Expanding the Collection

The following toy cars were purchased or received in trade by Doug Breithaupt in the previous month. Some are new but others are older diecast acquired from other collectors. The prices paid are also shown. This addition to 'Tales of Toy Cars'. is intended to share recent finds with fellow collectors. If you have found some interesting diecast cars recently, let me know and send an image if possible, attached to an e-mail.

MAJORETTE
Mercedes-Benz 190 'Antar promo' - trade

Renault 5 'Elf promo' - trade

Mini Cooper (pull-back) - trade

BMW Z8 (pull-back) - trade


PLAYART

BMW 635CSi - $1.00


HOT WHEELS


'50's Custom (McDonalds) - $.50


Mini-Lindy

Ford Maverick - trade

JOHNNY LIGHTNING

Cheetah - $2.99

Ford hot rod - $1.00

CAR OF THE MONTH

1967 Ferrari 330 P4 by Hot Wheels - $.69



Recent Additions
March additions included new and old models. the Car of the Month belongs to Hot Wheels. What's not to love about the Ferrari 330 P4. Even the wheels are just right on this one. No, it's not a finely detailed model but for a buck, it captures the lines and panache of the original. many consider this the most beautiful Ferrari race car and now millions of kids will learn about the real car, courtesy of Hot Wheels. I hope the 250 Le Mans and 250GTO are also in the works.

Majorette models are getting through to me via fellow European collectors. I received two promo models from Antar and Elf and two new pull-back models. The pull-backs are actually Welly castings, offered under the Majorette name.

A recent toy show provided another missing Playart. This one is one of the last they produced, the BMW 635CSi. At the same toy show, I found a McDonalds Hot Wheel from 1999 that I somehow missed. I like the simplicity and color of this '50's hot rod.

I traded a Corgi Junior for the Ford Maverick by Mini Lindy. The Maverick is very nice in stock form. I also bought the red Cheetah by Johnny Lightning and found a neat Ford Hot Rod for $1.

When I did the Celica/Supra story It became clear I was missing the earliest Matchbox Celica. The toy show provided one, in the box for just $3. The Jeep Liberty and BMW Z8 are about the only new Matchbox models I wanted, and to be honest, neither is as good as it should be

The Racing Champions/Street Wheels five pack that included the two Camaro police cars, Mustang and Olds 442 was found on sale for $2.99. The Olds was the best car in the selection. The '84 Camaro is a bit of a stretch as it is actually the racing version with window bars and driver screen. The 442 is the fourth to carry Hurst colors, the others being the '70 442 from Hot Wheels, '69 442 from Johnny Lightning and the RC Mint Edition version.

Racing Champions' new movie and TV cars include the Munster Mobile and the Manta. Johnny Lightning had already done the Munster Coach and I think the JL version is slightly better. Did we need two, well we have them regardless. The Manta is interesting for several reasons. First, is is a rare example of one of many kit cars available in the 1970's an '80's. If the casting looks familiar, that because this model first appeared under the Ertl label, representing the 'Coyote' driven in the TV series 'Hardcastle and McCormick'. It is encouraging to see RC/Ertl dusting off some of the excellent castings done over a 20 year period by Ertl. The wheels are especially nice and really add to the authentic look. Let's hope this trend continues.





YAT MING/IMPERIAL

1957 Chevrolet Corvette #1079 - $1.00
While Yat Ming's casting of the '57 Corvette is well-known, at a recent toy show I found this curiosity. The color of the car caught my eye. When I looked at the base I saw it was indeed Yat Ming's #1079 but above the Yat Ming name was a sticker for Imperial. It may be that Yat Ming simply licensed Imperial to offer their castings as an addition to the Imperial line, I don't know. Are there other models that carry both names? Regardless, for $1 it is a pretty car.

MATCHBOX

Toyota Celica - $3.00

Jeep Liberty - $.92

BMW Z8 - $.92

RACING CHAMPIONS

1984 Chevrolet Camaro Police - $.60

1996 Chevrolet Camaro Police - $.60

1996 Ford Mustang- $.60

1969 Oldsmobile Hurst 442 - $.60

The Munster Mobile - $2.99

Manta kit car - $2.99