Part II - July 1998

by Dot Lang

     The Transition Period 1982 - ?
 

    This period brought about a color change - to a cranberry red metallic with no tampo.  This color was used up into the early 90's so it's necessary to check the chassis to see which car you have.  Also check the hubs and tires.  This color can be the collector's nightmare or the nit-picker's dream as I've cataloged 6 variations so far with a possibilty of two more variations or even four.   As you will notice in the photos, the color also varies but is not counted in the variations that exist.

    This is also the color in which the porthole version saw the end of the line.  You will be hard-pressed to find the Hong Kong porthole but it is out there.

Variations made in Hong Kong are pictured above and are as follows
    Pkg. # 2013     Porthole with 1977 chassis date
                             standard tires and hubs
    Pkg. #2013      Non-porthole with 1981 chassis date
                             standard tires and hubs
    Pkg. #4357     Non-porthole with 1977 chassis date;
                             grey hubs and "Goodyear" tires

Variations made in Malyasia are pictured above and described as follows:
    Pkg. #2013     Non-porthole with 1981 chassis date;
                            standard tires and hubs;
                           with MALAYSIA printed directly below
                           Mattel, Inc.
    Pkg #4357    Non-porthole with 1977 chassis date;
                           white hubs and "Goodyear" tires with
                           MALAYSIA printed to the left of Mattel, Inc.

    Pkg #5760    (a five-pak pkg.) Non-porthole with 1977

   chassis date;  standard tires and hubs;
                           MALAYSIA printed below Mattel, Inc. but at
                           the extreme edge of chassis.


    Possible variations to be on the look out for would be a MALASIAN car with the country printed directly below Mattel, Inc (not at the edge) and 1977 on chassis OR a Hong Kong non-porthole model with standard wheels and hubs and 1977 on chassis.  Remember that the Malaysian cars did not come in a porthole version.  I haven't seen or read about either of these variations so they may not exist; however, if you have one, let me know.

     Also let me know if you have a Malaysian grey-hubbed Goodyear tire car or a Hong Kong white-hubbed Goodyear tire car.  There is a good possibility that these last two variations exist in this cranberry red color. Update 5/11/99 - Malaysian grey-hubbed GoodYear model exists.

    The next color change no longer had so many variations in the chassis labels.  All chassis' had reverted to using the 1977 date.   A new Tampo had been designed and this will be next month's topic.