Continuing with the theme of “cheap Get-Backs” (…becauuuuuse….I guess I’m saving the expensive ones for later?) here we have a couple of new arrivals to replace a couple that I know I used to have because the pieces of them are still in my junk box!
First up we have an early 80’s Hot Wheels, a garden variety reissue of the “Baja Breaker,” a vehicle that always confused me because I never knew whether it was a truck or a van. Of course, this is another example of HW being ahead of their time, because as we all know today in the age of the “SUV,” it’s both! Although it seems to me to have the same grille as the “Bywayman,” which is a Chevy square-body pick-up which debuted the same year, this one appears to have been based on the Ford Econoline, even though the hood looks too long to be that common ute.
Originally released for the 1978 model year in a semi-metallic gray (the same paint used for the “Z-Whiz” and the Jaguar XJ-S), this metallic orange version is the 3rd mainline version released (there was a green one in between)* and is probably the easiest variation to find. Nothing rare or unusual here; you can buy these in mint condtion all day for around $15, which is right about what I paid for this one! My best recollection is that this hit the market around 1982 or 83, and a quick look at the Hot Wheels fan wiki confirms my memory yet again! What I can’t remember is how this one got demolished; I have a feeling it might have been a victim of one my little brother’s revenge moments, but after all these years, who’s to say? There was a concurrent “Real Riders” release in the same color that is more rare and sells for a significantly higher price, but since the common blackwall version is the one I had, that’s the one I replace!
Next up is one I got a good deal on because no one wants it! A modification of what was once the #9 AMX Javelin from 1973, this terrible creation is labeled with “Matchbox Toys Ltd,” which is what the company was briefly called after the receivership was completed in-again-1983. This represents a low point in Matchbox production; I remember being around 12 years old and so disappointed at the output of the company at this point; I understood they were just trying to stay afloat long enough to complete the sale of company’s assets, and some of the last Lesney’s were nicely done, but a lot of the cars they produced immediately after the bankruptcy were quite awful; for a while it seemed like every other car was painted in this odd, thick, unappealing iridescent (not quite “metallic”) white-ish gray, and most of these cars had no moving parts; they were clearly just cheapened down versions of what had come before them. That’s evident here, where a formerly very nice model from about 10 years earlier had the doors cast shut and the front end boogered up with ground effects that I suppose was meant to make it look like an IMSA racer. I dunno…a feeble effort from a company out of ideas, I say. I didn’t get it then and I don’t get it now, but I have “mint and boxed” copy of it, because I had it back in the day!
This car was made with 2 different types of wheels, the dot-dash (or “dd10”) wheels that this replacement had, and the 5-arch (or “5ar”) type; I can’t recall which type my original had because although the damaged body is still floating around in the junk box, the baseplate and wheels are gone, so we’ll have to call this good! All I can say is…I’m glad I got this one cheap! I guess all this makes it clear why this one wound up in pieces in my junk box!
So no, these aren’t my favorite die-cast models, but I am glad to have them back; its inconsequential, but it still feels like recovering some bits of my childhood, no matter how small those bits may be!
* Post Script: A Hot Wheels collector pointed out to me that there was another issue of the “Baja Breaker” between the original gray and green versions, and that is a special edition in red that was released as part of a set. Apparently its quite rare. When I found that one online my jaw dropped, because I distinctly remember that my brother had this one when he was a kid! No idea what happened to it and its long gone now, but I remember this exact car being in his bedroom when he wasn’t much more than an infant! Wonder what this baby would be worth today?
Thanks for the history and information on these! It is amazing the world of history that surrounds all these little makes and models, they really are so much more than toys and the “revenge moment” comment was priceless!