Matchbox Wagon's: Audi RS6 Avant and Mercury Cougar Villager

Wagon's are gaining the popularity now in diecast form as those who remember them back in the 1960's and 1970's these were to go-to family vehicles before minivans or SUVs were created.  Matchbox has made quite a few of them, and the two shown here are at different extremes: the Cougar-based Villager wagon and the modern and fast Audi RS6.

Mercury Cougar Villager

Mercury wagon's were very popular with diecast manufacturer's as the 1968 Estate was very common back in the days.  Matchbox was one of them as being a famous model because of the two dogs hanging out the back window.  A decade later the Mercury wagon returns, but this time the dogs are gone and in its place is a plastic tailgate that drops down.  On the tailgate you'll find MERCURY in the center and vertical taillights that have remained unchanged.  The rest of the car has been drastically changed where the casting looks like the big wagon was forced on a smaller wheelbase for some reason, while the front has a Lincoln-like waterfall grille with square headlights.  This is the Mercury Estate now based on the Mercury Cougar platform and called the Villager.  In the late 1970's Ford got wonky and decided to change some names around to call more customers in the showroom.  What they got was a mix-match of names with some that really did not fit the vehicles, and after a few years Ford went back to the normal naming conventions.  So in regard the wagon becomes part of the Cougar line even though they do not share the same platforms.

Powering the Villager is a 400 CID V8 that produces 173 horsepower through a three-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels on a body-on-frame layout.  The interior has seating for six with large and roomy benches and a flat-faced dashboard with a very simple control layout.  The rear tailgate now opens to a roomy cargo area, though the interior tab (which is yellow) that retains the tailgate is an eyesore on the rear bumper.  I was really confused that this was not the same model as the original Estate wagon, but either way it still has the same charm minus two dogs in the back.

Audi RS6 Avant

One of the most popular wagon castings currently in the Matchbox line is the RS6 Avant wagon.  The casting was introduced in 2007, a few years after it stopped production, yet no one else made the model so Matchbox was the sole offering.  With the debut in metallic blue I was mixed on the casting: lt has some nice details, but would the casting benefit in the long run?  Well that was a yes because the paint was to blame on the first release and since then more vibrant and darker colors have arrived along with 6-spoke wheels that work really well with this casting over the 10-spoke ones.  RS is the top-end performance brand of Audi and this RS6 is the most powerful version that you can get on an Audi Avant wagon.  Styling is typical Audi A6 Avant with revised front and rear bumpers, low profile tires, and more bolstered front seats.  The powertrain is the 4.2L DOHC twin-turbo V8 that produces 444 horsepower and 428 Ib-ft. of torque through 5-speed tiptronic automatic transmission and to all four wheels thanks to the Quattro system.  At 4.2 seconds it was a beast of a wagon at the time and proved so successful that the RS6 Avant would return in the next-generation.

I found this dark green version at a flea market last week (one of a few more i'll show later) and it looks good, though there's a big paint chip on the hood and the chrome wheels with a dark tint have faded off, so used a black Sharpie to black-out the 6-spoke wheels and gave the hood and roof rails the blacked-out treatment for an even more aggressive look.  The front has detailed projector headlights with a large central grille with Audi rings and larger lower scoops on the bumper with foglights to the sides.  On the sides the wagon profile is there with a slight rake to the rear D-pillars, while the rear has detailed taillights, dual exhausts, and a plate that reads Quick RS6.  The base shows off the suspension and the large dual exhaust system.  The interior has seating for five with loads of room in the cargo area.  The center console has the detailed shifter, while the dashboard has a nice layout with detailed center stack controls and 4-spoke steering wheel.  It's a looker that has all the go-right fast parts in a typical wagon outfit.  And it's an Audi.  No wonder this is a very popular casting!