Me & Toy Cars #throwbacktoythursday
Two mobile toy cars factor heavily in my memories of childhood, the first being a diecast mobile featuring the red with white striped Ford Gran Torino from the 70's television series "Starsky & Hutch", which I played with till it was "battle damaged"… the second was a simple radio controlled car that was K.I.T.T. from "Knight Rider". and I was so proud of myself for doing certain "driving stunts" with the car I don't think was part of the manufacturer's intent!
Both vehicles somehow "mysteriously disappeared" (or as my mum insists, the "maid stole my model cars and LEGOs" LOL). "Cars" and "Boys" = an inevitable connection thru the generations, across all manners of nations and countries. Somehow thru the years, our parents (or even parents you are now) would have bought and gifted the boys with vehicles, I suspect.
In the world of cliches, if girls were given "dolls", boys would get "cars". One groomed to take care of their looks, and the other to buy a car of their own one day hahahaha
I believe there to be a "progression" of some sorts, in a way being able to embrace two and four wheeled variety, one would be able to "accept" the fantastical space-faring rocket-ships "easier". A gateway to "imagination" perhaps?
Toys like M.A.S.K. straddled the fiction-fantastic but is still "real" enough to exist, while Transformers mashup cars and giant robots (and "win" for boys LOL). Not to mention the various vehicles seen in Japanese anime, and I'll lap it all up, cars revving on turbo-drive, throttling into infinity!
(Tomica's Batmobiles Rock!)
As kids, we create a world in which the cars travel in. Be it a memory of a trip we had experienced before, or by looking out the window in the car our dad's drove (Raise your hands whenever you get uber-excited by sitting in the front seat next to the driver?). From the asphalt to the star-lined spaceways, the "car" itself provides the catalyst, I reckon. Imagination either continues forth into adulthood, or simply just fades when "reality" hits, and you end up earning thru your blood sweat and tears to pay for the upkeep of your bachelor or family car LOL
As one collector gets older, either his tastes veer towards the remote-controlled vehicular persuasion, or like me, turn back into time and collect blister-carded vehicles (where before it was just straightup printed cardboard boxes), preferably pop culture / cartoon-themed cars, as seen in my small collection.
It took me decades to actually begin collecting model cars again. Looking at my earliest personal pic of me with a cement mixer (let's not forget construction vehicles and fire engines lol), till the time I begun collecting motorcycles in 1/6-scale (for my 1/6-boys and hell was it an obsession), and eventually hoarding Barbie-scaled cars to eventually "customized" like the ones seen in "Fast and Furious" series (this time, my 1/6-girls also get their due)- for which the customizing-part never really took off … BUT I did use my remote-controlled Barbie Red Lamborgini for a quick spot in an opening sequence of a television show I worked on… *cough*
The thing about Art toys, is that is it mainly based on humanoid-ish character designs, but very rarely does it go beyond. Kidrobot produced Munny Mobile and FILTH's Station Wagons, and that's about it really. There was also threezero's SU2CV - which would have been AWEsome - but if anyone wants their pieces to go for a ride, they might have to make one yourself.
I wish there were model cars made for PeeCool, and from Hanna Barbera's Wacky Races, and recently race cars from the the anime Redline have been plaguing my thoughts and latent desires (someone made a model too!), and maybe one day I'll make my own Super7 x Wacky Races vehicles myself :p
Above: Super7 x Wacky Races
Below: RADCOM Engines: GP TYPE 001 MICROBUS
With affordability becoming a realistic issue now, I personally can indulge in collecting more, and with upcoming customization of cars to look forward to - including JeAA's splendid RADCOM Engines: GP TYPE 001 MICROBUS (Image seen above), the future seems bright, you might need to pull the dashboard shades down!
The irony of it all, is that I only "drive" in my dreams, as I do not have a driving license,nor do I physically drive, even until my adultass NOW! *facepalm*
Regardless of your choice of toy wheels - THROTTLE ON, Folks!
Cheers
Andy TOYSREVIL
