Two Lane Desktop

The final look at the flatbed saga includes two cool, but short-lived, tow trucks from the short-lived Matchbox Real Working Rigs.  The series was created in 2009 to allow Matchbox to get the scale right on large rig vehicles and tractor's, while at the same time adding more moving features and removable parts to add more play value to the line.  It was a cool idea, until recent decisions at Matchbox decided to replace the realistic rigs with generic versions designed just for the kids only, then completely axe the series.  What a shame because as you'll see these vehicles have some interesting features and, as in the flatbed truck, packaging issues are non-existent here! Click here for Photo Gallery International Durastar 4400 Flatbed One of the most popular flatbed, or chassis, trucks out there is the International brand.  For decades the trucks have been seen all over the place from school bus, box trucks, utility trucks, flatbed, trash, and more....

Jada Toys, once the company that populated the toy isles with the Dub City cars with big rims, metallic paint, low ride height, now lays low but still produces product lines each year.  During the course of a decade Jada has released a few flatbed trucks.  There's the 1:18 scale International 4400 Flatbed, or these two 1:64 scale trucks. Click here for Photo Gallery 1940 Ford Flatbed:  Cool and Classic Fast Bed Hauler isn't the first flatbed to be based on a customized early 20th century one-ton truck, this would have to go to Jada Toys.  The first flatbed was a big deal and appropriately fits right into the D-Rodz line of street rods.  The two-tone paint looks incredible, the front end is low to the ground, the big wheels fill the wheel wells, the exhaust exit the sides underneath the bed, and chrome front grille with separate headlights are nice (though the headlights shown in the pictures are placed cross-eyed on my version).  The inte...

Tow trucks are the popular form for collectors to show off in a display or diorama, and as for kids it's a way for added play to their imagination. The main tow trucks have always been the hook and boom type where one section of a vehicle hangs from the hook as its being towed away.  In the 1990's a shift toward a new-style approach was definitely needed.  With the increased use of all-wheel drive vehicles making hook and boom towing more difficult, not to mention badly-damaged vehicles or vehicles in need of a major restoration, the need for a tow truck that can carry a vehicle without one set of it's axles still moving on the ground was needed.  Hence the flatbed was born.  In this blog i'll showcase the newest flatbed from Hot Wheels, Fast Bed Hauler, against the previous flatbed called Cabbin' Fever, the Ramp Truck, and Matchbox Flatbed Truck's.  Along with a brief overview i'll subject the vehicles  to various flatbed loads by size, weight, and wid...

If it's one thing Ferrari has made a name for itself when it comes to cars specifically built for the track and to smitten boys and men across the globe.  The uppermost point in the Ferrari line is the super exotics like F40, F50, Enzo, and now the LaFerrari.  All of these cars exhibit the latest technology out there and then some area's that are still new and for the time being expensive to mass produce, yet if it goes well and costs come down the technology seen on these vehicles trickle down into future Ferrari models and, eventually, other automotive brands as well.  Here I gathered five examples of the super Ferrari models from each decade, two of them are variations of the same model.  Let's take a look: Click here for Photo Gallery F40:  The beginning In 1988 the F40 became what was known as the start of the high-priced exotic cars at Ferrari that showcased the latest technology that also hinted at the future of Ferrari models.  The sto...