Boxing up the Toyota Baja Truck

In 2000 Hot Wheels added an off-road racing legend to their lineup, the Toyota Baja Truck. While being a gorgeous casting some of HW's design decisions left me wanting. I never need much of excuse to swap out the wheels on almost any Hot Wheels model, while they function very well, few of the designs really tickle my fancy. My other major complaint is the goofy looking spare tire floating in the back of the truck. This had to go for two reasons, one, the wheel was not going to match the new wheels for the truck and secondly, that thing is just plain goofy looking.

In my search for some new wheels for the 'Yota I spotted a suitable donor, in fact I had found something much more. My prospective donor was none other than the Baja Bullet desert truck from Matchbox. This truck features a much more modern set up for not only the spare tire but also the engine compartment and cooling fans.

After pulling both trucks apart I began cutting away at the interior/bed of the MBX, VERY SLOWLY. What is cut can not be un-cut, so I took my sweet time and checked my fitment after every cut. After a significant amount of cutting to the interior/bed and a small piece cut off of the Toyota's bed the truck was almost finished. I was happy that I was able to fit the important parts of the roll-cage back into the truck and keep the front bumper. The original interior of the Toyota was mostly ground away but surprisingly the HW retained all of its original pieces (well, not the wheels of course).

The proof, of course, is in the pudding, eh, pictures. Check it out and you be the judge. My verdict, awesome!

One HOT Willy's Jeep

The old flat fender Willy's Jeep is a highly revered classic. The Matchbox model is truly beautiful. But what I wanted to do was make my Willy's ready to tackle the terrain and eat boulders for breakfast. Originally I set about fabricating a roll cage from brass rod, meticulously filing and soldering away. At first things were going well and I was making steady progress. But then I pushed my luck and poof! It all went to hell. In the days that followed I wrestled with the idea a approaching the cage again, but the something new presented itself.

I was looking at my spare parts and I found a roll-cage I had left over from a recently sacrificed HW FJ40. With a few snips from my nippers I was delighted to find that the roll-cage was a perfect fit in my old Jeep. Awesome!

Next I need to fit some bigger cleats under the fenders. At first I was worried that this would take some heavy cutting and axle fabrication. But once again I was pleasantly surprised. With only six small cuts to the chassis and a bit of the old sanding wheel on the ends of the rear fenders I was able to fit some monstrous MBX wheels.

The end result was fantastic. This truck looks like it was meant to be this way. It looks like it could have shipped straight from the factory! And the best part of all? It was easy as pie.

Heating up the MBX FJ40

The Matchbox casting of the 1968 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 is outstanding.  The level of detail immediately made this one of my favorite casting and I own quite a few of them now.  You've seen me add a lift kit to my safari FJ40 in the past, here.  This time I wanted to go for something a bit more subtle.

I started by cracking apart two different Land Cruisers, one from Matchbox and the other, the custom FJ40 from Hot Wheels.  The goal, to get the tube bumper off the HW FJ and put it on the MBX.  The nice thing about this swap is that the chassis are very close in dimension, but this is where the niceness ends.  So, I tossed the MBX chassis and the HW wheels and got to work opening the back of the HW chassis to accommodate the tab cast into the back of the MBX FJ.  Using my Dremel and a cutting tool, and keeping the old chassis nearby for reference this went pretty smoothly.  As always, go slow and take a little material at a time, you can't easily put back what is now gone.  Then came the bumper, I did not want to make any modifications to the casting itself, so this meant that I needed to cut a channel behind the bumper to allow the body to recede into it a bit, this was the dangerous part, if I cut to deep I would chop off the very bumper I was trying to mount!  Fitment of the interior/bumper was still a bit of a problem and I needed to cut and grind some internal structure both on the interior/bumper and on the chassis itself.  After that was fitting properly I used my Dremel and cut-off wheel to remove the rear of the original interior, this, with some trimming, would help hold the axle in place and keep the windows where they belonged.

To top it all of I added one of my model truckers, which consequently would not have fit in the cast Matchbox interior.  Now my FJ40 is ready to hit the trails and is still quite street-able.  Pretty sweet.  Anyway, take a look at the photos and judge for yourself.

The Disarmed Tucker Torpedo

I was happy to find a Tucker Torpedo from the new Hot Wheels Boulevard series the other day.  Produced in 1947 and 48 the Tucker Sedan was a true innovation.  Featuring a rear mounted water-cooled horizontal 6 that powered the rear wheels, four-wheel independent suspension, disk brakes, seat belts and a padded dashboard, and numerous other previously unheard-of safety features, the Tucker was the metaphorical 'Torpedo' aimed at the short comings of the 'Big 3' automakers.  The 1988 movie 'Tucker: the Man and His Dream' is a great movie about this chapter of Preston Tucker's life and is well worth watching.  This is actually the first Tucker Torpedo that I have found and I am happy to have such a classic in my collection.

A Caged Runner

Some of you faithful readers may remember this post from awhile back: 4Run Through the Jungle

So, with your memory whetted I can now show you the latest update.  It all started when I was trying to figure out what to do with one of my many MBX Sahara Survivor castings.  After I had pulled off the roll cage I started thinking, 'It would be great if I could stick this roll cage in another truck'.  Well with a bit of cutting, thank you Mr. Dremel, I streamlined the roll cage and started to test fit it in my 1985 Toyota 4Runner.  One thing that I knew from the beginning was that the fiberglass roof would have to go.  It took quite a bit of massaging, as these things often do, but I think it was well worth it.  I am on the lookout for some cool gear to put in the back, as it looks pretty bare right now, and what hardcore wheeler goes into the woods without a spare tire!  I am going to need one of those too.  It is always nice to breath some life into a long term project and this little Toyota is really coming along nicely.

Can You Hear The Wind?

In 2010 Jun Imai captured the Mazda Furai as one of Hot Wheels new models.  Though only a concept car the Furai is a fully functional car featuring a 3-rotor Wankel motor pumping out 450bhp and has been put through it's paces on various race tracks including Laguna Seca. I think the Furai was well deserving of some racing shoes. Zoom Zoom.

Real Riders on One Hot Jeep Scrambler

Cruising Wal-mart the other day and I came across this awesome Larry Wood Jeep Scrambler from Hot Wheels new Hot Ones series.  I did have to put some Real Riders on to bring back the off-road appeal.  Overall, a very cool truck, a new favorite.

Swap Shop - Renault Megane Trophy

In 2011 Hot Wheels added the Renault Megan Trophy to their ranks.  A race version of the Megane RS, the Megane Trophy was built to take on the Renault Eurocup, though it has also been spotted on the touring car circuit as well as the Toyo Tires 24 Hour in Dubai.  As the track is the natural setting for the Megane Trophy I decided  to throw on some high performance wheels and tires. Pretty sweet!

The Datsun Bluebird 510: Soaring with Eagles

Known as the 'poor mans BMW' the Datsun Bluebird 5120 has a die-hard following even to this day.  Hot Wheels 2012 Faster Than Ever series introduces an awesome Datsun Bluebird 510.  Jun Imai really captured the excitement of this little sports coupe and I am happy to be able to add this latest paint scheme to my collection.  I do have one issue though.  Many of you may share my sentiment when I say, the new Faster Than Ever wheels are, indeed, uglier than ever.  It is with much rejoicing and no sorrow that I can show off the Datsun 510 with its new wheels and I shiny new set of Goodyear Eagles.

Is it a Crime?

I really like the graphics on the Hot Wheels 2009 Ford F-150, but a question remains.  Is it criminal to load up some Matchbox wheels underneath?  If so I'm guilty as charged, but she sure is a beauty.

Real Rubber on a Hemi Challenger

I love collecting cars with racing graphics.  In the case of the '70 Dodge Hemi Challenger this only makes a good thing even better.  A perfect example is the Challenger from the 2010 Hot Wheels Mystery series.  The only thing missing was some nice racing rubber to help keep the shiny side up.

Some sweet Goodyear Eagle tires donated by an old Revell stock car finishes things off nicely.

Livening Up the Dewart Lancer Evo X

The Dewart 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X appeared in the 2009 Hot Wheels Faster Than Ever series.  Unfortunately I do not have a white version (if you are willing to part with one or two send me an email), but that doesn't mean I can't spruce up the dark red version I do have. 

After I had the car drilled and Dremel'd I started things off by swapping out the funky tinted windows for some nice clear ones.  Next I ditched those FTE wheels for some chrome Y5's.  Last but not least was a Z-bar to give it that mid-drift look.  Sweet.

Swap Shop - Top Secret Nissan 350Z

Just tricked-out my Hot Wheels Nissan Z with some nice 10-spokes and a Z bar.

Swap Shop - '70 Camaro Road Race

In the late sixties a road racing series began in the United States.  While the muscle cars dominated the straight line of the quarter mile, these road racers had to due something that muscle cars were notoriously bad at - turn.  Even today there are some who would think that a smaller engine, bigger brakes and a bigger suspension is just lunacy, it was the perfect recipe for what became perhaps the greatest road racing series this side of the Atlantic - the Trans-Am.

For 2011 Dave Weise put together the '70 Camaro Road Race.  Based on the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 race car, built in the Trans-Am's golden era, to take on Ford's Boss 302 Mustang which began dominating the Trans Am race series in '69.  I think DW did a great job in capturing the spirit of one of the US's greatest road racing cars.

In line with its racing heritage I swapped in some wheels from an old Racing Champions NASCAR model I scored off of ebay a while back. Oh yeah, she's a real looker now!

Look Down On Your Prey with a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Lift Kit

I have been wanting to lift the Matchbox Ford F-150 SVT Raptor for quite some time now.  Thanks to my recent experience making the Z bars for my drift cars I had an idea.  In the past my 'lift kits' had consisted of multi-piece chassis that frequently involved more than a bit of cutting and grinding to accomplish.  Another down side with that technique is that it is very hard to find a donor that has wheels that align properly with the wheel-wells on the new truck.  Even then, you may think you have it right only to find that you have just spent an hour grinding away on something destine for the junkyard.

Now that I was almost certain that my Raptor would not end up in the junkyard I set to work.  I carefully drilled the pilot holes in the posts, taking extra care to not break through the plastic floor of the truck bed.  Once I had Dremelled through the mushrooms and cleaned up the posts I set to work making Z bars from .032 brass rod that would accommodate the massive tires I planned on stuffing under the Raptor.

The only modification that I had to make on the chassis was to file some channels for the Z bar to rest in so they would not float about. This was done using a triangular file.  Once the Z bars were mounted I pinched the chassis and the interior together to keep the axles from moving as I mounted the wheels using the .031 crimp tubes I had picked up from the craft store.  This time around I added the slightest drop of super glue gel to help hold the crimp tubes in place.  In mounting the full size spare I did have to do a bit of grinding and drilling but I figured that the results had been so good that I had no problem committing to finish the overall look of the truck.

Z Bar Drift Battle!

I spent some time making Z-bars for a couple of my drift cars today so I figured that a battle was in order.

On the first pass the Hot Wheels Nissan 350Z started things off.  For the second pass the Hot Wheels 24/Seven custom Mazda RX-7 took the lead.

You can Countach on it!

Check out the new kicks on my Lamborghini Countach!  The Johnny Lightning wheels really spruce up the Hot Wheels casting.

I really like the racing tampos but I think this one needs a spoiler.  Or should it get two ala Cannonball Run?

Z Barring the Evo X

After watching a video from one of my favorite peeps on YouTube I decided to give it a shot myself.  'Give what a shot?', you say.  Well making my very own Z bar, of course!

I decided to test it out on a Hot Wheels Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X that I had in my parts box.  I thought the Z bar would be the perfect thing to give my drift cars the look of counter-steering through the corners.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

To see how I did it, you can watch the video that inspired me here.  The only thing I did differently was to use  .032 brass rod for the axles.  For some reason I didn't need any superglue because the crimp tubes had a pretty snug fit on the brass rod, maybe just a fluke.

Breaking Baja

I have a kind of love-hate thing with the Hot Wheels Baja Breaker.  I love the off-road van schtick and the little details like the round portholes and window louvers.  The thing I don't like, nah, even hate is that the axles always seem to be way too long.  When the wheels stick almost completely outside of the wheel-well it is not a pretty thing.

So after drilling and tapping (an all that) I opened up the Baja Breaker and I face another problem.  In most modern die-cast that I have worked on there are posts that hold down the axles in addition to the small clips folded over the axles.  The Baja Breaker is an exception, the only thing retaining the axles are the plastic clips folded over the axles.  This required a bit of ginger manipulation but I was able to flex the chassis enough to squeeze the axles past the clips.  Truth be told I would be reluctant to perform a swap on one of these in the future unless I could find a more sure-fire way to secure the axles.

So here you have it, the Baja Breaker with some nice Matchbox wheels.  A thing of beauty.

Swap Shop: Land Cruiser FJ40 & Sahara Survivor

I always love it when a wheel swap goes well.  I love it all the more when a wheel swap goes both ways.

Having just picked up a few of the 2011 Hot Wheels Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40s I knew at least one of them was going to get some new shoes.  Introduced in 2010 from designer Jun Imai (think Sandblaster) this new FJ40 is a great example of an outfitted desert racer.  There was of course one complaint, the wheels.

After swapping in some wheels from a Matchbox Sahara Survivor I was pleased with the result.  Just for grins I fitted the axles and wheels into the Sahara Survivor and I was quite surprised to find that they were a really nice fit and actually look pretty darn cool. What do you think?

Did Sombody Order Fish'd & Chip'd?

Even before I put my fingers to the keys today something dawned on me.  I may have inadvertently made February, Fraser Campbell month.  Not that that is such a bad thing, at least his name begins with the letter F.  But for the record, this was all just a bit coincidence.

I recently came across the 2011 Hot Wheels Heat Fleet version of Fraser Campbell's Fish'd & Chip'd.  I love the overall look of the car and the interior has some great details that really add some character.  The satin blue paint with the red flame-job is very tastefully done and other than the red windows I find little fault with the car. 

Though Fish'd & Chip'd is a British car, the hot rod paint scheme just screamed for a set of mag rims.  I happened to have some Johnny Lightning wheels with some mag rims and after making some new axles she is rolling in style.

I plan on swapping out the windows at the earliest opportunity, but until then, what do you think?

Get Blown Away by the Lamborghini Aventador

The 2012 Hot Wheels line-up sees the addition of Lamborghini's new flagship the Aventador LP700-4.

Lamborghini unveiled its latest supercar in 2011 and the Aventador went on to be named Top Gear's car of the year.

The Aventador takes styling ques from both the Reventón LE and the Estoque concept.  I am a big fan of the Reventón's stealthy futuristic looks so I found this to be quite appealing.

Stuffed in the midsection is the massive 6.5 liter V12 that cranks out 691 brake horse power and a 7-speed semi-automatic transmission.  For a four-wheel drive car that weighs only 3,470 lb (1,575 kg) this rockets the Aventador down the track from 0-60 in only 2.9 seconds and gives it a top speed of 217mph.

While I am not sure if I like the Aventador more or less than the Reventón I can say that it is a welcome addition to the Lamborghini family and my die-cast collection.

F-150 Redemption

After my deflating fail with my new 1997 Ford F-150 I decided that I had to put the custom axles I had just made to good use.  That could only mean one thing.  I needed to find another truck with the same track width.  As it happens I had one more F-150 lying around from a graffiti 5-pack.  Well, I am happy to report that this time things went smoothly.  Let me know what you think.

Hammering down the Fast FeLion

Introduced in 2009, the Fast FeLion quickly became one of my favorite castings.  With modern styling that heralds the famous Jaguar E-type it is not hard to appreciate the Fast FeLions sleek, aggressive beauty.  Who would expect anything less from designer Fraser Campbell, the man behind other favorites such as Fish'd & Chip'd, La Fasta, and the Fast Fish.

I have always liked road racing, so one day I got the idea that I would try to make a Touring Car version of the Fast FeLion.  The first place I looked to start was a nice big spoiler.  This presented a bit of a problem for me, as I haven't tried anything as ambitious as this before.  And to tell you the truth I was a bit nervous about ruining my casting.  I know they only cost a dollar, but hey, it's my neurosis.  Anyway, after a bit of sifting, I felt I had found a donor car with the perfect wing, the Nerve Hammer.

I quickly set about dissecting both cars.  After sizing up where I wanted the wing located, I took some masking tape and marked off where the holes for the posts would go.  Then came the fun/nerve-racking part.  I unboxed my Dremel, loaded up the 191 High Speed Cutter, donned eye and ear protection and set about cutting away material from the inside of the casting.  I was careful to stay in the area I had masked off, only taking a small amount of material at a time.  It is important to use the top speed on the Dremel to prevent 'zinging' the casting or worse, your hand. 

After a few minutes of patient cutting I began to get small convex divots on the outside of the casting.  At this point I switched over to my hobby knife to perforate the divots and open up the new holes.  After a test fit it was clear that the holes were not quite big enough, which is good because I still needed to square them up.  I went manual with a triangle file to finish up the opening, going slowly, and test fitting frequently.  Once I was done with the casting I made some modifications to the plastic interior to hold the spoiler posts.  I then reassembled the car, added a couple of machine screws and viola!

Phase one is now complete and I could not be more pleased with the result.  Next on the order: a nice big air dam.

The Ten Have Spoken

Furthering my mission to purge tasteless rims from my collection I thought I would update you as to my two latest projects.

You may remember my post featuring a trio of Evo Xs that had all received new wheels.  Well, it did not go unnoticed that two of these cars featured ten-spoke rims and one did not.  This lack of symmetry will not be tolerated.  So I remedied that little problem.

Next I had a 24/Seven a.k.a. custom Mazda RX-7 that featured those cursed new J5 rims.  Those had to go!

Epic Fail : F-150 Tapout

It is with a heavy heart that I begin to write this post.  Not long before, I was happily preparing my shiny new 5-pack Ford F-150 for some Matchbox bead-lock wheels.  As I neared completion, disaster struck.  My plug tap broke.  My tap not only broke but it broke in the worst possible way, stuck in the front post of my new F-150.  Now I have to chuck the whole casting as there is no way that I know of to get the remnant of the plug tap out.  Bummer.  Cheesy bummer.

Follow the red arrow to the source of my discontent.

One Slick Goldfish

As it happens I found a Fast Fish that I had 'borrowed' the wheels from some time ago and I thought I would see if I could swap out the wing for something a bit more 'fishy'.  I noticed that the wing on the Hot Wheels Asphalt Assault featured posts that were the same length apart and it seemed like it would compliment the overall look of the car.  After a bit of whittling with my hobby knife, this is what I came up with.

While I had the car apart I decided to throw on a set of Johnny Lightning wheels.  With mag style rims and a new larger wing this modern muscle car is ready to take on all comers.

Gaining Traction in my 1999 Chevy Silverado

I finally got around to putting some new shoes on my '99 Chevy Silverado Stepside from Matchbox.  It looks a lot more capable now.  There is a slight rub on one of the rear fenders but it isn't really noticeable.  I am thinking my next project will have to be a camper shell.  That will likely have to wait until my ambition catches up, though.

Feeling the wind in the Carrera GT

I came across a Porsche Carrera GT that was in need of a new paint job, so I figured I would let it air out a bit.

Now she's ready to go cruising!

I started by drilling, cutting and tapping the posts that hold the bod together.  After that I grabbed a cut-off wheel for my Dremel and went to town on the roof of the Carrera GT.  It is important to work slowly to prevent breaking the cut-off disc as this will halt your progress and the little bits that fly everywhere are a bit painful.  So after I cut out the roof I grabbed my small sanding drum and again fired up my Dremel, smoothing out the sharp edges.  I trimmed the plastic that connected the windshield to the engine cover and screwed everything back together.  Then I smacked myself in the forehead and unscrewed everything so I could put a driver and passenger in this sweet supercar.  I used Loctite blue fun-tac to secure my driver and passenger so they are not always stuck with the same old ride.  Those little guys are pretty darn expensive!

Let me know what you think. I will see you next time.

Blow Fish - this Fast Fish just got faster!

From its debut in 2008 I have been a huge fan of Hot Wheels Fast Fish.  The sharp lines and hockey stick graphics offer insight into a likely source of creative inspiration - the Plymouth Barracuda.  While Plymouth may not be around to put the modern muscle twist on the 'Cuda that didn't stop Fraser Campbell from giving it a go.  Campbell really hit a home run, and the Fast Fish looks fast just sitting still.

After something of a hiatus I began looking for some cars to put under the knife.  Normally the Fast Fish, among others, would be safe from my Frankenstein-like tendencies, but I happened to have found a particularly beat-up specimen that needed a little love. Mad scientist love, to be exact.

What was born from the high-pitched whine of my Dremel - the Blow Fish!

Sure, she still looks a bit crude, as I really made no effort to tidy up her bruised form, but I did give her some power.  Massive power.  With a new supercharged engine donated by non-other than Johnny Lightning himself the Blow Fish is ready to take on all comers!