M2 Machines 1970 Dodge SuperBee and 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I

It's amazing when you commit to not buying much from a particular brand, then the next year you buy some, and then after a few years you have a bunch!  That's what happened to me with M2 Machines: the first release in 2009 was more focused on 1950's cars; nice, but that's not what I collect.  Over time muscle cars and trucks entered the series, the latter the main reason what brought me to buying M2's.  Now I have quite a collection of cars and trucks, with the latest being these two that I really did not express interest in the first place, but the variations on these two really speak for themselves.

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1970 Dodge SuperBee

If you have a SuperTarget in your area chances are you have one heck of a diecast isle with plenty of collectible sets as well, including M2 who released Target-only versions of  a select group of castings.  One if the is this Dodge SuperBee in a Plum Crazy that really stands out on this car!  The front has the twin chrome grille with inner vents and quad headlights inside that makes the front look like the face of a bumblebee.  The lower bumper has detailed signal lights, the racing bee adorns the space between the two grilles, and the hood has dual hood scoops with pin locks and 383 badges on the vents.  The sides show a cleaner profile without the vinyl tops or rear spoiler that is commonly found on most M2 Superbee's.  The trim detail is appropriate, the door alignment on my tester has no gaps, the white stripe is nicely done, and those rally wheels with Goodyear white lettering just looks great on this car.  The rear is tamer, but still well done with chrome valence panel with detailed taillights and dual exhaust tips that point down.  The base sadly enough does not show proper engine detailing to an otherwise acceptable look.

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The interior opens up to a well-detailed design with white bucket seats that are a tad bit too big (the headrests almost touches the roof), white rear bench, and a flat dashboard with silver details on the gauges, 3-spoke steering wheel,  and a wood trimmed center console that is surprisingly missing the shifter.  The hood opens up to show off the 383 CID V8 with 335 horsepower, the smallest engine in the SuperBee, to a (likely) 3-speed automatic with column shifter.  The engine block is painted orange, the air cleaner has two snorkels and 383 on the cover, the detailed drive belts and radiator, and even the battery and fluid resovoirs at the front are detailed with a touch of silver.  So while this car has some misconfigured details underneath and inside, the attention to detail on this Plum Crazy SuperBee makes you forget all about it and truly appreciate the casting.

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1970 Ford Mustang Mach I

Ok, I will say this: the 1970 Ford Mustang body style is not one of my favorites.  I just don't like how the front-end was styled, and to make manners worst most diecast manufacturers who are at the lower price spectrum tend to properly design the front-end.  So with this M2 Mach I it seems like the same problem again with the front-end not properly pointing forward, so why get this casting if I don't like it?  Turns out I like the Mach I over the Boss 429, and this version really has appeal when it comes to attention to detail...providing that you can get one in good condition.  The first one I saw I was amazed of the details on this jet black car with lots of detail left and right, but the driver's side door was really crooked.  This version that I found had a much better door alignment, but then the hood wouldn't close down completely (a common problem with M2's and opening hoods).  I adjusted the hood to get it as close as I can to making it flush with the body, which is note an easy task considering the chrome trim on the hood 'must' align with the grille or it'll look rather awkward.  Then to make manners worse I noticed up close (kind of hard to see in the dark paint) the radiator and drive belts were missing.  No problem, I added a few small square black pieces to substitute for the missing radiator and battery.  Problem solved!

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Aside from those few mishaps, the casting is well-done.  The front has the chrome grille surround with inner mesh grille that lies round headlights and rectangular foglights, while the spot where the headlights used to reside is now two slashes on each side.  Just below the chrome bumper is the signal lights and the chin spoiler.  The hood has a white stripe with a hood scoop and silver pins to add emphasis to the look of the car.  The sides add proper trim and light details, along with the lower stripe that houses the Mach I name, and those chrome mag wheels with Goodyear tires to spice up the side profile.  At the rear the spoiler and louvered rear window is present, though the latter could sit a bit lower in the rear window.  The white Mach I stripe sits above a chrome valence panel with inner black panel, taillights that have inner red lenses, and dual exhausts that stick out straight and finish up the best looking side of this casting.  The base shows off the proper drivetrain and exhaust details, while adding more focus on the front engine support cradle and suspension.

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The hood opens up to show the 351 V8 that produces 290 hp. and 385 Ib-ft. of torque through a 4-speed manual.  The air cleaner and front strut support brace is painted blue, even the front distributor cap has a touch of blue, while the engine is painted in silver.  Details are impressive.  The doors open up to an interior with white seats similar to the SuperBee, though the front seats at least do not touch the headliner.  The shifter really stands out in silver with a T-shaped handle, while the twin-pod dashboard has the wood trim, clock on the passenger-side, and a 3-spoke steering wheel that is a bit too close to the front seat.  While the front-end still bothers me (as does the tall-sitting louvers on the rear window), the level of details and color designs on this casting makes it stand out, and it's one of the reasons why I got this casting and why I keep adding more M2's to my collection (D'oh!)

 

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