TOW-ter, don't MO-ter, with an Airstream

In 1937, 400 trailer manufacturers were competing against each other — Airstream survived the Great Depression and World War II, and is, in fact, the only one on that list still in business today.

Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, great-great grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, was a good pal of Wally Byam, the Airstream’s inventor and, unsurprisingly, wanted a larger model. Called the Airstream Commodore Vanderbilt, it was the first 30-footer style manufactured. This was back in 1955, 3 are still known to exist.
http://www.ourstate.com/airstream/

Out Of Doors Mart in North Carolina is the oldest Airstream dealership still in business, http://www.outofdoorsmart.com/

http://www.solidsmack.com/design/american-retro-caravans-a-refresh-on-vintage-airstream-design/

40' Airstream coming to auction, it's a pair of 20 footers stitched together

Believed to be 1 of 5 in public possession
 Mounted onto 50 foot flatcar for railroad service
 Dismounted from flatcar in 1989
 Restored by Timeless Travel Trailers

https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail/DN0615-215789/0/1962-Western-Pacific-40-Airstream/

First Look: The models of Greenlight Hitch & Tow Series 2...

We really can't get enough of the Hitch & Tow.

And we are not alone.  We have heard from a large number of you guys telling us how much you like the Hitch & Tow Series as well.  It is clear that Greenlight has put a lot of thought into it, and the results so far have been fantastic.  Such a wide array of models, some representing a good family road trip of yesteryear, others weekend warriors of today.  And the variety continues with Series 3:

The four trailers remain consistent, and only the Dodge Ram is held over from the first two sets.  And with the Dodge D-100 and '77 Chevy Van joining the Monaco, Bronco, C10, and Impala from the first two sets, the variety is top notch.

And here is the thing.  While we have enjoyed jumping headfirst into Greenlight, it can be a bit overwhelming.  Muscle and Hot Pursuit and Black Bandits and Country Roads and on and on.  But some of the best variety might just be in Hitch & Tow.  Admittedly, Hitch & Tow, along with Country Roads, is probably the line most similar to the offerings of Tomica Limited Vintage, so that is why it might strike our fancy here at Lamley.  Street cars in street clothes.  The green Monaco, for example, seems to fit very nicely next to a vintage Toyota Crown.  We should have taken pics.  (We will later.)

And outside of the Dodge Ram (a nice model, but it doesn't hold our interest), these models hold their own so well, attached to a trailer or not.  The Monaco is road boating at its best, the orange C10, with those wheels, looks like C10's we still pass by, and that Bronco is straight-up beautiful.

Then you add the trailers, and you have one of the best diecast sets around.

But one complaint.  Greenlight could work on the quality of some of these.  The Dodge Ram came with a broken hitch, and the hinge of the door of the enclosed hauler broke the first time we opened and closed it.  For models that look this good, the quality should always match.

Other than that, we are thrilled with these.  Here are some of the pics we took, and as usual we could not help adding some Tomica Limited Vintage models, this time the TLV Prince Gloria (some of which you can find at Japan Booster.)  Enjoy...

(All the Hitch & Tow Series 2 sets are available at Wheel Collectors.)

Greenlight Hitch & Tow Series 2:

1969 C-10 Truck & Flatbed Trailer

2014 Dodge RAM 1500 & Enclosed Car Hauler

1967 Ford Bronco & Small Cargo Trailer

1974 Dodge Monaco & Airstream 16' Bambi

Anyone else excited for the Greenlight Hitch & Tow Series Airstream Trailer?

We have made somewhat clear that we don't get too excited about Greenlight.  Sometimes it is hard to figure out why one might collect one brand, and ignore another.  Greenlight focuses on realism, just like my favorite brand Tomica Limited Vintage, so it seems like Greenlight would be right down my alley.

But it has never really excited me.  It could be because they are usually bigger than the other 1:64 brands I collect, or maybe the plethora of overdone Mustang and Camaro castings, or possibly the fact that the quality of the design seems to be inconsistent.  The proportions sometimes seem a bit...off.

That happens with other brands too.  Johnny Lightning had that problem, and we had the same opinion as we do about Greenlight.  Kyosho can swing and miss quite a bit as well.

But Greenlight got our attention when they introduced the Hitch & Tow Series, with 1:64 trailers that appear to be on par with the best 1:64 models out there.  The first three:

(photos from the Greenlight Flickr page)

While only the C10 strikes our fancy (See what we mean about Greenlight being inconsistent?  Jeep - great.  Dodge Ram - a little...off.), all three of those trailers look superb.

And as nice as those were, Greenlight really got our attention with the unveiling of these:

Yes, the Monaco and Impala are great models (really great, actually), but it is ALL about the Airstream.  Call it a trailer, call it a caravan, call it whatever, just as long as you acknowledge how blisteringly cool that Airstream is.

The Airstream trailer is iconic for many reasons, tapping into my nostalgic side, or my vehicle-loving side, or my road-loving side, and especially my design-side.  Spend 10 minutes at the Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona, and you will be an Airstream lover as well.  And that Greenlight version appears to be the best mini-version there is.  It may be the only 1:64 version, as far as I know.

That, friends, is as must-have as any model released this year, and we can't wait to get our hands on it.  (Some are pre-selling them on eBay.)  We just might need to construct some tow hooks for some of the TLV collection.

Anyone else excited about this one as well?

And yes, the other sets coming in this series are worth getting as well: