by DaveWeber
on Mar 18, 2012
In 1957 the Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motor Company introduced this new marque for 1958 production. The rationale was to fill a suspected consumer gap between the expensive Lincoln and medium priced Mercury of that era. But the consumer research performed at that time to determine predicted success was incorrect as the supposed gap was later found not to exist. Thus, failure was a certainty from almost the very onset of manufacture. This error is recognized to have become one of the largest marketing mistakes of automobile history.
by DaveWeber
on Feb 13, 2012
We welcome a new model Hudson to the collection! It is a very realistic replica by Hot Wheels of a 1952 coupe in the newly-introduced Boulevard Series. At the end of this summary of this once-great automobile, we will list all the known models that have been made in small scale in chronological order, alphabetically by the toy/model manufacturers.
by DaveWeber
on Nov 07, 2011
Following the end of
WWII, the larger US automobile manufacturers with Canadian subsidiaries decided
to emphasize production of special brandnamed cars and trucks. All three of the
"Big Three" manufacturers became involved in this venture. The June
2011 "Hemmings Classic Cars
Magazine" presented a most interesting and informative "Geneology of
Post-War Canadian Variants". The
first Variant cited was a Monarch; a companion to the US Mercury.
These Variants sometimes used body parts from a similar
brand with modified grille and chrome strip identifiers. The Variants were
reportedly introduced by
the Canadian subsidiaries to provide their consumers with a larger choice of
vehicles to be purchased.
It is recognized that
until 2011, no toy or model company has produced a Canadian Variant model in
1:64 scale. I do recall that Brooklin of England introduced a model of the Meteor ( Ford) in 1:43 scale, maybe ten years ago, but models of such
vehicles are far from common! Thus
Castline Inc/M2 Machines opened a new
marketing venture when they produced the 1956 Mercury Pickup Truck (somewhat
similar to the Ford counterpart), yet still quite identifiable in its own
right.
by DaveWeber
on Aug 27, 2011
A new area to market 1:64 model cars and trucks has recently been introduced by M2 Machines in Azusa Calif. M2 has been the first company to venture into producing models of vehicles only manufactured and sold in Canada. The first product is a 1956 Mercury Pickup Truck which is part of the Auto-Trucks Series in Release #17. The model uses a modified Ford casting by M2 which is identified as a Mercury via special decal adhesive markings placed on the casting.
by DaveWeber
on Jul 30, 2011
The General Motors Truck Company of Pontiac, Michigan; now a Division of General Motors Corporation, (GM) was established in 1911 and has been in continuous operation to the present. GMC developed out of the merger and acquisition by W C Durant, the founder of General Motors. These former manufacturers were the Rapid Truck Company, originally from Detroit Michigan (1904-1912) and the Reliance Motor Truck Company; (formerly the Reliance Motor Car Company) of Owosso Michigan (1906- 1911).
The Rapid Trucks concentrated on production of one to two ton size capacities, while the Reliance vehicles made larger trucks up to a 5 ton capacity in size. Thus, it is evident that GMC Trucks had a well established beginning! In addition, the Chevrolet Division of GM also introduced a sister truck line in 1918. During the continued coexistence of these 2 brands, many of these trucks were very similar in appearance ; except for the use of a somewhat differently styled engine grilles over the years. Near the end of the last Centennial, the large production truck licensing was sold to White Trucks; (formerly the White Sewing Machine Company) since acquired by Volvo of Sweden.. The trucks were branded as WhiteGMC for a few years after the acquisition.
With the “General” having disposed of the “big trucks”, GMC continued successfully in production. As noted above the main styling difference consisted of the differently designed grilles. The GMC presented a more “brutish” appearance. Even the smaller sedan pickup Chevrolet El Camino was joined by a sister product; the GMC Sprint. The Sprint is not well known and a much lesser amount of this latter brand were produced .
No doubt, there must have been some strong marketing competition, yet both brands have survived the recent major downsizing of GM! Some observers suspected one of these sister brands might have been discontinued; but apparently the consumer clientele differs greatly to allow the continued production of both brands.
Models representative of the GMC in small scale (1:64 / 3 inch) size are and have been available over the years. We have attempted to identify alphabetically all known model/ toy manufacturers that we know about. But the following list is not guaranteed to be complete. Thus, we welcome any additions or corrections.
- Boley Topkick Tow Truck
- Buby Vandura
- Code 3 Suburban
- Columbia Telecomm Yukon Denali
- Ertl 1997 (?) 3500 Dually
- Hartoy K15 Sierra Grande, Transformers
- Hot Wheels 1950
- Johnny Lightning 1991 Syclone , 1992 Typhoon
- Maisto Savanna Van
- Majorette Jimmy SUV
- Matchbox 1957 Stepside Pickup, Savanna School Bus, Light Duty Tow Truck, RWR- Bucket Truck, Terradyne Concept P/up
- Muscle Machines Sierra extended Cab
- Racing Champions Terracross Concept
- Road Champs 1980
- Shinsei Semi Tractor/ Trailer
- Yat Ming 1950
By Dave Weber and Zach Morecraft
Pictures by Zach Morecraft
by DaveWeber
on Jul 30, 2011
By Dave Weber Photos by Zach Morecraft
The Cadillac Motor Car Company began in 1902. It has since been included into the General Motors Corporation conglomerate and GM always place this Division marque at the head of their hierarchy in which very high class vehicles were produced most of the time.and since the beginnings of GM in 1909, Cadillac has competed for sales in nose to nose combat with many classic marques over the years.
The company was first formed by Henry Leland. Coincidentally, Leland later also founded Lincoln Motor Company in 1921. This latter firm was acquired by Henry Ford one year later and at present Lincoln Division of Ford Motor Corporation is one of the above noted competitors in sales to Cadillac.
Since its beginnings, Cadillac has been recognized as being a quality leader in the industry. At present, Cadillac is still successfully recovering from the bankruptcy proceedings recently experienced by its parent company GM! Cadillac still presents a very desired automobile for the Upper Class which is both stylish and superbly engineered.
This leads us to the car series that is to be discussed as represented in 1:64 scale. It is interesting to note that all three small scale models recently introduced to the consumer and collector in particular were made by Mattel Division Companies. The first was the CTS-V 4 door Sedan issued by Hot Wheels in 2009. This was followed up by the CTS Crossover (Wagon) by Matchbox in 1010. And most recently, there is the CTS Sport Coupe. All three models are excellent replicas of the fullsize vehicles that sell in the range from $40,000- $90,000 each.. Since writing this in "ruff draft", I have learned that the more powerful and expensive "V" models have a raised engine hood. This allows the collector to differentiate between the styles of the real cars!
However, we would be remiss if we did not mention the 2004 CTS-4 Door Sedan previously issued by Jada Toys , a few years ago! This is also a nice model, but our bias is towards the Matchbox products. Plus, it appears that each new CTS model contribution from Matchbox is even more realistic. This leads us to wonder, what will be next?
By Dave Weber and Zach Morecraft
Photos by Zach Morecraft
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