I’m sure y’all know what it’s like to see a particular item for sale over and over again, from multiple vendors, perhaps for months or even years; knowing that even though it may be a “vintage” item it is by no means “rare,” and someday you’re going to buy it, but there’s no hurry, because when that day comes, you’ll be able to find it. That is, until the day that you decide you really do want it…and then its nowhere to be found!
Well, I have been waiting, and waiting….and waaaaaaiting…to do this post on a trio of Yatmings for my “Get-Backs” project…waiting for the 3rd car to complete this set. As I have explained (but will again for any readers who have missed it previously), the purpose of The “Get-Backs” Project is to re-acquire every single 1:64 die-cast toy car I ever owned that I no longer do, and thus it has to be the exact car I had in childhood; it isn’t enough for it to be the same casting but with a slightly different paint scheme, or different wheels, or even different decals: it has to be a carbon copy of the one I had in every respect, or else it doesn’t count. So after waiting for months to do this post, and combing all the usual sites-ePay, Etsy, Mercari, etc.,even hitting the local antique mall a couple of times-I’m being forced to present the trio as a duo, since the 3rd car that was supposed to be here just is not showing up!
So…sometime in the very early 80’s-it was either 1981 or early ’82-Yatming released a series of 4 models of American cars from the mid 1960’s. It’s a no-brainer that Hot Wheels-and every other die-cast brand-is making loads of models of these types of cars today, but 40 years ago, virtually no one was making models of 1960’s cars! That made these 4 Yatming releases pretty special! They made a 1964 Chevy Impala, and a Chevy Malibu, a Ford Galaxie 2-door fastback, and a Mustang notchback coupe, all from 1966. For some reason I can’t explain, I never got the ’64 Impala, but I bought the other 3 eagerly in one shot. If I remember right, I believe I got them in the toy department at a JC Penny! What, you didn’t know there was a time when almost all department stores had at least a small toy department? Yes, they did!
Back then, if you wanted a model of a 1960’s American car, you were looking for an out of production Matchbox or Hot Wheels, and in the days before the internet, about the only chance you had to get one of those was to meet another kid who had one and trade him for it (which I did every chance I got!), or get lucky enough in a fledging antique store to find a solitary beater in a glass cabinet and beg for mom to buy it for you. Because it was all but impossible back then to get new castings of cars that, at the time, were not even 20 years old, I was thrilled with these! And now that they are almost 45 years old, the toys are classics in their own right, making them-yessir-classic classics!
A few months ago I did a post about going through some of the junk in my basement and finding the battered remains of the original copies of these cars still in my possession after all these years, though sadly I choose to repaint them all with enamel paint and a brush after turning them into “outdoor” cars and beating them up in dirt and sand. Although I’m glad I still have my originals, I wanted good copies again, so I went hunting…and I was unpleasantly surprised by what I found. Unpleasant, because it seems I’m far from only one who wants these cars! While most Yatmings can be purchased for low prices, these particular cars are quite expensive on the collector market today!
Even so, I didn’t have much trouble finding them…that is, at first! Until I decided I wanted to actually buy them! I was able to find several copies of the Malibu (interesting, since previously that seemed like the hardest one to find) but most copies of the Mustang that I found were either very beat up or selling for outrageous prices (we’re talking well north of $40). And the ’66 Galaxie? Bupkis! Used to see it all time time, and now? Can’t find it anywhere!
Of course it goes without saying that all 4 of these cars have been reissued time and again through the years with different paint jobs and wheels types, but as I already said, that doesn’t cut the mustard. These are the original releases of these models, with the first paint jobs and narrow 6-dash wheels. So here, then, are the two I have found. The Malibu is pretty decent, having just a little paint wear. The Mustang is, unfortunately, rougher than the pictures on the listing made it look; it has a crack in the windshield, it’s missing one headlight (something that wasn’t revealed in the pictures!) and although the front suspension is still sprung, it’s weak, which seems to be a common affliction with this model, since a saw several for sale where the front brace had collapsed completely.
These were about as well-made as Yatming models ever got, having metal baseplates and opening doors. That being said, they’re still not great: the quality of the metal casting is poor, and the proportions on the Malibu, in particular, are not right. But still, think what it was like to be a 9 year old kid who loved the cars of the ‘50s and ‘60s but unable to get die-cast models of those cars (except for, of course, the countless versions of the ’57 Chevy, which were commonplace even then). You probably would have gladly taken these cars too, just like I did, and today, I’m glad to have them back.
So now I’m still looking for that elusive Ford Galaxie! There is ONE for sale right now on ePay but its beat to hell, with badly chipped paint and all the windows busted out, and the seller is still asking $12 for it, although I don’t want it in that condition at any price. There are also several other Yatmings I’m looking for, and while some are readily available, there are a couple of others outside this series of vintage Yanks that are surprisingly hard to find and surprisingly expensive when I do. All of which goes to show, once again, tell your kids to take care of their toys: there’s no telling how valuable they may someday be!
This brought back memories of rushing to those toy departments while my mom shopped for clothes or whatever. I would search every store for the toy section and racks of blister packs looking for cars. There were of course all those times rummaging through the ever present cardboard boxes of random toys in thrift stores and antique shop looking for treasures. There was frustration for sure but there was also that thrill of the hunt and the feeling victory when you occasionally found something really cool. I’ve been victim of the “I can get this later” thought as well only to find the items no where to be found or now much more expensive. I did my fair share of modifications on cars I had as a kid as well. Even with some of the damage, i think these are really nice pieces to have for the collection. Thanks for sharing!