plastic bases and grills detract relative to the Lesney, but the opening doors are a nice touch, as are the rubber tires on the lock-up Park Service model (which as the nicest version, will be the one used for the comparison).

The suspension isn't up to Lesney standards (the lock-up version has no suspension), but otherwise the car compares favorably.  I would again rate it a 7 of 10, though the lesser "normal" Kidcos (blue and yellow above) are probably only a 5, and the key-car version without an interior is probably only a 2...


Zylmex did an older Plymouth (in the background to the right), with a metal base and opening doors.  The plastic grill looks a bit cheesy, and the car is sized a tiny bit smaller than the Kidco and Lesneys (though large for a Zylmex.  The light bar is awful but the rest of the car is A-OK, again a solid 7....

A Yatming is up next.  If you read my "top 30 Yatmings of all time" post, you'll understand when I refer to it as a poorer, newer, cheaper Yatming casting, with plastic base and grill and no opening parts.  It's size is right in line with the Kidco though, and even as I see its flaws I still like this casting. 

It's fun to see both Kidco and Zylmex out-quality the Yatming, given that Yatming occasionally has real quality products...  Too bad they didn't a police version (or if they did - I don't have it!) of their Coronet (1st on my list of the 30 best Yatmings of all time!). 

Tomica comes up next, the last of the vintage models, with thier F-Series (US Market) Dodge Coronet in police and taxi guise.  It's sized right in-line with the Zylmex and has similar detail, but done in metal vs. plastic.  It has typical Tomica quality, with a soft suspension, nice trim and opening doors.  I give it another 7...

Playing Mantis is next to the fight, with their Johnny Lightning Dodge.  This one is BIG and solid, without opening parts, but undeniable presence.   The metal detail (real pusher bars!!!) and paint are both beautiful and it comes with rubber tires, though for me the newer casting lacks vintage appeal.   For the sake of argument, I give it a 7, though I wonder if it doesn't deserve more....

Finally, Greenlight comes along with THEIR '74 white Monaco, a HUGE car, much larger than the rest, with exquisite detail and crazy large lights.  The size is a bit off-putting - does it really need to be this much larger than the others...?, though the rest of the models attributes are captivating (glass stop lights?!?).  Correct wheels and hidden headlights give credibility to this model - I have to give it at least an 8.5...

But where is ERTL?  Didn't they do a Dukes of Hazard line that sold for 30+ years (sometimes you can STILL find it on the pegs), with Rosco's police car...?!?   To answer the question, Yes, they did Rosco's police car, though for an odd reason they chose to press an existing casting of an early '80s Oldsmobile 88 into service instead of creating an authentic casting...  This was a rare oversight, since the other ERTL DoH castings are more authentic.  But regardless, an Oldsmobile's not Mopar, so I excluded the casting (it would have ranked poorly anyway...!). 

And what about Hot Wheels - doesn't it have an entry here?  Well, again, no.  They did several '70s police cars, including the wonderful Mercury Park Lane and a 442.  But these were both replaced by a generic police car which did not appear to be based on any real car...  From the headlights and grill you could almost believe it was Mopar - but the rest of the car makes it clear that it is no specific model...  Shame on you Hot Wheels - this car might have been the first example of the current trend of non-licensed castings.

So, how do these 8 castings - 6 vintage - 2 retro modern - compare...?  Which is the best '70s Mopar police car...?  First, let me be clear - these are all super-nice castings...  This is a hard decision to judge!

Well, the first one to eliminate is the Greenlight...  Don't get me wrong, it is an AMAZING casting.  Possibly the nicest casting ever done by Greenlight.  This is a display case car - a museum car - an heirloom car.  The problem is the scale...  It just doesn't FEEL like 1/64.  It might actually be correct "true scale", with the rest of the entrys being too small - but I don't really think so.  I think that this is more like 1:55 scale - and as such - it just doesn't really belong in this bunch of cars.  The Greenlight wins in a special category of cars - those bound to be displayed in a museum.  For those of looking for "Matchbox-like" cars - ones that you can zoom around on the carpet and chase Bo and Luke in their General Lee - read on! 

Among the remaining contenders, it becomes a very close fight - probably the hardest 7 casting battle to differentiate that I've done to date.   There's not a loser in this bunch - I really like all of the cars.... And how fun is it that we have 3 cars from non-name brand vintage labels - the Kidco, the Zylmex and the Yatming, duking it out on an even playing field with the Tomica, the Lesney Matchbox and the Johnny Lightning!?!  This comparison serves as evidence for anyone who needs convincing that these old drug-store brands are worth collecting...! 

The new Matchbox is the first to go.  A good casting.  If it had opening doors, or a suspension that actually had some give, or a shade of plastic for the grill that wasn't SO glaringly bright, it might have actually gotten higher in the finishing order.  But not a bad finish for a retro Matchbox, all things considered, and I have to admit that I'm impressed by this casting.  You need a couple of these for your police station layout... 

The Yatming is the next easiest to eliminate.  It is the cheapest of the remaining, with the least features...   But I still like this casting.  I'm glad I've got it.  Its a great addition to my collection - just not quite up to the standard of the other castings.  It takes a proud and hard-fought 6th place. 

With 5 cars remaining, the competition gets even tougher...  The perennial favorite Lesney Gran Fury...  the soft and silky Tomica Coronet...  The over-achiever over-detailed Johnny Lightning Dodge with rubber tires...  the forest preserve dark horse Kidco lock-up with rubber tires, or the even darker horse upset Zylmex Plymouth with opening doors...? 

The Kidco falls next - it just feels like the wrong real car to model a police car on...  A 2 door?!?  Plus the grill is a bit cheap-looking... 

Thinking about it, looking at the models, and running them back and forth, another car falls out of the pack...  This time its a real surprise, as the Tomica gets relegated to 4th place (by me - the blogger who loves Tomica!).  It just lacks the "gotta have it" factor for me...  nothing I can put my finger on - but this is what a comparison test is all about.  4th place - just missing a podium finish... 

In 3rd place it'll be the new model - the Johnny Lightning.  This is a great model with amazing detail, great heft, and wonderful rubber tires...   but lacking the vintage appeal of the other models.  A great casting by any view, and with opening doors, possibly a winner... 

2nd place is the dark horse candidate - the Zylmex Plymouth...  I REALLY wanted this model to win - just to see Zylmex beat out Tomica, Lesney Matchbox, Mattel Matchbox, Greenlight, Kidco, and Johnny Lightning for the title...  And it ALMOST beats them all, all except for Matchbox!  Nice job Zylmex - I love this car! 

And that leaves Matchbox as the winner.  When this test started I really wasn't sure that the Gran Fury was going to be able to hold off the challengers.  But this casting is a quality casting - and the quality kept pulling it back to the top of the pack.  One of the best of the late '70s Lesney castings, and the best '70s Mopar police car in 1/64th scale...! 

P.S.  This really was a fun comparison - of 8 wonderful castings.  All of these are great, and every one's a winner.  If I wrote the blog tomorrow night, I might pick out an entirely new order. 

P.P.S.  There are many people who would pick the Greenlight to win outright - no comparison - and I understand and appreciate that attitude.  It's an amazing piece.  In a way its far nicer than the other modern casting - the Johnny Lightning...  ...but also in a way it just out-sizes everything else - which for me, was its downfall! 

1968 Dodge Chargers in 1/64 scale comparo...: New vs. Old?

One of my favorite (real/1:1 scale) muscle cars is the '68/'69 Dodge Charger, and there are a number of very nice 1/64th scale castings of the Charger.  Of course, the baby boomer's nostalgic interest in '60s muscle car helps, with many of the castings being recently made castings of these 45 year old cars, including newer castings by Hot Wheels, Playing Mantis' Johnny Lightning and Greenlight. 

After searching through my collection I found 20 unique examples of late '60s Chargers.  Many of them are color variations or very minor trim variations - including Hot Wheels "new" casting of the '69 Charger 500 which is obviously just the '68 Charger's castings with different headlights.  But I was delighted to find that I came up with 8 truly unique castings, including 1 from Matchbox, 2 from Hot Wheels, 2 from Johnny Lightning, 1 from Greenlight, 1 from Ertl, and 1 from Zylmex. 

The easiest to find casting is the one that is still widely available WalMarts, Targets and other Big Box retailers, the Hot Wheels Charger.  This actually a very nice model, which is one reason why I have it in 8 different color or trim variations (including the aforementioned Charger 500 model (2 models still in blister pack, in back row)), and the '68 model with the blown engine (2nd row on right, in purple).  Being a large car in real life it is appropriate that it is larger than most other 1/64 scale cars.  The nicest example that I have is the purple model on the front left, with rubber tires, deep alloy wheels, and a metal base.  However while the purple adult collectible car is a great model, it cost several times more than the basic $.99 casting and probably represents only a small fraction of all of the versions of this casting, so it feels a little unfair to use it as the example for the comparison test.  Therefore for the comparison test I'll also include a cheaper car. 


Staying within the Hot Wheels brand, next up is the oldest of the models, the most expensive of the models ($30-$1000+ on EBay, depending on condition and color), and probably the most well known of the models, the original Sweet 16 Hot Wheels Redline "Custom Charger".  This is my favorite Redline, and while it is closely replicated by the newer Hot Wheels casting, it is actually a unique casting.  I have it in 3 colors (dedicated redline collectors have it in many more of the spectraflame colors - I can already imagine their snorts of derision at my only having it in 3 colors...).  If you are reading this blog you are probably already familiar with the early Hot Wheels Redlines - they are the most popular toys in die-cast collecting. 

Next up is one of my favorite Johnny Lightning castings, originally introduced in their second Muscle Cars series ("Muscle Cars 2") in '96, back when I first took up collecting again as an adult (the green model on the left of the photo might have been my first Johnny Lightning car ever).  The Charger and the Roadrunner are my favorites out of that Muscle Car 2 series.  It is a long and large model (appropriate for the scale), and is heavy with its metal base.  For the comparison test I chose the silver model. 

Interestingly, Johnny Lightning chose to again model the '68 Charger with a new casting in the early/mid 2000s.  However this casting was much smaller than the terrific late '90s casting.  While a nice casting in its own right, I was always disappointed in it relative to the earlier casting, and I only ever bothered to buy 1 example of it, in red with a black roof, on the far right in the photo to the right.

Next up is the only model that I was familiar with as a kid...  In fact, such a ubiquitous model that all kids of the '80s would have been familiar with it - Ertl's model of the General Lee...  However while it is very common, it is still a nice model, and one that I always desired as a kid (I didn't have one, but many of my friends did).  It doesn't have any opening parts or opening doors (remember that the General Lee's doors were welded shut - causing Bo and Luke to always climb in through the windows!).  The example here has an odd extra bit of metal on the passenger side A pillar - I assume this is a freak occurrence so I'm not holding it against the casting.  The chrome wheels look nice, but there is no suspension on the car.   

Matchbox didn't have a model of the street version of the Charger, but they  had a funny car version of it, introduced in the mid '70s as a Superfast car (the pink rat rod).  It came and went from the line-up for many years, including as the "Orange Peel" (my friend Andy Bradshaw had this in his collection - I've got this model someplace but couldn't immediately locate it for the photo shoot), and then later in the late '90s in purple with flames.  While the castings are the same, they feel pretty different and have different wheels, so I included both the pink and purple versions in the comparison. 

The rarest and my most prized casting is the Zylmex casting from the 70s. I'm always amazed at how nice some of these early Zylmex can be, and am surprised that collector interest and their values aren't higher.  In an apparent attempt to steal some General Lee sales without paying royalties, the car has a confederate flag on the hood.  The wheels are sharp and surprisingly large for Zylmex, the suspension has a soft feel, and base is metal.  This really is a treasured piece for me!

Finally, Greenlight modeled it recently.  Typical of Greenlight models, the casting is heavy and feels high quality, with an opening hood, a hunkered down look, rubber wheels and glossy 2-tone nice paint. 

Now that we've introduced the models, let's get to the actual comparison of 10 models (8 unique castings) as shown in the photo on the right.  As in earlier comparisons, I'll rate the models on 12 different categories, and then add together the points to arrive at an overall winner...  Let the comparison begin! 

	Modern Hot Wheels - Expensive	Modern Hot Wheels - $.99	Vintage Hot Wheels Redline	Johnny Lightning - '90s	Johnny Lightning - '00s	Ertl General Lee	Matchbox - '90s	Matchbox '70s Rat Rod	Zylmex	GreenLight
Scale	8	8	9	8	6	9	8	8	6	9
Wheel Design	9	7	6	7	8	6	7	7	8	8
Rolling Ability/Suspension	7	6	8	6	6	6	6	6	8	7
Paint	9	7	10	8	7	5	6	6	5	8
Grill/Bumpers	8	7	9	8	7	5	6	6	7	9
Exterior Lights	7	5	7	7	7	5	5	5	5	7
Weight	8	6	8	8	8	6	8	8	8	8
Top Detailing	8	8	8	8	7	8	7	7	8	8
Base Detailing	8	7	8	7	7	7	6	6	7	7
Interior	8	8	7	7	7	7	8	8	7	8
Play Value	8	8	8	8	8	6	9	9	6	8
Overall Desirability	8	6	9	9	6	5	6	7	9	7
Total	96	83	97	91	84	75	82	83	84	94

At the end of the comparison, the RedLine comes out the winner in a close 4-way race for first place.  How Wheels also grabbed 2nd place with their premium version of the '00s casting.  While I love the newer '00s casting, I really didn't expect it to beat out Johnny Lightning (4th) or Greenlight (3rd).  All 4 models are quality models, though I find the Greenlight to be less of a personal favorite than the 4th place Johnny Lightning - possibly due to the maroon paint color and/or the Johnny Lightning having been a favorite of mine for 2 decades...  I feel a little lame for picking the most expensive and collectible model as the winner - I didn't intend to be so predictable! 

After the first four there is a gap in points until the next group of cars, with my personal favorite the Zylmex taking 5th overall and leading the 2nd pack.  While I love the Zylmex and its metal base, the fact is that the handsome base has no mechanical detail, and the tampos hurt the paint comparison, putting it out of contention for the lead pack.   The other castings distribute lower, with the Ertl General Lee taking an honorable last place finish. 

While the standings show a large points spread, ALL of the models/castings are desirable in my book.  If you don't have any of them, I'd recommend that you pick them up.  You won't regret it! 

Congrats to all manufactures for an excellent comparison...  and Special Congrats to Mattel for their inspired late '60s Redline!    

Rare Zylmex DeTomasa Mangusta

I've always been a Matchbox boy...  ...As a kid it was obvious that the realistic and ubiquitous Matchbox brand was my favorite brand of toy car, easily preferring Matchbox models over the crazy fanciful designs of many of the Hot Wheels castings.  But while Matchbox was my favorite, I liked all of the 1/64th scale cars, and so lusted after the vast variety of models coming from both proud and legitimate names and the less legitimate drug-store brands alike.

The 10 year old in me couldn't have believed that I could ever amass ALL of the Matchbox models, but the middle-aged adult in me knows better.  From the mid 60's through the current day, there are currently only 2-3 unique Matchbox castings/casting variations that I want but do not have.   But thankfully the ocean of 1/64th collecting is only partially explored, and so I still root out and collect wonderful treasures from other toy makers, including highly respected brands like Majorette, Siku, Tomica and Impy, and less respectable brands like Wheeler, Kidco, Playart, Yatming....    ...and of course, Zylmex. 

And while its always exciting to find a well-made casting that you don't have, its even more exciting if the casting is of a car that is seldom modeled.  I have endless '69 Camaros in my collection, but only 1 Honda Accord....  ... and only this 1 Mangusta brought to us by Zylmex. 

 The model in question is in great condition, and is one of the nicer of the Zylmex models, with a metal body AND base plate.  While the model is appropriately detailed, it is a little let down by the cheap looking standard issue Zylmex wheels, the lack of any opening doors or hood, and the plastic-looking front and back grills/lights. 

 As a model, I'd rate it a 7 of 10, particularly due to the scarcity of Mangusta models, and in its excellent condition I think it is very doubtful that I'll be letting it go any time soon. 

Thanks for reading my blog - please feel free to comment and let me know what you thought of it! 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of this rare find!  Happy collecting!

Comparison Test Addendum...: Zylmex 450SEL - a late entrant

Going through my Zylmex collection this evening I suddenly realized that I'd missed an excellent 450SEL contender for my comparison test, so I'm including it in this comparison test addendum:

This Zylmex model is in mint condition in a very pretty greenish/brownish bronze color - making it easy to love.  While I'm thrilled with the model, its paint, its metal base and its opening doors, I will spoil the plot by telling you now that it wouldn't have been in serious contention in the comparison test.   It would have come in second to last, well ahead of the poor quality Yatming but behind all of the others.

Like Yatmings, Zylmex' seem to come in both fairly cheap (the majority) and high quality (the minority) varieties.  We collectors collect them hoping for the occasional high quality surprise - such as this model.  While the paint and metal base and opening doors are nice and make this one of the high quality Zylmex', it is still not nice enough to be in the same standard as the competition, particularly with the plastic grill and the cheap wheels...

...But a great model nonetheless - and a proud member of my collection!

Comparison Test: Mercedes 450 SEL Super Sedan, in 1/64th scale

In 1978 Mercedes Benz introduced the 450 SEL into the super-luxury sedan arena, promptly out-classing all other contenders in the space.  It was available with a monster 6.9 liter engine delivering 250 horsepower (a lot of power back then).  It was massive, stately in a manner that set it apart from lesser MB sedans, with opulent luxury and massive power. 

 

Being such a marquis car meant that it was guaranteed to be replicated in 1/64th scale by someone, and indeed several prominent toy makers took up the challenge and added it to their line-ups.  I recently purchased one of these, and decided it was time to run a comparison test and identify who modeled the best 450 SEL... 

 

After poring through my collection I ended up finding models from 4 different toy makers.  Interestingly, Yatming actually make 2 distinct and completely different castings of the 450 SEL, meaning that I had 5 castings from 4 toy companies, in 7 colors (I should have had an 8th color, but I was unable to lay my hands on my childhood Matchbox 450 SEL taxi (that's what you get when you have a 6000+ piece collection)). 

 

The 7 contenders (5 castings) are displayed in the above photo.  In the middle of the front row are 2 color variations from Matchbox, in blue luxury sedan guise, white and green German police livery, and not shown is the beige taxi.  On the left in white is the model from Tomica.  On the right in back in silver is an example from Majorette.  On the right in front and in the middle in back is the larger of the 2 Yatming castings, with the back left model being the smaller of the Yatming castings.

All of the castings aside from the smaller Yatming casting have opening doors (see below photo). 

I'll start off with the model I'm most familiar with - the Matchbox model.  I've been familiar with this casting since I was a child.  As mentioned earlier, I had the beige taxi version of the car (not shown), and then when my paternal grandparents returned from a vacation in Germany they gave me the actual police car shown in the photos.  While I didn't personally own the blue version, my friends JJ and Kelly had a model of it, and knowing my mad desire for Matchbox they'd tease me about how they had a car that I didn't have... 

The Matchbox model is highly regarded by collectors.  While Charlie Mack lists all models as having fairly low $2-4 values, actual sales prices on Ebay are much higher for all versions of the car, particularly the police car. 

Its a nice model, solid and heavy, with a metal base, a metal grill and bumpers, nice detailing, opening doors, a tow hook and nice rolling characteristics.  Certainly a contender for top model... 

Next up I'll consider the 2 Yatming castings.  They close-up photos below prove that they are indeed unique castings, one longer and one shorter, with distinct bases and tops.  While both have metal bases, the smaller feels distinctly lighter, flimsier and cheaper and doesn't have opening doors.  The smaller one has separate bumpers/grill, but they are made of plastic.  The larger ones bumpers and grill are part of the metal base casting.  Its easy to establish the smaller Yatming casting as a non-contender, so I quickly relegate it to last place. 

The larger casting I have in 2 colors, a bronze and a burnt umber.  The umber model's wheels are the ugly and cheap looking drug-store brand wheels of later Yatmings, but the bronze model has the earlier Tomica-esqe wheels.  The rear lights are separate plastic pieces - giving a higher quality appearance (and correct coloring) vs. other models.  As with other of the high quality early Yatming castings, it feels solid and seems like something Tomica would have made.  It'll be a worthy contender in the comparison test, albeit a surprising one. 

Given the Yatming's resemblance to early Tomicas, it's fitting to next consider the Tomica entry.  This is a mint example in an elegant eggshell white.  The model is heavy with extensive detail in the grill and headlights - cast as part of the base.  The overall detail of the model is quite high.  The interior is a rich looking red.  And in keeping with other Tomica's of the era, it rolls smoothly on a soft suspension.  It feels the most elegant and expensive of the contenders. 

Finally, the newest addition to my 450 SEL collection and the impetus for the test, the Majorette.  This one is the largest of any of the castings, although not so large as to be out of scale.  The grill is plastic but looks nice, the bumper is half made out of plastic and half made out of the base - but done so you don't notice.  It has separate plastic headlights (the only model to do so) and separate plastic rear lights similar to the Yatming.  While all models have nice hood creases, the Majorette's is arguably the most visible.  The car has a tow hook, but as with other Majorette's of that vintage it is large and ugly.  It appears that model used to have a 3 pointed star on top of the grill, but now the star is missing.  The wheels are standard issue Majorette wheels, but look somewhat similar to what Mercedes might have actually used.  The paint looks expensive and is actually metallic.  Again, a worthy contender. 

For the actual comparison, I'll rate the models on a scale of 1-10 on 11 criteria items and then add up the points to establish a winner.  I promise not to manipulate the points to make any particular car win...  Let the contest begin!

	Majorette	Tomica	Long Yatming	Short Yatming	Matchbox
Wheel design	6	8	8	4	6
Suspension rolling ability	7	9	9	6	7
Paint	9	8	8	7	8
Grill / bumpers:	9	8	6	3	7
Exterior lights	9	6	7	4	6
Weight	6	9	8	5	8
Top detailing	9	8	6	6	7
Base detailing	5	8	9	9	6
Interior	7	7	8	6	7
play-value factors (tow hooks, etc.)	7	6	6	4	9
Overall desirability	9	9	7	5	8
Total	83	86	82	59	79

Wow - it was surprising to add up the scores and find the placements...  with the classy Tomica as the winner!  The paint, detailing and particularly the soft suspension set it apart from the others enough to win. 

In second, the Majorette, whose separate lights, intricate detailing and metallic paint helped it to bump out the Yatming for 2nd place....

And in third, the dark-horse brand, somehow edging past a classy model from powerhouse Matchbox...  The long Yatming's silky suspension was its ace, though it was helped by separate rear lights, opening doors and metallic paint. 

The Matchbox was a strong contender and I expected it to do better than 4th.  I gave it extra points in the play value category due to the police car having the separate siren in addition to the tow hook and opening doors.  However, while its detailing was nice, the suspension let it down - its much firmer than the earlier superfast cars.  In all, a great model - just not strong enough to beat other strong contenders. 

Far away in last place was the short Yatming.  While only 7 points separated the top 4 models, the short casting was 20 points behind 4th place.  This was the only one of the 5 castings whose placement I knew ahead of time. 

Congratulations to Tomica and the other worthy toymakers. 

P.S.  After writing this post, I was surprised to come across another worthy 450SEL model/contender - a Zylmex!  For details see my next post!