“Here’s your one chance, Fancy, don’t let me down,
Here’s your one chance, Fancy, don’t let me down!
Lord, forgive me for what I do
But if you want out, well, it’s up to you
Now don’t let me down, cuz your Mama’s gonna move you uptown!”
Before the fun was stopped cold by thieves, I was spending some serious money in attempt to acquire some exceptionally nice pieces for The Road Crew. Several times-nay, many times-while writing this blog I’ve made the statement that I am not a “serious collector” of slot cars. Well that may still be true, but it may also be changing, and the recent additions I’m showing off here will leave it for you to decide. I won’t throw out the numbers (I’ve been doing that lately mainly to make a point about the theft, not because I enjoy letting the world know what I paid for things) but suffice to say that these additions to the road crew weren’t just “purchases”, they were “investments.”
’63 Galaxie convertible in pale yellow
This is the oldest original T-Jet I’ve bought that could be realistically called “dead mint.” Thought it rides on a NOS open rivet chassis which is surely not original, this body is not a reproduction; it is an original purchased from a stellar collection of very valuable cars and it is in absolutely flawless condition. So much so, in fact, that this is definitely a “trailer queen”, too nice to really run on the track except at the slowest speeds for exhibition purposes only. We’ll call it a “parade car” then, perfect for a convertible!
’69 Mustang Mach 1 in white
This one is a little rougher; its got some battle scars but I still dug deep to add this original Mach 1 to my garage. I have 2 excellent reproductions of this, a metallic teal one and an orange one, both made by “Nu-rora” (which was Road Race Replicas by another name) but this is the real thing. It rides on an open rivet chassis which may or may not be original, and I choose to merely clean and oil it and get it running rather than doing a complete restoration on it, because I kind of like that rough edged look on a muscle car. Its got stock wheels and tires too, and with its short wheelbase it’s a blast to drift around the corners. Fortunately I can do that, because it’s not mint!
Honorable mention to the one that was lost
This would have been the new crown jewel of my collection: the most beautiful variation ever made of the ’62 Country Squire wagon, in white with a black top and red seats. As I’ve already made clear, all I can do is show these pictures from the ebay listing, because it was taken by some lowlife porch pirate and I’ll never see it. Thus, consider these images a “memoriam.”
So that’s the latest on the Road Crew additions. Once I give the new parcel vault a few weeks of operation and get my security cameras installed I might return to vying for some of the high-dollar models I really want, including possibly an original Dodge Charger and maybe even that elusive ’63 Riviera in slate blue if I can find it. Until then, I’m gonna grab Fancy and go cruise uptown with The Crew!
Addendum:
The seller from whom I bought the yellow ’63 Galaxie is listing a collection right now that is the headbanging dream of any and every Thunderjet fanatic out there! Since he uploaded a photo of what he’s selling, I’m going to take it upon myself to duplicate here: better get your handkerchiefs and Kleenex ready! Feast your eyes on this lot!
You have always had a great eye for quality. If your not a “serious” collector, I’d say you definitely mean business! I love the variety of the pieces you have collected. They have beautiful details and proportions! That bridge photo is, it think, terrific.