Propulsion Lab: Spring Loaded

What started as a simple search for some new rims and rubber for my MBX VW Beetle 4x4 quickly got out of control.  My search lead me to my local rite aid where I purchased a spring loaded pull-back school bus with sole purpose of high-jacking the wheels and dropping the axles in my 4x4.  With my purchase complete I scurried home and quickly dismantled the school bus.  To my chagrin, the axle set in the spring loaded motor was proving to be a real beast, I could not get that sucker out of there!  I needed a new plan...  With a raised eyebrow and dremel  in hand I quickly set about attacking the chassis of the Baja Bug.  Sometime later, after the sacrifice of the Beetle's interior, this is what emerged.

 As you can see the new shoes fit great and I find the overall appearance quite satisfying.  The wheels are also narrower than the original MBX wheels adding a more realistic tone to the car. That being said, a quick peak through the windows and it is plain to see (or not see) the lack of seats in the car.

 While I did my best to retain as much of the chassis's integrity as possible it still took quite a beating. The engine and chassis where adhered to the body with Duco Cement.

This Beetle is now the fastest car on the block! Not having done the maths, I will guess that the old VW now has about 2000 scale BHP and is ridiculously light.  This unfortunately means that it has quite a bit of trouble holding a straight line... but before it plants itself firmly into the wall, it is really hauling!

My apparent success with the Beetle made me wonder if I couldn't be successful again.  This time a HW Custom 1956 Chevy truck was my unsuspecting victim.

 As the truck was quite sizable and had no interior I was certain it would be an improvement over the Beetle.

 The Pick-up was joined with the wheels and motor from a HW micro monster truck.

Needless to say I was wrong.  The chassis and "inner" parts of the truck required extensive cutting. I even had to go as far as cutting metal supports on the inside of the body.  Parts of the bumpers needed to be removed to accept the enormous tires from the MMT and for the first time ever I actually broke the chassis while I was working on it.  Sadly this meant that the whole truck would now need to be held together with way-too-much super glue. 

The end result was rather disappointing.  The MMT motor is underpowered.  The '56 Pick-up is incredibly heavy.  The super glue is super, frosty that is.  All told... not the success I was hoping for.  In the end, I have concluded that the amount of work required, teamed with the final product has not left me with the desire to ever make one of these monstrosities again.  There is probably a better way, but I lack the will to pursue it.

Raptor Attack!

Fords in-house performance specialists decided to give off-road enthusiasts something to cheer about in 2010. Enter the F-150 Raptor, the purpose built Baja pre-runner designed by the team at SVT.  Matchbox welcomes the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor in the 2010 Desert Endurance Series.

The Raptor is just bristling with appealing features. The bright orange paint and graphics package immediately catch the eye. For those that prefer a more subtle look the deep blue paint will be the way to go. No matter which paint job is to your liking, rest assured that both can be easily spotted in the wilderness.

Once the paint catches your eye the louder than life brick wall FORD grill tells everyone you mean business. Flared fenders help to draw attention to the trucks wide stance and both the fender flares and the running boards offer protection from any debris that gets turned up by the 35 inch tires.

 

The hood is marred by ultra aggressive air extractors, massive vents designed to allow hot air to escape from under the hood, keeping vital engine components cool in extreme conditions. While equipped with a full-size spare under the truck, the MBX model also features a second full-size spare mounted in the bed, this truck is ready for anything. There is even a tow hitch to haul your other toys park.

In closing, like the 1:1, the MBX Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has really captured my imagination. Having the vision to produce a purpose-built off-road performance truck has garnished a lot of respect for Ford and SVT from me personally. I have never been a fan of the "muscle-truck", high performance trucks built for the street. For me pavement has always belonged to the cars, but it is the truck that owns everything else. I really like everything about the Raptor, from the aggressive tone carried throughout, to the borderline flamboyant grill. Even the graphics look to me like the truck has just been viscerally torn asunder by a dinosaur bearing the same name. I think this one is a real winner. That is probably why, dis-spite owning several already, I still have a hard time not purchasing another when I find one at the store.

Consider the Rocks Shocked!

In 2009 Matchbox introduced a rock crawlers dream to their line-up. The Rock Shocker now has a fresh coat of paint and is ready to hit the trail hard again in 2010.

This truck has been striped to it's bones to make it the ultimate rock crawler, the bed, and all glass have been removed, even the front fenders and grill. Instead of a bed, the Rock Shocker features a cage designed not only to mount the shocks, but also to accommodate a fuel cell and a transmission cooling system sporting two electronic fans for some non-stop pedal pounding.

Custom bumpers protect the front and rear, with a roll bar protecting the squish bits inside. Everything  rides on a long arm suspension allowing excellent suspension travel with a stable low stance.

The action doesn't stop when the sun goes down, as this rig is sporting 5 HID lights above the cab as well as two more replacing the stock headlights. The Rock Shocker certainly is all thrills and no frills. In fact we are still speculating exactly what kind of truck she was before all the modifications... On a closing note, this rig does not really seem designed to stray to far from the trailer, as it is not toting a spare tire, so perhaps more of a competition rig than a trail rig. Maybe a little customization is in order.

The Sandblaster

The Hot Wheels 2010 model year sees the introduction of a brilliant pre-runner style off-road truck: the Sandblaster!  Based on the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, HW designer Jun Imai has taken the Raptor to the next level.

Immediatly you'll notice the upgraded off-road tires, wheels, and lifted suspension, offering improved ground clearance for extreme wheeling. Ground clearance has been improved from 2mm on the MBX Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, to 3mm on the Sandblaster.

The next thing that really caught my attention was the pre-runner style bumper, the fiberglass fenders and bedsides, and instead of a bed you'll find a rear cage protecting the sizable fuel cell and a tank of compressed air or nitrogen. Topping all this off is a whopping total of seven HID lights to chase away the darkness. 

The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is a really exciting truck and I have to tip my hat to Jun Imai for making the beautiful pre-runner rendition that is the Sandblaster. In fairness, to offer some criticism, I would have liked to see a spare tire, as I don't think I would leave home without one. As with any die-cast truck with large wheels bent axles seem to be the rule and not the exception, so it is likely I will upgrade my Sandblaster with more sturdy axles in the not-so-distant future.

I am looking forward to seeing even more exciting off-road vehicles coming out of El Segundo. So before your next big race, be it the Baja 1000 or the Backyard 100, be sure you check out this capable pre-runner.

The Collectorat

I figure that a good place to start would be with my current collecting philosophy.  At present I am focused on collecting racing cars and off-road trucks... and seeing as how I cannot afford these at the 1:1 scale, I live vicariously by collecting the smallest alternative (or close to it for you knit-pickers).

My collection consists of Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Johnny Lightning and Greenlight brand die-cast collectibles, with a bit of Maisto and other odds and ends. I largely tend to avoid Maisto, M2 Machines and Jada and such because the notion of what is and what is not "scale" can be a bit annoying, really nothing at all against their cars, I think they're great, just not for me. Admittedly, Mattel's children (HW and MBX) do not strictly produce 1:64 scale models (3 inches, technically), but they are pretty close most of the time, and when I set them down next to a JL or GL ride, they all look like they belong on the same block.

In an effort to not allow my entire life to be consumed by tiny cars and trucks, I have limited the scope of my collection (well, loosely). I largely prefer racing cars to the standard paint scheme, and I collect just about any kind or race car, GT cars, Le Mans cars, Drift cars, Dragsters, Rally cars, Stock cars, you name it! Even if it is just a regular road car with a number painted on the side, sufficient for me. Where I get a little more loosey-goosey is with the off-road trucks and such (even better if it is an off-road race truck!).

Funny thing I find is that different brands seem to fill different needs.

Hot Wheels is really the primary supplier of most of my racing cars and "custom" off-road trucks.

Matchbox is my primary supplier of stock trucks and off-road competition rigs, including Baja racers and such.

Johnny Lightning is my secondary source for racing cars, and these are usually just your standard road car with a number painted on the side... but, they are great for finding "custom" cars for the drag strip!  Fat tires and an even fatter engine bulging from the engine bay can often prove irresistible!

Greenlight has offered a few great drag racers and even a road racer or two, but price and availability usually keep them in the background of my collecting efforts.

I hope that this sheds some light on my interests and explains to some my reasoning in future posts.

A Brief Introduction

Welcome to Diecastination! As you may infer from this blogs title, die-cast collectibles will be the primary topic of discussion. This blog will also likely highlight the inspiration for said die-cast collectibles.  Die-cast cars and trucks are a primary source of procrastination in my life, thus "Diecastination" is born. Be seeing you!