Just throwing a question out to the fine staff at GreenLight. Was wondering if any thought had been placed regarding doing some of the castings with a hard plastic wheel variation so the cars could be used for gravity racing and on those die-cast sets that sling the car around an oval much like the rocket 500 does. There is no doubt that rubber tires can't be beat for display and realism but a hard plastic version from time to time is much more fun to "play" with.

I couldn't agree more. The hard tires most certainly have their time and place. GLs rims and tires are the best and most realistic of any die-cast company IMO, but some hard tires would be welcomed with open arms.

GreenLight is strongly engrained with the racing theme for their other lines, it would be great to see it carry over into the MCG lines for actual gravity racing. :thumbsup:

Yea, gravity racing.......... and some sort of mechanical assisted racing also.... :cool:

I think GL should stick with the rubber tires they are using now. I don't think the market for downhill racing cars in the $3.99+ range is that big.

Unless there were to be a Fest like gathering which highlighted GL as the premier brand and they were needed to participate in some gravity racing and such......

I actually prefer the hard plastic wheels and rims because they are easier to make to scale and no manufacturer to date has assured me that the rubber wheels won't develop flat spots, react badly to paint or varnish on a display shelf, or rot, crack, and fall off over time :(
I want my toys to last forever (and I open and play with them too!)

I actually prefer the hard plastic wheels and rims because they are easier to make to scale and no manufacturer to date has assured me that the rubber wheels won't develop flat spots, react badly to paint or varnish on a display shelf, or rot, crack, and fall off over time :(
I want my toys to last forever (and I open and play with them too!)

Some good points. Anybody who collects old vintage castings with rubber parts can testify to the fact they crumble into pieces. All my slot cars, Mini-Lindy, Motor-ific etc cars that had rubber tires have to be handled with kit gloves. I'm not sure that true research dollars went into making sure todays cool tire will stand up to time?

I'm not sure that true research dollars went into making sure todays cool tire will stand up to time?

Maybe... but this might lead back into the benefits of completely sealed air-tight blistercards. Of course, it's hard to roll a blistercard across the table. :p

Just don't stop making them with "real rubber" tires as many of us prefer the more "realistic" look they provide. If possible, produce some of each and allow the customer to choose. There are plenty of choices already with "hard plastic" tires for "playing" with. I really like the realism and attention to detail that Greenlight has brought to the diecast market. :)

I'm with you on that but there are some instances that a hard wheel is a must....like racing!


Let's say we had a contest, and if you won the contest, your award was a very exclusive GL car. In order to win that car you would need a fast gravity racer. If your cars had only real rubber wheels and the other guys had hard plastic wheels, I'm telling you, unless you employed "Dixie the dog" as your track supervisor, there is no way you could win.:)

I'm not saying we reinvent the "wheel" here, just come out with some variations. I'm betting with the GL weight and the more true scale size (wider casting), that these cars would scream down a track and I'm dieing to verify that. Looking at potential here.;)

I'm telling you, unless you employedd "Dixie the dog" as your track supervisor, there is no way you could win.:)



Oh now that was funny!!!

Oh now that was funny!!!

Great time... :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v304/pms485/Marks%20House/th_MVI_4648AVI.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v304/pms485/Marks%20House/?action=view&current=MVI_4648AVI.flv)

How difficult would it be to make a plastic wheel that looked like a real wheel?
(ie. treads, white lettering or stripes).

You can make hard plastic wheels with lettering and strips because it's been done by both JL and Mattel and soft rubber-like wheels can be made out of silicon or some UV/rot resistant polymor compounds. I just want to see someone say "Yes! We do that! Our hard wheels roll like hell and our soft ones don't but last forever, and they both look good in or out of a blister pack!". Ooooooo I must be getting tired...

You can make hard plastic wheels with lettering and strips because it's been done by both JL and Mattel and soft rubber-like wheels can be made out of silicon or some UV/rot resistant polymor compounds. I just want to see someone say "Yes! We do that! Our hard wheels roll like hell and our soft ones don't but last forever, and they both look good in or out of a blister pack!". Ooooooo I must be getting tired...

That's a great point. In theory I guess, especially with a racers edge style wheel where only the very edge is desiegned to contact the track, the rest of the hard plastic could indeed have a tread design in it. That would be cutting edge and cool. Foe someone like GL that could be one of those items that seperates them from the pack. PM had these brain storms all the time. I think GL is the kind of people who might think this way too. If I remember right, it is also easier to pad print on the hard plastic than it is on rubber so that part could actually display more detail. :)