by Joe Kelly Jr.
Muscle Machines—they’re back!
1: 64 | 1: 24 | 1: 18 | prices TBA
Top left/right: There’s nothing subtle about the Muscle
Machines’ design. Blown (and
blown-up) motors and giant
branded tires fairly scream
“muscle” from across the room.
We’re listening.
Below: This candy-apple red
preproduction (but production-approved) Camaro signals the
new beginning for a classic
lineup. Maisto plans to start with
new decos on original Muscle
Machines molds—for now—but if
the demand is there, it’s a good
bet that new cars will be in the
offing, sooner than later.
It wasn’t too long ago that cool car kids wore T-shirts emblazoned with outlandish illustrations of their favorite machines, drawn by artists like the late Dave
Deal and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Depending on who you
rooted for, the slogans under the designs could be a
poke in the eye, especially on the Roth shirts: “Ford Eats
Chevy,” “Chevy Eats Ford” and even “Chrysler Eats Fords
and Chevys” (on a larger shirt, of course). But the exaggerated car-toons were impossible to ignore … giant rear
tires blossoming smoke, flames rocketing from headers
and huge engines exploding out of the cars’ hoods as they
hoisted their front wheels skyward. Those shirts were
soon joined by model kits inspired by Roth’s and Deal’s art;
finding an unbuilt, new-in-box example today is akin to
tripping over a sock full of twenty-dollar bills.
Modern collectors got a dose of that excitement in
ready-to-display form in 2000, when a small manufacturer of friction-powered scale trucks called Funline
brought out a series of wild 1: 18 caricature models. They
were called, simply enough, “Muscle Machines,” and the
first three images—a ’69 Camaro, a ’70 ‘Cuda, and a ’ 66
Mustang—had extreme paint, giant chromed blowers
sticking out of their hoods and crazy cool rolling wheels—
something the older plastic models never had. The
engines were piped with real metal and/or stainless braid,
with “anodized” couplings, and the cars’ exhaust pipes
poked out from beneath their raked, blown-out bodies like
chromed bazookas. Designed and marketed by Chris and
Ken Leong, who owned Funline, they were an instant hit;
a follow-up line in 1: 64 cemented the deal for small-scale
fans. By the time Action Performance bought the brand in
late 2003, there were literally dozens of Muscle Machines
on the pegs and shelves—but, sadly, the line faded and
ultimately disappeared.
Now, they’re back. Through an arrangement with the
May Cheong Group (Maisto, to you), the Muscle Machines
line will carry on, using the original molds and adding new
decorating techniques to bring the magic home again. We
brought some magic back, ourselves: this preproduction
sample of the first car released under the deal—a Candy-Apple red 1969 Camaro wearing “MM Wheel & Tire” and
“MM Superchargers” signage—traveled to our offices
straight from its debut at the Nürnberg Toy Fair. It’s a great
piece to restart the line. Rolling on “Muscle Machines”
rubber, and sporting a Vortech-style supercharger, the
model’s got the same get-you-giggling quality that the
old MMs had. Even cooler, the line will retain the services
of Australian super-illustrator Rohan Day, whose drawings
and box art has always been a huge part of the models’
appeal.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for more news, and report
here and on the site. They may not be on T-shirts—not
yet, anyway—but when it comes to pure muscle fun, this
bunch wears its heart on its sleeve. Cool car kids, rejoice.
