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Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
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Mobius
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
It's great a company has decided to include real world emotions in its adverts.

Although those kids scare the crap out of me. If grownup Americans can shoot Brits not on purpose, I fear for the future of Clarkson.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
07/16/09

@Mobius_1000_Club: Practice makes perfect.
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combat chuck
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
I get the point of the ads (I think), but if you gave my kid a military chopper and actually let him fly it and, you know, blow stuff up, you wouldn't be able to wipe the smile off his face for a month.
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bzr
07/16/09

@combat chuck: In fact, if you gave me a military chopper and let me blow stuff up, you wouldn't be able to wipe the smile off my face. Also, nice comment/avatar synergy there.
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muhnkee_2 - Avantime Owner and 100% Jaloper
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
can i just take this chance to say that the new viewing format is very frustrating..

is there anyway to look at the pictures in 800x600 or full size and then scroll from one to another?
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BaconSandwich and the generic grey civic of doom
07/16/09

@muhnkee_2 - jaloping from sunny sao paulo: I'm not sure, but removing the /gallery/ at the end of the URL seems to help a bit
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Blue387
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
That kid on the Abrams is wearing the old chocolate-chip BDU camouflage from the Gulf War. The army now uses ACU if they wanted to be more accurate. Also, the F-16 kid has a F-14 patch and should be wearing his mask because the oxygen is too thin at high altitudes. And there should be two kids in the Apache, one in back and one in front.

/nerd
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Edited by Blue387 at 07/16/09 10:28 AM Blue387 was starred Blue387 was unstarred

engineerd
07/16/09

@Blue387: Thank you.
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SigmundTheSeaMonster
07/16/09

@Blue387: LOL..
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
Somedays, maybe that's all you can be.

" depressed, homesick, lonely cogs in a war machine out of control."
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Tanshanomi
07/16/09

@Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet: Remove the word "war" and that's the career most kids have to look forward to, anyway.
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B1663R
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
the kid in the jet was probably just told that a puppy, much like Lassie, was just run over in the studio parking lot.

stupid matchbox taking the fun out of war. who the hell do they think they are? see if i buy my kids any cheap matchbox cars...

HOTWHEELS FTW!!1!!!!111!
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Bauhaus
07/16/09

@B1663R: Funny thing, though: they're both owned by Mattel now. So it's a little like saying, "Buick is TEH SUCK -- Chevy FTW!!!"
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pauljones
07/16/09

@Bauhaus: Tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum in 3...2...3...
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Flagrant German Fanboy
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
Good idea, the kid in the chopper made me chuckle for sure, but they certainly took a rather excessively dystopian outlook on this for sure.

... What happened to the days of just regular old car models?

*hugs die cast Peugeot 206 model to feel better*
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pauljones
07/16/09

@Flagrant German Fanboy: Seriously!

Back in the day (in the late 80's/early 90's), we didn't have this crap! We had Hot Wheels Corvettes, Tonka Toys, and Legos. Real Legos. The kind that just came in a box and you could build whatever you wanted with, no instructions necessary.

And you know what we built? Nothing in particular!

But we did it with honor!

And then we used the Tonkas to bulldoze whatever we built.

Damn kids and their fancy-pants Star Wars legos, Matchbox F-16s, and Nintendos.
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Flagrant German Fanboy
07/16/09

@pauljones: Ah yes, Legos and Matchbox cars that you could actually see on the street! ... I have an '82 Mustang LX model, for christ sake! Where did they all go?
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pauljones
07/16/09

@Flagrant German Fanboy: They went the way of baseball and turned into a bunch steroidal crap.
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Almostbanned
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
I'm gonna go against the grain here and say that I think they're pretty badass.
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SirNotAppearing
07/16/09

@Almostbanned: I'm with you. Kids aren't inundated with 24-hour news and violent movies that document the horrors of war. Boys fantasize about epic battles, carefully placing each green or tan army man before blowing them up. If I were 10 again, this would totally speak to me.
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scroggzilla raids again
07/16/09

@SirNotAppearing, now w/ 82% more aborted scripts: I believe the following should speak to your inner, admittedly sociopathic, 10 year old.
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SirNotAppearing
07/16/09

@SCROGGS!!!: OK, truth time. When I was 12 I went to this camp in the mountains of NC that had different electives, one of them was "gun education." We were taught how to safely handle the guns (old bolt action .22s, mostly) and then we set up about $50 worth of army men on the range, broke up into two teams and sniped each other's army men. Each team was allowed to call in "support" once (a shotgun). That may be the highlight of my childhood.
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MechaMunch
07/16/09

@SirNotAppearing, now w/ 82% more aborted scripts:

Jealous. Allover. Hell, I would do that NOW with a big grin on my face.
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Edited by MechaMunch at 07/16/09 11:08 AM MechaMunch was starred MechaMunch was unstarred

SirNotAppearing
07/16/09

@MechaMunch: I'll bring the army men, you bring the guns.
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ThreeLitre
07/16/09

@SirNotAppearing, now w/ 82% more aborted scripts: that's WAY better than my summer camp. All we got were paper targets. And certainly no shotguns. Stupid hippies.
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Plecostomus [Tyrrell]
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
It's too realistic.

Much like our troops, this kid doesn't look like he's having any fun.
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lilwillie
07/16/09

@fuzzy plecoroom:

Depends on who you talk to, my brother is living the dream over there.
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beercheck
07/16/09

@lilwillie heart clicks GM: Yep. Loads of military friends (all the way up to a full bird colonel), and only one, who's fulfilled her reserve commitment and has been out for two years, is bitter. The rest are generally enjoying the work and believe in the cause.
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lilwillie
07/16/09

@beercheck - Commentin' Dirty:

The case with my brother, four years USMC, one year out and iit drove him nuts that he wasn't going back over, he is with the Guard now doing Security for Officers, then he wants in with a PMC.

And the money he has made, holy cow.
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Ash Clutchem, Pokey Master
07/16/09

In reply to Matchbox Trains Kids To Fight Wars They Don't Believe In
Wow, considering the plight of child soldiers worldwide, I find these ads to be a little ethnocentric. I see where they're going with the young boys and their daydreams and such, but it's almost like if Barbie did ads with little girls dressed as hookers.
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pauljones
07/16/09

@Ash78: You mean there was a time when Barbie wasn't dressed like a hooker?

I'm not normally the bleeding heart type, but watching my little cousin grow up with her Barbie dolls right now is already enough to disgust me. She tells me that she wants to grow up to be like her Barbie doll, and is already trying to get her mother to buy her halter tops, etc.

Oh, and she's seven years old.
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Ash Clutchem, Pokey Master
07/16/09

@pauljones: It's happening at the other end of the spectrum, too. I saw a teenage guy walk into Subway with his girlfriend the other day and didn't thing anything of it. Then I realized it was his mom.

Hey, I'm not a proponent of "Mom Jeans" or anything, but I think there's something to the idea of dressing for your "rank"--little girls should look like little girls, moms should look like moms, and everyone in between is welcome to look like a hooker if they want.
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Bauhaus
07/16/09

@Ash78: Aw, you beat me to it. I had the same thought, partly because Matchbox is now owned by Mattel, the company that also owns Hot Wheels and {trumpet fanfare} Barbie.
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mytdawg
07/16/09

@pauljones: I'm a little torn on the whole Barbie thing. My mother was an old time militant feminist and she detests the things and won't allow them in her house. I believe a toy is just a toy until other influences create problems. I don't believe that Barbie, in and of herself, creates sluts. Lord knows there's a lot worse products out there (ever seen Bratz?).

Barbie was originally created by a woman by the name of Ruth Handler who was (and last I knew still is) quite successful. Also happens to be married to the guy that developed Hot Wheels.

Back when that toy was originally developed toys had a life expectancy of a couple model years and then it would be over. Between the two of them they've created a couple toys that have lasted generations. Virtually unheard of before they did it.

So while Barbie may be a floozy, with the right perspective, it's somewhat admirable and that's the part that some people miss. But it's just my opinion, I could be wrong...
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Edited by mytdawg at 07/16/09 10:34 AM mytdawg was starred mytdawg was unstarred

pauljones
07/16/09

@mytdawg: I agree with you to a certain extent; it's not the Barbie dolls themselves that are the problem, it's the social influence behind them. Ruth Handler may never have intended for it to happen, but quite honestly, Barbie has become a social sex symbol, and has subtly influenced the norms of what is considered attractive for young women today. Sadly, Barbie dolls will probably never lose that image and that symbolism. And as long as that is so, then I pity young girls growing up in the modern world.
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scroggzilla raids again
07/16/09

@mytdawg: Gentlemen, Jezebel is two doors down on the left.
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Ash Clutchem, Pokey Master
07/16/09

@mytdawg: Absolutely right--nothing inherently wrong with the toy. It's when people lose the line between fantasy and reality and start thinking she's supposed to represent real people. Can you imagine if male comic book artists were responsible for little girls' dolls. Oh, boy...

Anyway, interesting side story from the BBC a few months back. It takes the Barbie proportions and applies them visually to a real model:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7920962.stm
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mytdawg
07/16/09

@SCROGGS!!!: Hey, I'm secure enough in my manhood to discuss dolls... Phhht :-P
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pauljones
07/16/09

@SCROGGS!!!: I know, I know. I'm going all bleeding heart here.

But, quite honestly, as a boy, I just took it all for granted. When it came to middle school and all the girls started wearing halter tops and miniskirts just when I hit puberty, I didn't see anything wrong with it. Hell, even up through high school I didn't see what the fuss was.

It's not until you see a little girl in your family grow up that you understand the potential problems of the rampant over-sexualization in contemporary society.

/Stepping down from soapbox now.
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mytdawg
07/16/09

@Ash78: What a life size Barbie might look like...
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Dhillaz 2.0
07/16/09

@pauljones: Trust me: girls playing with dolls is a lot safer than them "growing up" too early.

Dressing a Barbie in revealing clothing is a million miles away from dressing yourself in them.

@mytdawg: I think I read somewhere that a real Barbie would be over 7 feet tall.
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mytdawg
07/16/09

@Dhillaz 2.0: I will use any excuse to post Bettie.
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joneez wants the clunkers he paid for
04/26/09

In reply to Life Imitates Art, 80s Style: Shot Wheels Cars
Hmmm... where have I seen the Lemlin before?

Oh yea, Bucky Fuller's Dymaxion!

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A strolling player
04/26/09

@Awww fer f*cks sake joneez!: I would kill for a Fuller Dymaxion. No shit.
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joneez wants the clunkers he paid for
04/26/09

@Strooooolling the Jalopplayer: Also reminds me of the Stout Scarab.

[jalopnik.com]
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A strolling player
04/26/09

@Awww fer f*cks sake joneez!: Shit yeah! I had a book as a kid that featured the Scarab in some way. I always thought that was awesome. Now think 911 turbo transplant. Mmm.
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Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
04/26/09

@Strooooolling the Jalopplayer:

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SmaartAasSaabr
04/26/09

@Awww fer f*cks sake joneez!: or even better[upload.wikimedia.org]
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joneez wants the clunkers he paid for
04/26/09

@SmaartAasSaabr: Nice! How about one of these?

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MushyHeirloom
04/27/09

@Awww fer f*cks sake joneez!: I'd take a real one first, but sure wouldn't turn that down!
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Leeeeena the Jalopchick
04/26/09

In reply to Life Imitates Art, 80s Style: Shot Wheels Cars
This reminds me of the guy selling model car wrecks in bonsai arrangements. It was pretty fantastic stuff; just check out some of his work!

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.357
04/26/09

@Leeeeena the Jalopchick: So, drinking and driving doesn't work in miniature scale either?
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Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
04/26/09

@Leeeeena the Jalopchick: Awesome- I guess I'd have to supply my own scale ambulance and/or coroner, huh?

A sort-of related idea, 1:18-scale PCHs:

[junkyardjewels.com]

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MushyHeirloom
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: I saw a mass-produced half-finished project Golden Hawk once. I wanted it pretty badly.
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Leeeeena the Jalopchick
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: Didn't Murilee do something like that too? The level of detail on these is really magnificent!

BTW, the bonsai crash guy does custom orders, so you could almost certainly get an ambulance (at the same scale) through him. I bet it wouldn't even cost too much if you don't ask him to crashify it :)
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A strolling player
04/26/09

@FuzzyPlushroomanyte: You find that for me, and buy that for me, and I will personally fly you down for Laissez les Crapheaps Roulez*.

* maybe not
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Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
04/26/09

@Leeeeena the Jalopchick: Yup, that would be this:
[jalopnik.com]

An awe-inspiring job. I've got an AMT Duster I plan on doing in a similiar PCH style, with a scale 340 on a scratchbuilt tripod chainfall, a pair of scale cinderblocks for the front, etc... but with my skills, I know I'll be disappointed. If I could find a scale-model slant6 to throw in the "weeds" nearby, so much the better, but I suspect I'd have to pay collector price for an old Johan Valiant kit- in which case, I'd just build that.

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MushyHeirloom
04/27/09

@Strooooolling the Jalopplayer: It was this one, with a little diorama around it. Except cheaper, in stock, and through a catalog.

Beautiful, ain't it?
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MushyHeirloom
04/27/09

@FuzzyPlushroomanyte: </a>...
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A strolling player
04/27/09

@FuzzyPlushroomanyte: Squeal!
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A strolling player
04/27/09

@Strooooolling the Jalopplayer: <i> </i>...
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coupeZ600
04/26/09

In reply to Life Imitates Art, 80s Style: Shot Wheels Cars
So was the original Red Baron a Hot Wheels or a Matchbox car? Or was it a slot-car? A Corgi? All I can remember is I had to have one, and eventually got one (I think..). Shoot, Murilee, you wouldn't believe the wall of memories that come flooding back (albeit dimly) at these weekend posts. Thank You!
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Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
04/26/09

@coupeZ600: That was one of the original 1970 Hot Wheels "Red Lines" series:

Pretty pricey now, I imagine.

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PatFromGundo
04/26/09

@Ash225/6: Not as much as you might think. They made a gazillion of them, and there weren't many variations. They're worth less than the Custom Camaro and Custom Mustang that were issued at the same time, for example. Someone who's more active in the Hot Wheels game than I am these days is welcome to correct me, but I'd say a mint, first-run redline Red Baron is probably worth $150-200 today.
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Novaload
04/26/09

In reply to Life Imitates Art, 80s Style: Shot Wheels Cars
Guaranteed not just to self destruct, but to hurt you as they do so---look at the pictures! Hard to beat the rolling--well, possibly rolling--Lemonator. Yes, that's what my entry will be called. One of these days. With "Exsqueeze me" on the back in nice, cheerful letters. And yes, we will peel out. We'll be rinding those gears until, of course, we need some Lemonaid.

OK, I'll stop now.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
04/26/09

In reply to Life Imitates Art, 80s Style: Shot Wheels Cars
Joe Ely has a song called 'Crazy Lemon'. Someone may have to build this and race it at LeMons.
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