Matchbox 1997 Chevy Tahoe Custom

I'm trying to finish up the insane amount of customs I have sitting on my workbench haha. Like, it's getting bad. So many projects!
But here's a nice Matchbox Tahoe that got a repaint and a wheel swap. I've always liked this casting for some reason.

Hot Wheels Mazda REPU Custom

Another Japanese pickup for today! I love the JDM kick that HW is on lately, some really top notch models coming out. I'm trying to slowly stray away from mainlines, but some of these new castings are just too good to pass up in any form, the Mazda REPU included.

Hot Wheels Range Rover Classic

Here's another favorite customizing pasttime of mine, making HW products much nicer!! I've done a Range Rover like this before, but I sold it a while back. And one can never have too many fine old British cars in one's collection!

The Range Rover Classic is one of those vehicles that is just cool. Maybe not the most reliable thing in the world, but undeniably cool! I'd love to have one.

Matchbox Lesney Morris J2 Pickup Restoration

I'm back working on the cars I enjoy the most today! Bringing back old British bangers from the scrapyard. Today's project is a #60 Morris J2 Pickup. I'd love to see one of these in real life, it's such an interesting little truck.

Anyways onto my little Lesney one. Before:

And after:

Matchbox Volkswagen Saviero Cross Pickup

VW has a habit of making all sorts of interesting vehicles, and then selling them pretty much everywhere except the US. The Saviero Cross is a perfect example of that. Basically a cut down version of the 2 door "Gol" (which itself is a reworked Polo), it has proved to be an incredibly popular vehicle in Brazil. It is priced right around the $20k mark, which I find to be quite reasonable. Who knows, with the popularity of small pickups taking off again here in the States, VW might be able to shift a fair few of these here!

The Matchbox version made its debut in the 2011 mainline, part of the "modern golden age" that Matchbox collectors like to talk about these days. It hasn't been used a lot really, just a handful of times in the mainline and in a few multipacks. This is one of those castings that is quite nice and realistic, but always seems to come to the pegs completely overdone with crazy graphics and colors that cover up the nice model underneath.

So as usual, I decided to take one of those "loud" models, and quiet it down a bit. I think it pulls off the maroon with white wheels well! Drop a line in the comments and let me know what you think.

Matchbox Lesney #50a - Commer Pickup Truck Restoration

I'm back on the vintage Lesney train again, this time with a very cool old Commer pickup. I've been after one of these for a while, and received two into the collection recently! A bi RAOK on one of the diecast forums included one, and now this fresh restoration project.

I thought it was the silver plastic wheel version, but no its actually metal wheels that were painted over!

I tried my best to match the original tan this one came in, knowing that there were several variations on the shade. Not having a real one to compare to, I have no idea how close this tan is. But I like it regardless!

Matchbox Isuzu Amigo Custom

As you may have noticed, I enjoy collecting models of "normal" cars, ones you would see on the road on the way to work every day. Even as a little kid I was that way, one of my favorite cars being the old Matchbox Ford Mondeo casting. Of course, I have my fair share of Ferraris and Lamborghinis and such, but I have always enjoyed those "boring" cars.

And today's custom doesn't get any more boring than an Isuzu Amigo haha. I found it in a flea market scrap heap and gave it a simple repaint. It turned out pretty cool!

Matchbox Ford Transit Mk3 Custom

The humidity is absolutely killing my paint here lately. Something about baking the paint messes with the clear coat for some reason. So I'm having to strip down several of my recent paint jobs. But this one came out ok! Just a simple repaint of a casting I enjoy collecting a lot, the Mk3 Transit.

After:

Lesney #18e Field Car Restoration

Field Car!! This is a fun little casting that I always enjoy. I found this one on eBay missing its roof and spare wheel, but had all 4 tires still in place. It donated the wheels and tires to another cause, but I thought I could give it a second lease on life!

It turned out as something I could definitely envision Lesney making back in the day.

There's only one other Field Car in my collection at this time, a transitional that I restored a couple of years ago:

Lesney #16c - Scammell Snowplow

Here's an old Lesney slowplow that was missing its plow! I decided to just go with it, and not try to replace the plow. Other than the weird splotches that turned up on the bed, I'm happy with it. Might try to go back and spray some metallic silver on the bed or something, I wonder why that happened.

Some other 16c's from my collection: