You have to squint pretty hard to see the Toyota FJ roots beneath the slick exterior of the modern-day Lexus LX series SUV. The earliest FJs were two-door utilitarian off-roaders—quite literally Japanese knock-offs of the original Jeep CJ—and by the 1960s Toyota’s signature 4×4 had developed quite a following both for its reliability and for […]
The year 1973 was pivotal for Mattel and the Hot Wheels brand. Sales were slowing and production costs were climbing; Mattel had to figure out how to keep the Hot Wheels line profitable. First, they changed the paint from the shiny candy-type Spectraflame to drab, unflattering enamel colors. Changing to enamel saved processing steps which, […]
The name “Speedster” is so widely renowned and universally beloved among Porschephiles that it is easy to forget that it’s only actually appeared on half a dozen vehicles in the company’s history. The first official Speedster arrived in 1954 as a variant of the 356 Cabriolet. Its interior was stripped of any superfluous luxury items […]
So RAM (it’s still a Dodge to us!) is seeking to gobble up Ford’s Raptor with this 700hp Hellcat-powered truck. Here’s the official reveal video: How do you think it measures up? No announcements of a diecast version yet, but we know of a couple companies with licensing agreements with FCA that are likely candidates. […]
In our upcoming issue we have a giant feature on the 50th Anniversary of the Z-car. It just so happens that last night Nissan did a live unveiling on YouTube of its concept for the upcoming 7th-generation Z (probably to be called the 400Z). To our eye this concept nicely adapts stylistic elements of the […]
Tee Higgins has been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals for less than a week. Drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft the wide receiver hasn’t played a single down in the NFL yet, but he’s already a winner. Before he had been drafted — and long before he can expect to receive […]
Hey, have you been playing our Die Cast X Head-to-Head Challenge over on Facebook? The idea is simple: we match up pairs of models from a specific theme and you guys vote for the winner of each match-up. We work our way through tournament-style until we come up with a single winner. The current category […]
With so many collectors spending time at home right now its a great opportunity to check out some of the interesting diecast content available on YouTube. Our resident Hot Wheels expert and historian Mike Zarnock has a YouTube channel called Hot Wheels TV which is full of great insights on the most famous name in […]
Little Lambos, Big Detail 1:64 | $20ea (est) Kyosho is all-in on the Lamborghini brand. It serves up numerous models from past and present in a variety of scales—including precision 1:64. It’s been more than 50 years since the flowing Bertone-designed lines of the Miura stunned the automotive world and its mid-engine V-12 layout shocked […]