Two Lane Desktop 2019 Decade in Review

Normally I do not do these type of year in review for each year, but this year was different as 2019 is also the last year of the decade, so it was important to spend the last day looking at the highlights of each brand.  A lot of good was going on, but so was some bad like store closings that include Kmart, Sears, Toys-R-Us, and Rite-Aid among others and thanks to rising material costs some cost cutting was seen from all plastic bodies to less metal in some areas and even the four-part rule implemented at Mattel, but for now let’s focus on the positives of the 2010 decade and I’ll even highlight some of my favorite castings from each brand; though to be honest it is tough to find a favorite among the many fantastic castings released by each brand for each year.

Hot Wheels

As always the most popular diecast brand has gone through a lot of changes over the years, some good and some bad, but most importantly is the growth of the collector base and the amount of product lines in the brand.  In 2010 I was deciding on drastically reducing my collecting habits and possibly getting out of the hobby, but the 2010 mainline introduced some interesting castings with the highlight being cars made in other countries and two of them are Volkswagen models most have never heard of unless you visit Brazil: the air-cooled SP2 and Brasilia.  Stuff like this got me back into collecting and thus started this blog.  

2012 introduced the Hot Ones series that at first started like a dud, but then quickly ramped up just as retail stores started to drop the brand with cool new castings like the Subaru BRAT, revived Dodge Rampage and 1982 Toyota Supra, and probably the one that really got me excited the 1987 Toyota Pickup.  As the series winded down a new series popped up called Boulevard that opened the possibilities of any vehicle introduced into the series regardless of make and model and just like the Hot Ones series the last three releases in 2013, the ones retailers barely put out, produced some significant models and among them the 1971 Datsun 510 Wagon.  Based on former designer Jun Imai’s real life vehicle it created a mega frenzy and started the trend of JDM (Japan Demographic Market) vehicles to come into not only Mattel but other diecast manufacturers as well with the Skyline GT-R and Datsun 510 leading the trend.  Boulevard returns for 2020, but not before leaving behind the successor and a very popular successor, the Car Culture line.  Car Culture also gave birth to the first sort-of hitch and tow line to Hot Wheels, Team Transports that combines a transport truck with a car to haul.  

Oh, and let’s not forget the fantastic artwork on the blistercards that started in 2009 and has gone so far to be beautiful as seen on the Car Culture series, and then a few older Hot Wheels releases joined my collection including a few France-made Hot Wheels from the 1980’s and what I thought wasn’t possible, but somehow I managed to find all six of the Steering Rigs cabs from the 1980’s with some that still have their original trailer.

The 2010’s also saw a change of license permissions that included the return of BMW, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Audi, and even Bugatti.  The latter was responsible for the Bugatti Veyron craze that wickedly increased secondary market prices when the casting was retired after 2010 and led the return with its successor the Chiron in 2019. Finally, the 50^th anniversary of Hot Wheels was in 2018 and provided all sorts of events, but none more important than the Legends Tour that goes across at least 15 different cities nationwide at each Wal-Mart (and El Segundo Hot Wheels headquarters) with a car show looking for the most distinct custom work out there and awarding the winner of each event to come to the final event in Las Vegas to have their chance to get their vehicle made as a Hot Wheels car; the 2018 winner, 2JetZ, can be found in the 2020 Hot Wheels line.  

Matchbox

The other Mattel brand has had a roller coaster of ups and downs in the past few decades and 2010 was no different.  2010 started out with the Golden Age of the brand and produced the most exciting castings that I can remember like the Holden Ute SSV, the 1985 Toyota 4runner, Yamaha Rhino, Cadillac CTS Wagon and coupe, Fisker Karma, and 1957 GMC step side truck among others.  The excitement continued into 2011, but then the horrors of the Tyco and Hero City era started to come back to haunt later in the year and yet again tried to destroy the brand.  Thankfully a new team was formed in 2015 and started a path to revive the Matchbox brand with realistic and accurate vehicles and even the generic ones get a realistic look as well.  While a bit short of the Golden Age thanks to cost-cutting measures, the team managed to bring the brand back together, and for 2019 a new feature was introduced: opening parts in Matchbox models, combined with rubber tires and wheels (some sourced from Hot Wheels) to give the vehicles a premium look in the Super-fast 50th line for 2019.  While the Super-fast line was a success, the opening parts line is causing confusion at retailers as the package looks similar to the regular line despite the larger bubble and slightly higher price thus retailers fail to order more unless forced to do so. Hopefully that’ll be fixed in 2020 along with the return of the Convoy line.

Greenlight growth

It was 2012 and Greenlight Collectibles was at a breaking point: the brand that was formed in 2004 was starting to lose its luster that the earlier castings brought, along with poor marketing and new tools that were not the best.  Then in the Motor World line, a line that started using former molds from High Speed brand, Greenlight started to produce models no one else would make like a 2013 Ford Escape, a 2012 Ford Fiesta, a 2009 Honda Civic Si coupe, 2013 Dodge Dart GT, 2013 Chrysler 300C, and interest ensued.  Then in 2013 the brand really started to get bold by introducing a line that collectors have been asking for years; Matchbox responded with a car and trailer set years before, but added too much extras and was geared more toward kids than collectors.  Greenlight created the Hitch and Tow series pairing a car and truck with a new trailer in the back, all highly detailed and designed for the collector.  When the line was introduced in 2014 it was a massive hit and that was the start of Greenlight’s rise to fame.  Hitch and Tow also brought modern pickups to the mix, an area Greenlight almost had with a 2009 F-150 originally planned for 2010, now has Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado, Ford F-series, plus not to mention classic trucks and even 3500 duallies.  Greenlight also expanded to larger trucks with RV motorhomes and heavy duty trucks from Mack and International.  More and more vehicles arrive with castings now sporting separate components to allow a variety of models and trim lines in one casting.  This excessive growth does come at a cost of opening hoods and shoddy quality control, but at least the brand is now on better footing.

M2 Machines growth

In 2010 the only M2 Machines model I had in my collection was the M2 Drivers 1969 Pontiac GTO The Judge.  Introduced in 2007 the brand mostly focused in classic 1950’s cars and while nice that was not my cup of tea, but then the brand started to grow and the introduction of the Studebaker R trucks and 1958-1959 Chevy/GMC pickups started to make my M2 collection grow.  Now the brand is more diverse and my collection growing with more cars, trucks, and even an entry into the JDM craze with the Datsun 510, Skyline GT-R, and Fairlady Z and the GM Squarebody pickups.  1:24 scale also joined my collection with a variety of 1969 Camaro’s and 1959 GM pickups added to the mix along with a few cool M2 Chase pieces in gold.  Like Greenlight the added growth has strained quality control and lack of opening parts, but again the brand continues to grow and looks for ways to advance.

Tomica growth

My Tomica collection was limited to two vehicles at the start of 2010 and most of that was thanks to the brand being not available in the US for many years, but thanks to online retailers and some flea market finds I was able to grow my Tomica collection with some nice new castings and even some classics like the Honda 1300 coupe, Honda Civic third-generation, Toyota Hilux, and some new ones and somehow managed to get the fleet of generations with the Honda CR-V and Nissan Note.  In 2019 the brand finally returned to the U.S. at Wal-mart with a select group of vehicles in the current Tomica line complete with a box; a far cry from the failed 2011 attempt at Toys-R-Us that sold the vehicles in two pairs per set and was forced in the infant isles far from the main diecast isle.

Motormax and Maisto do trucks

Motormax and Maisto have not done much over the decade, but my highlights for them are the trucks.  For Maisto the use of compact trucks in the line with the second incarnation of the Chevy Colorado, this time a 2017 ZR2 in 1:24, the brief intro into true-size 1:24 scale trucks with the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor, and coming next year the Datsun 510 and 2019 Ford Ranger pickup.  At Motormax the pickups was the saving soul and the reason for the return of 1:24 scale Motormax vehicles in stores.  The first brand to do the updated 2017 Chevy Silverado 1500, the first brand to do a 1979 Ford F-250, and the first brand to do the 2019 Ram 1500.  Also in 2018 they ventured into the 1:32 scale pullback area with a selection of modern trucks and pony cars, my favorite the 2017 Camaro ZL1 1LE package, though selection is limited to a few stores and so far Motormax has not committed to offering more at more retailers despite a plan for more new castings.

Jada Toys and Majorette revivals

Jada Toys also came back after a 2010 10^th anniversary celebration with limited selection to a much broader, if still small, assortment that contains Just Trucks, Big Time Muscle, JDM Imports, and Fast and Furious.  There were some significant castings like the cool 2011 Ford F-150 Raptor Crew Cab that I found with a Baja-inspired deco to the first of the 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 in diecast.  After the revived hike things have slowed down a bit in new tool development, but a few interesting ones did come in like 2019 where plenty of new JDM’s arrived like the 1995 Acura Integra Type R JDM spec, 1997 Honda Civic Type R, Toyota 2000GT, 1985 Mazda RX7, and the Datsun 620 king cab pickup.  Jada was a leader in the Supra hype with the Toyota FT-1 concept, a preview of the 2020 GR Supra.  Just Trucks brings us the 1980 K5 Blazer, 1985 Chevy Silverado to feed the Squarebody frenzy, and the return of the Toyota FJ Cruiser with the missing spare tire resolved.

The best revival for the decade was Majorette: the brand was doing just fine in other markets until the 2012 Thailand flood ruined the factory and almost made the brand disappear, but thanks to effort and online marketing the brand has come back strong with brilliant new models, new wheels, and new marketing strategies including a return to the U.S. in 2017 with Toys-R-Us.  It was successful at first until stores started to delay the second and third batches and then TRU went bankrupt and closed all of the U.S. stores in 2018.  Trying hard to find a suitable replacement, Majorette ended up teaming with Mi-Jo online retailer to distribute some of the models to other online hobby retailers in the U.S. for 2019.  Still the brand has some impressive models that include the 2017 Toyota Hilux, Toyota Corolla Altis, Jaguar F-type coupe, Mercedes AMG-GT, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, Peugeot 3008, along with many others.

The start of Auto World

It was 2015 and a new brand was created by Round 2 that brought the realistic details and 1:64 size to diecast with their Auto World line of cars.  Seeing the impressive details of the large 1976 Cadillac Coupe de Ville and the 1969 Chevy Kingsman wagon it was incredible and the best out there.  Three lines included the basic with no box, plastic base and wheels, and no opening parts.  The premium line included the box, rubber tires, and opening hood, while the top-end line came with an acrylic display case and even more details.  It was apparent by me the middle line would become the most popular and the other two would fizzle out, and I was correct as by 2016 the premium line became the voice for Auto World and that was not the only reason as Round 2 has bought rights to revive the Johnny Lightning and Racing Champions Mint brand for 2016.  Johnny Lightning started the decade under Tomy ownership and continued the brand with the Forever 64 line with cool new tools like a 1985 Chevy Citation X-11, 1993 Ford F-150 Lightning, 1965 International 1200 pickup, and 1981 Jeep Grand Wagonner, but the line wasn’t doing as well and the brand was discontinued after 2013.  For 2016 the line comes back with metal bases, rubber tires on most models, opening parts, and sharper details. RC Mint came back with a mix of former RC mint, Ertl, RC2, and RC Mint turned JL castings with a box before going solo in 2017.  While it is nice to have both brands back, both have a major downfall: under Tomy agreement they can only reuse existing castings, not create new ones.  This means Auto World is the only brand of the three that will offer new castings for the time being. Still it’s great to have all three of them back.

JDM and GM squarebody truck craze

As mentioned before, the Hot Wheels Datsun 510 wagon started to so-called JDM craze and since then there has been lots of replica’s of the Datsun 510 and almost every generation of Nissan Skyline GTR’s that you can think of.  The hype still continues and will trickle to other brands like Mazda, Subaru, other Nissan models, and Honda along with the hope that Toyota will join the feast in 2020 (Toyota was upset over illegal use of their models in one video games and prevented licensing to diecast manufacturers that were tied in with the game, thus this is the reason why some diecast brands have had no Toyota models in the past few years.)  The Bugatti Veyron craze started at Hot Wheels and just after than the GM Squarebody truck craze ignited, again started by Hot Wheels, but unlike the Datsun 510 wagon that started immediately after its release the HW 83 Silverado, released in 2008, didn’t get the hype rolling until 2018.  Today we got plenty of diecast representation of GM Squarebody trucks for 2019: the 1973-1987 Chevy C/K and GMC Sierra pickups, 1973-1992 Chevy K5 Blazer and GMC Jimmy, and hopefully in the next decade we can see some Chevy and GMC Suburbans and one-ton duallies come around.

Rite-Aid helps with Welly diecast

Welly, like a few other brands, has a hard time being found in U.S. stores, so I was surprised to find inside the struggling Rite-Aid stores one day in 2013 1:24 and 1:43 scale pullback models from Welly.  Despite coming with no box and losing parts when kids play with them they were an attractive choice with some distinct models.  I had fun finding 1:24 scale Lotus Elise in black and an Elan in red, taking a 2005 Ford Mustang GT and 2012 BMW 3-series and making the interior red with manual transmission conversions, Land Rover Discovery LR4, 1969 Ford Capri with V8 motor from 1965 Mustang conversion, and a few nice 1:43 scale like a 2003 Nissan 350Z, Chevrolet Niva SUV, and others.  Unfortunately, Rite-Aid was bought out by Wal-greens and the current stores either closed up or converted into Wal-greens minus the rotating rack that featured the Welly models, so there goes my only option for Welly models.  Hopefully I can convince Wal-greens to bring back the rotating display with Welly diecast models in the next decade to continue the tradition.

Speaking of pullback models a significant growing trend this decade was the increase sightings of pullback model displays at retail stores, and most of the models in those displays come from Kinsmart.  Kinsmart started off making nice, if crude, castings sized in the 1:32 scale range, but today the brand has grown and the level of detailing on their current new castings are incredible and right up there with the Welly 1:43 scale models.  The downside is that retailers only offer Kinsmart and the brand is not akin to releasing a slew of new models so when you’ve seen them all it becomes a bit boring.  Note to retailers for the next decade: diversify those pullback cars with more brands other than Kinsmart, like Welly diecast.  Wal-greens got the hint when their pullback display was first released in 2016 offering a diverse range of models including some interesting models from a brand I never heard before: Tins Toys: 1996 Toyota 4-runner, 1990 Acura NSX, 1995 Ford Modeo (badge as a Crown Vic), 1993 BMW 3-series convertible.  Today Wal-greens only focuses on Kinsmart and Jada Toys pullbacks.

Ebay (and other online retailers) the dominant retailer

In 2010 if you were to ask me that I would be buying almost all of my diecast in 2019 on the internet I would just laugh.  Back then I can find most of what I want at retailers even though they tend to skim short a few series and with only a small case released some of the good stuff would be gone.  By 2013 I was starting to buy some higher end brands online like Greenlight, Johnny Lighting, and 1:24 and 1:18 scale vehicles because retailers failed to keep up or stopped carrying some of the brands.  As for the rest I can still find them at retailers when they arrived.  The turning point came in 2015 when I was having a hard time finding new Matchbox vehicles and after falling four batches behind (usually I would be one batch behind) I gave up and started hunting on Ebay to find the missing pieces.  As online retailers started to grow and brick-and-mortar retailers either closing up or refusing to restock certain items more and more of my shopping was done online.  Today it’s nearly 90 percent of what I get for my collection, though I do look out for good deals and I also put a ceiling on the $1 Hot Wheels and Matchboxes that you find at stores: $10 is the max I will be willing to pay online for a $1 car, any higher and I’ll wait until the price drops.

On the other hand the Ebay purchases has helped me downsize my collection, something that I’ve been meaning to do over the years, and got a good chunk down in 2016.  It’s not easy, but it was well worth it and plus I don’t have time much today to sell it myself or set up a booth at a flea market so using Ebay was the best choice.  The other thing Ebay has done is open the doors to other models, some I’ve never heard before, and adding some interesting stories to the blog.  Like the fabulous Penny 1:64 models that are all metal and feature opening parts, or the Lone Star Imperial brand that in earlier stages offer lots of opening features and jeweled headlights.  I was lucky to find the highly-valuable Vauxhall Firenze for under $100 and being in bare metal I restored the casting with a fresh coat of red paint and it looks amazing!  I even found some interest in some Norev 1:64 scale models like a pair of Citroen work vans, Opel Antaria (Chevy Captiva or Saturn Vue) and Opel Insignia (Buick Regal), or a sharp Chrysler ME Four-Twelve.  Hard-to-reach Welly and Majorette models?  Not a problem.  Finding some classic gems at great prices?  This is the place  Downsides?  1. My collection is growing again thus I have to start selling some stuff again.  2. More time looking for cool stuff or gems means less time spent creating content on this blog!

Six years of Two Lane Desktop

To top it all off this week is the sixth anniversary of creating and publishing this blog for the first time and while it has been an interesting ride, it’s been a complex one as well.  My first free website in the last decade failed to boost views, but thanks to Web 2.0 and the growth of blogging this website with Google Blogger helped me reach my audience.  This past year I have not been creating a lot of content here because I’ve been busy creating the content for the daily Matchbox 2000 Time Capsule of the Day (on a separate page) for year 2020 and I’ve been struggling to find a new way to make reviewing vehicles easier since I still have lots of vehicles and images to compile, and most of the vehicles have arrived in the past few years when I started to add some classic gems that I found on Ebay and other sites, so add that and the new stuff coming from lots of diecast manufacturers (and growing each year!) adds up to a lot of models waiting to get reviewed.  Then again as I said when I created my first blog post: Life can throw a curve ball and change the course of things that are out of our control, so don’t expect daily content on this blog each day, 24/7, 365 days a year (unless I come up with a team of staffers, which seems unlikely for a freelance blog), but do expect content when I am able to do so.  In the meantime I hope my new blogging post experiment works on the Matchbox Time Capsule and if it does it could be the new format for new articles to appear later on for Two Lane Desktop.  Until then I thank you for your support and wish all of you a Happy New Year and a New Decade!