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!