The latest in a very short list of Rear Loading Beach Bombs was
found a little over a week ago, this one in one of the rarest colors
ever found, Hot Pink.
The only other Hot Pink Rear Loading Beach Bomb (RLBB 1) found is the
one purchased by Bruce Pascal in recent years. He purchased it from
Chris Marshall, who originally purchased it, along with many other
never-before-seen prototypes and pre-production models from a (former)
Mattel employee.
Before purchasing the First Pink Beach Bomb, (RLBB 1) Bruce did a
tremendous amount of research in determining it's authenticity and
validating it's origins. He went so far as to contact the original owner
of the RLBB 1 and received letters of authenticity from the original
owner, documenting the car's history and provenance.
Satisfied with the car's authenticity, after these interviews and
meetings with people involved in the design of the RLBB, he went ahead
with the purchase, paying a record amount for the RLBB 1. (actual price
has never been disclosed or published, but the original asking price was
$72,000 - rumor is that it sold for less)
Since purchasing the RLBB 1, Bruce has made an extraordinary effort
to continue to authenticate the car, especially since some collectors,
and even one high-visibility "authority" have disputed the car's
authenticity. Bruce's efforts included doing a tremendous amount of
investigative work, including contacting former employees, looking up
retirement rosters, older Mattel newsletters and using a referral
approach to track down someone, anyone, who could verify that the car
existed and why it existed.
In Bruce's constant search for more information about his Pink RLBB,
he made contact with a retired Mattel employee living in Southern
California. This gentleman, a former Liaison Engineer involved in
Production and Research and Development, told Bruce over the phone that
he had a collection of cars from the years he worked at Mattel and one
of them was a Beach Bomb. After a few questions about the cars, Bruce
determined that several of the cars were Pre-Production or Prototype
cars and Bruce also determined that the Beach Bomb was a Rear Loading
Beach Bomb.
The retired Engineer told Bruce that the Beach Bomb was Pink, at
which point Bruce figured it must be Rose or Magenta or some other
color. Here's a letter from the retired Engineer:
please click on the letter
Bruce purchased the collection and when the package arrived, he was
in utter disbelief as he opened the package to reveal a Hot Pink Beach
Bomb! (RLBB 2)
The ironic thing about this is that the original Pink Beach
Bomb (RLBB 1) was originally purchased from a Liaison Engineer,
also.
Since purchasing the original Hot Pink Beach Bomb (RLBB 1), Bruce has
always believed that there must be more, even if only a few more, in
existence. The letter discloses that there were probably 200
"engineering pilots" produced. This find, along with the original RLBB 1 is another historic
find in the world of Redline Hot Wheels!
In the photos that follow, you'll see the two Beach Bombs in side by
side comparisons. The RLBB 1 has a transition base which is the actual
production-model base (wider) and the RLBB body (skinnier). The new
Beach Bomb (RLBB 2) has the correct base and body, as well as other
characteristics of RLBB, clear windshield glass, rear-loading interior
slots for the surfboards, smaller sunroof and other casting
characteristics seen in RLBBs.
This is truly a historic find in the Redline Hot
Wheels world and I feel privileged to be able to offer it to you on this
site - Redlines Online.
Special thanks to Bruce Pascal for giving Redlines Online the
exclusive scoop on this rare and special story !
