Throwback Thursday: Greenlight Motor World 'Ford Dealer' Diorama!

It's Thursday, so how about a little throwback? Here's a little Motor World diorama from Greenlight that came out in 2014. The Ford Dealership Diorama looks more like 5 cars in a box than a diorama because of how cramped the 5 cars are in the packaging. What better solution than to crack it open?

The gem of the bunch is the Green Machine Ford Escape, limited to just 40 pieces worldwide. The rest of the models are exceptional as well. In fact, these are some of the nicest Motor World models I've ever handled. Sure, they're all stock, modern cars. No cool muscle cars, no Hollywood licensing and no old V-Dubs. But the execution is phenomenal on all 5 of the models in this set. Look at the Ford Fusion. It's hard to find a blander car in 1/64 scale. But the execution is astounding. Every detail is remarkably intricate. The scale is impeccably accurate and the colorway is pure factory. I'm impressed to say the least.

The quality, realism and detail are pure perfection on the Motor Worlds in this set. It's easy to forget that Motor World is Greenlight's entry-level brand when looking at this set. Separate taillight and headlamp pieces and perfect accuracy are the hallmarks of the 5 Fords in this set. I've driven the Escape in real life, and looking inside the car, you can see that the interior is actually accurately modeled off of the real thing. The seats even have the same textured pattern as they do on the real car. Crazy. The 1956 Ford Pickup might be the nicest looking vehicle in the set, although the scale is a little off as it's a former 'High Speed' casting that Greenlight acquired the rights to. My only other minor complaint is the ride height on the Escape. The real car sits fairly low for an SUV while the Greenlight sits so high it's as tall as the much bigger Explorer.

Let's talk about Motor World Dioramas generally. I think they're a great way for Greenlight to keep their Motor World line alive. The Motor World singles feature generic packaging and a lot of repetition, while the dioramas find unique ways to repackage Motor World castings. Greenlight has also done a far better job with their dioramas recently. The themes are better, there are figurines, there's more space in the box so it looks more like a diorama and less like a storage box, and the casting choices are great. This Ford Dealership diorama isn't as good as some of the recent dioramas are, but the quality and execution of the cars inside it are fantastic. The look and feel of the cars somehow remind of TLV. Just a little bit. Enjoy...

Happy Collecting!!

From : thewesterndiecastreview.blogspot.com

Wagon Wednesday: Auto World and Matchbox Head-to-Head!

Okay, I'm cheating a little with my title. This Chevy Wagon duo isn't really going head-to-head. That would just be too apples-to-oranges. This 'Wagon Wednesday' post is more of a cool pairing than a serious comparison. Both are Chevy wagons. They're 10 years apart, with the Matchbox a '59 and the Auto World a '69. Both wagons are red and both have cool roof racks. I also think Matchbox and Auto World are tops in their respective price ranges right now. This is one clean pair!

The Kingswood from Auto World is undeniably beautiful. It's probably my favorite Auto World release ever. The Ultra Red paint makes an already fantastic casting extra nice. I've belabored the detailed awesomeness of this casting before, so I'll spare you this time. However, I will say that the lighting is a lot better than it was the last time I featured this piece, so maybe you'll notice a detail or two that you previously missed.

Compared to the Auto World Chevy Wagon, the Matchbox is a little smaller in scale. Yes, the '59 Chevy wagon really was smaller than the '69 Chevy Wagon in real life, but not quite that much smaller. But Matchbox is selling a $1 toy that has to fit in a 3'' blister, while Auto World is obsessively dedicated to exacting 1/64 scale perfection. To Matchbox's credit, the proportions are right. It's just a smaller scale. The canoe on top is fantastic. I've preached in the past about Matchbox doing 2 things well. First: Unique diecast. Second: Clean Diecast. The '59 Chevy wagon casting is a fusion of both.

I've heard a lot of complaints about the non-existent interior on the Matchbox. And while it does bug me from a philosophical standpoint, it doesn't actually detract from the car itself. In fact, I'd much rather have an epically cool canoe and roof rack on a $1 car and blacked out windows than an interior. Without the canoe, we lose the uniqueness that's become a Matchbox hallmark. So yeah, I'm a fan. You might not be a fan because of the missing interior (it annoys me a little too, honestly), but give this one a chance. Doesn't it look stellar next to that Auto World?

Enjoy...

Happy Collecting!!

From : thewesterndiecastreview.blogspot.com

What's Your Diecast New Year's Resolution?

Now that we're 4 days into the New Year, you've probably already broke your New Year's resolution. Maybe you planned to lose weight, get that big promotion or stop buying $5 lattes. If you haven't already, forget about your New Year's resolution and get your diecast New Year's resolution figured out.

Yeah, okay, making a diecast New Year's resolution is kinda dumb. But if you're reading this blog, you probably already take diecast collecting a little too seriously, so why not make a diecast New Year's resolution? Your resolution could be anything to do with diecast. Maybe it's finally chasing down that grail you've been after for years. Maybe you resolve to find more Super Treasure Hunts. Or to stop blaming scalpers when you don't find chase pieces. Maybe you'll vow to stop buying so many of the same dang mainline because it's 'nice'.

You could get altruistic with your New Year's resolution too. Maybe you'll send out more RAOKs (random act of kindness) or you'll hook the other guy up at the bin when you pull Super #2. Maybe you go down the road of streamlining your collection. You vow to collect only what you like and less of what's just okay. Or you could try to focus on displaying your collection instead of letting it rot in cardboard boxes. You could resolve to complete more castings. I'm the collect-by-casting type and there are lots of castings I'm 1 or 2 cars away from completing.  Maybe it's time to finish some of those castings off.

Maybe you collect too much. Maybe it's time to spend less money on diecast or less time hunting and more time with those people that are important to us.

These are just a few suggestions for your diecast New Year's Resolution. Whether you come up with a resolution or not, I'd like to hear from you in the comments below. What's in store for your diecast hobby this year? What would you like to see in 2017 on the blog and in the diecast world in general?

What about me? I'm hoping to provide you with ever improving content and post here with more regularity. It's shaping up to be a great year! I appreciate each and every reader and hope 2017 is a fulfilling year for your hobby and for your life outside the hobby! Happy Collecting...

From : thewesterndiecastreview.blogspot.com