M2 Machines 1970 Ford C-600 COE, Toys-R-Us trailer, and 1970 Boss 302 Mustang

It is with sad announcement that one of our well-known retailers that many of us have known for years and some of us still go to today is closing its doors this year.  Years of faltering sales have sunk the company in deep debt and bankruptcy was the only way to go, spurring a surprise store closings that started with a few stores before a few days later escalating into a full-blown nationwide store closing.  It is sad, it hurts, it angers us, and some are trying to buy the company to save it, but nothing can change the past.  While Toys-R-Us has been doing quite good last year with a wide selection of diecast and bringing back Majorette to the U.S., years of sloppy inventory and creeping prices (not to mention probably some nonsense up in the corporate ladder) has put the largest toy retailer down the path to bankruptcy.  So to celebrate the loss of a big brand here’s a special M2 Machines hauler that I found last year and so far the only one I’ve seen, and it’s a sweet piece.

To move items from the ports and warehouses to the stores a good trucking company is needed with a dedicated fleet of tractor trailers to handle the merchandise, and while most prefer to use plain old white box trailers others would go the extra mile to advertise their brand name on the sides.  Toys-R-Us is not alone as the brand started in 1948 and as they grew with more stores so did their logistics and along the way came trailers with the Toys-R-Us logo and the famed Geoffrey the Giraffe on the sides.  M2 Machines made this special-edition model to be sold at Toys-R-Us stores and unlike the Wal-mart special haulers that can be plenty to find when first released only a handful would show up in stores, so I was glad to find mines.  Also there has been plenty of diecast manufacturers that have made replica tractor trailers with the brand name across the sides, as in Wal-Mart, Wal-greens, and Toys-R-Us, yet most of them have been designed for kids and barely pass off to the real thing; not M2 as they have made one of the most realistic and vintage haulers ever seen and it is awesome!

The cab starts off with the Ford COE that was introduced in 2015 as the 1960’s version of Ford’s tractor haulers.  There are noticeable changes over the last one I reviewed back in 2015’s Auto Trucks debut set and it starts up front with quad round headlights instead of single units, a split bar in the front windshield, a lower chrome grille and bumper situated below the Toys-R-Us logo and on the cream colored body that matches the trailer.  The roof still has the dual horns, but adds a roof-top A/C unit and behind the cab is a cover (for a likely small sleeper cab) with the TRU label on the sides.  Finishing off with Custom Cab and C600 badges on the doors and color-matching 5-spoke wheels with dual rear wheels and this truck is ready to go with its matching trailer set.  Of course, quality control issues at M2 still continues and is shown here with crooked headlights and the quad lamp setup has visible mounting holes on the inner hi-beams creating a cross-eyed look.  The interior has seating for two that saddle between the V8 engine, 2-spoke steering wheel, and simplistic dashboard design, while the V8 motor and 4-speed (or more, I think) has enough grunt to handle the heavy loads on its fifth-wheel with flexible mount.

Now for the trailer that is a typical box trailer that has dual panel doors at the rear that open up to the inside.  The base is metal, while the doors and wall parts are plastic and feature the classic silver roof trimming, cream color design, and vintage Toys-R-Us logo with the giraffe along the sides.  The rear has taillights and signal lights with Toys-R-Us logo between them, dual rear axles with matching color rims of the Ford, and stands up from that hold the trailer in position when not in tow.  The doors open to a surprise inside as these box trailers now all come with a special car inside, and here it’s a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302.  But first, the bad part: these M2 haulers are a pain to get vehicles out as each vehicle is secured with two screws, and adding the several that hold down the tractor and the trailer and it’s a lot of work to get them off and even back on.  The car inside the trailer is worse as getting the car out is easier than in as there is no room to hold the car when placing the screws back in; thankfully the plastic top comes off to make it more easier to access the car, but be warn a few plastic tabs on the trailer may break in the process.

Now once the car is off the Boss has the same cream color as the trailer with Toys-R-Us along the doors, joining the stock Boss 302 hockey stick stripes.  The front has round headlights inside the back grille, side gills to the sides, and lower bumper with chin spoiler joining the black stripes on the hood that intersect the hood scoop.  Being based on the M2 Drivers line the car lacks opening hood and doors for a clean look, but the plastic base can make the car lean slightly.  The 5-spoke mag wheels with Goodyear rubber tires look great, the rear spoiler above the black valence panel and tri-taillights in red look cool, the dual exhausts below the chrome rear bumper is sweet, but the louvers on the rear window sit too high and ruin an otherwise clean look.  The base shows off the drivetrain and exhaust system in a simple layout, while the interior has seating for four, detailed door panels, twin-pod dashboard, three-spoke steering wheel, and floor shifter to complete the sporty look.  Personally I do not like the 1970 Mustang front-end as almost all diecast models just seem off in the way it looks, and that is the same here, but this M2 version looked pretty good in the black and white version that I got last year so I did appreciate this lower-end version.

Toys-R-Us may soon be gone, but will still be us forever and the same goes for this awesome and retro hauler from M2 Machines.