Hot Wheels Olds 442 W-30 (DYB56) - 2 of 8 from 2017 Happy Halloween Series

Here is the 2nd car in the 2017 Happy Halloween 8 car series. These are sold exclusively at Kroger's. This is the first licensed car in the bunch - the Olds 442 W-30 (DVB56). I like seeing a licensed model in the series, but would have preferred a car that's not "lifted". But, given the series it appears in, I'm OK with the model over-all, as I like the new wheels, and the tampos look good in this series. The haunted school house is a $1 find from Dollar General. I repainted it to the best of my abilities - the kid knocking at the door isn't great, but still better than the "before".

Hot Wheels Ratical Racer (DYB55) - 1 of 8 from 2017 Happy Halloween Series

October is here, so it's time to showcase Hot Wheels' 2017 Happy Halloween series. This year's offering is an eight-car series with a mix of licensed and original offerings. These are sold exclusively at Kroger Grocery Stores. What is especially nice for this year's collection is the premier of a new series of wheels - the HW Skull.

First off is the Ratical Racer. I'm not a fan of rat rods to begin with, and the purple plastic seems an odd choice for the engine. But, especially from the front, the car presents a sinister profile and seems like an appropriate choice for this series. Not my favorite casting, but the tampos and wheels make it an OK model.

Space Robot by Ja-Ru

I used to purchase my fair share rack toys with money earned from my paper route. This Space Robot is more recent example, but certainly upholds the basic tenants of rack toys. I got it for a couple of bucks at a Kroger, and it reminds me of the Micronauts Force Commander. I don't know if it was deliberate or not, but the resemblance is there.

Force Commander photo from here.

Marchon Air Commander from the Mysterians collection.

Convertible toys were taking off in the mid-80s, with Transformers first hitting the market in 1984. Marchon released a line of convertible robots in 1984, too. This was the Mysterians, a line of 6 figures, including Air Commander. I had one of these, the Major Repair Robot, which is surprising as I don't remember still buying toys this late into the eighties.

I love the schematic included as card art (images from here). Air Commander comes equipped with "Twin movable radar sensitive radar guns [that] provide front & rear attack defense". "Head shield opens to reveal x-ray scanner eyes". "Hidden body compartment hides swivel laser arms". "Armor plated droid is computer controlled from central attack station". "Central compartment flips down to release secret RADAR droid". "Side panels open to expose 2-way terrain stabilizers & movable roller wheels".

Johnny Lightning 1930s Batgyro

Johnny Lightning used to sell a model kit of the 1930s Batgyro. It was a "fiddly" kit, with small parts and no good way to assemble except for using super glue, which is not my forte. Here is the assembled kit. Looks good despite my lack of talent. The Batcave is a recent offering from Jada. Not really to scale, but not a lot is available for a Batcave in smaller scales. The Batman figure is from Zerboz.

UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter

I'm calling this a Blackhawk, because it's clearly based or inspired on the Army Helicopter.

For the price - $3 or $4 bucks if I remember correctly - it's not too shabby. Based on the figures I would put this around 1:48 scale. I love the landing gear - gives it a "tricked out" vibe. It's got a friction motor, which explains the mag wheels. I would have preferred a color scheme that more closely matches the US Army markings, but it's a toy and would never look realistic. The plastic wing and undercarriage are reacting poorly to the lighting and are becoming discolored. The pilots are molded in a realistic shade of silver. I'm keeping it - at least it might look good with some toy soldiers.

Piasecki HUP Retriever from Amercom

Here is a Piasecki HUP Retriever from Amercom. Diecast, and 1/72 scale, it is a nice model of a Cold War helicopter. Piasecki renamed itself to Vertol, and later merged with Boeing. This is the Naval version, originally known as the HUP-2 Retriever. The Army had its own version, the H-25 Mule. The military services standardized their nomenclature sometime in the early 1960s, and this helicopter became known as the UH-25B. The models sell for 12-18 dollars, so the detail and quality is good for the price.

Hot Wheels Mercedes-Benz C111 (6978)

I found this older Hot Wheels at a vintage toy store in Kokomo, Indiana. My collection of Hot Wheels doesn't really include any big ticket items, with most of my collection being the $1 mainlines. I snagged this one for $5, and it definitely shows its wear. I'm no expert at distinguishing between the variations, but I'm confident that whatever version this is,this one is 40 years old and was made in the mid-seventies.

This is model on a Mercedes-Benz concept car used as a test bed in the sixties and seventies. The color is pure seventies - I think we had a fridge in the same color. Wish my version was in better shape, but happy with this at the price I paid.

Photo from here

Matchbox Mercedes-Benz CLS 500 (MB683) from Best of Matchbox Series 2

Here is the Mercedes-Benz CLS 500 (MB683) from the Matchbox premium line Best of Matchbox, Series 2.

Matchbox Range Rover Sport (MB691) from Best of Matchbox Series 2

Matchbox released the Range Rover Sport (MB691) as part of the Best of Matchbox, Series 2. With premium tires and realistic tampos, the captured the look of the original. What's nice about these models is that they are half the cost of some of the other premium offerings.

Greenlight Airstream 16' Bambi from the Hitched Homes Series One

Vintage trailers have a great look - here is Greenlight's version of an Airstream 16' Bambi trailer. I prefer tents when I go camping, but this has a definite style to it.

Kenner's Fast 111s Cyclone 3

In the early '80s Kenner released some diecast cars in the Fast 111s line. While I wasn't collecting these at the time, I stumbled across this recently at a vintage toy shop. Here is the Cyclone 3 - I really like the futuristic vibe of this model.

M2 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona 440

In 1969 Dodge released the Charger Daytona, an "aero car" designed to run at NASCAR races. At the time NASCAR required the entrants to drive true stock cars, and Dodge sold enough Daytonas to qualify under the rules. The Daytona was the first NASCAR car to break 200 mph. Here is the M2 version of this legendary car, equipped with the 440 V8.

Matchbox BMW M5 Police (MB966) from 2017 Best of Matchbox, Series 2

Earlier this year Matchbox released Best of the World - a six-car set of premium models, featuring rubber tires and nicer tampos than what is seen in the regular series. Here is the BMW M5 Police. As it is a premium set, it sports the Best of the World tampos. However, I would have preferred to see it in authentic livery of a German locale.

M2 1966 Corvette 427

Target had this on clearance for $1.25, so I was glad to snag it. I have a few M2 castings, and I appreciate the variety they have. The details on this are impressive for the scale, and I like the knock-off rims, the tampos, and the quality of the paint. The opening doors look out of scale, which isn't surprising, but the over all look is great.

Matchbox 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GTX (MB1022)

Matchbox has recently released its second version of the '71 Skyline as part of the 2017 Regular Series. I'm not up on JDM, but this is a nice looking model. I did a quick search, and have no idea if the color is accurate, but the color and tampos look good.

Guardians of the Galaxy - RD-08 (DWD79); 8 of 8

Here is the final car from the Hot Wheels' 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy 8-car set. It is the RD-08 (DWD79). I like this casting as it has a great "futuristic" vibe to it, regardless of the markings.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Rocketfire (DWD78); 7 of 8

Hot Wheels recently released an eight car set to commemorate the upcoming release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. This is the seventh car of the series - Rocketfire. It represents the Milano, Star Lord's ship. Nice color scheme, and the Rocketfire seems an appropriate choice.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Quicksand (DWD80); 6 of 8

Hot Wheels recently released an eight-car series to commemorate the upcoming release of the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. Quicksand (DWD80) is the sixth car of the series. The first five cars represented an individual guardian. This car seems to represent the team as a whole.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Solar Reflex (DWD77); 5 of 8

Hot Wheels Solar Reflex (DWD77) - the fifth car of the new 8 car series released in conjunction with up-coming Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. This is the car representing Groot. The Solar Reflex was an inspired choice - the tampos look great and the solar panel adds to the theme.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Fast Fish (DWD75); 3 of 8

Hot Wheels recently released an eight-car set celebrating the new movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. As the castings for these series tend to be non-licensed models, the popularity seems mixed among collectors. The card art and tampos seem to be the big attraction. Rocket Raccoon is represented by the car Fast Fish (DWD75). According to the Hot Wheels Wiki, "the name & general appearance suggest that the casting was inspired by the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda".

M2 Detroit Muscle - 1969 Plymouth 'Cuda 440

I was able to snag a few M2 Machine models from Target on clearance. For a little more than the cost of a Hot Wheels mainline - these were on clearance for $1.25. I'm not a huge fan of the opening features, as the hood here doesn't seem to close completely. For the price, especially on clearance, this is a great example of a classic MOPAR.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Scorcher (DWD76); 4 of 8

Here is number 4 of 8 from the 2017 Hot Wheels Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 series exclusively at Walmart. It is Gamaora's car, the Scorcher (DWD76). The combination of colors of the car and reflective black surface made the camera go crazy - auto-focus and color seem off. This was the first time I've tried this set-up, and will definitely need to experiment to get the photos to look better.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Rivited (DWD73); 2 of 8

Here is the second model of the Guardian of the Galaxy series out now at Walmart. This is Rivited (DWD73), representing Drax. Reminiscent of a '70s era muscle car, it seems fitting for Drax the Destroyer, where nothing gets over his head.