Lesney #25a - Bedford Dunlop Van Restoration

Ok back on form now, with nice a Lesney restoration :)

This was one that came from the big lot my girlfriend got me for my birthday earlier in the year. It sported one of the better kiddie paint jobs that I've seen, but to go on my display shelf, it needed to be brought back to original.

After a coat of paint and some fresh decals, here it is now:

Lesney #64b-MG 1100 Transitional Restoration

Good evening folks. Tonight's restoration is a lovely little MG. I did not have the transitional version of this casting, so I decided to buy when I saw this sorry looking old thing on ebay. I got an MG that had yellowed windows, and very very faded blue paint, but there's a saeable car in there somewhere!

A nice coat of metallic blue paint, and a general clean-up is all it needed to look brand new once again!

Lesney #05e-Lotus Europa Bulgarian Restoration

Hey everyone, here's my latest custom. A rare Bulgarian casting, it's a Lotus Europa. It was sent to me by a friend on a forum, looking pretty sorry for itself. But the potential was there for sure! These Bulgarian castings are pretty valuable these days, and this is the only one I have in my collection.

I decided to go back to the original metallic blue that they came in on their debut in the Lesney lineup. 

Johnny Lightning 1965 VW Transporter Ambulance - Found at Publix

This was found hanging on the pegs at my local Publix. It was a surprise, to say the least, so find Johnny Lightning product hanging on the pegs in a store, considering they went out of business a while ago.. There were plenty of cool models hanging with it tonight, but this is the only one that came home with me. 

I'm not a big "Veedub" fan per se, but I seem to be completely unable to leave a model of a classic Transporter behind. It'll go nicely with the new M2 Transporters I found recently. 

Maserati Quattroporte - Model of the Day

Today's Model of the Day is a svelte Italian sedan, the fifth generation Maserati Quattroporte. The Quattroporte was unveiled at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, and was very well received. The past few generations of the car were not fondly remembered by most, and the all-new fifth generation car set to change those perception. With a Ferrari-derived 4.2 liter V8, it certainly succeeded in that mission!

The Hot Wheels version debuted as #29 in the 2004 "First Editions" series, and wasn't overly popular at first, they tended to sit on the pegs for quite a while if I remember correctly. It's amazing to think that that was over 10 years ago now!! Feels like yesterday.. Not popular new, but it is a pretty desirable model now, since it was only used once! This steel blue version is the only version of the car that Hot Wheels has done up to this point. A shame, as it is a lovely model. A quick check on ebay reveals typical prices of a mint in package car at around $8-$10. Not a ton of money, but quite a lot for a standard mainline car for sure. Is this the next Bugatti Veyron for Hot Wheels? We shall see, but I'd say it's a good time to pick one up if you don't own this little gem.

Mailbox Find - #40c Farm Trailer Pair

Got a couple of new vehicles in the mail today from ebay!
I enjoy the challenge of finding good cars for $5 shipped or less. I've done pretty well with that in the past. Several #75b Ferraris, a minty Jeep Gladiator Lesney, but today brought one of my best "under 5" finds yet!!

Not the most desirable or collectable Lesney casting ever made, but a cool one nonetheless. I got BOTH of these Hay Trailers for right around 5 bucks shipped. Complete with tires, and the racks on either end. Pretty much dead mint as well.

(Tractor isn't new, just showing the complete set)