Let’s Talk: Muscle Machines

I remember the Muscle Machines of old. Back when we didn’t have as diverse a selection as we have now.

The original Muscle Machines were released by Funline Merchandise Company around 1999. I remember them for their super deformed looks that really need no introduction. They were mostly churning out American Muscle cars and hot rods. I thought then that was probably why they were called Muscle Machines in the first place. And then they released Import Tuners. No, these were not the Jada Import Tuners. These were the original Import Tuners. Which was kind of confusing as you would see “Muscle Machines Import Tuner” on the packaging. At the time, these also came in a more premium looking blister pack that was different from what Hot Wheels was giving us. I have some of their Import Tuners, and I used to have their Muscle Machines before as well. However, when I had to streamline my collection, the Muscle Machines didn’t really fit in, and they were let go to other collectors.

Toyotas

While researching Muscle Machines, I realised that they had quite a colourful up and down. They were bought by Action Performance in 2003. Action Performance merged with Motorsport Authentics between 2003-2004. 2012 saw the Muscle Machines branding return under the Maisto banner. Muscle Machines creator Chris Leong went to Castline, Inc. and worked on the M2 Machines. M2 Machines also churned out mostly American Muscle cars, but not in the signature caricature looks of Muscle Machines. Chris founded Funline Merchandise back in 1993.

Toyota AE86 Corolla Trueno

This year (2024) has Muscle Machines buzzing. At least for me. I have seen their resurrection with Maisto a while back, but it wasn’t striking me like it did back in their heyday. They were still cool looking, and they were still unique. Maybe it was me, then. I recently bought a pair of MMs after finally succumbing to the urge. Back to the roots of the brand with some Muscle Machines in import tuner guise. I present a pair of Toyotas. Both legendary machines in their own right, the Toyota Trueno AE86, and a Toyota Supra Mk IV.

Roadkill “Rotsun”

The Rotsun was (is) a project car built from Motortrend’s Road Kill TV show. Motortrend is one of the original car magazines from the US that started its life way back in 1949! This was also the first year that they named a Car of the Year (Cadillac). At the time, the award was given to the manufacturer, and not a specific vehicle – how times have changed. Fast forward several decades, and Motortrend TV came to life in 2002, originally, as part of Discovery HD Theater. A decade later, in 2012, Motortrend TV aired Roadkill as a web series (that means, the Internet).

A Rotsun in a diorama

The Rotsun started its life as a 1971 Datsun 240Z. The team retained the crusty body of the donor car, and the engine was  swapped with a 4.3L V6 Chevy engine. In the rebuilds that followed, it eventually got a 5.0L Turbocharged Ford V8 engine. This is the final build of the car, and this is what the Hot Wheels car was based on. The Hot Wheels was designed by Mark Jones and was a promotional vehicle by Motortrend and Roadkill. The original promotion was actually a pair of Datsun 240Zs. One rusty 240Z, basically, the base car. And one Rotsun, the final product of the show.

Roadkill’s Rotsun

The vehicle that I have is actually the re-issue that came out from Hot Wheels Premium Car Culture. There are significant differences between this and the original promo car. The original car had more details on the engine, the decals, and even the wheels. The Car Culture version is still based on the original casting, though. It is just the lesser car. You will still love that overgrown engine popping out the front of the car. Intake, exhaust, and all. The wheels are grey RR10SPs on the front and a pair of RRMags on the back. The body is still rusty and crusty. Overall, it is still a great casting, just less shiny. You can still add some detail yourself if you choose to do so. I love this car. Both for what it is and what it represents in real life.

RWB 993 Jagermeister

Jaegermeister. Jagermeifter. Jagermeister. However you want to spell it, those who know, know. For the sake of this blog, I will refer to it as the Jaegermeister.

Jagermeifter

RWB, on the other hand, or Rauh-Welt Begriff, is a Japanese tuning company specialising in older, classic Porsches. Most people probably already know Akira Nakai, the founder-owner of RWB. And most people probably already know or have heard of RWB. RWB Porsches are primarily recognised for their wide and wild body kits. Underneath that hand-crafted exterior is a properly modified Porsche with performance upgrades on all fronts (i.e., power and handling).

Porsche 993

There wasn’t a lot of information on this RWB 993 except that it was one of Akira Nakai’s own. Porsche model cars are a dime a dozen. And there are a lot of good ones out there, even from mainstream brands like Hot Wheels. And while Hot Wheels has also released some RWB Porsches, those don’t really come close to something such as this one from Tarmac Works. This model is chock full of details such as a bunch of carbon fibre canards and a two-stage rear wing. Mufflers can clearly be seen at the back, and you will swear that the wide body kit has been riveted onto the body. Wheels are accurate, and let’s not forget the fact that they are deep-dish wheels at that. The tires have treads! I’m not entirely sure how accurate the decals are, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were exactly the same as that on the 1:1 car. It’s nice to see the headlights and taillights as separate pieces from the body. The paint on this model is very, very good, if not excellent. And despite those details, it rolls! You won’t be racing this thing on an orange race track, but at least you can roll it on your desk. A diorama mat is recommended, though, for a smoother experience.

Number 7

It is obviously not in the same price point as a Hot Wheels car, nor a Tomica. These model cars may not be that expensive, but they certainly aren’t cheap. I think that they are decently priced for what they are. And if you wanted more detail, you’d better be ready to shell out for a bigger scale than 1:64. I have had some Tarmac Works models before, and they do have tiers for their model cars. I will get back to you guys on the tiering soon, but this particular RWB sits under the Tarmac Works banner. And, yes, it is more of a collector piece.

Ready, set, go!

Chevy Silverado

The Chevy Silverado can be a confusing truck. On one side, there are people who prefer the original functional design of a truck. You know the type, 4×4, high load, high clearance, tough. On the other side, there are people who have discovered the joys of turning a pickup truck into a lowrider. This particular Silverado is based on the latter group, albeit with a small twist. As normal lowriders would have had their utility taken away from them, this one is still able to load up a bike onto it’s bed. At least, that’s how Fraser Campbell designed this beast. And a beast it is, as it still retains the dimensions of a full-sized truck when placed side-by-side with standard cars.

Chevy Silverado

I have the yellow Silverado with the black striping and ‘Silverado’ on the side, which came from the Car Culture, Trucks series. Chrome and black RR5SPs are the wheels of choice here, and honestly, they fit the truck well. The lowered stance highlights the huge wheels used for this truck. The 5 spoke design is very American, like classic Mustang American. And that’s good. The bike on the bed looks like a Hayabusa, though, or one of those Japanese sports bikes. There is a good splattering of chrome on the bumpers and the front grill. It’s just a shame that there are no details at all on the headlights and taillights. The tailgate handle could also have gotten some love here. The truck bed also shares the chrome of the bumpers, and if you remove the bike, it would be just as shiny.

Chevy Silverado

The overall look and stance of this truck is something that I like. I am not a lowrider enthusiast, but I am not an overlanding person either. I am basing this on my own personal preference, but if ever I do get the chance to own a truck, it would be a functional workhorse. But this one is to keep.

Audi R8 LMS

One of the debut cars for the Eurospeed Car Culture series, the Audi R8 LMS for Hot Wheels is a design from Mark Jones who designed other racing legends such as the Cadillac LMP, the Ferrari 575 GTC, and the Porsche 962. To say that he has experience designing bad-ass race cars is an understatement.

The R8 LMS is one of the most successful race cars of its generation. Created as a homologation car for GT3 Racing, the car also competed in the GT World Challenge, Super GT, and DTM races, among others.

The body is made from a single casting which attaches the wing to the body. Amazingly, it has wing mirrors attached as well. Apart from the standard canards of the original R8, the LMS also has a busier looking front bumper with sculpted air vents and fog light housings. The rear is even more detailed with even more vents and a mid-mounted muffler. Looking at the sides will give you more vents in the front quarter panel. Being a Premium line, it comes with a metal base with the rear diffuser, side skirts, and front lip all coming together in a single color. Ok, so, red may not have been the best colour for the rear diffuser. Being a race car, the body is laden with a busy looking paintjob. Audi’s signature white, silver, black, and red colour scheme is present. A few other details such as a number 10, the Hot Wheels logo, Project Cars, and a number plate that says ‘Audi Sport’ complete the look.

I like the car. I love Audis. I just think the execution could have been better, in particular, the colour choice. The only grip I have, really, is the red base, though. I might keep it for the sake of keeping it, but it isn’t on my priority list.

Porsche 993 GT2

The GT2 was the Porsche 993s racing version built to compete in the FIA GT2 class. However, in the family of 911s, the 993 is the fourth of the line and was sold from 1994 to 1998. The car was designed by Tony Hatter, and it stayed close to the 911s overall genes. The Hot Wheels version was designed by Jun Imai, and this also stayed close to the real 993 GT2.

Debuting as a Hot Wheels Boulevard car (and now one of the most sought-after models), it eventually made its way to the regular line. The variant I have now is from the Car Culture line Eurospeed. One thing that immediately had me gravitate towards this car are the headlights. They are plastic. This means that the casting had provisions for a headlight assembly. I’m assuming that the plastic headlights are part of the window shell as it would be a practical design. However, I would need to take one apart to be sure. The rear wing of this car is also one of its most distinguishing features. It comes as part of the body and is sculpted nicely to replicate the real one. As this is the GT2, it comes with a healthy dose of wide body goodness. Rear fender flares and front splitter details are great to see on this scale. Details include ‘Outlaw’ branding from acclaimed tuner Magnus Walker. The base silver colour is muted, especially with only some black highlights such as the frunk and wing. We also have a giant 993 on the door, which, to be honest, I can live without. Black RR10SP wheels are also muted in the background here due to the colour choice. The stance of the car is spot on. It hugs the ground nicely and in Hot Wheels fashion, its proportions just look great.

The yellow Boulevard variant remains an expensive and hard to find collector piece. But if you just want this 993 GT2, then this Eurospeed version ticks a lot of the boxes. It is keeper. Worst case scenario, I might just remove the giant 993 decal on the door.

BMW M1 Procar

The BMW M1 Procar Championship was a one-make competitive race that pits various professional race car drivers from more than one motorsport discipline. By the name alone, this pits modified BMW M1 sportscars that have been identically modified for the race. The modifications on these cars also qualify these cars for Group 4 racing, seeing them powered by 3.3L inline 6 M88s rated up to 470 hp. The Procar Championship ran from 1979 to 1981. Pretty short, but BMW had bigger motorsport dreams at the time, and they decided to concentrate on those.

The Hot Wheels casting was designed by Mark Jones and is, as other Mark Jones designs, pretty slick. This particular version is from the Premium series: Eurospeed. Let me start this one by saying those wheels look great on this car. Gold MCRRs are just what the doctor ordered. The mostly black car looks more like an art car with the addition of those rainbow stripes on the back and bonnet. Closed pop-up headlights, but detailed taillights. Big number 15 on the roof, and this is one of the few cars that actually have livery on the windscreen. Project Cars is embalzoned on the sides, the bonnet, and the rear license plate holder. It should also be noted that the windows are sculpted, with nicely done louvres at the back, a gas tank lid on the side, and a single mid-wiper on the windscreen. The big, rear spoiler is part of the main body casting, and that’s fine. Another detail that should be noted is the presence of an intercooler that fills in the front gap nicely. This, together with the single tip, hotizontally-mounted muffler at the rear, makes for a very pretty car indeed.

Admittedly, though, I’m not a fan of the M1. Prosport or otherwise. I believe that it is an engineering marvel for its time, but it didn’t grow on me like some other cars of the era. But, with this casting that ticks all the right boxes, I say that this is a keeper.

Out and About

Sometimes, you just want to get out there. And there is nothing like a Land Rover Defender that makes good company outdoors. A Hot Wheels 2015 Land Rover Defender Double Cab.

I did not use to crack open my Hot Wheels. I would crack one open from time to time when I really feel like taking a closer look at them, and those are the ones that I buy to really just crack open. When my son was born, I opened up more Hot Wheels cars than I thought I would. And it feels great.

I took out this Land Rover Defender for a romp at the beach a few years back, and I’m still happy with the results of the shoot. I found happiness in taking these toys out and just having a photoshoot. It isn’t always good, but it’s part of the fun of going out. This is especially true for off roaders going out to the beaten path.

Hope you enjoy these snaps.

Year of the Dragon!

It is now April.

I was supposed to start this page with the ‘Year of the Dragon’ Nissan GT-R from INNO models. That was supposed to be in January. And yet, here we are, right smack at the start of April – nearly 3 months later.

INNO Models (https://www.inno-models.com/about-us) entered the die-cast scene in 2016. According to their website at least. It is challenging to find any more information than what is on their website at this point, so we’ll go with that for now.

I was not into INNO models because they did not have Mazda cars in their line-up when they entered the market. While I was tempted because of the highly detailed models from them, I steered clear of the brand to keep my line. I’m trying hard to remember if I bought some INNO models in the past before this, but I would probably need to check my cabinet to be sure. Now, this Nissan GT-R (R35) is something that I bought on a whim. I bought this particular model because this is the 2024 ‘Year of the Dragon’ special edition. If you can’t already tell, I was born in the year of the dragon – so this was a no-brainer.

The 2024 Chinese New Year Nissan GT-R Year of the Dragon Special Edition – is a very long name for a model car. I will simply refer to it as the 2024 CNY GT-R. This would be the first INNO model that I have opened up and fully scrutinized. It is a great model. It is hefty and like other INNO models, highly detailed for the scale. It comes in a special CNY box which opens up to an acrylic case that holds the model. Everything that is holding this car, screams Year of the Dragon. It might border on being tacky for some people who prefer simple race livery or plain colours. But I can live with this because it is what it claims to be – a Chinese New Year special edition model. If I had to fault it, it would be the chrome paint. I don’t like chrome paint. It is a natural dust and fingerprint magnet. However, you can’t really have this car in any other colour but gold chrome.

Looking beyond the design livery, the base car is your recent R35 with the updated front bumpers. I like model cars that have wing mirrors on them, especially in this scale, and this one has it. I can’t be sure if it was added on or part of the mold, but I wouldn’t want to find out the hard way. Aero bits such as the side skirts and rear diffuser add to the authenticity of the model being based on the real car. It even has titanium tipped exhaust tips (at least in paint effect)! Gold chrome paint aside, the livery on this car is meticulous – like, tapestry meticulous. Again, some design elements feel tacky, but it isn’t out of place for this particular model. So let’s get those out of the way first. One thing that annoys me is the ‘Asian’ or ‘Oriental’ font that is used on the car. There is this rather big ‘2024’ text plastered on where the rear license plate should be. There is also this ‘Year of the Dragon’ writing on the top part of the wing. Unavoidable, yes, as this is a Chinese Ney Year edition car, but for me, it could have been a bit more classy. When it comes to the livery, though, that oriental dragon flanking the sides of the car gets a thumbs up from me. The dragon on the bonnet is also a great design element and is what I was referring to when I mentioned a ‘tapestry’. Smaller, oriental design elements define the car even more. Other notable touches include carbon fiber look wing and a carbon fiber diffuser that you can clearly see separated from the rear bumper. It also has gold wheels – which look damn good! Maybe the tackiness is a personal opinion, because generally speaking, the car is clear on what it defines itself. A 2024 Chinese New Year Nissan GT-R Special Edition model.

The Nissan GT-R is a great car. An enthusiast’s dream. I don’t collect them like I collect Mazda RX-7s, but I do get them when I feel like it.

Acura NSX

The Honda NSX (Acura in North America, because, well) is a two-seat, mid-ship sports car that was developed back in 1984. The production version was powered by Honda’s 3.0L V6 VTEC motor, was made available in a 5-speed manual or 4-speed F-matic and rolled off the factory from 1990. Legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna helped in the development of the NSX  by providing much needed input in improving the car dynamics. The NSX was a successful road car, and with a very potent drive, a very successful race car as well.

The Acura NSX we have here is based on the NSX-GT and the casting is from 2008 penned by Kevin Cao (5 Alarm, Batpod, 2009 Nissan GT-R). A newer back-to-basic NSX would later be designed by the late Ryu Asada. This casting is based on more than one version of the NSX-GT, featuring a roof-mounted air duct and a slightly re-designed GT wing. For the Race Day variant, Hot Wheels again re-designed the car to have a wider stance, featuring a front end with canards and a splitter, the rear end on the other hand features a giant diffuser. Being a Premium model, this bottom half is cast in metal and is painted a glossy, bright red. And it looks good. The wheels are D7RRs in black, with a red lip. They even made it so that the rear wheels are bigger than the front. A bit of tire magic right there.

I was always a fan of the NSX, and I honestly prefer the stock look of the car. This variant is cool, and looks like a proper race car. Think one-make or time-attack. It is stll a good casting, and will definitely appeal to a good number of collectors. I’m keeping it.