OT: Matchbox or Hot Wheels

[dtk]

When I was young my dad sold matchbox's in his pharmacy.
Recently I got excited that Hot Wheels makes a few variations of the Datsun 2000 Roadster...I've been trying to collect each...otherwise not so much a collector..but fond memories of both

 

[dustjacket]

Micro Machines

 

[lrod1707]

What I did the collect as a kid were Stompers. (I grew up in the early 80's) I must have had them all and wish I still had them. Not only did I have the vehicles but also had the tracks and everything else that was sold for the Stompers. I even had the semi-trucks & trailers! They were more fun than Hot Wheels or Matchbox and extremely popular back then. We used to take them to school to showoff the ones that we had. God knows where they went! I'm sure they got donated or something. I hadn't thought about them for years till this thread came up. I just checked eBay and they're worth big bucks! Look at this, $2000: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Schaper-Stomper-4x4-Rare-Blue-Baja-Bug-NOC-UNPUNCHED-CARD-perfect-Mint-Card-AFA/392968331687?hash=item5b7ebce1a7:g:sLAAAOSwRxBfekYu&LH_ItemCondition=1000 What I collect now days are old video games. I not only have the original machines and games that I had as a kid but have amassed many others in the last 20 years. I've got every Atari machine ever made, Intellivision, Odyssey etc.. + hundreds of games for all of them. Anyways, here is a picture of a Stompers for those that don't remember or might have never seen one:

 

[Dumpy]

What I did the collect as a kid were Stompers. (I grew up in the early 80's) I must have had them all and wish I still had them. Not only did I have the vehicles but also had the tracks and everything else that was sold for the Stompers. They were more fun than Hot Wheels or Matchbox and extremely popular back then. We used to take them to school to showoff the ones that we had. God knows where they went! I'm sure they got donated or something. What I collect now days are old video games. I not only have the original machines and games that I had as a kid but have amassed many others in the last 20 years. I've got every Atari machine ever made, Intellivision, Odyssey etc.. + hundreds of games for all of them. Anyways, here is a picture of a Stompers for those that don't remember or might have never seen one:
View attachment 466421

Mine were all (poorly) customized!

 

[shilohjim]

As a Matchbox guy I will readily admit that the popularity of Hot Wheels caused Matchbox to up their game with the Superfast line. I still have about 50 early 70s Hot Wheels too, near mint, but without the original packaging.

 

[Mcjnic]

I was a collector of Hot Wheels back when they first came out. I had most all of them from series one throughout the mid 70s ... including the Rrrumblers. They all were stolen (along with our entire apartment of furniture and personal belongings) right around 1976 or 77.
I didn't bother replacing any of my toys ... including my extensive Major Matt Mason collection.
But, I did manage to pick up the re-release of the first edition models. That was a neat hug from my past.
I have a few of the collector books and "remember" the cars. It's enough for me.

 

[squidart]

Both cool in their own way but Hot Wheels did the Ed Roth and Tom Daniels customs so they win by a hair.
The Corgi Batmobile beats em both, but that's another animal.

 

[Bandit]

Hot Wheels. I always thought Matchbox was the cheap knockoff. But what did I know? I was 5.

You were right to think that. Hot wheels were cool. Match box, not so much.

 

[SpinaDude]

Hot Wheels made my car, so I vote for them!

 

[K.O.]

I had several Matchbox cars as a small kid in the mid 60s. They were cool and realistic and came in a little "matchbox" but they didn't really roll that fast. When Hot Wheels came out in 1968 it was like a revelation. Very cool bright colored "customized" cars that were not only sharp looking but also very fast. Add in the Saturday morning ad campaign during cartoons and my 7 year old brain was hooked. My grandmother would give me a dollar to take to the Dime store in our little town and more often than not I came back with a new Hot Wheels car to add to my collection. Heck I will still buy one occasionally if it's a replica of some Porsche or other car I like. They are still only a dollar which is like a dime in 1969 money.

 

[lrod1707]

For you people that really love Hot Wheels. 50 random cars pack:

Hot Wheels 50 Car Pack

Free shipping on orders of $35+ from Target. Read reviews and buy Hot Wheels 50 Car Pack at Target. Get it today with Same Day Delivery, Order Pickup or Drive Up.

www.target.com

 

[langmick]

Hot Wheels, what a way to spend a Saturday.

 

[Skyrm]

I had a huge collection of diecast cars growing up. Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Corgis and Dinkys. We used to vacation in Niagara Falls often, and my dad bought me a lot of stuff from a toy store in St. Catherine's, so I had stuff that wasn't easily found in the US.

My dad taught me to always put them back in the box after playing with them. That really paid off. About 15 years ago I decided to liquidate them on eBay. Four Dinkys from the "Thunderbirds" TV show went for over $1000! That got me on a roll. The Matchboxes turned out to have collectors all over the world. It took months to go through them all. Good pictures and descriptions really helped the auctions. I ended up making over $10,000 on the whole collection. I even sold a box from a Matchbox (couldn't find the car) for $65!

I had all 5 of these!!

 

[WLVN]

In the mid sixties I got a new Matchbox car every Sunday on our way home from church. My Dad always stopped at the candy store to get a Sunday newspaper and he let me pick out a new Matchbox, it was my allowance for shining shoes Saturday night. I also had some Corgi cars. The Matchbox collection grew to like fifty before Hot Wheels came out. Then I got Hot Wheels and the track with the loopty loop.

We moved overseas in 1968 and I couldn't take all my toys with me so we stored a lot of them, including the Matchbox, Corgi cars and Hot Wheels at my Grandma's house in the attic. I also had a lot of Tonka trucks that couldn't go. I was allowed to take my Schwinn stingray bicycle, my H.O. railroad trains and Aurora cars, Cox 1/32nd slot cars and some other stuff.

When we returned two years later I found out she gave away everything that I had left there. I was mad! She wouldn't even admit to giving it away. It just vanished I was supposed to believe. Later, I found out she gave it to her great nieces and nephews. Oh well, I got over it.

I'll add that from a very young age she had always promised to buy me a sports car when I grew up and she kept her promise and bought me a car when I graduated high school.

 

[Skyrm]

In the mid sixties I got a new Matchbox car every Sunday on our way home from church. My Dad always stopped at the candy store to get a Sunday newspaper and he let me pick out a new Matchbox, it was my allowance for shining shoes Saturday night. I also had some Corgi cars. The Matchbox collection grew to like fifty before Hot Wheels came out. Then I got Hot Wheels and the track with the loopty loop.

We moved overseas in 1968 and I couldn't take all my toys with me so we stored a lot of them, including the Matchbox, Corgi cars and Hot Wheels at my Grandma's house in the attic. I also had a lot of Tonka trucks that couldn't go. I was allowed to take my Schwinn stingray bicycle, my H.O. railroad trains and Aurora cars, Cox 1/32nd slot cars and some other stuff.

When we returned two years later I found out she gave away everything that I had left there. I was mad! She wouldn't even admit to giving it away. It just vanished I was supposed to believe. Later, I found out she gave it to her great nieces and nephews. Oh well, I got over it.

I'll add that from a very young age she had always promised to buy me a sports car when I grew up and she kept her promise and bought me a car when I graduated high school.

I’d say the car makes up for the toy cars!

 

[Matched Gripper]

What ya got

Remember the Matchbox carrying case? Me! The red Farrari Berlinetta and the baby blue Ford Mustang were IT for me. There was also the Mercedes coup. Hot Wheels came out later. Cool, but, Matchbox cars were much more accurate models.

 

[Skyrm]

Yup, had to the carrying case too! I sold a Mustang fast back in orange-ish red (told it was a rare color) with the steerable wheels to a guy in Hungary for $300!!

 

[poco rit.]

Beyblade

 

[Frank Godiva]

I had a feeling this topic had legs with this crowd, or wheels

 

[Way Out Wardell]

Hot Wheels. In my mind when I was a kid: their cars were more hip, they had better playsets and they were widely available at K Mart.