The Chosen Few

Going through the huge stash of diecasts I acquired for X-mas of 2024 was a daunting task, when you consider that I had to chose between dozens of cars to see which ones would get the honor of being displayed on the diorama. In the end, I chose 5, and all for very different reasons.

One in particular that I want to point out is an exceptionally cool Hot Wheels that I was lucky to grab at a local Wal Mart, of all places; it was the only one in the store, the only one I’d ever seen, and I had no idea this model existed until I grabbed this one.

Ever since the beginning-think 1971-Hot Wheels has specialized in “fantasy cars,” models of vehicles that are not real. And while some of their creations are extremely cool, more often than not, I just shrug my shoulders. This is the reason why I always preferred Matchboxes, which were almost always models of real cars (with the exception of that brief period in the early ‘70s when they were trying to out-HotWheel Hot Wheels). These days, with computer aided design and production, HW is churning out new designs so fast that no one could keep track of them, and most of these range from goofy to downright awful. Once in a while, though, they really hit a bulls-eye, and here is an example:

Apparently a new casting for 2024, this Aston Martin DB4 “High Speed Edition” was the figment of some very creative person’s imagination, and I love it! This version, in particular, is extremely cool, featuring scallops, stripes, and racing numbers tampo-printed over an unpainted and polished body! It also has a “nifty” touch for the wheels: a white version of their commonly seen newer 5-spoke “star” design, they feature what looks like a white sidewall; only when you look underneath does it become evident that the wheels themselves are pearlescent white, and it is the black sidewall that is printed on! VERY cool! This seemed to me like it should have been a “premium” issue but, no, it was just a “mainline” release I got for $1.18! Someone deserves some props for this one! Although I’d love to have another, it’s clearly a hot item, as I’m seeing scalpers trying to sell it on ePay for as much as $45! And naturally there are already several “Super Treasure Hunt” versions of it in gold with a different paint scheme being offered for hundreds, so I won’t be buying one of those, but I don’t need to: I’m perfectly happy with this one, and since I love vintage Astons-what gearhead doesn’t?!-and the DB4 and DB5 are my favorites of favorites, I was so taken with it that I gave it a place of honor right in the front of the “conga line” in the racer’s paddock!

The 70^th Anniversary MBX MGBGT that it replaced was relocated over to the Inspection Station area; another relocation resulted from the addition of the newest food wagon, a “chicken truck” I thought was just too cool to resist! It was added where the similar casting of the Good Humor ice-cream truck once was, so it moved east to the other side of the Dunlop bridge. And the pink Matchbox ice-cream truck that was there? Well, it’s getting a new lease on life in the carnival display! More details coming soon!

The other additions, however, resulted in a few cars returning to “long term parking.” The awesome dark blue and orange Cobra Daytona coupe with Gulf Oil livery was placed front-and-center near the starting line, while the Auto World “True 1:64” 1985 Dodge Caravan is appropriately parked outside the hardware store on the main road, and the carrier with the gorgeous Porsche 906 is queued up to enter the Inspection Station arena right behind a similar carrier bearing an aluminum-bodied racing Jaguar E-Type, so its in good company!

These are just minor little adjustments, but its all part of the fun! There’s a couple of other new ones I’m thinking of placing on the layout, so you never know what wild new “tableaus” might pop up at Drag City!