#373 HOT WHEELS! - CRACK UPS (1985 and 1986)

As a kid, when I was maybe four years old, I got a Hot Wheels track. It had the form of an X, with two launchers on two edges and two rubber bands on the opposite sides. By pushing the big red buttons on the launchers, two cars would accelerate towards the middle of the track, and sometimes they would collide with each other. The first car was an american police car, the second one a red sports car.

The interesting part of the game was the cars. They belonged to a special series of Hot Wheels! called "Crack Ups". Then they crashed, some part would change its aspect to simulate a real crash. In this case, one front door of the police car and the front of the runaway sports car passed from looking "normal" to "wrecked". The good thing about it, is that they could be repaired again for the next crash: those parts were fix with a spring, that allowed to turn it in a way that one of two sides was visible, and the opposite side remained hidden, creating an amazing effect.

The Police Car can also be decorated as a taxi or fire chief car. In this case, I own the white (Crash Patrol) and also the light blue (Crunch Chief) versions, both with police decoration, and both from 1985.

As you can deduce from the description above, these cars had quite a rough play. They are difficult to find in good condition. Although I lost mine, I have later found the same models I had in good condition. The "Cruiser" is especially fragile, since the bonnet of the car is made of plastic, and it is sometimes missing. There are various versions made of this model: the four depicted in the picture below and even more that I do not own.

Basher in yellow from 1985 

Stocker Smasher in red from 1986

Smash Mobile in Maroon from 1986

Smash Mobile in blue from 1986

These series was, I think, quite successful, since there were many models with this feature made in later years. The two models described above were the first ones (1985), but later, more models were released, all of them with many different decorations, colours and tampographies. Cars were available in individual blister packs, or in special boxes with playsets, like the one shown at the beginning of this article.

Apart from these two, I also have some models that I am presenting now:

Top Bopper in silver (top crash) from 1985
Bangster in green (top crash) from 1985

200SX Smash Hit in green (rear crash) from 1985

  

Side Grinder in black (side crash) from 1986

In case I find more, they will be posted in this same entry.

UPDATE:

Sport Crasher in black from 1985 

UPDATE2 (JAN/2017): Patrol Crash with a different base. I bought it to resell it, but now I will keep it. This one seems to be more modern.

UPDATE 3 (NOV/2019): This is a new model, called

Front Ender in red from 1986 (Based on a Buick Regal)

UPDATE 4 (FEB/2023): This is a new model, called

Blind Sider in white from 1986

 

 

UPDATE 5 (MAY/2026): This model is the third (out of three) made using this cast, the other two are shown above, so I have all the variants.

Bang-Up Job in red from 1985

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: Hot Wheels! Crack Ups: Crash Patrol, Crunch Chief, Stocker Smasher, Basher, Smash Mobile, Top Bopper, Bangster, Smash Hit, Side Grinder, Front Ender and others.
• Alternate Names: Auto da Scontro (Italy)
• Scale: Approx 1:64
• Year: 1985 and 1986
• Company: Hot Wheels! - Mattel (U.S.A.)
• Size: Approx. 6 to 7 cm

#372 JOAL – REVOLVER COWBOY (Around 1987)

Joal always had among their products some guns, do not forget that the “complete” name of the company was: Joal: Juguetes y Herrajes (toys and ironworks). Although nowadays is very rare to see children playing with weapons (at least in Europe, I don´t know how is it in other continents), guns, rifles and other weaponry were popular toys.

Until the 80s it was common to play with guns, but before that it was normal, even popular. Between the 40s and the 70s there were so many westerns made, that all children wanted to be like John Wayne, no matter if the gun was made of wood, iron or plastic. Other films including pirates, adventures, crime or science-fiction also showed guns as part of the show, so often one manufacturer had several kinds of gun to choose from. Remember for example this gun from the late 60s…

I myself had two chromed plastic "cowboy" guns with their belt and holsters, and also several metallic ones with tiny powder charges that made a terrible noise.

This is one of that kind. The gun is made of metal, except for the brown parts, which are made of plastic. The gun has an operating trigger, that holds the firing pin back, and then sets it free to hit the small plastic cap, producing the noise describe above. If there are no powder charges, the gun works anyway without the explosive noise. This was the most common case, since your parents wouldn’t buy as much ammo as you would need during your gunfights!

I would say, this gun is from the mid 80s, after I analysed the logo and the details. At some point, it became compulsory, that all toy guns had a red tip, to distinguish them from real firearms. I cannot exactly remember when this law was approved, but I would say it was during the 80s.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: REVOLVER COWBOY
• Year: Around 1987
• Company: Joal (Spain)
• Size: Approx. 17 cm

#371 Z-BOTS / MICRO MACHINES - LINKBOT WASPWINGO (1993)

The most important spin-off of Micromachines are probably the Z-Bots. These are not cars or vehicles, but action figures, and most particulary, robots.

Z-Bots (also ZBots) have the Voids as enemies. There were 4 series between 1992 and 1994, consisting of robot blisters (with 3 figures each), similar to the blisters used for cars and other vehicles for the main Micro Machines line. There were also a few larger playsets and vehicles.

The Z-Bots motto is "Designed to Defend!", while that from the Voids is "Made to Menace!". The defenders are a creation of scientists from the year 2025 to protect the world, while the Voids were created by other scientists who stole the technology from the first group. The storyline was later modified to explain that the Voids are actually Z-Bots infected by a computer virus that corrupted its circuitry. This corruption leaded to a war between machines in the 22nd century.

The starting point for this collection might be the Micromasters subseries of Transformers. If I think the Micromasters line was inspired by Micro Machines, Micro Machines got its inspiration for Z-Bots from the Micromasters, especially in the bigger playsets. Some robots could transform, and other could combine to form a bigger robot, qualities that could be found in existing Transformers from Hasbro/Takara.

As it happened with the Micro Machines vehicles, in the Z-Bots toyline there were many subseries with different features: Morphbots (transforming robots), Combots (military themed), Bitebots (with opening mouths, jaws or traps), Linkbots (could be combined to form a bigger robot), Mini Z´s (extra small robots), Revbots had wheels or even motor...

Some figure casts were recoloured to extend the line that was also a common thing in the Micro Machines, where the same cast was offered in different collections and sub-series. Most of them had a logo on the body of the robot. Z-Bots are more numerous than the Void enemies.

In this case, the figures are Linkbots, the three figures are called: and they combine into: These nice names are used for every set of Linkbots, like BA-ZOO-KA or KON-STRUK-TON

Despite being a magnificent collection of toys, they are not very sought after by collectors. That makes that every robot and every set, even the big playsets, can be found on eBay and other portals for almost no money. Some sets, however, are more difficult than others, and there might be some ultra rare Z-Bots out there.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: WASP, WIN and GO = WASPWINGO
• Toy Line: Z-Bots (Wave 3)
• Year: 1993
• Company: Galoob (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: 3 to 5 cm

#370 SCALEXTRIC - FORD MUSTANG and CHEVROLET CORVETTE (Ref. 4049 and 4050) (1974 and 1975)

Sorry for the delay in bringing new entries about Scalextric! I didn´t have good pictures, and until now, I couldn´t make new ones.

I present now two great model from the 70s that always go together: the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Corvette "Dragsters".

The first of these was released in 1974 with the reference number 4049 in four different colours: red, yellow, white and purple. The decals include the "nickname" of the car: "the Winner Drag" or “Thunderchief”, with racenumbers: 5, 7, 24 or 29. As in most car models by Scalextric, they were available with different decals, just in case one car has to race against the same model, it looks better if the cars have different race numbers.

 The second dragster was released in 1975 with the reference number 4050 in four colours: yellow, light blue, dark red and green. The nickname of this car is "Red Devil", although the car was never made in bright red. The available race numbers are: 26, 38, 45 and 52.

If you pay attention to the pictures, you´ll notice that the motor is actually the same cast, including the air intake in both models. The exhaust pipes look similar but are actually different, since they attach to the car differently. Using the same cast saves some money. Other nice details are the big tyre back and the small ones on the front, and they very suitable decoration with American stars and stripes, fire and American brands (Texaco, Shell, Firestone) decals.

I think it was a nice idea by Scalextric at the time, maybe influenced by the increasing popularity of Hot Wheels, and the Superfast series by Matchbox (and all its “fantasy” models). The real car models were never sold in Spain, although they were known by car enthusiasts from magazines or maybe from movies and tv series.

I also suspect that the cars didn´t sell as expected, because no more cars in this style were ever made, and it was a shame, there might have been a couple of nice models that would have looked great in 1:32. Some reasons could be that they’re not very good in race, because of its long shape and heavy weight, or that they were more expensive to manufacture (the motor has a small plastic fan and another small piece which are difficult to assembly, and the air intake has to be mounted on top).

All those pieces plus the exhaust pipes are very fragile, and they’re often broken or missing. In my case, both models have repro motors (otherwise, they would look so shiny!) and the Chevrolet has repro exhaust pipes. The rest of the cars are original pieces.

The Ford Mustang is only the chassis, I have some spare motors, but I still need to repair the chassis or find a new one, since the peg that holds the motor is broken.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: FORD MUSTANG and CHEVROLET CORVETTE (Ref. 4049 and 4050)
• Scale: 1:32
• Year: 1974 and 1975
• Company: Scalextric Exin (Spain)
• Size: approx. 15 cm

#369 SIKU – AUDI 100 LS and MERCEDES 250/8 (Around 1969)

Welcome to another lazy entry, which will show two more cars made by Siku in the late 60s to the early 80s.

The first model is the Audi 100 (LS) in green. The model is nicely done, and has opening front doors. The model was originally referenced with the code V308 (like mine) when it was released around 1969.
The same car (by Polistil) was shown in this entry.

The second model is the Mercedes 250/8 in red, also very nice, although somehow less surprising than the Audi 100 LS (Audi is a rarer die-cast model than Mercedes). The model also has practicable doors, and was released simultaneously with the previous model, with the reference V309. It was also available in “yellowish green”.

With the change of the reference system in 1975, these models changed its reference to 1019 and 1020. If you notice, on the chassis of the Mercedes both numbers appear, which means, that the model was a re-release made around 1975. There is more about the V-series here.

It is also worth mention, that between an original model from the year 1969 and the re-release of 1975, there was a wheel change. Although the piece is identical, the hubcap print is different. From a 5 radius hubcap, Siku passed to the multi-radius hubcap, which you surely know from other models. In the Mercedes these radius seem to be erased, but the circle and the words “Siku” remain. (It should be the same hubcap as in the grey model in the next picture).

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: AUDI 100 LS and MERCEDES 250/8 (Nr. V308 and V309 or 1019 and 1020)
• Scale: Approx 1:64
• Year: 1969
• Company: Siku (Germany)
• Size: Approx. 7 cm.

#368 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO G.I. JOE (1982-1994) (MARK BELLOMO)

This is the definitive guide book to G.I.Joe, as the title already says, here is everything you need to know about G.I.Joe: ARAH, and you can also use it as a checklist.

G.I.Joe is probably the most complicated toyline ever to collect, since each figure has its own accessories, which are exclusive to that figure, and it can be a nightmare to have every figure 100%. There are hundreds of figures, and some accessories are as small as a half centimetre.

The book covers both figures and vehicles, there is quite a bunch of information about each single character, plus weapons, variations, mail-ins, estimated prices, easily lost pieces (for vehicles only)… and of course very big hi-res pictures.

The guide covers the “classic” period 1982-1994, which is the most interesting for all collectors I knew until now. Unfortunately, the guide is oriented for an American collector, since no mention of European variants or exclusive figures can be found on it. No information about Indian Funskool, or Asian variants either.

The only problem about this guide is that you are probably faster retrieving the information from the internet. The best site for G.I.Joe, as you probably know, is www.yojoe.com. If you have some practice, and you more or less know which year was certain figure released, you can access the website much faster than you will find the information on the book.

The book’s foreword is written by Larry Hama, and it also contains pictures of discarded artwork and figure prototypes.

To my knowledge there have been two editions so far of this book. I don’t know the differences between them, but pay attention to this when looking for it!

The book is published by Krause Publications and has 304 pages.

#367 MAJORETTE - "MAJORETTE PUB" PROMOTIONAL VEHICLES (Unknown date)

These are some Majorette models manufactured as promotional give-aways for other companies. Majorette had a service called "Majorette Pub" for producing cars with some brand on them. This service started in 1985, but I don't know if it continues or if it was shut at some point. I could find any information on this, except and old telephone from Paris (or the nearby departments of Yvelines or Val-d'Oise). I guess the number of manufactured cars on each order didn't have to be necessarily huge, since there are even models made for the asistants to a wedding.

I have found these four units recently, and I cannot really calibrate how strange, how valuable or how was it possible to get them when they were released. That´s why I would like to ask you readers for help. I tried searching the internet for different pictures of these cars, and even that is difficult to find. Are there any resources about promotional die-cast somewhere? How can I find more about them?
Of course I have visited passion-majorette.forumactif.com, but there is not much information there, only pictures.

These four models are not standard releases, and even though some could be quite new, they are all marked "Made in France" on the chassis.

Toyota 4WD "ARBÖ" (Nr. 273)

ARBÖ is an Austrian club for drivers. The name stood originally for Arbeiter-Radfahrer-Bund Österreichs", although nowadays its offical name is "Auto-, Motor- und Radfahrerbund Österreichs". They help drivers in case of accident or breakdown and provide some facilities to test security measures in private cars. From all four cars, this one seems to be the oldest, since the decoration is made with water decals instead of tampographied.

Renault Container "STO" (Nr. 265)

Sto is a brand of paint for homes and buildings based in Germany. At some point Maybe the late 90s, Sto gave these trucks as a give-away present. When, how or why are unknown to me. It seems to be a very rare model, since there is not a single picture on the internet from it. The model has been used for promotional purposes extensively, and on the forum above, you can find many different versions from it.

Tracto "Mucospas" and "Mucosolvan" (Nr. 211/63)

These two "Tracto" are to my opinion newer than the other two, might even be very recent. They are tampographied with the name of a medicine on the roof. The medicine is available in most European pharmacies. The same model seems to have been used for other brands in similar colours, as I saw once on eBay.

Do you know anything more about these models?

UPDATE1 (Dec/2018): I have another of these rare "Mucosolvan" tractos, this time in yellow. Unfortunately, not in very good shape.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: Toyota 4WD, Renault Truck and Tracto (Nr. 211/63, 273 and 265)
• Scale: Approx 1:64 and 1:100
• Year: Unknown
• Company: Majorette (France)
• Size: 7 cms