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Thursday, 11 August 2011

Small Objects of Desire: 1/64th DieCast Model Cars

Since attending the Function 4 Junction Car Show, I've started collecting 1/64th scale diecast model cars. I happened across a few under the brand name M2 Machines, and one thing led to another. The model cars help me recognise the real thing when I see it, and I'm enjoying studying up on the various cars, makers and the history of US Auto manufacture on the internet, supplemented by TV shows, and should soon receive a book, the Ultimate Car Spotters Guide 1946-69.


M2 Machines are the newest entrant on the Diecast scene, having been around since 2008. Though the actual models are made in China, the designs and distribution is done by a small company in California. I soon discovered that the M2 machines are the best fit for my purposes, spanning the years 1949-1972 (so far). They have two main quality ranges, Drivers, with solid bodies and plastic undersides which retail @ around $3, and Premium which have opening doors and hoods, @ $5-6.


My primary interest is the 50s cars, but I'm also interested in the development through the 60s into muscle cars, which are still going strong today in the guise of the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and their ilk. Whether Driver or Premium, the M2 Machines come on a display stand with the car year, maker and model printed thereon, and these can be augmented with plastic cases to keep the dust off. Both body types are screwed together, which allows the collector to customise them or make adjustments more easily.


A basic Hot Wheels or Matchbox toy car retails around $1.10, so the M2s are very much aimed at the adult collector rather than a ten-year-old boy. I've added some Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars to my growing collection where they interest me, and also other brands including Maisto, Greenlight and Johnny Lightning, but M2 Machines form the bulk of it.

I've got a lot of cataloguing to do, so I don't keep buying the same models. Fortunately M2 have a reference number for each vehicle release, so I just need to get down to it.

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