BRAND LOYALTY
On an increasing basis, toy cars tried to instill brand loyalty by prominently displaying brand names of corporations that existed in real life. This batch includes examples of this creeping commercialism.
Matchbox Armored Truck - 1978 - 1:89 - This Wells Fargo armored truck was a tempting target for the bandits of the day. Or for people who later kept getting harassing phone calls all day from Wells Fargo trying to call complete strangers.
Tomica Greyhound Bus - 1979 - 1:156 - At the time of this writing, you can get an unopened one of these for $74.99 off eBay - or a used one for $290. I guess mine is worth $290, because I got toys so I could use and enjoy them. Someone on Facebook posted a photo of a Greyhound bus station made by Tomica. No mention of whether it has wet toilet paper on the floor.
Hot Wheels Peterbilt Hauler - 1981 - This Shell oil tanker actually has 2 separate parts: the cab and the tank. It apparently is 1:64, so it's as long as several regular cars. The knob on top of the tank steers the cab to and fro.
RMS Bazooka car - In 2026, I went to the Cavalcade of Customs in Cincinnati and noticed they were selling toy cars branded with such hilarious brands as Bazooka bubble gum and Gulf Oil. Not long after, someone gave me this Bazooka car. I can't find hardly anything about it online though. It appears to be somewhat wide compared to other cars in my collection. If this is modeled on a car in real life, the scale might be something like 1:45.