M2 Machines Auto-Thentics




A number of you have seen the newest small scale cars to hit the scene. The new Auto-Thentics line from M2 Machines. Some of you may not have seen them, and none of you have seen them in the way I'm about to show them to you. I'm hoping to give you a better look at what makes these high quality highly detailed 1/64th diecast cars special. This initial offering is made up of five classic American cars: 1951 Ford Crestliner, 1953 Oldsmobile 98, 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1954 Mercury Sun Valley, 1955 Pontiac Star Chief, and a 1957 Ford Fairlane. Above is a picture in the package, on the included base, and loose. Below are all six loose.



	The cars are presented on a plastic base. They are held in place with two screws. The base itself features a nifty diamond plate design with a placard on the front showing the car model and manufacturer logo. The hoods are held open with a clear plastic holder, however, all six hoods stay open just fine on their own. I also find it interesting that the base features a holder to keep the drivers door closed, and the passenger door open.


You may have read that each car features opening hoods, opening doors, and multiple parts. Separate bumpers, headlight bezels, hood ornaments, even the wing windows (a feature I really miss on cars) are individual parts. Rubber tires, chrome wheel covers and jeweled lights complete the package.
Below are a few more pictures of the fronts and rears of all the cars.







I really like these four, the 'hoodies', cars with hood ornaments. The other two cars are painted on.


I mentioned above that the hood ornaments are separate parts. Here's an under hood look at the attachment. A plastic post is run through the hood and heated to melt the tab into place. You can also see the tire treads, as well as the cool red rim detail peeking out from behind the wheel cover.

Just a few more detail pictures, then we're going to dig into one of these models. Literally.


I love the rear quarter of the Merc. The skirt, chrome work, tampo name and jeweled taillight all come together nicely.		This Ford Crestliner is the only model to feature a rear side window. Of course, it's a separate piece.


Here's a closer look at the two-tone treatment on a wheel. Excellent execution of a classic look.		Here's that Merc again, look at the thickness of the door and muticolor interior, which includes a silver painted gauge area. All cars have that.

The chassis on each model is shiny black, and detailed. I would prefer a little more color here. You can see that chassis and body are screwed together. Good thing, we need that access for the next section.



Alright, let's tear one apart to see what makes these things tick. I apologize up front, I should have chosen a different car to open, as the interior of the Bel Air didn't come out as clear as I'd like. Hindsight.....
One screw holds the car together. The rear is a tongue and groove setup.

		The axles are solid, held in place with "I" tabs and four tiny rivets. Although the exhaust is washed out in the glare, you can see the plastic melted tabs holding it in place.



On the inside, the interior and two doors are held together with two more extremely small screws. I dropped one, but luckily found it and was able to reassemble the car. Again, the plastic welds show the bumper, headlight bezels, and engine hold down points. If I was really adventurous, I would have melted those loose. But I'll let the customizers handle that part. At least they'll get a decent result. I would just kill the car.


Here's a look at the interior with the white/yellow colors and silver dash. Again, my apologies for the less than great picture.		The inner door panels feature some cast details. And you can see the tiny rivet holding that wing window in place.


With the interior out, you can see yet another tiny rivet--this one holds the hood hinge/hood in place.		Here's a peek at how M2 achieved the chrome wheel cover/red rim color treatment.

	The included collector card--now a standard for collectible cars-- show a different look than what we are used to. Instead of the completed car, or a real version of the model, M2 chose to show us clay molds with approval signatures. Nice touch.

I'll leave you with a look at what the reverse of each card shows. A Sneak Peek! Great idea--you gotta open them to see what's coming. You get these for free, LOL, but the next ones you gotta open yourself!





Well, there you go. New company, new cars. New details. The elements that make an Auto-Thentic model an Auto-Thentic model aren't altogether new. However, putting all those elements into a single vehicle at a price under $6.00 is very new. And very welcome in the collector market. Distribution and availability is currently online only, at your favorite dealers. Look for them in Toys R Us in the future. Thanks to Sean and the Crew at www.m2machines.com for furnishing me this sample set. --Joe

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