Cool is Cool is Cool: Greenlight 1968 Chevrolet C10 Cheyenne with Camper...

No, we don't feature a lot of Greenlight here.  We have heard from a lot of you about that, and we probably don't have a sufficient reason as to why that is.

But then again, when you think about it there are a lot of diecast lines we haven't featured.  Have you ever seen M2?  Or Jada?  Or in the last while Tomica basic?  Not a lot of Majorette either.  And maybe we should.  Like we said, we don't have any reason why other than there are not many of those models in the Lamley collection.

But there are some un-ignorable exceptions.  A couple of months ago we featured the undeniably cool vintage wagons that popped up in the Auto World lineup, as well as the yacht-tastic AW Cadillac Coupe DeVilles.  We may bypass Auto World's plethora of Mustangs and Camaros, but those models were impossible to pass up.  And there are more coming.

The same goes for Greenlight.  There is no denying the quality of Greenlight models.  The detail on many rival the best of 1:64.  But once again, the dominance of so many models that we have seen before, a la Mustangs and Camaros, dulls most excitement about them, at least around here.  I personally have always admired the police lines, as the liveries are real police departments, and the castings fantastic.  But collecting those means opening a whole new chunk of space I don't have.

But like the yachts of Auto World, there are the occasional models that must be picked up, and Greenlight's Chevy C10 Camper was a no-brainer.  It is undoubtedly a Cool is Cool is Cool model.

We don't have to explain why.  Campers are cool.  Wait, I should clarify.  Not all camping machines are cool.  RV's are nice, but not cool, and the UK's caravans are cool only when Top Gear is dealing with them.  But campers?  Pure nostalgic cool.

Wait.  Let's clarify again.  Campers on a 2014 S-10?  Not cool.  Campers on a '68 C10, or on this Ford like we encountered on Saturday?  Crazy cool.

If I hearken back to the days of Toughskins and wood-paneled wagons and family vacations, thoughts of passing campers is automatic.  Never set foot in one, wandering the West like we did meant seeing a lot of campers.

So thanks a ton to Greenlight for celebrating the camper, and kudos to a great C10 casting, which is one of our favorite classic trucks.  Lamley readers know we get giddy for vintage trucks, and with a camper on top?  Super giddy.  And, whether it was on purpose or not, a vintage truck with a camper that looks like it is too heavy for the bed?  Super-duper giddy.

(You can find the camper-topped Greenlights on ebay...)


Greenlight 1968 Chevrolet C10 Cheyenne with Camper:

First Look: Hot Wheels Zamac '13 Camaro Special Edition, Chevy Silverado, and the two molds of the Toyota AE86...

We are out our local Walmart's mercy when it comes to the Zamacs.  Sometimes they arrive in droves, sometimes they don't arrive at all.  The last batch of 2013, with the Aventador J, never made it to our area.

The latest batch has taken its sweet time to arrive around here, but I finally encountered it in a dump bin in a small rural town while traveling.  So, after they have technically been out for a couple of weeks, we finally have the Zamac Camaro, Silverado, and AE86 Corolla to show.

And we will start with the Toyota AE86, for a specific reason.  A few months ago, a HWC member discovered some slight changes between two of the Corollas he had picked up.  The general details were the same, but one casting appeared to be a little more crisp than the other.  We figured the Zamac version with its exposed metal, was the best way to check it out.  And sure enough, among the few I saw in the bin, were two different molds:

We are assuming the mold on top is older, on the bottom is new.

A better look.

New:

Old:

So how we determining the old and new molds?  Just based on the crispness of the details.  Look above at the front side markers and gas cap.  And if you need more details, here are some comparison pics.  The differences become clear, but yes, you have to look closely:

So considering there is an updated mold, we will keep the new version.  And it looks good as a Zamac.  It will look even better sitting next to the Scion FR-S that will match it in a couple of months.

Moving on, there is less to say about the two Chevys, the '13 Camaro Special Edition and Silverado.  Hot Wheels has selected some great models for the 2014 Walmart Zamac line, and these two are no exception.  We have undoubtedly had a few too many 5G Camaros as Zamacs in the last two years, but of the four (yes four!), I like this one the best:

The six 2014 Walmart Zamacs so far:

Cool is Cool is Cool: Hot Wheels classic pickups in red, including the just-released Datsun 620...

We thought we would start a new series here on Lamley.  

Cool is Cool is Cool.

There are some models, whether from Hot Wheels or Matchbox or Tomica or Kyosho or wherever, that have to classified as cool.  Of course that is completely arbitrary, but we hope you are catching our jive.

Top Gear always spends a segment or two trying to figure out what cars are cool, and it opens up quite a barrage of debate.  The same could be said for the mini versions.  There is really no way to define what is cool, but we do it anyway.

In the minicar world, cool could just be the real car it represents, or maybe the way the mini version is altered to make it cool.  Maybe it is the scene it represents, or whatever.  Cool is cool.

Here is an example:

Look at these two Lamborghini Sesto Elementos:

The gunmetal grey is mean, menacing, and looks as close to the real show car as Hot Wheels can do.  But the Sesto Elemento, like the Veneno, is clearly uncool.  Most supercars fall into the same category.  Amazing machines, a little over-the-top, driven by people in True Religion jeans.  Not cool.

But take that gunmetal grey Lambo and go nuts on the color, making it matte white with bright green trim, and...BINGO!!  Supercool!  Argue with me all you want, but the white Sesto is far cooler than the grey.

But this post isn't about the Lambo.  We thought the best way to start this series was by using it to show our first images of the just-released new color on the Hot Wheels Datsun 620 Pickup.

This isn't a Lamley exclusive, as Japanese Nostalgic Car rightfully previewed it last week.  (It is after all their logo on the rear panel.)  But its release is the perfect opportunity to highlight the plethora of cool classic red pickups Hot Wheels has given us in the last few years.

Pickups aren't even called pickups these days.  They are called "Trucks", usually described in commercials by the most masculine of masculine voices.  Blah.  These are spectacular machines, able to carry big rocks through mud in slow motion while towing space shuttles, and I am sure they get the job done.  But they are a complete bore.

We love pickups.  Pickups are cool.  The folks at Hot Wheels know this, and have given us some gems.  And whether they ride low, or high, or whether they have chin spoilers, or are racing versions, or come from an 80's cop show, these are all a joy to have.  (We will admit the Macho Power Wagon might be better described as a truck, but bear with us.  We are having fun with our descriptions.)

Our lineup:

Datsun 620 (2014 Mainline)

Studebaker Champ (2011 Mainline)

Dodge Li'l Red Express (2012 Mainline)

Chevy Silverado (2012 Decades)

Chevy C10 (2013 Mainline)

Ford F-150 (Walmart Exclusive)

Toyota Pickup (2012 Hot Ones)

Dodge Macho Power Wagon (2014 Retro Entertainment)

How is that for a mix?  Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, and Datsun/Nissan all represented, and throw in a Studebaker for good measure.  Over a period of just a few years, Hot Wheels has churned out some fantastic pickups, and yes, they are all cool.

Let's start with the Datsun.  After looking stock in orange and blue, the 620 returns with a more sporty outfit, looking sharp in red with gold-lipped MC5 wheels.  While blue remains our favorite, we love the variety.  Since most of you are here to see the Datsun, here you go:

Hot Wheels Datsun 620 (Mainline recolor):

We don't need to spend a ton of time on the others, but know that each of these was taken from the Lamley collection.  If there was one to focus on, however, it would definitely be the '63 Studebaker Champ.  While the Silverado, C10, Toyota, Li'l Red Express, and to a certain extent, Macho Power Wagon, seem like a perfect match with Hot Wheels, the Studebaker was a complete surprise.

Hot Wheels will always throw an obscure vehicle or two into various lines, and the Champ is a perfect example.  This hauler wasn't around long, only from 1960 to 1964, and not nearly as well-known today as other classic pickups.  But it is a Hot Wheels car because one of the Mattel team members created it as a tribute to father-figure in his life, whose last project before passing away was restoring a '63 Champ.  That pickup was apparently being colored aqua, and that is what the model was recolored a little later in the year.

There are probably many stories behind why a certain model was created, and I hope we can hear more.  That little tidbit itself makes this an interesting model, but we also love how it got the Hot Wheels treatment - lowered, with a bed-cover, and placed on blacked-out 5-spoke wheels.  They even gave it front and rear tampos.  A classic pickup with a super-sporty, sleek look:

Now couple those first two with these other red delights.  Ryu Asada's Chevy C10 (which we cannot wait to see more of soon), Jun Imai's '83 Silverado, which will be a Super TH in a few months, the Dodge Li'l Red Express, '87 Toyota (also a Jun Imai creation), Sam Walton's Ford F-150 (definitely a model we hope to see more of), and the completely wild Dodge Macho Power Wagon from Retro Entertainment:

There is always room in the Lamley Collection for pickups.  Trucks might have a little harder time getting through the gates.  After all, cool is cool is cool...