Matchbox autos 1970

Matchbox is a toy brand which was introduced by Lesney Products inand is now owned by Mattelmatchbox autos 1970, Inc, which purchased the brand in The brand was given its name because the original die-cast "Matchbox" toys were matchbox autos 1970 in boxes similar to those in which matches were sold. The brand grew to encompass a broad range of toys, including larger scale die-cast models, plastic model kits, slot car racingand action figures.

Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars invented by Elliot Handler and introduced by his company Mattel on May 18, Many automobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design blueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available. The original Hot Wheels were made by Elliot Handler. Hot Wheels were originally conceived by Handler to be more like " hot rod " cars i. These were the first of the Red Line Series, named for the tires which had a red pin stripe on their sides. There were sixteen castings released, eleven of them designed by Harry Bentley Bradley with assistance from Handler and Ryan.

Matchbox autos 1970

Ron Ruelle hobbyDB. In their early days, Matchbox made diecast replicas of sensible vehicles like farm plows, buses, and ambulances. Not the most exciting vehicles ever made, but the theme fit in well with their slow rolling wheels and axles. Back then, playing with toy cars involved pushing them around by hand. And with little competition in the market, they sold like crazy. Matchbox was still making slow rollers, but they were more frequently based on sportier, fun cars such as the Ferrari Berlinetta , or quirky mainstays like the VW Camper. Their cars started to include some nice features such as opening doors and hoods, as well as working suspension and even steering on some models. But more change was on the horizon. When Hot Wheels and Johnny Lightning debuted with their wheels built for speed, Matchbox took notice. Not only were these new brands meant to go fast, but they offered some seriously crazy fantasy designs as well as models based on concept cars. All of which left Matchbox scrambling to compete. But how? They responded in phases. By , Matchbox was fighting back in the performance area. First, they created SuperFast wheels, which used free spinning, razor-edged wheels on thin axles for much faster travel.

Besides fulfilling its original purpose, it also became highly sought after by collectors.

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Over the last few years, the matchbox has been the most popular collectible die-cast car. Now that matchbox is resurfacing again; collectors are delighted to see this trend continue. This trend started with the Matchbox cars from Lesney, and they are returning to take over again. Some of them, especially if you enjoy restorations, are still very affordable — similar to Hot Wheels. Others, however, like any collecting hobby, go beyond the standard. Besides, because of the large number of matchbox cars available, it is hard to find the right one with a better worth.

Matchbox autos 1970

It feels strange to consider, in the least-sentimental terms possible, what Matchbox toy cars actually are, because the ones produced today in Thailand are fundamentally little different from the originals made in a London pub basement 70 years ago. They come from melted-down zinc-alloy ingots, whose molten metal is force-fed into moulds inside diecasting machines. These thundering contraptions spit out hundreds, thousands, millions, even, of identical small-scale car bodies. The only way these babies will come apart is with a hammer, pliers and a level of brute force that is beyond most kids. They can get damaged, certainly, but they usually keep on rolling, and when made in big enough quantities they sell for the price of a bar of chocolate.

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Eventually, almost any model could be and indeed was used for promotional purposes. MB — unrelated to any number used in any market — is cast onto each baseplate. Battle Kings reappeared on the market in , not as King Size models, but rather as a name of military-oriented Two Pack -style sets of regular-size models. Monster Jam claimed this as a plagiarism, causing controversy. This program was originally launched to commemorate Hot Wheels's 50th anniversary. Later '50s boxes — including the 2nd editions of those for model numbers 1 to 7 — had "Moko" in the same capital letters as the words surrounding it. It appeared that the classic brand, once saved by Matchbox, would be allowed by Mattel to languish or die once again. But how? France BnF data. In , for Hot Wheels' 50th Anniversary, Car Culture card sizes were increased, along with the amount of decorations on the cars.

The inspiration behind Matchbox cars came from a school rule. But you might want to check your vintage Matchbox cars before giving them away since some can be worth thousands of dollars. Many were produced as samples and differ from the variations chosen for mass production — therefore, explaining the reason why some are valued as much as times their original cost.

Then, Hot Wheels made rail-type dragster versions of them, based on the actual funny cars and was featured in the Wild Wheelie Set. Toys , scale model vehicles. Business Insider. In , Hot Wheels Interactive was launched. To demonstrate the latter commitment, some very realistic Hot Wheels Caterpillar models were actually re-branded to Matchbox, although that did not assuage concerns about the strength of the former assurance. For the typical Matchbox collector, Hot Wheels were inferior in scaling and model choice, making them less desirable. Often, the changes are very minor, even minute, and may occur in places that are not clearly visible at first glance. The New York Times. Popular models that debuted include the HyperMite and FrightBike. For example, the Pearl Driver cars all had pearlescent paint. The information provided will be included in your download confirmation. Nicknamed the Side-loader by collectors, this was the production version of the Beach Bomb. Some models are produced in very limited quantities. However, within the first few years of production, Lesney switched to plastic wheels. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matchbox toys.