Category Archives: Transformers

December’s Winter Coolness

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Santa's Cycle Shop

Santa’s Cycle Shop

Santa seems to have traded his eight (nine?) tiny reindeer for hundreds of high-torque horses. A pair of holiday shoppers stop in, pondering the purchase of a yuletide ride. Don’t know if their son is more excited over the toy cars or over the custom cycles, but I’m sure either way he’s anticipating an awesome sleigh ride.

Our Suncoast Diecasters December 2015 meeting was fantastic. First and foremost, Marge returned and helped us close out the year with her wonderful presents presence. Many great trades took place. And the fellowship and holiday spirits were richly flowing, ending our year on a great high note.

Before getting to the photos, Let me inform you of the updates. First of course, Santa’s Cycle Shop has been added to our Christmas Panels page (which also features an improved video). Next, our Calendar now reflects our complete schedule for 2016. Also, unlike the last few meetings, to which I’ve brought anything but cars, I actually brought cars this time — and I can prove it. And finally, you’ll notice that a few of the items on our menu bar now have double arrows (>>); this is to more clearly indicate that those items have sub-menus which will pop out when you hover your mouse pointer over them.

Now, on to the photos!

December 2015

Our December meeting began with me RAOKing all who attended with a special Christmas gift. Which … I can’t describe to you just yet. Two long-time and cherished members were unable to attend, so I’m holding their gifts for our January (2016!) meeting. Thus, to avoid spoiling the surprise I’m refraining from telling you Faithful Readers what the gift is. So, in the meantime, please accept this silly substitute:

Mystery Gift!

Mystery Gift!

You may have noticed I refer to two Suncoast Diecasters members (not the ones above) as Original Ken and Emergency Back-up Ken. This is not only because they’re both named Ken but also because they both collect garbage trucks. EBU Ken had at our December meeting two new trucks and one he’d mentioned to me and brought in to show me. The first is this massive Jelcz 315, at 1:43 scale. Jelcz is a Polish manufacturer; this model is by IXO.

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Next is this 1:76 scale Shelvoke Dewry by Oxford. The text along the side says “Corporation of London/Cleansing Department”.

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And finally, this little fellow which Ken said is a Transformer which he couldn’t figure out how to transform. I noticed on the side the name FlyTrap, and advised Ken that this is actually a GoBot. I know this because I actually have this one myself. I told him not to worry, I would change it to robot mode after taking this shot of it in vehicle mode. Much to my embarrassment, I couldn’t remember how to change it. I got a few smaller parts loose, but I was afraid I’d break something if I kept trying to work the larger parts. So, I handed FlyTrap back to Ken in defeat. Naturally, the Internet provides plenty of photos to further humiliate me.

FlyTrap is an evil Renegade, so OF COURSE he would embarrass me in front of Ken.

FlyTrap is an evil Renegade, so OF COURSE he would embarrass me in front of Ken.

Jim bought these two well-dressed vehicles from me. These are examples of a curious — and somewhat frustrating — element of collecting: the costly losses. Aside from the fact that the models themselves are of higher quality than mainline dollar-cars, they’re also package with eye-catching backers which make great displays for those collectors who keep the packages, uh, packaged. Yet, here they amongst my for-sales, because I had eventually lost all interest in them. So, Jim gets two sweet cars for a bargain, and I get more empty space in my whatever I’m storing the rest of my cars in.

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Big Tractor Mike bought from me this Mini Cooper, Go-Cart and VW Transporter…

See? Proof.

See? Proof.

…And then later on did me the favor of buying up all my remaining cars so’s I wouldn’t have to pack them all back into my travel bin. In the insert on the left, you see the last two full columns of cars on my table, and on the right, Mike’s big beefy hand swooping in and scooping up the top end of another column.

...Maybe Mike thought my cars were all from a Star Trek episode?

…Maybe Mike thought my cars were all from a Star Trek episode?

As a Big Tractor Holiday Treat, Mike RAOK’d me with this Light Speeders edition of the Back to the Future DeLorean DMC-12 Time Machine vehicle car toy (he just kept on typing). LS models have the cute and rather gimmicky gimmick of having a UV-reactive coating which responds to the included flux capacitor mini UV flashlight.

Time travel at the speed of light! ...I guess.

Time travel at the speed of light! …I guess.

The Light Speeders series was produced in 2012, so it’s surprising that the battery still works (just like last month). Conveniently, the UV reaction also still works. See the bluish smudge on the roof in the lower half of the photo?

You are looking at SCIENCE, boys and girls!

You are looking at SCIENCE, boys and girls!

So, do I leave it in its package, or bust it loose? Well, knowing I’ll have to change the batteries before they get mushy, I set it free. Besides, I wanted to see how the stencil worked. In the upper part of the photo below you see a scan of the stencil. In the lower part, I’ve used the Mr. Fusion logo on the roof and the Hot Wheels logo on the hood. And the results…

...A solid ''Eh''.

…A solid ”Eh”.

Ken got several holiday treasures. Here, we see (clockwise from bottom left) Racing Champions ’57 Plymouth; two Mustangs made by Fleer; two Majorette Morgans;  and a Revell ’48 Chevy.

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Next, we have (clockwise from bottom left …ish) a Road Champs Ford Model A; a Norev Minijet truck; a Norscot bulldozer; and a no-name Corvette with lights on the base.

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In this pic, Ken has (clockwise from bot– Sorry.) a Barclay car hauler “just like the one I cut my fingers on when I was a kid.” (That’s actual text from Ken.) The Barclay was available in single- and double-deck variations. I’ve found many photos online, but very little info. You are welcome to assist, gentle readers!

And it really does look like Dwight Schultz. (It's a Star Trek reference. Look it up.)

And it really does look like Dwight Schultz. (It’s a Star Trek reference. Look it up.)

And finally (clockwi– Dang! Sorry.), this ’53 Cadillac Eldorado made by High Speed, and a black pickup made to look like a Hot Wheels model but which is really a no-name butane cigarette lighter.

Oh, you don't believe it's a lighter?

Oh, you don’t believe it’s a lighter?

Boom! Butane cigarette lighter.

Now you believe me.

Now you believe me.

Oh, almost forgot: Ken also nabbed this Muky patrol cruiser from Big Tractor Mike.

Clockwise from bottom left.

Clockwise from bottom left.

From Marge, Big Tractor Mike bought this 1968 T-Bird and 1960 Thunderbird Hardtop, both by Johnny Lightning.

Thunderbirds are Go! ...-Ing into BTM's collection.

Thunderbirds are Go! …-Ing into BTM’s collection.

From Marge, I purchased this Ford Zodiac Mk IV (not Ford Prefect). I was looking it over intently, when Jim mentioned something about a “spare”. I lifted the hood, er, bonnet, and thar it is! An actually spare tire, er, tyre! And I don’t mean a tire-shaped portion of a cast engine insert, I mean an actual separately-molded plastic tire! ‘Twas the selling point for me. For its British historical aspect, its rare-enough opening hood, and especially for its thoughtfully-included spare tire, I hereby declare this Ford Zodiac Mk IV to be Suncoast Diecasters‘ Find of the Month(*) for December 2015!

As Jim might say, it makes a nice ''transition'' into 2016...

As Jim might say, it makes a nice ”transition” into 2016…

And now, for your (slightly delayed) Christmas Bonuses!

First, what is IMHO the best animated version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This one is by Chuck Jones. Yes, that Chuck Jones, the man who brought us Bugs Bunny. This interpretation of Carol is, literally, dramatically different from typical Looney Tunes fare:

Next, another animated version. Not quite as good as Jones’ version, this one nonetheless has what I think is the creepiest interpretation of Marley’s Ghost:

Lighter fare here: Straight No Chaser’s wacky take on The Twelve Days of Christmas:

And finally, a treat to go along with those great Peanuts holiday specials (and the fantastic Peanuts movie, which I hope you’ve seen):

See you at the January (2016!) meeting!

~WM

A Merry Diecast Update to One and All!

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Oh, that we could always see/Such spirit through the year...

Oh, that we could always see/Such spirit through the year…

Click here for a larger version

I have to hand it to the Lord, making a Snoopy car available when I already had the Red Baron so I could do a four-wheel version of the classic air battle.

No doubt you recall the song from which the holiday greeting is taken; nonetheless, enjoy this pleasant reminder:

Well, along with a big ol’ stack of new photos, there several other updates: our Calendar has 2014 all closed out; the holiday diorama at the top of the page has been added to our Christmas panels; and — big announcement — all the Members’ Galleries from the original site are now available here. Just mouse over Galleries on the menu bar atop this page, then mouse over Members’ Galleries, then click on the gallery you want to see.

Now, I have to tell you something about the look of these galleries. The old site was web-based, thus all the pages were coded in HTML. For the sake of speed and simplicity, rather than completely rebuild all the galleries here, I just dropped whole coded pages into blank WordPress templates. This process works … mostly. As WordPress does not recognize all HTML tags, much of the formatting has been either lost or oddly interpreted. Over time I’ll strip out the unneeded code, but meanwhile the pages look a bit, um, off. For example, I’m already halfway through Big Tractor Mike’s page. The first half of his gallery has the same clean appearance as the other WordPress pages here, while the second half appears rather clunky and ungainly – much like Big Tractor Mike himself.

And a special thanks to GoodStockPhotos for the “snow-covered pines” backdrop. Now on to the photos!

December 2014

Our December 2014 meeting starts with a RAOK from me to Big Tractor Mike. Below are just two of about forty or more vehicles and accessories from Kenner’s Mega Force line. No, no, this has nothing to do with the 1982 movie. This is a “futuristic” battle between the Triax and V-ROCS nations, which loosely represent Euro-socialists and NATO respectively.

The series came in two lines. One was a blister-pack of three basically realistic vehicles with a military-esque accessory (such as the radar tower below). The other was individual command vehicles which, being on the same unspecified scale as the blister trios, were so large as be cartoonish. No, no, there are no TAC-COMs; this is not from the movie. One example is the TAR-TRAKS carrier. It’s a land vehicle which can deliver up to four tanks to the battlefield. If a Mega Force tank is comparable to a modern real-world tank, the TAR-TRAKS machine would be about the size of a small office building.

For the last time, this has nothing to do with the movie!

For the last time, this has nothing to do with the movie!

Interesting marketing gimmick for the blister trios: one vehicle was always a command vehicle. You could tell because it was physically different. For example, the “command chopper” version of the one above has five blades.

Mike delicately tip-toes back into the world of Transformers, with this purchase from me of Blaster and several mini-cassette characters. Starting on the upper left and going left-right, left-right, they are Rewind, Eject, Slugfest, Overkill, Rain Dance, Grand Slam, Beastbox, Squawktalk and Ramhorn.

In the age of the iPod, would these guys even bother transforming back from robot form?

In the age of the iPod, would these guys even bother transforming back from robot form?

Mike C. made a (comparatively) rare appearance, and RAOK’d members (plural) with these sweet T-Hunt Custom ’62 Chevejo, packaged nicefully in ProTech protector shells.

Shell removed because, you know, glare.

Shell removed because, you know, glare.

Bill ROAK’d me with this sweet maroon Saturn Seeker from Kenner’s Fast111s line, and Ken ROAK’d me with this tasty green Dynamo from Kenner’s Fast111s line. Life … is good.

From the license plates, it's clear Bill is the more conscientious gift-giver...

From the license plates, it’s clear Bill is the more conscientious gift-giver…

Bob had this awesome (awwwe-SOMMMME!) “Show Team” boxed set, still shrink-wrapped and mostly still with original rubber bands holding the cars in place. This set is so rare, I can’t any info on it online. Feel free to submit data!

As stated previously: Complimentary drool cups are available in the lobby.

As stated previously: Complimentary drool cups are available in the lobby.

Bob also had this Dinky fork lift. Which, to use the vernacular, isn’t so dinky. The toy is nearly the size of a 6-volt lantern battery. No scale is stated, but I’m guessing it’s in the 1/32 range.

Didn't Miller use this recently on the O'Reilly Factor?

Didn’t Miller use this recently on the O’Reilly Factor?

Tom gets into the “holiday spirits” (Comedy!) with this triple serving of Lager lorries (More comedy!). They’re all from a subset of Matchbox’s Models of Yesteryear series named, quite inexplicably, Great Beers of the World.

Not the 50th Anniversary Hess Truck, but they'll do.

Not the 50th Anniversary Hess Truck, but they’ll do.

Tom grooves on in his holiday shopping with this krazy-kolored Kool Kombi, an original-edition Sunagon from BTM, and this beautiful Mercedes 300 SE from Matchbox. No, your eyes are not lying; yes, the 300 SE has operating partses.

Yes, kids, working doors, trunks and other such finery were *standard* on toy cars way back when!

Yes, kids, working doors, trunks and other such finery were *standard* on toy cars way back when!

Clockwise from left: Green Matchbox Superfast VW Golf (1976, no. 7); magenta Matchbox Superfast Ford Capri (1970, no. 54); yellow Hot Wheels Peterbilt Dump Truck (Extras series); and yellow Matchbox Superfast Mod Rod (1971, no. 1). By the way, 1971 was the year Bill was born. Awwwwww!

A completely unique photograph, entirely unlike any other photograph in this update.

A completely unique photograph, entirely unlike any other photograph in this update.

Clockwise from left: Matchbox Beach Hopper, from the Rolamatics series (1973, no. 47); yellow Hot wheels Dump Truck with CAT Diesel Power tampo on doors (1998) [Note: Came originally in a baggie]; blue Hot Wheels Ford Dump Truck (1982); and light green Matchbox Superfast Dodge Charger III concept (1970). Hey, did you know that Bill was born in 1971? Awwwwww!

A photograph strikingly similar to the photograph shown above.

A photograph strikingly similar to the photograph shown above.

AW carried in this cool, crazy collection of colorful cranes. The cranes carefully and cautiously carry cargo, while the catalina-colored cutter in the corner cuts and cuts and cuts and never hits. (…You older readers will get that one eventually.)

They slice! They dice! They fold, spindle and mutilate! They even make Julienne fries! Now how much would you pay?

They slice! They dice! They fold, spindle and mutilate! They even make Julienne fries! Now how much would you pay?

I purchased this Corgi NBC garbager from Ken. Now, you know for a certainty that Ken collects garbage trucks; it’s quite unheard of for him to part with one. However, this’n’s a duplicate (he’s culling his collection), so he put it on the table, whence I purchased it. I think it’ll look good next to my other TV news trucks. Not that I’m editorializing on a certain network’s journalistic quality or anything!

I watch the Fox News Channel, is what I'm sayin'...

I watch the Fox News Channel, is what I’m sayin’…

I also bought this Corgi racer from Ken. I’ll tell you more about it when I find it!

Seriously, I've misplaced it!

Seriously, I’ve misplaced it!

I remarked to Ken that it was odd that he’d buy a truck with such damage. He said he has a “minty” one at home, but it’s missing its camper top.

…I don’t get it.

That'll buff right out, mack. Five minutes, tops.

That’ll buff right out, mack. Five minutes, tops.

Proving that Mike C. did in fact RAOK members (plural) with these sweet T-Hunt Custom ’62 Chevejo, packaged nicefully in ProTech protector shells, here’s Ken’s. Along with the desktop trash can with which I RAOK’d him, and that blue tractor for which he owes me an explanation.

One man's trash is another man's tractor.

One man’s trash is another man’s tractor.

Okay, you’re wondering why I posted a photo so badly out of focus. It’s not out of focus; the PowerAde box in the background is sharp and clear! Heh. Okay, here’s what happened: Big Tractor Mike RAOK’d me beyond all RAOKedness with both this original Sunagon and this outrageously rare Swingin’ Wing from the outrageous imagination of Ira Gilford. I was attempting an artsy low-angle shot, when my camera’s battery went too low for the “live view” on the screen to be possible. So, knowing this would be the last shot of the day, I pointed the camera towards the cars and pressed the button. This is what I got.

I posted this photo anyway to prove that these models actually came from our December meeting, and weren’t acquired separately.

Proof: This happened.

Proof: This happened.

But since you deserve better, here it is: A nice, clear, well-focused shot of Swingin’ Wing. By the way, you see before you double the rarity: Not just a rare model, but one with its air brake still intact.

Its color reminds me of RazzleBerry Dressing!

Its color reminds me of RazzleBerry Dressing!

Since it’s quite likely that some of you have never seen Swingin’ Wing before, in the spirit of the holiday I offer you this Christmas Bonus photo of the model’s base as well. You have to admit, it even looks sleek and fast from underneath!

Oh no! Its engine fell out!!

Oh no! Its engine fell out!!

Ha! Holiday humor. No, the engine didn’t fall out. This just verifies that Ira Gilford indeed has an outrageous imagination. A sleek custom rod with a groovy spoiler? Cool enough. A functioning air brake built into the spoiler? Super cool. But a detailed engine that slides out on an Extend-O-Shelf gimmick? That’s wildly cool!

It'd be nice if *real* car engines were this easy to access...

It’d be nice if *real* car engines were this easy to access…

With thanks again to the Lord and to Big Tractor Mike, I hereby very readily declare this model to be our Find of the Month(*) for December 2014! (Even if it is partly stuck in a snow drift.)

Gives a whole new meaning to ''dashing through the snow''!

Gives a whole new meaning to ”dashing through the snow”!

Well, that wraps it up for 2014. We here at Suncoast Diecasters wish you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a very happy Happy New Year!

See you at the January (2015!) meeting!

~WM

November transforms into a Big ‘Bot Bonanza!

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November does … what?!?

Well, you’ll figure it out once you get to the official from-the-meeting photos. However, I wanna do something a little different first. I rarely put photos above the blue horizontal break. However, since the final K-mart Collector Day of 2014 fell on the same date as Suncoast Diecasters‘ November meeting, I’m setting it off separately.

Towards the end of K-Day, I had about a half-dozen or so new cars in my hands. At the checkout line, all I had was this:

Good Grief! (Yes, yes, I went with the obvious ''Good Grief!'' caption here.)

Good Grief! (Yes, yes, I went with the obvious ”Good Grief!” caption here.)

Yep, I put all the other models back on the pile because, as I looked them over again, the only one that really made me happy was ol’ Snoopy.  …I wonder he still thinks he’s piloting a Sopwith Camel?

Hey, maybe we'll finally see that ''Flyin' Aces III'' series we've been longing for!

Hey, maybe we’ll finally see that ”Flyin’ Aces III” series we’ve been longing for!

Here, before going to the November photos, this will make you feel better.

November 2014

Big Tractor Mike surprised Krista with this commemorative trinket purchased from the gift shop of the Arkham Asylum. Hashtag Gotham, y’all!

This episode of ''Suncoast Diecasters'' is sponsored by Batman(R) brand batdages.

This episode of ”Suncoast Diecasters” is sponsored by Batman(R) brand batdages.

Okay, now you see why I made the somewhat oblique reference to Transformers. I brought several Generation 1 toys to our November meeting; and Big Tractor Mike, why, he done bought ’em all! First is good ol’ Sludge here, without weapons or accessories but still in very good condition and functionally transformationable.

Me Sludge not a car!

Me Sludge not a car!

Next up is Hot Rod. Again, no weapons or accessories, but still quite fashionable. And by that I mean — and those who know will understand this — he has metal shoes. And I don’t mean brake shoes.

The sensible family sedan of the future.

The sensible family sedan of the future.

Next are several complete Action Master figures. Here we have Inferno and Krok. Inferno is a classic character from the early days of Transformers. Krok, like Howitzer Explosion Guy, was made up for the war.

You're a Mitsubishi firetruck that permanently turned into a giant Japanese robot? What a Krok!

You’re a Mitsubishi firetruck that permanently turned into a giant Japanese robot? What a Krok!

Here we have Autobot Dinobot Grimlockbot III, Esq. Or, just Grimlock, to his friends. Next to him (but in his own personal baggie) is Kick-Off.

Me Grimlock think someone no manage his trademark very well!

Me Grimlock think someone no manage his trademark very well!

And finally we have Devastator and Blaster. Devastator is famous for 1) being the first combing robot toy and 2) being impressively large when all six Constructicons are combined. Blaster is famous for being the Autobots’ attempt at stealing some of the cool from Soundwave.

Because six heavy-duty construction vehicles have *exactly* the same cubic volume as one boombox.

Because six heavy-duty construction vehicles have *exactly* the same cubic volume as one boombox.

BTM and I did a “plus cash” trade. He got, plus some cash, this sweet Willys jeep, by New-Ray. Wonderfully detailed, and securely bolted into a very convenient ready-for-display case. No scale is stated; it’s larger than my 1/43s, but smaller than the 1/24 NASCAR models which show up occasionally, so I’m guessing it’s in the 1/32 range.

...And his name is Eugene.

…And his name is Eugene.

And what did I get? Oh, just this delicious Matchbox Superfast Volkswagen Camper. It’s in beautiful shape, with just the teensiest of little dings here and there. A very thoughtfully-sculpted casting, it even includes the “louvers” on the D-pillars.

Of *course* it's from the '70s!

Of *course* it’s from the ’70s!

Ken hired the No-Name Army — represented here by a rather squattish truck and what appears to be an amphibious tank — to protect his No-Name Dumptruck.

I've never seen a chopped-n-channeled deuce-n-a-half before...

I’ve never seen a chopped-n-channeled deuce-n-a-half before…

Ken purchased from me this Target Exclusive boxed gift set of … I dunno, dishes? Outerwear? Whatever.

No, there never was a ''Series II''.

No, there never was a ”Series II”.

Yes, yes, yes, I was finally able to personally contribute to Ken’s mad scheme to own every garbage truck toy ever. In this case, it’s a kind of a two-fer. Not only does he get this lovely, large-scale toy…

In authentic ''garbage truck'' colors, too!

In authentic ”garbage truck” colors, too!

…But he also gets this snazzy Toy Story 3 Tri-County Landfill playset which hides inside the truck in which it resides. It also incidentally ties Ken back to BTM’s Transformers-fest above. And how does the garbage truck become the playset, you ask?

Here in Pinellas County, we have the Toytown Landfill, but it's nowheres near as much fun.

Here in Pinellas County, we have the Toytown Landfill, but it’s nowheres near as much fun.

Why, in this engineerfully delightful manner, that’s how!

Much, *much* cooler than One-Step Bumblebee.

Much, *much* cooler than One-Step Bumblebee.

Now for Ken’s piece of resistance – the Matchbox Wildcat Dragster. This is one sweet, wild ride. It seems to represent a curious time in 1/64-scale car design: on one hand, it features an appreciably well-sculpted body casting with full interior and powerful engine. On the other hand, it sports a cartoonish, almost garish color scheme which makes it look less like a well-crafted miniature and more like, well, a toy. It’s as if Matchbox couldn’t decide whether the item was meant for kids or adults, and attempted to split the difference.

Or, maybe Matchbox perfectly targeted adults who are kids at heart.

Or, maybe Matchbox perfectly targeted adults who are kids at heart.

Nonetheless, the Wildcat is in beautiful, almost pristine condition. I normally don’t post chassis photos; they mainly serve to ID the make, model and year (just like a real car!) for post text. And of course, the chassis, or base, is usually unpainted or chromed ZAMAC. You know I’m impressed when I include a base photo specifically because its paint is also in such good shape — whatever color that paint may be.

''Seafoam Green''. That's my best guess.

”Seafoam Green”. That’s my best guess.

Now this … this is a beauty shot. I should order a poster of this shot for myself. I hereby proudly declare Ken’s Wildcat Dragster to be our Find of the Month for November 2014.(*)

Suncoast Diecasters accepts no responsibility for you ruining your keyboard by drooling on it.

Suncoast Diecasters accepts no responsibility for you ruining your keyboard by drooling on it.

See you at the December meeting!

~WM