Car Lamley Group: Matchbox Monday Model of the Day: Audi R8 in blue...

After a fantastic weekend at JCCS, it is back to normal a bit. I have come home with a much deeper appreciation for Japanese car culture, and if I am not careful, this blog could go entirely JDM diecast.

But it won't.

All I need to do is pull out my collection of Aston Martins, Ferraris, Cadillacs, and the like, and I am back on track. One of the great things about collecting 1:64 diecast? The variety. And although I see a heavy emphasis on JDM castings creeping into my collection, I can't ignore all the other awesome stuff.

It is kind of like the bright yellow Ferrari 458 parked right outside the JCCS gate that seemed to say, "Don't forget us!" And I won't. How can I?

The Ferrari keeping watch on the goings on inside at JCCS

Since it is Matchbox Monday, and we want to change gears, at least for a minute, how about one of my favorite MB sports car castings?

I have loved the Audi R8 from the minute it made its debut. The wide stance, the forward crouch, the side blades. I like the fact that it wants to be a daily driver, not just a weekend warrior. I like that it looks good in just about any color, and I like that it has a design open to customization.

And I love the Matchbox version. We have seen several versions, and I am a fan of all of them. This particular version in blue is one of my faves, because A) it is blue, and B) it got the 4-sided tampo treatment. That is a big deal for a $1 mainline, whether it be a HW or MB, because usually a model only gets two passes in the tampo machine.

The R8 presents a tricky situation, because in most cases the blade is a different color than the rest of the car. It gets even trickier because licensers at Audi require that the Audi badge be where it needs to be on the hood of the car, and prefer it on both the front and the rear. Matchbox was able to oblige twice, once in the Superfast series, which is a premium line and gets more tampo passes, and once, surprisingly, in the basic range, when they released an all white version with full front, rear, and side details. We are bound to feature that beauty another time.

All other versions

either had the front and rear printed, or the front and two sides, leaving the rear blank. However, this blue 10-pack version got a modified 4-sided treatment, where the tail lights were printed on the rear, but the logo was absent. No matter, because the model looks great.

Because of the complicated tampo situation, and because Matchbox has done most stock colors of the R8, this is a model we may not see in the range for awhile. That of course makes me sad, but I can at least enjoy the variety Mattel has already produced.

BUT, my dear friends at Mattel, if you want to get creative, and Audi licensers are up for it, throw this peg-jumping color our way (and how good would "LMLYGRP" look on the rear license plate...):