Matchbox and HotWheels cars

bathurst77 · 07-12-2007, 09:24 AM

I have just hada strong memory of Matchbox Cars come flooding back.
Who else here loved them when they were kids? There was NOTHING I would rather get as a present or spend me money on as a kid then matchbox cars.
They were my absolute fave toys right up till i was really too old to admit to still playing with them!

I think I learned alot about understanding car design etc from Matchbox.

I was kid of the 60s and 70s, so I had a collection of cars dating from mid 60s to mid-late 70s. Had literally hundreds of the little buggers.
BAck then they used to come in a little "matchbox". I actually have a few of the 1970s annual catalogues here..somewhere...

Then one day, when i was teenager, i gave teh whole lot of my cars to some pretty girl's little brother!

and to make it worse it didnt help me with her!
(I guess she wasnt into boys who played with toy cars.

: )

shoulda kept the cars and forgot about her.. i dont even remember her name...

:

Back then matchbox cars were slightly better quality then hotwheels, Dinky/Corgis. Hotwheels (by Matel) tended to be "wild crazy" lookin things where matchboxes looked prety well like the real thing.

Then matel bought Matchbox too. And Matel then claimed they were the worlds biggest car company!

I WANT MY MATCHBOX CARS BACK!!! WAAAAAHHHH

Pinkbits · 07-12-2007, 09:28 AM

Whilst browsing swap meets, markets etc you stumble across a fair few.
I am always saying to my wife "i remember that one" or "i had one of those."

fairBA · 07-12-2007, 09:54 AM

very good quality toys - my old ones are now my boys and they are still very well made. The Hotwheel track sets are a bit week, the Matchbox sets are much better but both sets of cars are great and last a life time -even if you try to smash them

sgt_doofey · 07-12-2007, 10:08 AM

I've still got a number of them. I collected Model A Fords there for a while, along with my Dad, and have all of them. Some can be worth a bit of money. One car I believe is worth over $100.
All the Model A's I bought are still in the box, unopened. The one's I inherited from my Dad when he passed away are in the box, but the boxes have been opened as my Dad used to have them all on display.

||| · 07-12-2007, 10:09 AM

remember micro machines? they were so cool i even had the little city with the drive thru fish and ship shop

flappist · 07-12-2007, 10:50 AM

The day I started my business I bought the company Porsche and payed CASH. It was a matchbox one and cost $1.49. I still have it on my desk and it is the only car I have ever bought that has not lost value.

revcore · 07-12-2007, 11:16 AM

It's funny you know, I reckon we all at some stage in our lives have a strong urge to relive certain aspects of out youth. For you it is Matchbox cars where as for me it is BMX bikes. I think it's a fantastic thing although alot of females tend to brush it off as "Boys & their toys".

**Peuty** · 07-12-2007, 03:26 PM

I used to wet the sand in the sandpit to compact it down and make tunnels and roads for all my matchbox cars.

Good times.

jcxr · 07-12-2007, 03:38 PM

Wet sand in the sand-pit is usually attrbuted to other little boys problems.

bathurst77 · 07-12-2007, 03:45 PM

Gee Peuty, when u wet the sand in your pit. did the other kids laugh and did yuor mum smack you?

AS to reliving. i also managed to pick up a couple of run down original 70s "dragster" push bikes im fixing up. Curvy frame, Tbar shift, banana seats, chopper handlebars and big sissy bar. Yay!

revcore · 07-12-2007, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bathurst77

i also managed to pick up a couple of run down original 70s "dragster" push bikes im fixing up. Curvy frame, Tbar shift, banana seats, chopper handlebars and big sissy bar. Yay!

I had a few of them until recently...The good old 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub and the T-Bar selector on the top tube. Gee they were great bikes weren't they.

**Peuty** · 07-12-2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bathurst77

Gee Peuty, when u wet the sand in your pit. did the other kids laugh and did yuor mum smack you?

AS to reliving. i also managed to pick up a couple of run down original 70s "dragster" push bikes im fixing up. Curvy frame, Tbar shift, banana seats, chopper handlebars and big sissy bar. Yay!

Well if ya gotta go ya gotta go!

Quasi · 07-12-2007, 04:05 PM

I remember having a GT Capri Matchbox model that really was one of my favourites. This thing was orange with the HO style wing, and front air dam.

revcore · 07-12-2007, 04:11 PM

I've got 4 massive tubs full of Matchbox cars that my dad left to me when he passed away....Every single one of them is in mint condition still in their original boxes. Alot of them dating back to when it was still "Lesney Products" made in England.
They are still at my mums place so when I go to Melbourne for Christmas I'll take some pics of them.

AC/DC · 07-12-2007, 08:02 PM

Ahhh yes, , , nothing better than standing on a matchbox car at 2am in the kids room...

LOVE IT !

AC/DC

Nostalgia · 07-12-2007, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bathurst77

I have just hada strong memory of Matchbox Cars come flooding back.
Who else here loved them when they were kids? There was NOTHING I would rather get as a present or spend me money on as a kid then matchbox cars.
They were my absolute fave toys right up till i was really too old to admit to still playing with them!

I think I learned alot about understanding car design etc from Matchbox.

I was kid of the 60s and 70s, so I had a collection of cars dating from mid 60s to mid-late 70s. Had literally hundreds of the little buggers.
BAck then they used to come in a little "matchbox". I actually have a few of the 1970s annual catalogues here..somewhere...

Then one day, when i was teenager, i gave teh whole lot of my cars to some pretty girl's little brother!

and to make it worse it didnt help me with her!
(I guess she wasnt into boys who played with toy cars.

: )

shoulda kept the cars and forgot about her.. i dont even remember her name...

:

Back then matchbox cars were slightly better quality then hotwheels, Dinky/Corgis. Hotwheels (by Matel) tended to be "wild crazy" lookin things where matchboxes looked prety well like the real thing.

Then matel bought Matchbox too. And Matel then claimed they were the worlds biggest car company!

I WANT MY MATCHBOX CARS BACK!!! WAAAAAHHHH

Mate, its never too late to start a new collection. Im 32 and have a rather nice collection. All still in packs. Approx 200 at the moment. No new stuff either. All old Buick's, Caddy's etc etc.

devilracer_01 · 07-12-2007, 09:00 PM

Matchbox Cars Rule.

Zed7fiddy · 07-12-2007, 10:57 PM

Man I remember way back in the days..., digging tracks with my fingernails till they bled! dad had a huge pile of dirt at one stage, and I Turned the whole thing into a mountain city for my matchbox cars, it was over 2 meters tall! I was devestated the day he used it to fill behind the retaining wall :(

No idea where the cars are now.. probably behind the retaining wall!

Yaw · 08-12-2007, 04:21 AM

I have 4 on my desk at work, a 240z Datsun, Merc AMG, Ford GT, and Ford Mustang. But what I can say about these cars is not what most people can say, I was able to claim them on Tax as they were purchased as a tool for work. As I work with insurance they help to illistrate in a practical sense how and accident is described to me.

I aslo have a toy service station with everyone elses cars on it at the moment as our team has "santa's workshop" theme for Xmas. My section is toy cars

**killerjoolz** · 08-12-2007, 07:29 AM

Yeah I had hundreds of them also,my big brother(13 yrs older) would buy me one evry time we went shopping,but when my Mum got killed when I was 8 my aunty thought girls shouldn't have cars(had to live with her) so mine are lost forever too....so in the early 80's i collected NRL footy cards, had every player in every team,hormones kicked in and I gave them ALL to some stupid boy....lol

Fairlane · 08-12-2007, 03:05 PM

Man matchbox cars i had hundreds. One matchbox car get me more happy than millions of other gifts.

Also had the matchbox Carwash and Multillevel parking centre, i thought i was top stuff. Used to do mock motor vehicle auctions. Aaah nothing like a bit of healthy nostalgia.

Friend of ours has a mint condition still in box matchbox model of James Bond's aston martin circa 1960s with the ejector seat and its worth a small motza.

Trevor 57 · 08-12-2007, 07:11 PM

I had a 120 of them, my mum used to buy me a new one every fortnight when my old man got paid, this was in the early 1960's. They were made of steel in those days.

My twins sons (now 23yo) made sure I have none left, damn shame really. Some were real classics, like an FJ Panel Van - bugger.

70caprigt3k · 08-12-2007, 10:09 PM

In primary school i used to collect hotwheels cars, i have over 100 of them still in boxes is mint condition. I think i used to like ferrari's alot, i have heaps of them.

Nostalgia · 08-12-2007, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 70caprigt3k

In primary school i used to collect hotwheels cars, i have over 100 of them still in boxes is mint condition. I think i used to like ferrari's alot, i have heaps of them.

I wasnt a collector when i was in primary school but im a big collector now. I only buy the standout ones like limited edition Hot Rod Magazine releases and older cars. My wife tells me its not a hobby for me anymore, its a illness.

kocho · 09-12-2007, 08:23 AM

My Dad built me a little KMart store (2 story with parking on top) and another one with traffic lights (that worked!!!). He painted it all up for me and they were probably 50cm x 50cm. Fantastic stuff. I used to play with my matchbox cars on that for ages. Used to have races around on the floor.

I had a whole box full, but then sold them all at a garage sale. Some things you regret - thats one.

XRchic · 09-12-2007, 10:52 PM

I had hundreds of them too. I spend many summers out the back of our yard, up under the big old willow tree. It had a huge root system winding around all over the place and it made for an aweome 'city' of roads and even bridges.

I had the whole collection in a big chest in our shed, which happened to burn down in 1988 and everything was lost. There was a lot of good stuff lost too, including Dad's Wheels and Motor collection - he had every single edition of both since they first came out (1954 I think) right up to 1988.

My 10 year old son has heaps of small cars, has always loved them. And now my 20 month old son LOVES them!

V8falcons · 10-12-2007, 09:05 AM

I used to have quite a few myself,but They had been involve in major crash testing(with some good results) and simulated earth quakes over the years as I got older,I sort of wish I didnt now,but Ive got an excuse to buy more these days as my daughter needs them for her testing!!!!!!

I take longer choosing them for her doing the groceries than buying food for the family

:

Tles · 10-12-2007, 09:28 AM

My son is starting to get a great collection, good enough that I have to stop buying for several months at a time to appease the Goddess. Some good Mustangs and GTs as well as the Shelby showcars around lately.

Bought him a Matchbox Ambulance car - AU Falcon forte.

He also has my silver Bond Aston Martin DB5 with the Ejector seat corgi, red HZ Holden ute with 2 dirt bikes in the back and Munster mobile, along with heaps of beetles and Kombis, Jeeps and Landies.

They are works of art and some of the best toys ever made...then there's the Tonkas too..see ya the sand pit is currently unoccupied!