I can remember (sort of) when diecast cars and trucks really started picking up steam and gaining wildly in popularity. Back in the early '90s I was in a transition mode, switching from HO scale model railroading to 3-rail O-gauge trains. Then I started to slowly get interested in toys in general. This was great because by the mid-'90s you had all these companies coming out with some really nice diecast vehicles to plop down on our O-gauge pikes. You couldn't even walk into the supermarket without there being a display of diecast toys right up front. It became so pervasive that the last 'Great American Train Show' (GATS) I attended here in Vegas I derisively called the 'Great American Diecast Car and Truck Show' - there were few trains to be seen in the hall.
Which brings me to this set. Many of the diecast offerings were becoming expensive and I just wanted something to put on my portable train layout on the cheap. One of the local hobby shops had a counter display with these inexpensive ($2.50 each) cars and trucks. This set of six trucks represents one each of the different markings available in that display and, I believe, this may have been the first offerings for this truck by 'SS'. I have since seen these very same trucks in other colors and different markings. Each one is loosely based on the 1930 Ford Model A truck. The truck beds sit a tad too high (required to accomodate the pull-back friction motor) but overall they're a decently close match to the Ford - like we say here, "Good enough for government work!" :-) There was one panel van with the remainder being stakebed trucks. In the coming days we'll be featuring each truck separately and then I hope to feature the cars. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina
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