# Toy Diecast: HO or H-No! (3/14 Round 12: Public Works)



## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

After my recent questions about HO cars and trucks I thought maybe it'd be fun to periodically post some scale comparison pics of my Matchbox finds and get some feedback form members about their HO-compatibility. Others are welcome to post pics as well. I'll try and post the toy company's name of the vehicle so others can find them more easily if they wish to purchase one.

Obviously the wheels on most of these will be a sticking point, but I think that by blacking out the chrome in most cases they can be made much less visually jarring. I intend to repaint, touch-up and/or at least weather these before putting them on my layout.

The comparison items are a classic Life-Like pickup, auto and person.

Round 1: Currently available in stores from Matchbox.
-"Tractor"
-"Glass King"
-"Garbage Truck"


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Close enough*

Eilif;

The tractor could just be a large tractor in HO-scale. Tractors come in many sizes, and as a big industrial, or agribusiness model the matchbox tractor would be about the right size. The three trucks are even better. On your next trash collection day, compare the size of a real trash truck to a real pickup truck, or passenger car. I think you will find the proportions very close to those of the models in your photo. And yes, I'd do something about those hubcaps! 

regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

traction fan said:


> Eilif;
> 
> The tractor could just be a large tractor in HO-scale. Tractors come in many sizes, and as a big industrial, or agribusiness model the matchbox tractor would be about the right size. The three trucks are even better. On your next trash collection day, compare the size of a real trash truck to a real pickup truck, or passenger car. I think you will find the proportions very close to those of the models in your photo. And yes, I'd do something about those hubcaps!
> 
> ...


Thanks!
As it happens I was driving behind a garbage truck yesterday and it got me thinking that Chicago garbage trucks are huge and maybe the garbage truck matchbox is a just a smidge bit smaller that it shuold be. Just a smidge though and they do come in different sizes though and I think it will be fine for the layout. Now I've just got to decide whether to paint it with the green WM livery or the light blue Municipal colors. I just saw one that my son has that looks a bit bigger. If I can "borrow" it maybe I can do both!

I've got three of the tractors and as I don't have plans for a farm, I plan to use them as a flatbed load. I see some tractor flatbed loads just about every year around here. I told my son we'd look at some real tractor colors and he can choose which one we go with.

I'll post a few more cars for consideration tomorrow.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I think the garbage truck is a little more than a "smidge too small.....that figure's head should not even come up to the bottom of the drivers side window....as it is now, he can look straight into the cab, and that's not doable on a real garbage truck.....


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Old_Hobo said:


> I think the garbage truck is a little more than a "smidge too small.....that figure's head should not even come up to the bottom of the drivers side window....as it is now, he can look straight into the cab, and that's not doable on a real garbage truck.....


Hmm, that's a good point. 
This is the smallest one I could find and it's still bigger than mine.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/p...-image/103919132?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect

I'll probably still use it, but maybe this one should be tucked halfway behind a building near the back of the layout, or perhaps on a road with some of the smaller cars I've got coming form ali if the sizes line up right.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

*Round 2 Resale Classics.*

Here's a couple from the 80's and 90's that look pretty good. Lucky finds at resale shops, but probably avaialble on ebay relatively affordably if you're willing to buy ones with a bit of wear. I found the Oshkosh just this week.

Round 2 Resale Classics.

1) Matchbox "Nasa Tracking Vehicle": This spot-on camper will probably get a simple repaint to classic Winnebago tan. 

2) Tomica "47 MItsubishi Canter Refuse Truck": Even smaller than the other garbage truck, but might be close to scale as it's a smaller Japaneese vehicle.

3) Hot Wheels "Oshkosh Cement Mixer" Another vehicle that might be too small technically, but would look great in the background, especially in red and white "Ozinga" livery. I had one of these as a kid IIRC.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

*Round 3 Delivery Van Throw-Down.*

Submitted for your approval, three trucks for delivery service.

Round 3 Delivery Van Throw Down.

1) Hot Wheels "Delivery Truck" - First relased in 1977, This one has the appeal of having been released in a really wide variety of liveries, including many actual companies. Somewhat generic design rather than specific prototype but not jarringly so. Might look best on a layout in a livery other than a major shipping company. 

2) MAC FedEx Ground Delivery Truck -This is the most detailed of the three, most accurate to prototype and the largest. Not sure on the scale, though it's larger than HO. It's listed online as 1/64 but it's definitely smaller than that. Still a bit large. Though the windows are on the same level as the Hot Wheels it's got a higher roof. Might make it on my layout some place it isn't next to other vehicles as I really like the look.

3) Matchbox "Express Delivery". Defintitely the closest to HO with more understated wheels and a narrower body than either of the other two. Unfortunatley it's not available in any real-world liveries. It does have a weird large skylight roof, but if you're planning on repainting no one will know. This is probably the one that I'm most likely to paint Brown and include prominently on the layout as a UPS truck.

Lastly I included a picture of driver next to this kind of truck. These are pretty big vehicles and even though it's a possibly-smaller female driver, she's also on a small curb and her chin is still about level with the bottom of the side windows. Does indicate that the Matchbox may be spot-on for HO.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

1/64 cars are always too big for HO, but many times the trucks will work.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

I just figured out what was bothering me about the FedEx Wheel rims. They are not too oversized and the rims are realistic, but they should be white not chrome. I'll definitely repaint them. It's likely that just about every matchbox and hot-wheels truck that ends up on my layout will have the chrome on the tires, completely blacked out or at least heavily weathered/subdued.



mopac said:


> 1/64 cars are always too big for HO, but many times the trucks will work.


I definitely agree. I might do a couple comparisons of cars just for kicks but these comparisons will be nearly all trucks.

Lots more to come!


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

*Round 4. Cement Mixers Mix it Up.*

Three Cemenet Mixers up for today. A pair of classic Peterbilts and a more modern styled version that is available today.

Round 4: Cement Trucks Mix-It-Up!

-Hot Wheels "Peterbilt Cement Mixer". A classic toy from the 80's. The Same Chassis is availalbe as a tank truck and dump.
-Matchbox "Peterbilt (Cement Mixer)" This one lasted from the 80's into the early 2000's and is also available in other versions such as semi cab, wrecker, dump and tank. It has a molded in driver also.
-Matchbox "Cement Mixer" In production since 2006 and easy to find. Though 2 axle cement trucks are less common, there are plenty real-life vehicles that are quite similar to this truck even though it doesn't seem to have a specific prototype.

I like the look of the Peterbilts and with that basic boxy profile still being in production today there's a huge range of years for which it could be suitable. The Matchbox example has more detail and a better sized on the cab, but the hotwheels example has the proportionally larger and better detailed mixer. Perhaps a kitbash of the two is in order. 

I'll probably use the Matchbox Peterbilt and if so will defintely break it open to paint the driver. I'm not ruling out the generic Matchbox either though. The proportions and details are quite good and I like the paint scheme especially as "Crete" is an actual town nearby Chicago.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

*Round 5: Dump Trucks*

Submitted for your approval. 3 Dump Trucks

1) Off-Brand small dump truck (possibly Maisto?)
2) Vintage Hot Wheels Oshkosh Snow Plow. I lost the plow years ago unfortunately. Later versions had plastic cab and stupid shiny-rim street wheels, but this one is the more realistic earlier version
3) Matchbox "Highway Maintenance Truck" also knowna s the "Plow Master 6000" comes with or without a plow. This one has a listed scale of 1:83.

Not much to say about these three. They all look pretty good to me.


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## PhillipL (May 5, 2012)

I think they are all great! It is your railroad, set it up the way you like it! I have German buildings and vehicles on mine. I love the way they look and I am happy with it.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Thanks!
Originally I was going to put everything on there regardless, but I've had such good luck finding aprox HO-scale trucks that now I'm thinking I'll lean somewhat toward stuff that is close to what I see around here in Chicago.

I do like the euro style trucks though. Waay too many hours playing eurotruck Simulator 2 has made me regret passing up those euro-semi tractors I saw in the bargain bin.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

*Round 6: Ali Express Model Cars.*

Now for something a bit different. I recently ordered samples of 3 different car lines from Ali Express. The first two are available from many different dealers on Ali or Ebay in various quantities and prices. They come out to around 20-50 cents each.

So What's in the pictures...
1- These are called 1:75 scale cars. These might be slightly bigger than accurate. Definitely full sized cars, but they don't look bad at all. Simple design but cleanly cast with simple but neat paint job. Wheels are molded onto the floor piece.
2- These are labeled as 1:100 scale cars. These might be just a smidge smaller than accurate but their size makes them suitable as compact cars. The plastic casting could use a clean-up on some of these and some of the paint isn't as neat as it should be. At 20 cents each or less, I'm willing to do a bit of cleanup. Same molded on wheels.
3,4- These two Audi's were not given a scale label but I took a chance on them anyway. They are spot on perfect for HO size and have the best detail of the three. Nice cast, nice paint, and separate rubber wheels though they do have annoying pull-back motors that I might remove. Only two audi's are currently avaialble but apparently the line formerly included another Audi and 3 Benz's. Not a bad deal at $1.40 each shipped
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/201...32487435599.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.VQcs4j
5,6,7- I included some additional pictures comparing them in different combinations.

In my estimation The Audi's are great. As for the Ali Cheapos, The smallest ones will probably be used more than the larger just because of scale but as long as I don't place them next to each other I might be able to use both. The size of any of these are preferable to the regular Hot Wheels and Matchbox passenger cars which are usually close to 1/64,

One last point, The red 1:100 car is the worst of the 10 of that scale that I received as far as the fitting of the bottom and top and the windows. However, at least 3 of those had window pieces that will require you to open the car up (easy to do) and separate the rear window from the rest if you want all the window segments to fig neatly in place.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

*Round 7 Transit/Sprinter style vans.*

A trio of Vans for your consideration today.

1- Matchbox "Renault Master Ambulance" A bit of fudging would be necessary to have this vehicle on a US layout, but the size is darn close and it is very similar to similar vans available in the US. Much more realistic wheels than many other toy cars.

2- Matchbox "Ford Transit". Again a not far off for size, though the overall height of this might be closer to the size of a high-celing models in true HO scale. 

3- Van of unknown manufacture from resale shop. I like the look of this one for some reason, though it isn't even the best of the batch.

At least two of these will probabaly make it onto my layout though I'd probably repaint the ford. The stock paint isn't bad, but you see most of these in plain colors like white around here.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

*Round 8 Cheap Container Trucks and other too-smalls.*

A few items up today. They're all clearly too small, but I put them up in case folks are curious about them or are looking for some background items. Picked up a Model Power Kenworth 600 recently. Not going to retake all the pics, but going forward it will be a comparison item with bigger trucks.

AliExpress/Ebay 1:100 "HO" Container Truck. If this were a box truck it could pass as a smaller model of truck, but with a container on the back it's clearly too small. The mitigating factor is that the detail is pretty good, they are less than $2 and full size container trailer versions are also available. If someone wants to add a background container yard scene it's entirely doable right now at a shockinly low price.

Matchbox "The Londoner" MB17 Double Decker bus. A real classic. Much too small but good fun.

Matchbox "Oshkosh Extending Ladder Fire engine". An ok modern engine and nice that it has a prototype basis, but again too small with mediocre detail.

Matchbox "Scraper". More of the same. This one's probably closer to N than HO. Some folks might find it usefull as the detail is pretty good and a construction scene is probably one of the easiest background scenes to do.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

This time it's a big one folks!

Round 9 Semi Tractor Showdown!
The comparison Tractor is a Model Power Kenworth 600.

1)Maisto, from the Highway Haulers collection (white). A rather nice one.

2)Hotwheels Peterbilt (orange). A bit small and short on detail but it gets the point across. This one is was originally a dump but I include it as it makes a fine tractor if you place a trailer in back. There was also a proper tractor version with sleeper cab and separate exhausts. 

3)A ppears to be a "road champs" or some other common cheap semi (Black). Not bad for background but not great

4)Hot Wheels Semi (yellow). Not sure what exact model is but it was part of the "Long Haulers" series for a while. Oversized hitch but it's a nice size overall. I'm going to do some further research on this one. Post-dates the Mattel acquistion of Matchbox as it has matchbox style wheels.

5)Matchbox "Kenworth" (red): A classic, pretty good sized with good detail and available in many paint schemes. I like this one!

6)Matchbox "Long Haul" (green): Another classic, this one from the 70's. Horn mount is a bit chunky but it might still find it's way into the background of my layout.

7)Matchbox "Peterbilt" (yellow). Like the Kenworth two pics up this one is well done with good detail and avaialble in a wide variety of paint schemes.

8)Hot Wheels (green). Another one that appears to be originally a dump but similar tractor models also exist. Nice size and detail. Will do more research to find name.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Haven't posted one of these in a while so here goes.

Round 10: Transport trucks.

6 Transport Vehicles of various types for you today. 

1- Matchbox "Volvo Container Truck". This one looks almost spot on for size and even if it's not specifically a common USA vehicle, COE box trucks are pretty common over here. Interestingly, this truck was offered in US and Euro liveries.









2-Imported no-name-brand truck. Good size for a large box truck, but mediocre detail and poor wheels. I include this one mostly as a curiosity that I purchased on ebay or AliExpress (for about $2.50 shipped.) It comes in a wide variety of types on the same chassis. With blacked out wheels and some paint it could be great cheap filler for a distribution center.

















3-Matchbox "Pit King". Nicely sized generic COE low dump. Currently available, though some of the earlier versions have better looking wheels. This one will definitely end up on my layout albeit in a plainer color.









4- Generic slat sided flatbed truck. A toy from my childhood and one that I see once in a while on other's layouts. 









5- Playart flat bed truck. Classic and nicely sized.









6- Matchbox "Aqua King". This one might be a bit small for HO, but could still be usefull.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Round 11 Wreckers and Repair Vehicles.

Matchbox "GMC Wrecker". The hook isn't accurate sized, but should make it easy to have it positioned towing a car.  The size is good and it's avaialble in many different paint schemes.









Hot Wheels "Ramblin' Wrecker"  Mines a bit beat-up.  Scale isn't bad, but perhaps a bit big.









Matchbox "Urban Tow Truck". COE tows aren't common in the US, but it's a nice look and a good size.









Matchbox "Isuzu Flatbed Truck". I love this one. though I may end up doing away with the ramp mechanism and make it into a plain flat.  Not too common though as it only was avaialble from 2000-2002.









Hot Wheels "Rig Wrecker" a bit compressed in length but the cab size is good for HO.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Round 12
A variety of public works vehicles today.

Matchbox "Peterbilt Wreck Truck" Should have been in the earlier wrecker post but I just got it. Like the other matchbox Peteribilts, it's perhaps just a smidge small, but more than workable. I'd proabably repaint though and modify the hooks.









Matchbox "MBX Street Cleaner". Very usefull city vehicle. 









Matchbox "Mack Auxillary Power Truck" Nice as is, but it's a great boxy shape that could be repainted into any number of municipal repair vehicles.









Matchbox "GMC Bucket Truck". Really like this kind of vehicle for the mini-scene potential. Definitely needs a worker in the bucket working on somethign eleveated.  I just picked up the very similar, earlier "Ford Utility Truck" but I haven't taken a picture yet.










 Matchbox "Chevy Transport Bus" Whether delivering passengers to the airport or octegenarians to the VFW for bingo, every town needs a couple of these. I've got another that I recently finsihed stripping the paint from and adding some detail. Posted it somewhere around here.


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