Car Guys/Truck Guys face many difficult decisions in their gearhead development.
The examples are endless:
- Camaro or Mustang?
- Ford or Chevy?
- Mopar or Respectability?
- Big Block or Small Block?
- Turbo or Supercharger?
- V6 or I6?
- Brunette or Redhead?
- Bronco or Blazer?
- Conventional or Synthetic?
- Ribbed or Standard?
- Jeep or Land Cruiser?
- Rover or Public Transportation?
- Samurai or Mountain Bike?
But, let’s face it, all of these very important decisions come much later than the very important choice between Hot Wheels and Matchbox.
This line has been blurred by the fairly recent merging of the 2 companies, but the implications are still meaningful, as this is a decision made early in life that says volumes about the future tendencies of the gearhead in question.
Why is this relevant now? Because the I find myself being swayed by Matchbox as the legitimate holder of the Off Road die-cast crown.
When I made my choice as a 5 or 6 year old gearhead in training, I chose Hot Wheels. I don’t know why, but at the time Hot Wheels were the cool thing to have; more detailed, more Muscle Cars, better quality, faster, sleeker…there was no comparison. Matchbox cars were the cheap toy alternative – an also-ran to the power and cool-ness of the Hot Wheels product. This perception stayed with me until I became a parent and started shopping for die cast cars for the boy (and myself)…
Now the tide has turned…
As I spend more time in the toy department of my local Target store and my attention has turned primarily from Muscle Cars to Off Road Vehicles, Matchbox clearly rules the category. When I look for Mustangs, Cougars, Camaros, ’57 Chevy’s…Hot Wheels is still the defacto answer. But I have increasing (and accidentally) found Jeeps, Broncos, Blazers, Hummers, Full Size pickups, Rock Buggys, and even J-Trucks in the Matchbox collection! Hot Wheels seems to have gone more to “Power Ranger” style fantasy land, while the Matchbox collections feature “real world” autos…
Case in Point: The ’72 Bronco and J-Truck pictured here. Nice Trucks…and both Matchbox…
What’s your choice?
Obviously the choice is Matchbox. I however started life as a matchbox aficionado.
Now that I buy them, the choice is abundantly clear. I have the bronco pictured above, as well as a light blue version with a black bikini top for variety. (note: I didn’t say Noah had them).
Recently I found all of my old matchbox/hotwheels cars from when I was a little tyke. Why my mom saved them I’ll never know. They were in similar to shape to Stransky’s dad’s truck after a weekend of debauchery on 7-mile, but the core element was that the *trucks* I owned were matchbox.
They had some pretty sweet ones back them…I have 2 old 78-79 broncos, a couple of cj5′s and 7′s and some nice blazers and j-10/20 pickups along with the requisite “monster truck” style fords and chevy’s.
LOL… Stransky’s dad’s truck…
I really never gave much thought to the manufacturers, I just liked to scratch up mom’s furniture with my little hot rods…
I have to say that since Matchbox was still an independant British company at the age of my youth, I preferred the all american brand of Hot Wheels. As collectables they were more valuable and faster when racing them on the orange pavement of the awesome tongue and groove track. I did however enjoy the old days when the Matchbox cars actually came in a little “box” and you had to select them at the store by revolving the plastic windows of the display and asking for them by slot number. I saved the boxes, which there after became the car’s garage. I still lean toward the hotwheels as they feel heavier, but do share a distain for the freaky fantasy wierdo cars that they come out with. I still have over a hundred mint in package hotwheels, Including a 1982 Jeep Scrambler, so they did, back in the day have some sweet 4×4′s.