[Stangfreak]

With all these up-graded cars out there now with up-graded prices, I think the quality should be checked further... I have purchased several of these up-graded Hot Wheels in the past only to find they are screwed up in the packages... When you pay 3 -5 bucks for a car, you should not have to take it home and fix it !!!

The axel was not in place when it was rivited together !!!

FIXED NOW !!!

 

[DIECASTMAN72]

That is really annoying. Sad thing is that it becomes automatic for people like you and me to make those fixes, but what about those folks who
Don't ?

 

[camaro75]

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

I feel your pain Bro....its one of the reasons why I stop buying HWs and MBX cars.....am just don't have the time to fix them!?!

 

[z06]

As much as I like the premier cars, buy them and will continue to do so, it has to be the biggest illusion Mattel has going. "How can we sell a $1.00 car for $5.00?" "Let's put 10 cents (if that) towards rubber wheels and Voila!" You really shouldn't have to fix a $5.00 car. I don't mind detailing a $1.00 car, but refuse to add detail to the higher end ones. They sometimes need it and as a result stay in the store.

 

[5.0 tbird]

That's why you really gotta look them over closely before you open them. If you can spot an error like that, it's a nice find you can trade with an error collector.

The Chrysler Turbine still got me though. It looked like it had a tiny paint flaw above the front wheel, but when I opened it and checked it out closer, it ended up being a crack in the body so I just RAOK'd it and bought another one.

 

[duncan]

I was looking at the BLVD cars yesterday and almost bought a couple. But then I stopped and looked at what I would be spending. For the jacked up price they still can't dab a little paint on the taillights or make the grilles look halfway real. For 88 cents I can overlook the lack of detail - that's why they are only 88 cents. But when it comes to their so-called 'upscale' cars, it's a much different story. For less money I can buy an M2 Driver that has much more detail and for roughly another dollar I can buy an M2 Premium that has even more detail and opening doors and hood to boot. No thank you Mattel, you aren't even in the running anymore.

 

[z06]

I wish we had M2 on a consistent basis.
Speaking of taillights, why does Mattel go all out on SOME taillights and completely forget the front of the car or vice versa? The new Honda regular comes to mind. Wicked taillight tampos, but nothing for the headlights. Not sure about the Super T-Hunt. Haven't seen one up close yet.

I was looking at the BLVD cars yesterday and almost bought a couple. But then I stopped and looked at what I would be spending. For the jacked up price they still can't dab a little paint on the taillights or make the grilles look halfway real. For 88 cents I can overlook the lack of detail - that's why they are only 88 cents. But when it comes to their so-called 'upscale' cars, it's a much different story. For less money I can buy an M2 Driver that has much more detail and for roughly another dollar I can buy an M2 Premium that has even more detail and opening doors and hood to boot. No thank you Mattel, you aren't even in the running anymore.

 

[5.0 tbird]

I wish we had M2 on a consistent basis.
Speaking of taillights, why does Mattel go all out on SOME taillights and completely forget the front of the car or vice versa? The new Honda regular comes to mind. Wicked taillight tampos, but nothing for the headlights. Not sure about the Super T-Hunt. Haven't seen one up close yet.

From what I understand from one of the Mattel employees, doing a tampo on front AND back is a lot more $ than doing either front or back and the rest of the car so they don't ever do the front and back anymore unless it's a RLC or $5 car like HW racing or Nostalgia. That's why you see cars completely covered in tampos except either the front or back.

I still don't think that's any excuse to leave them off a $3.47 premium car.

 

[NYSWLHUNTER]

That's an error...

 

[CraigO]

That's an error...

You're an error, Eli gave me full permission to ebay you..

 

[54belair]

Speaking of taillights, why does Mattel go all out on SOME taillights and completely forget the front of the car or vice versa? The new Honda regular comes to mind. Wicked taillight tampos, but nothing for the headlights.

YES! I agree, Z06.

This has always been a complaint of mine. Mattel puts some crazy stripes and tampos all over many (most?) of their models whether mainline or upscale and forgets all about the headlight/taillight/grille details...

From what I understand from one of the Mattel employees, doing a tampo on front AND back is a lot more $ than doing either front or back and the rest of the car so they don't ever do the front and back anymore unless it's a RLC or $5 car like HW racing or Nostalgia. That's why you see cars completely covered in tampos except either the front or back.

I still don't think that's any excuse to leave them off a $3.47 premium car.

Never say never, or "don't ever", tbird. Some HW and MBX mainlines are nicely detailed both front and back (Porsches, Ferraris, Caddys, Deloreans come to mind) while some upscale cars lack front and rear detailing altogether (Slick Rides come to mind, for example or recent MBX Lesneys). Despite what the Mattel employee may have told you, there is no rhyme nor reason to their details.

Here are two HW mainlines that Mattel did right in my opinion with both front and rear detailing...

Ferrari F430 convertible:

Porsche 911 GT-2 cpe:

And here are some that needed attention...

Dodge Ram Quadcab - lots of nice Superlift tampos, but the Mopar grille detailing was missed completely:

Before detailing

After my detailing

Upscale HW Garage Blazer - nice 2-tone job, but no headlight/taillight/grille detail:

Upscale MBX Real Working Rigs Pierce Quantum with no front/rear detail:

There are far more mainline cars with real quirky or bizarre tampos than with the realistic front/rear details that give each vehicle its individuality. I have given up on HW and MBX mainlines for the most part and am selectively purchasing M2, JL (c'mon, Tomy, make 'em better), GL and Jada. A $4.00 Jada 1:64 "Heroes" police cruiser has 10 times more detail than a more expensive MBX Lesney - opening doors, hatches/trunks, inside details: computer, partition/cage, weapons storage drawers as well as detailed front/rear lights, grille, detailed department logos and inventory markings, although they do have a bit of "M2 gappiness" with their opening features (but for $4 or 5 bucks that's OK with me)...

As I am becoming more educated in this hobby I am becoming much more selective and find I am purchasing far fewer mainlines and my dollars are being spent on fewer, yet nicer (IMHO) upscale cars and trucks...


Um, thanks for putting up with my rant. Didn't mean to be so wordy.

I'm going to take a nap now...

 

[CraigO]

I agree, it's obvious not a "we don't have enough tampo plates" problem, they can put a black panfuh across the side of a van, but not simple taillights?

 

[z06]

Some of the cheapo Maistos have wicked tampos front AND back, but screw it with excess flashing around the windows and lousy wheels. The wheels are getting better though.

 

[Alter-Autos]

My feelings exactly. Those premier cars are a sham, especially when a $1 Matchbox piece was better detailed. I can't even remember the last time I bought one.

 

[z06]

After all the tampo crazy , white wheeled nonsense Matchbox delivered this year, I saw some of last years and I sorely miss those. They were nicely detailed authentic cars for about a buck. I miss the days when the Hot Wheels became too silly, I would wonder over to the Matchbox and be happy. Reminds me of a Cinderella song.

My feelings exactly. Those premier cars are a sham, especially when a $1 Matchbox piece was better detailed. I can't even remember the last time I bought one.

 

[54belair]

After all the tampo crazy , white wheeled nonsense Matchbox delivered this year, I saw some of last years and I sorely miss those. They were nicely detailed authentic cars for about a buck.

Agreed.

An example of last year's MBX mainline GMC pickup...

An example of this year's MBX mainline VW pickup...

YIKES!!!

Reminds me of a Joni Mitchell song:

"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."​

:wave:

 

[duncan]

Whew! You can see the Mattel/Hot Wheel influence

And it's not good!

It's funny, you'd think Mattel would be trying to find a niche/identity of their own for Matchbox, instead it looks like they're trying to make them be competition with themselves/Hot Wheels. Doesn't make sense, but then, look how the corporate world has been acting as its own worse enemy - and the publics - over the last few years.

 

[Lummox]

Never really checked out a HWs Red Baron till now, and after seeing the pic below, realized how frigged up looking the HWs has allways been.

Fenders?!?!? Um...NO!!!

 

[Stangfreak]

Never really checked out a HWs Red Baron till now, and after seeing the pic below, realized how frigged up looking the HWs has allways been.

Fenders?!?!? Um...NO!!!

WOW Lummox, that is a beauty... What brand is that one ? I love it !!!

 

[Full Flaps!]

Much prefer the Tom Daniels Red Baron there Lum, the HW's is a dump on wheels.

Found a Boulevard Impala low-rider a few nights ago. Took it out of the package and found the the front left wheel hovers in the air when parked. Kind of a put off, but I guess I can just imagine the driver is hittin' switches.

If Hot Wheels gets a mainline just right - with the right tampo detail and such, it's only by chance. The front detail of the Porsche and Ferrari that 54B posted on the last page owed much to creative use of plastic for the headlights. This is a tactic I'd like to see more of, especially if they continue to cheap out on details that matter. The hood louvers on the IROC-Z is another example which eliminates inconsistencies from sloppy printing.

As far as the "adult" lines, it seems Mattel has taken to flaunting the lack of details, like Hot Wheels are just too good for them. But they'll never up their game if they think metal/metal and Real Riders is all they need to push 'em out the door at $4-5 a pop.