LET ME SET THE SCENE . . . . CHRISTMAS MORNING 1968, MY PARENTS HOUSE, UNDERNEATH THE 'SLIGHTLY INCONGRUOUS IN THE TROPICAL HEAT OF DARWIN' TREE . . . . THE PRESENT OPENING FRENZY OF A SEVEN AND HALF YEAR OLD SCHOOLBOY IS IN FULL SWING . . . . SANTA HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME, A DOUBLE LOOP 'HOT WHEELS', CLAMP TRACK AND FOUR INSANE CARS . . . . THE CUSTOM CAMARO, CUSTOM ELDORADO, BEATNIK BANDIT AND THE DEORA.

THAT DAY REDEFINED MY INTERPRETATION OF COOL, WHAT WAS NOW AND WHAT WAS THEN, MY WHOLE WORLD HAD SHIFTED. . . . FAST FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS OF 1970, BACK IN CANBERRA, A FEW MORE HOT WHEELS HAD BEEN ADDED TO MY COLLECTION BY THEN AND WITH DESPERATE FINGERS I TORE THE WRAPPING OFF YET ANOTHER ADDITION . . . . ONLY THIS ONE SHONE OUT ABOVE THE OTHERS BY LIGHTYEARS, THE LIKE OF WHICH I'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE . . . . IT WAS 'THE RED BARON' AND IT INSTANTLY BECAME THE MOST LOVED TOY OF MY LIFE, BOTH THEN AND NOW . . . . THE SHINY CHROME GERMAN HELMET ROOF, COMPLETE WITH THE SPIKE AND IRON CROSS, SITTING LIKE A GREAT SHINING JEWEL ATOP THE BUCKET BODY WAS JUST OUTTA MY WORLD . . . . ROLL ON TWENTY PLUS YEARS TO THE EARLY NINETIES, THEY RE-RELEASED THE REDLINE SERIES IN SPECIAL BOX SETS AND BLISTER PACKS, I BUY THEM AND ONCE AGAIN AM SUCKED BACK IN THE TIME TRAVEL VORTEX TO THAT CHRISTMAS UNDER THE TREE, THEY'VE REMOVED THE SPIKE FROM THE HELMET, DELETED THE IRON CROSS BUT IT'S STILL THE COOLEST THING IN THE SET . . . . I LOVE FEELING LIKE THAT KID AGAIN, THE EXPERIENCE OF HOLDING SOMETHING SO RADICALLY REMOVED FROM THE DULL OLD 'MATCHBOX' CARS THAT WERE AVAILABLE PRIOR TO THE 'HOT WHEELS' GANG ROLLING ON INTO TOWN IN THEIR METALFLAKE PAINT AND REDLINE MAGS . . . . AND THAT'S THE SAME VIBE THIS WICKED COOL RENDERING OF TOM DANIELS MOST FAMOUS CREATION ELICITED WITHIN ME WHEN I SAW IT THIS EVENING . . . . A COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGE DONE BY SOME DUDE GOING BY THE MONIKER OF 'TEQUILA BILL', IT'S THE COOLEST LOOKIN VERSION I'VE YET SEEN, SIMPLY BY STARING AT IT, I'M THAT SEVEN YEAR OLD BOY ALL OVER AGAIN . . . . HEADING BACK FROM THE FUTURE, HELL YEAH !!!