If you store your cars by casting year/release year like I do, the 2015-16 Stars & Stripes cars will be a bit tricky to catalog. Two models in this series make this so; the Plymouth Satellite Wagon and the Rodger Dodger. As of 2017, the Satellite has only been released in Premium Series: 2013 Retro-Entertainment Brady Bunch, 2014 Looney Tunes, 2015 Heritage Real Riders, and in 2016 as part of the Stars & Stripes Series (#6/10) Series. Fortunately, all of them maintained the all-metal design on both body and base. I store all these in the 2013 Model Box, expecting one day a Mainline debut with a plastic base.
The Rodger Dodger is a lot more complicated and therefore interesting. This original 1974 casting of a highly modified 1973 Dodge Challenger was retooled in 2001, but with the same tool characteristics and engine/exhaust configuration as the original car. In 2015 it was retooled again as part of the Camouflage Series, this time with exhaust pipes under the chassis. This version was carried-over for the 2016 Stars & Stripes vehicle. I have placed it in the 2016 Model box, but it could also be in the 2015 box, the year of the retool release (as I don't collect cars from before 1991, the year I began collecting systematically by Model Year). I might one day decide to buy a 2015 Camouflage Series Rodger Dodger, which I have passed-on time and time again. Until then, I will keep the S&S RD in the 2016 Model box, along with the Plymouth Satellite Wagon. All other S&S cars are stored in their respective Model Year boxes as described below.
The '70 Torino is a 2008 premium casting debut, released as part of the Boulevard Series. It is blue with metal base and Real Riders. But It also debuted that year in the basic line, albeit with a plastic base. It is very hard to tell if this S&S casting is a retool of the 2012 vehicle, so I placed the S&S Torino and all other Torinos afterwards, in the 2012 Model box, while the Boulevard Series car adorns my Ford cars display shelf.
The Dodge Van is a 2008 New Model and that is where this S&S van is going to be stored. I also have 5 other color varieties, all of the same tool. So it will be in good company.
The Camaro Z28 is the original 1982 new casting of the 1979 tool, but there are two modern versions; one with a metal base and this S&S vehicle with a chrome plastic base. Since it is such an old casting, and again, since I've been collecting only since 1991, I will put it in the 2016 stash in the meantime.
Finally, there's the '65 Mustang, which I placed in its initial Mainline Casting debut box of Model Year 2011. I already have 2 recolors of this new hardtop spin-off of the original convertible from the 1984 Model Year.
Cataloging this splendid series has made me consider changing from collecting by year of casting debut, to simply the year when the series was released. But since I am by no means a completist, and my main guideline for collecting is to buy every New Casting/New Model/First Edition/New-For... every year (with the occasional casting recolor that I like), I'll stick to my current formula.
1steditionman (talk) 13:39, April 18, 2018 (UTC)
