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Product Finder
Lithium E-Trucks
IC - Trucks
Pallet Trucks
Pallet Stackers
Reach Trucks
Order Pickers
Tow Tractors
Very Narrow Aisle Trucks
Rough Terrain Trucks
Aerial Platforms
Explosion Proof Forklift
Load Capcity
Lift Height
Lead Acid Battery
Drive Types
The A series pallet with high lift is a pedestrian pallet truck which can also be used for order picking and light stacking operations. In addition to the support arm lift the load can be raised to an overall height of 675 mm via a simplex mast contained in the battery compartment. This height adjustment is really appreciated when order picking, restocking shelves in retail stores or assembly line activities in manufacturing industries.
The truck benefits from a long tiller with a low mounting point ensuring a large safety clearance between operator & chassis
Automatic picking functions (OPT.) enable all kind of loads to be lifted or lower quickly and without fatigue
Easy battery charging - suitable for any convenient electric outlet
The support arm lift capacity is 2000 kg while the mast lift capacity is 800 kg
Integrated mast matched to chassis width. High resistance fork carriage and load arms made of robust pressed steel.
All commands integrated to the tiller, the function buttons can be operated in comfortable way. For safe use in confined areas,tiller operates in vertical position via crawl speed button.
The truck has the lowering intelligent protection function. When the forks are less than 150mm away from the ground, the side lowering button is ineffective. With the emergency reverse button at the head of the handle, when the truck runs back and there is emergency, it can effectively prevent the driver from injury.
With five-supporting-point and low gravity center design, a rugged construction makes the pallet truck that can be relied on. With the non-contact proximity switch, such switch has long service life and can operate reliably.
Here you can send us an inquiry concerning general questions about Hangcha.
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Online ESL Teacher for Barons English
Min hours per week
Min hours per week during peak hours
Class length
25 min
Max students per class
Student age
No degree
Teaching licence
Hiring home-based, freelance online UK English teachers.
Barons English is looking for freelance online English teachers who live in the UK and can teach business men/women, college students who are taking English tests, children and general people who live in South Korea, Japan and China.
Barons English has 4 different courses of lessons based on the students' needs.
English Test (IELTS/TOEFL/TOEIC) Preparation Course
We are helping students by offering practice tests to familiarise them with the format. Our lessons are designed to improve their listening and speaking skills and to perform better in the tests.
Business English Course
Our Business English courses help our students to communicate better in the workplace, giving them the language skills and confidence to speak to international colleagues and business partners.
We also teach them about British business etiquette.
Children English Course
Children are taught basic vocabulary and sentence structure at beginner level. Teachers need to speak slowly and clearly whilst reading books and practising new language skills with them.
Academic English & General English Course
We help students who want to learn general English, by teaching relevant topics and language focus.
Qualities we're looking for:
Passion for teaching English
Friendly personality
Patient and professional
Can work with minimal supervision
Accepts constructive criticism and is willing to learn and improve his/her teaching strategy
Can handle students of different levels/age brackets
Willing to work in a different time zone (especially for South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China)
Flexibility to manage his/her own time
Must be a resident of the UK
At least 21 years old
Speaks Native British English as a first language
Has completed at least 3 years of university education
A certified English as a second language teacher
Online teaching experience is an advantage
Must have a high-speed internet connection and a computer with a web camera and a headset
Can work in a quiet environment
About Barons English
Barons English is an online English school that aims to help Asians (especially Korean, Japanese and Chinese) improve their English communication skills and become globally competitive individuals. We are looking for passionate English teachers who are willing to share their knowledge with eager learners and teach English via Skype one student at a time.
Share this job and earn up to $400 when your friends find a job at teach.fm

subset: commoncrawl


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Signature Facial
60 Min| $120
A customized skin care treatment that includes skin analysis, deep cleansing under steam, enzyme or mild peel exfoliation, extractions, facial massage, mask, a relaxing neck/shoulder/hand massage, complete with serum, moisturizer and sun protection.
Signature PLUS Facial
90 Min| $150
Everything a 60 Minute Facial includes + a custom eyebrow wax, hydrating paraffin hand treatment, and hot stone foot massage. Pampering from head to toe!
Custom Facial + HydroJelly Mask
60 Min | $130
Supercharge your facial treatment with a luxurious HydroJelly mask chosen just for you. Each of these masks instantly hydrate and revive the skin, and have the option to be applied over the eyes and lips too!
60 Min | $120
A non-invasive exfoliating treatment using a small blade to remove the outermost layers of dead skin and "peach fuzz". Includes skin analysis, deep cleansing under steam, customized enzyme or mild peel exfoliation, dermaplaning, serum, moisturizer and sun protection; complete with a relaxing neck & shoulder massage. Benefits include a reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, acne scarring, more efficient product penetration, and more radiant skin over all.
Ultimate Dermaplane
75 Min | $135
All the benefits of a 60 minute dermaplaning *PLUS* a customized mask following dermaplaning. Enjoy and relaxing hot stone arm and hand massage while masking.
Ultimate Dermaplane + HydroJelly Mask
75 Min | $145
Supercharge your dermaplaning facial treatment with a luxurious customized HydroJelly mask. Each mask has the option to be applied over the eyes and lips, instantly hydrating and reviving the skin, The perfect addition after dermaplaning!
Teen Facial
40 Min | $65
A customized deep-pore cleansing facial treatment for teens only. Includes two cleanses under steam, enzyme exfoliation, extractions, light moisture & SPF.
EXCEED Medical Microneedling is an FDA approved device that uses the latest in technology to significantly improve facial wrinkles, skin texture, laxity, acne scarring and more. Microneedling is a way of stimulating your body's natural healing response to stimulate collagen and elastin production.
*4-6 treatments recommended | Every 4-6 weeks
Face Only | $299
Face + Neck + Chest | $349
*Additional $50 to add Dermaplaning
PRX Derm Perfexion
The ultimate no-needle skin tightening rejuvenation! This is the perfect treatment for those who do not want the "downtime" of microneedling or a medical grade peel, but would still like MAGICAL results! This treatment uses the PRX-T33 solution - an innovative formulation of a 33% TCA combined with hydrogen that stimulates skin regeneration without causing inflammation or photosensitivity to the epidermis. Acting deep within the dermal layer, the PRX-T33 stimulates collagen and elastin formation while providing immediate hydration, firmness, and tightening upon application.
Treats sagging/lax skin, tone, texture, melasma, hyperpigmentation, scarring, acne, and stretch marks. Can be performed on all skin types, even during summer months.
*4-6 Treatments | every 7-10 days
Face Only
4 Treatments | $999
6 Treatments | $1,495
Face + Neck + Chest
4 Treatments| $1,995
6 Treatments | $2,990
The Unicorn Facial
Looking for the ultimate age-reversing skin transformation? This treatment combines the two advanced treatments above - The Exceed Microneedling device and the PRX-T33 peel for results that are truly magical. Can be done as one treatment, or in a series depending on your desired result.
Face Only | $499
Face + Neck + Chest | $649
Brows | $25
Lip | $10
Brow & Lip Combo | $30
Chin | $10
Full Face | $50
Ears | $10
Underarms | $15
Arms | $30
Bikini | $35
Full Back | $50
Brow Tint | $25
Lash Tint | $25
SEINT Custom Color Match | $35
This session is designed to find your perfect colors, while teaching you how to apply them! Seint makeup enhances skin tone, camouflages dark circles and blemishes, sculpts features and gives the perfect "glow".


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This regulation prescribes the forms to be used when a party wishes to file with the Superior Court of Justice a determination or order made by the Ontario Labour Relations Board in a duty of fair representation matter.
Effective Date: December 1, 2011
Starting July 2012, the Canada Revenue Agency began paying the Ontario Sales Tax Credit, Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit and the Northern Ontario Energy Credit together monthly as the Ontario Trillium Benefit. This Regulation will specify the time and manner in which small payments (between $2 and $360) will be made to individuals.
Effective Date: December 19, 2011
High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes
Effective Date: December 2, 2011
Restricted use of Left Lanes by commercial Motor Vehicles
Effective Date: December 2, 2011
An exemption was provided to BottleWorks, a company operated by Ottawa charity Operation Come Home, to allow it to deal exclusively with the local Beau's All Natural Brewing Company. The province has amended the regulations under the Liquor Licence Act so that licensed liquor delivery services can now buy alcohol directly from any authorized retail store, including small craft breweries and wineries, instead of only from the LCBO or The Beer Store.
Effective Date: December 2, 2011
Amend Prescribed Time Period under Section 22.23 of the Health Professions Procedural Code
Effective Date: December 15, 2011
Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991
Effective Date: December 17, 2011


text:
1st Edition
Nonlinear Estimation Methods and Applications with Deterministic Sample Points
Nonlinear Estimation: Methods and Applications with Deterministic Sample Points focusses on a comprehensive treatment of deterministic sample point filters (also called Gaussian filters) and their variants for nonlinear estimation problems, for which no closed-form solution is available in general. Gaussian filters are becoming popular with the designers due to their ease of implementation and real time execution even on inexpensive or legacy hardware. The main purpose of the book is to educate the reader about a variety of available nonlinear estimation methods so that the reader can choose the right method for a real life problem, adapt or modify it where necessary and implement it. The book can also serve as a core graduate text for a course on state estimation.
The book starts from the basic conceptual solution of a nonlinear estimation problem and provides an in depth coverage of (i) various Gaussian filters such as the unscented Kalman filter, cubature and quadrature based filters, Gauss-Hermite filter and their variants and (ii) Gaussian sum filter, in both discrete and continuous-discrete domain. Further, a brief description of filters for randomly delayed measurement and two case-studies are also included.
- The book covers all the important Gaussian filters, including filters with randomly delayed measurements.
- Numerical simulation examples with detailed matlab code are provided for most algorithms so that beginners can verify their understanding.
- Two real world case studies are included: (i) underwater passive target tracking, (ii) ballistic target tracking.
The style of writing is suitable for engineers and scientists. The material of the book is presented with the emphasis on key ideas, underlying assumptions, algorithms, and properties. The book combines rigorous mathematical treatment with matlab code, algorithm listings, flow charts and detailed case studies to deepen understanding.


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I thank God for the gift of friendship, the kind that you don't get to meet or talk to everyday and yet when you see them in person you will be surprised that they are these charming people that touches your soul in a way that you will remember, forever. And at which point you feel like you just want to be around them, share your silly jokes, be yourself, and you don't want the day to end. However, we can't just go on like that, we have to separate ways at the end of the day. What's important is you found them and you feel blessed with the gift of friendship -Gladys Gallentes
Published On: July 29th 2015, Wednesday @ 4:12:26 PM
Total Number of Views: 4280
Categories: Friendship Happiness RelationshipKeywords: People God Want Way Day Feel Soul Forever Remember Talk Everyday Gift Share Friendship Importance Joke Surprise Touch Way Keyphrases: Want To Be Your Soul
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Flipkart Customer Care Number, Contact Address, Email Id
Flipkart Customer Care Number, Contact Address, Email Id. Today, we are going to sharing with you the Flipkart All States toll-free customer care helpline contact details. Many people question us,
What is the Flipkart Customer Care Number? How to contact the support team of Flipkart?, What is the customer care email id of Flipkart? what is the toll-free customer care number of Flipkart? these all question answers you will get in this article.
Sometimes customer-facing product or service related problem and they want to get solution by contact with authority. Flipkart is providing 24 hours 7 days customer care support service for their customers to get instant help. Hence,
we shared all the necessary contact information of Flipkart customer Care Helpline services. Flipkart Customer Care Number
Flipkart Customer Care
|Customer Care Number
|1800 208 9898
|Other Number
|18004201111 or 18001023547
|Helpline Number
|Product Assistance Helpline Number
|1800 1080 1800
|Email Id
|Customer Support: firstname.lastname@example.com Vendor Queries: email@example.com Business Queries: firstname.lastname@example.com
|Office Address
|Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Ozone Manay Tech Park, #56/18 & 55/09, 7th Floor, Garvebhavipalya, Hosur Road, Bangalore – 560068, Karnataka, India
|Help Centre
Flipkart.com Corporate Office Contact Details
The main office of Flipkart.com is located in Bangalore city of Karnataka state. Check out the contact information.
Flipkart.Com Corporate Office Address: Flipkart Internet Private Limited Vaishnavi Summit, No 6/B, 7th Main, 80 Feet Road, 3rd Block, Koramangala, Bangalore – 560034 India
Flipkart.Com Corporate Office Phone Number: 0124-6150000
Flipkart.Com Corporate Office Toll-Free Number: 1800 208 9898
Flipkart.Com Corporate Office Fax Number: N/A
Flipkart Social Media Handles:-
Instagram account:- link
Facebook page:- link
Twitter account:- link
Youtube Channel:- link
In This Article, I will tell you About Flipkart Customer Care Number, Contact Address, Email Id, etc information. If you like this article so share it with your friend & Social media Account thank you, read more


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Serevi Debuts For American Samoa
Una Serevi will make her first appearance in the Pacific Games on July 15 as she competes for the American Samoa netball team.
The eldest daughter of sevens maestro, Waisale Serevi, who is now an American citizen, also plays for the United States of America netball side.
She received an invitation from the American Samoans last month.
"American Samoa wrote to USA Netball requesting that a few of us join them for the Pacific Games," Serevi said.
Una made her debut for the USA last year during the World University Netball Championships in Uganda.
Participating in the Pacific Games has always been her dream.
Growing up and watching her dad play, Una believes coming back to the Pacific to compete is not about competing but coming home to meet her Pacific family.
"I'm really excited as a Fijian and young Pacific islander, the Pacific Games is something we watch while growing up.
"But to actually come back and participate, I'm super excited and I'm so blessed," Serevi added.
"I love coming back to my Pacific region, we are one family and even my family supports my decision to be here and they were excited."
The Qarani, Gau native who is also employed by the US Air Force has her family as her biggest supporter.
"My dad was really excited and he reminded me to give my best as I'm not only representing American Samoa but Fiji and I have to make everyone proud."
Being the only one in the family playing netball, Una wants to make her Pacific Games debut a memorable one.
Una will play alongside two Fijian residents living in American Samoa – Sera Sucuturaga and Dr Fiona Traill.
Sucuturaga of Nanukuloa, Ra has lived in Pagopago since 1999.
She was first employed as a baby sitter but now works at AS Sadies By The Sea Hotel.
Dr Traill is a medical officer at the American Samoa Department of Health.
Her family moved to Pagopago eight years ago.
Dr Traill is also one of three doctors that look after Team American Samoa.
American Samoa will face Papua New Guinea on July 15.
Edited by Osea Bola
Feedback: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Mondello / Red Prawns in front of the sea
The main character of the third post of this tour is probably my favorite food/ingredient: the red prawn of Mazara del Vallo, king of the...
I'm hungry. I'm Italian. I'm in town.
Hello folks and welcome to my culinary chronicles!
My name is Giovanni, a Sicilian soul installed in Luxembourg, straight in the heart of Europe.


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Lightweight Midi Skirt.
Available reversible or not, in different fabrics and different prices.
100% cotton,
(var.3 Mineral Red is Habotai 57% silk, 43% cotton)
A light and juicy midi skirt to be worn all through Spring and Summer. It comes with pockets and gathers at the waist with an elastic waistband. It displays a wide lower flare circumference, which eases up movements. PARADOSSO is printed with bright-colored, sober yet chic design Yellow Umbrellas.This skirt can be worn in three different outfits: with top Eufemismo, with oversized shirt Litote or with corset Onomatopea.
COD: REF. LA-67-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2 Categoria: Oxymoron


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Ultimate Beard Kit in wood box
Sold Out
- Organic and Handmade in the pure French Tradition
- Beautifully packaged in a wood box
- Made of the best oils in skin care, such as organic unrefined argan oil, jojoba oil, Grape Seed Oil
- Hypoallergenic and artificial fragrances free - We use only pure essential oil to create a real luxurious smell and not overwhelming
- No animal testing - Nasty Chemical free - Free of Parabens, Sulfates, Dyes, Toxins, artificial fragrances, Ethyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, DEA and petroleum oil!
- Organic Beard Shampoo: 4oz
- Organic Beard Balm: 2oz
- Organic Mustache Wax: 1oz
- Organic Beard Oil: 1oz
- Walnut handle genuine boar bristle
- Organic Body Soap: 4oz
- Beard Shampoo Ingredients: Saponification of: Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Fruit, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Unrefined Argan Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Grapeseed Oil, Bentonite Clay, essential oils of: Cedarwood, Lavender, Tea Tree, Rosemary, Lime.
- Beard Balm Ingredients: Argania Spinosa (Organic unrefined argan oil), Simmondsia Chinensis (Organic jojoba oil), cera alba (organic beeswax), Cocos Nucifera (Organic coconut oil), Butyrospermum Parkii (Organic unrefined shea butter), Theobroma Cacao (Organic cocoa butter), Ricinus Communis (Organic castor oil), Juniperus Mexicana (cedarwood oil), Lavandula Angustifolia (lavender oil), Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea tree oil), Rosmarinus Officinalis (rosemary oil), Citrus Aurantifolia (lime oil).
- Beard Oil Ingredients: Organic unrefined argan oil (Argania Spinosa), Organic jojoba oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), Organic castor oil (Ricinus Communis), Organic unrefined avocado oil (Persea Gratissima), Ascorbic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Tocopherol, essential oils of: Cedarwood, Lavender, Tea Tree, Rosemary, Lime.
Maison Lambert ultimate beard kit is package in an beautiful wooden box and contains everything you need for beard care:
- a great organic beard soap (beard shampoo) 90% organic, 4 oz;
- an organic beard balm (99% organic, 2 oz);
- an organic mustache wax (100% organic, 1 oz);
- an organic beard oil (99% organic, 1 oz);
- a beautiful walnut handle boar bristle;
- a free organic body soap, 4 oz.
Maison Lambert deluxe beard care kit is subtly scented using a blend of 100% pure essential oils. It results in a naturally beautiful woody and warm scent which is absolutely not overwhelming. Really classy.
Our beard set is handcrafted carrefully in the pure french tradition of quality.
With this product you can be sure to please yourself or your loved one for christmas or any occasions.
Customer Reviews
Was Birthday gift for Firefighter Son. He just got off the major fire in California and
was having a mess with his beard. He loved this gift and it was really special. Good job
Maison Lambert. Ten stars
Look no Further!
I searched all round for the right facial care for my husband. He has trouble with itchy skin after he shaves. I must say, He loves this product. It relieves the itch and leaves his skin feeling pillow soft.. The fact that it is handmade and all natural makes for an excellent buy. The crafted box that the product comes in is exquisite! I will definitely purchase again!
My wife purchased this gift set for me for Valentine's day. What a classy and wonderful git! The products themselves are great and the presentation is just delightful. If you're looking for a gift for the bearded gentleman in your life, I can't recommend this enough. Order it and you won't be disappointed!
I love beards and finally got my husband to grow one, probably b/c he was bored because of the Vid. He absolutely loved this kit. He loves the smell and especially loves the oil. The packaging was a delightful bonus. Thank you for making such high quality products. Truly appreciated!
I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my husband who is sporting a "Covid" beard. He was delighted to get the products and has begun using them to improve the condition of his beard. The packaging of the products was lovely and he has been impressed with the quality of the products. He especially loves the boar hair bristle brush!


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Seeking solace in a favourite face oil or heavier moisturiser might seem like the only answer, but here are a few other tips we can share..
1. Keep your skin barrier strong. Niacinamide is anti-inflammatory, regulates barrier function and also has a soothing effect. A great choice especially for oilier, dehydrated skins.
2. Load up on Antioxidants, moving from the heat to the cold outside wreaks havoc on our skin. Spending more time inside with less fresh air also has its issues: ''Recycled air has more toxins in it.''
3. Keep exfoliation gentle and dial it down to 2-3 times a week only.
4. Stick with a moisturiser that suits your skin, i.e. whilst it maybe tempting to simply apply a thicker cream or oil, stick with products that suit your skin type.
5. Layer your hydration with light serums and mists, air conditioning removes water from the atmosphere, which in turn removes water from the skin. Mists are a great way to add easy and deep hydration to the skin.
Travelling this Summer?
Take a look at our luggage friendly travel options with 30% off across our mini's range along with a wonderful way to trial some incredible products.


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Many Aspire, Few Attain
1. Involvement in Spiritual Maturity Is Voluntary: Our Choice
Deuteronomy 20:8, "What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted, let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart."
2. Do Not Enter Unless You Plan to Win: Plan on giving your life totally to it. Plan on suffering persecution and ridicule from the devil and his demons directly, and indirectly by the lost and carnal Christians, who resent your dedication and scream "Condemnation!" and "No love."
3. You can Sign a Peace Treaty with Satan and let him go his way while you go yours, at any time. Satan will hold the ladder for any individual to climb on the shelf and render himself less effective.
Some truths that will enable you to avoid failures:
I. SINGLE MINDEDNESS: Knowing and doing are two different things.
1. Deuteronomy 6:5
2. Psalm 27:4
3. James 1:3-8
4. Matthew 6:33 — SEEK, not "dabble" after
II. DESPISE SIN: Romans 12:9, "Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." — Nauseates you.
— Especially the sins of mediocrity and failure
— All thoughts in private as well as those that come out in public
III. STAY HUNGRY FOR WORD: II Peter 2:2
— Jeremiah 15:16, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them…"
— Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
— Only chance of survival
IV. TRUST GOD: Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
— Many things one can do without trusting God, with- out faith — married, job, normal relatively happy life
— Hebrews 11:6
V. BURN BRIDGES BEHIND YOU: Luke 9:62, "…no man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
1. Hernando Cortez landed in Mexico, burned ships, and all realized they were in Mexico for life and must win or die
2. Joshua, Jordan, and Jericho
3. Primarily in mental areas — education — ability — youth — vocational goals — career to be made
1. Mavericks and loners want to serve God in their ways.
A. Today many Christians' attitude is, "I am against spiritual authority and leadership, unless I am in authority and leadership." They normally say, "Well, God is my Teacher. He can speak to me as easily as through someone else. After all, the Bible says we're not to lord over the flock like little tin gods."
— These usually stay angry at ones God uses and continually attack.
B. Bible: Numbers 16 shows this spirit. Argument Korah and Abiram gave Moses, "You take too much upon yourself. God can speak to us easily. We don't need to follow you. We believe in the priesthood of the believers." Desiring to be nonconformist, they create another kind of conformity. These don't mind being called a servant, but don't expect them to be a servant. Must have recognition and position to stay.
2. Be Wholehearted: II Chronicles 25:2, "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart."
— Usually shows up when faithfulness is required in doing that which you don't like.
VII. FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE THINGS: Luke 16:10, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much" (i.e. unfaithful).
— Do all as unto the Lord, as promotion comes from God. (Psalm 75:6,7)
— How close do you have to be followed to get to do things? Some assignments belittle you.
VIII. REFUSE TO BECOME BITTER: Hebrews 12:15, "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."
— The result of real or supposed ill treatment
— Self-pity is the other side of the coin
— Envy, jealousy, and bitterness — a competitive spirit. George Washington Carver, "I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate or re- sent him."
IX. RECEIVE REBUKES: Hebrews 12:6, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son he receiveth."
— Proverbs 9:8, "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee."
— I don't mind God rebuking me, what I resent is other people rebuking me.
X. CONTINUALLY WALK BY FAITH: Exciting in the be- ginning but after the new and novelty wears off, most be- gin to desire to have some security. Begin to talk about how this and that needs to be emphasized..
— I have noticed that those whom faith is not really operating for are usually the fault finders.
XI. KEEP UP THE HEART FOR BATTLE: It is easy to be come tired of resisting the devil and pushing in to conquer and find a comfortable stopping place — a halfway house.
Many Aspire,
Few Attain
INTRODUCTION: In this book we will consider — Many aspire, but few attain. Everyone desires to be used mightily of the Lord, but not everyone is willing to pay the price. Everyone who finishes high school and starts college desires to have a college education, but not all are willing to pay the price, because along the way things might come between them and the desire they have.
God always has men and women who are more committed than others. Why is this so? It is necessary for them to be that committed, then they can help the others to come to maturity. Someone has to be more committed and more dedicated than the new Christians, in order to help them grow and mature.
The further you go with the Lord, the fewer the options. The more God requires of you, the more He expects of you. At the same time, because He requires more of you and expects more of you, because you've been serving Him longer, then you're able to perform more maturely. Your life should be more in line with the Word of God; your testimony should be more effective and stronger, because you've had more time with the Lord.
It's like a job. If you've been there five years the boss expects more of you than he does one who has been there a year. In college more is expected of a student who has been there for three years than is expected of a freshman. He has some foundations that enable him to take courses as a junior or senior that he could not handle as a freshman. The same principle is true concerning believers. Because you've been with the Lord longer, you are able to face things and take some courses that the new Christian is unable to assimilate and receive.
I believe every Christian desires and aspires to be faithful to God. Many people make a good start but a bad finish. Every Christian starts good. They all start as Christians, they're born again, born of God; all have the same Spirit, all have the full potential of God, but not all finish the race. Most of them make a bad finish, because they're not willing to pay the price to be diligent and persistent in the things of God.
There are a lot of "Christian casualties." The reason God wants a greater number of believers to be strong in the Lord is to enable them to help the new Christians. Then there will not be so many casualties. Many of them will not get discouraged and disappointed, and the devil will not be able to defeat them, because they will be fed and helped by you (the mature Christian).
By your aspiring and attaining, there will be fewer "Christian casualties" in the body of Christ.
Romans 5:17 says that we are to reign in life through one, Jesus Christ. "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one…" Through the offense and disobedience of Adam, death has reigned. Death reigns in everybody because of one man's sin. "…much more they which receive an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." The Bible is saying here, it's a surety that death has reigned, through Adam's sin. Much more, what Jesus did overrules Adam's sin; therefore, you and I can reign in life through Christ Jesus.
All Christians aspire and desire to reign in life, but not all attain. The Scripture says in Matthew, "You do err, not knowing the Scriptures," being ignorant of Satan's devices, not being taught and trained in the things of God. God's will is birthed in every believer, but most are not willing to make the dedication to remain faithful. It's God's will for EVERY Christian to be successful. God does not desire any of His children to fail or be defeated. It's always His purpose and plan for every Christian to come to full maturity. If it were not it wouldn't be a perfect plan, would it? And God is perfect in ALL of His ways. God therefore desires every one of His children to come to full maturity, full fruition.
This is the glorious thing concerning the plan of God. This is why every person can be excited when they come to Jesus, and know that God doesn't have bad plans and good plans. He has great and glorious plans for every one of His children, but they need to be willing to follow the conditions and walk the way of the written Word of God.
Before we get into our study, there are three remarks I desire to make.
1. Involvement in spiritual maturity is voluntary. It is our choice. God doesn't force anyone to sell out, it's always voluntary. Deuteronomy 20:8 says, "What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart." If you're fainthearted and you're fearful, return to your house; because you'll not only fall yourself but you will cause somebody else to fall.
Many times we don't realize God's army is a volunteer army; there are no draftees. God will never force you to sell out, He will never force you to go all the way. He will let you stop wherever you want to, or He'll let you go as high as you want to go. The Bible says He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (I John 4:4). We have within us the ability of God; therefore, the potential to go all the way is there. We CAN make a full commitment.
We must realize that involvement in spiritual maturity is voluntary. In other words, you are going to have to volunteer to submit yourself to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, to become a spiritually mature person. By an act of your volition you must desire to become spiritually mature. "Lord, I don't want to stay a baby; I'm not going to stay sick — spiritually, physically, mentally, financially, or in any way. I volunteer, Lord. I submit myself, Lord, for You to do the work within me that will enable me to come to full fruition and full maturity."
2. Do not enter unless you plan to win, because it's a winning army. If you enter into the things of God, and you don't plan to win, then I'll tell you what will happen to you — you will be defeated. You will back up somewhere. At some point along the road you'll find some requirements of God that you think are too demanding, or too imposing upon you. Therefore, at the entering in many aspire, but few attain.
Many of those who enter in don't enter to win. They don't enter in and say, "Lord, I'm going to pay the full price. Whatever price is required of me, God, for You to bring me to full maturity, I'm willing to pay. I volunteer. Lord, do in me whatever is necessary. Take out, put in, whatever is required for me to be the man or woman You want me to be." Do not enter unless you plan to win. Plan on giving your life totally to Jesus Christ.
Plan on suffering persecution and ridicule from the devil and his demons (directly and indirectly), by the lost people and carnal Christians, who resent your dedication and scream, "Condemnation!" and "No love." You see, the more you are committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more you'll find that the devil and carnal Christians will ridicule and mock you, and they will say you bring them under condemnation.
What they're saying is that your going that far makes them look bad. When people begin to look bad they don't like it. Pride rises up inside of them, and they get mad. They're not willing to pay the price, therefore the devil through them is going to come against you to try to keep you from paying the price. Most Christians settle for less, because so many others are willing to settle for less.
The men and women who go on and are used of God pay a price. If you begin to confess to your brothers and sisters in the Lord, "I'm going all the way with the Lord, I'm committed to the Lord Jesus Christ," and you begin to live a life that shows you're laying aside a lot of things they're not willing to lay aside, they will begin to come against you. The next thing you know they say, "Well, you bring me under condemnation. Every time I get around you, you're so picky." You've got to be picky if you're going to be faithful to the Lord. You've got to be nit-picky, about everything you do and everything you say.
Desire to be a specialist — a specialist in the things of God. A man who is not dedicated in the area of being a specialist (in some secular field) will never make it. He doesn't think it's necessary to dot all the I's and cross all the T's. Many times as Christians we don't think it's necessary to dot all the I's and cross all the T's. It is ABSOLUTELY necessary. Why? Because God requires it. That's what total commitment, that's what dedication, is all about.
If you're going to aspire and intend to attain — plan to win. Remember: Romans 5:17 says we're to reign in life. Jesus has done enough, therefore we CAN aspire and we can WIN. At the same time realize when you go into it, it's a battle. The devil is not going to roll over and play dead, and let you rise to full fruition. He's going to try to shut you down every way in the world he can — problems, persecutions, etc. in order to stop you. He knows once you begin to see these things, and you begin to get your feet upon the solid rock, he can't do anything with you.
I've taught this principle for years concerning faith. The devil doesn't want you to learn faith. Once you learn faith and you learn how to believe God, Satan can't do anything with you. He can't shut you down. He can't shut faith down. Once you learn faith, once you learn that God is the way, he can't shut you down.
The only time we fail is when we shut ourselves down, because God has already said He wants us to REIGN and rule in life. He's already said we're more than conquerors. He's already said we can do all things through Christ Jesus. He's already said He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Therefore we can reign and rule in life. Saints, when you enter the race, plan to win.
3. You can sign a peace treaty with Satan and let him go his way while you go yours, at any time. Satan will hold the ladder in order for any individual to climb on the shelf and render himself less effective. You can sign a peace treaty with him at any point you want to slow up. Satan will sign a peace treaty with you, but be sure he won't keep it.
There is only one way you can walk in victory — have him underneath your foot. His peace treaties are of no value at all. If you'll slow up a little bit, he'll back off. If you'll quit plugging and digging, he'll back off. There won't be nearly as much pressure on you. He'll give you some room, and let you get on the shelf. He'll hold the ladder for you to get up, and then he'll move the ladder. He's a liar from the beginning. The Bible says he's the father of the lie; he can't tell the truth.
It's naive for a Christian to think he can bargain with his enemy. You say, "Oh, Brother Willis, I don't bargain with him." If you slow up, you're making a peace treaty with Satan. When the going gets rough and you back up a little bit, you make a peace treaty. What you're saying is, "Hey, it's getting a little too tough, a little too hard; I'm going to back up and get a little help from man."
At that point you're making a peace treaty with your enemy. And when you make a peace treaty with him, he'll help you. You can be assured he's just like the Russians — he'll not keep it. They have one thing in mind — conquer the world. Their definition of the same words we use is completely different. The devil has one thing in mind, and that's to conquer, kill and destroy.
Here are some truths that will enable you to avoid failures:
I. SINGLE MINDEDNESS: Single mindedness is necessary. Knowing what you ought to do, and doing it, are two totally different things.
1. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Love the Lord thy God how much? With ALL thy heart, ALL thy soul, ALL thy might. The world says, "How can I do that? I love my wife and love my kids." If you love Him with all your heart and all your soul and all your might, what are your wife and your kids going to get? Through Him it will bounce back and they will get some of that love.
Many people want to be dedicated, love their family, and love God. Listen, He doesn't want part of your love; He wants ALL of it. You say, "Brother Willis, do you love your wife? Sure I do; but I love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my might. Why? Because He said so. Where does she fit in? I don't know; but she's in there. What God is saying is, you love to the extent that if it comes to a decision between someone else and God, it's no decision — God always wins.
Even when I pastored a Baptist church I said, "I love my wife and children, but if it would come to a choice between them and God, they're not in the race." If I'm that way about God, then He's going to help take care of everything for me.
2. Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."
3. James 1:3-8 says we're not to be doubleminded but singleminded. A doubleminded person is unstable in ALL his ways.
4. Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God — not "dabble after" it. This word "seek" means with intense desire, with a hunger for, a cherishing to have — not just to dabble after. I'm not trying to be hard or harsh, but there is very little dedication in the body of Christ today. If there were more dedication, there would be a much more mature level of Christianity.
God always has some who will dedicate themselves to a greater degree. It only took one to lead two and a half million people out of Egypt: Moses. It only takes ONE to bring a great revival. It can be you; it can be me. But we have to realize one of the necessary things is to be singleminded.
Your confession must be: "I'm going to follow God. I'm going to obey His Word; I'm going to walk with Him diligently and faithfully."
II. DESPISE SIN: Many aspire but few attain. If you're going to attain you'll have to despise sin. Romans 12:9 says, "Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." It means that sin should nauseate you. Whenever you disobey God's Word and say something you shouldn't say, or act some way you shouldn't act, it should nauseate you. You should be so conscious of your desire to please God, that whenever you do something wrong, even if you're in a public place, inside you say, "Oh, God, forgive me; it was evil, that was wicked of me."
Too many times we want to baby and pamper and pet sin. We try to excuse it and try to justify it, when the Bible says to abhor it. Literally, it means to hate it, despise it. Why? Because sin will keep you from attaining; it will destroy your fellowship with God. It will keep you from maturing in the things of God. You'll never be able to walk in the victory that God wants you to unless you realize sin is against God. This will cause you to abhor it.
Especially the sins of mediocrity and failure. You need to say, "Oh, God, forgive me for failing. Lord, You've already given me victory at Calvary — forgive me, Lord; I failed. I couldn't hold to Your Word, I couldn't hold to Your promise — forgive me, God." If you don't realize failing (when it comes to God's Word) is sin, you have the door open to failure.
"Brother Willis, you mean we've got to be victory-conscious?" Yes! "What do you do?" I repent of it. I confess it as sin, because the Bible says He that is in me is GREATER than he that is in the world. The Bible says I can do ALL things. The Bible says I ALWAYS triumph; the Bible says I'm MORE than a conqueror. Therefore, according to the Word of God, there is no room for failure. Man likes to give room for it, and then the devil HAS room.
All thoughts that are sin, in private as well as those that come out in public, must be despised, and dealt with. Whenever you begin to think negatively, contrary to the Bible, or think bad about someone, wrong about someone, you must despise it. If a negative thought comes to your mind about some brother or sister, you've got to say, "Oh, God, forgive me. Lord, it was evil for me to think that way about him or her." You have to despise it. "Why, Brother Willis?" The Word of God says that as you are faithful in the little things (your private life), He can give you greater responsibility.
How many Christians are attaining? Not many! They always think it's not necessary; they always think it's requiring too much. Listen, brothers and sisters, God is not requiring too much. The blessings are well worth it. Many times the flesh doesn't want to pay the price.
I Peter 2:2 says, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow, because the Word is going to help you to grow.
Jeremiah 15:16, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them…"
Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
The only chance of survival is to stay hungry for the Word. If you don't stay hungry for the Word, you can't last; you'll get weak. The Word of God will feed you. The Word is your way of survival. The more knowledge you have of the Word, the more wise you are in the ways of God, the more wise you are about the devil. Therefore it is necessary to stay hungry for the Word.
IV. TRUST GOD: You will have to trust God, not just have a vocalizing trust in God. Let your life prove it. Many people say, "I trust God," but their life doesn't demonstrate it.
Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
There are many things one can do without trusting God, without faith. You can get married, and not trust God. You can keep a job, you can live a normal, relatively happy life, without faith and without trust in God. There are a lot of Christians doing it. They're living a normal, relatively happy life, without trusting God.
It's easy to say you trust God. But it's something else to live it. Many cannot truly attain because they don't really trust God. They talk about trusting God, but they're continually leaning upon the arm of the flesh, and looking to the ways of the world. They say, "Oh, we believe God for everything," but in actuality they're not doing it.
Hebrew 11:6 tells us God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
V. BURN BRIDGES BEHIND YOU: Since you're aspiring, and you want to attain, you must burn the bridges behind you.
Luke 9:62 says, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
1. Hernando Cortez landed in Mexico, and burned the ships. At that point everyone realized they were in Mexico for life; therefore, they must win or die. That is a true story. He came from Spain, and when they landed he sent some men back to the ships to set them on fire. He knew if it got tough they would run back to the sea, back to the ships, and head toward home.
2. Joshua. When they crossed the Jordan River, it closed behind them, and the Israelites had no ditches and no boats. It was take Jericho or die. You've got to burn YOUR bridges behind you. Many times the reason you can't attain is because when the devil makes it hot for you, you run back to the arm of the flesh. It is absolutely necessary to burn your bridges behind you.
3. Primarily in the mental areas you must burn your bridges — trusting in your education, trusting in your ability, trusting in your youth, or in your vocational goals, or your career. Burn the bridges behind you. You say, "But Brother Willis, I'm out there in the world; God wants me to be successful." Then just wait for Him to provide for you while you're successful with Him. God must be first. "But Brother Willis, I want to succeed out there." Where do you want to succeed the most — in the world, or with God? If you succeed with God you have a guarantee of success in the world, because it says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added.
1. Mavericks and loners want to serve God in their ways.
A. Today many Christians' attitude is, "I am against spiritual authority and leadership, unless I am in authority and leadership." Give most of those who rebel against authority a position, and they'll change at the snap of your fingers.
A lot of them say, "Well, GOD is my teacher. He can speak to me as easily through someone else. After all, the Bible says we're not to lord over the flock like little tin gods." These are some of the words of those who do not want to submit to authority. They're not a part of the body of Christ. They go their own way; they're going to walk their own way — they have independent spirits.
B. The Bible. Numbers 16 reveals this spirit. The argument Korah and Abiram gave Moses is a good example. "You take too much upon yourself, God can speak to us just as easily. We don't need to follow you." These were the words spoken to Moses. "We believe in the priesthood of the believers" — is what they were basically saying. Desiring to be nonconformist, they created another kind of conformity.
An independent spirit desires to be independent, so he creates his own kind of conformity. He says, "Well, I don't want to conform; I don't want to be a yes-man or a yes-person, therefore I will create my own kind of conformity." These don't mind being CALLED a servant, but don't expect them to BE a servant. They must have recognition and position. What are we talking about? People with independent spirits. They'll not stick around long if you don't give them recognition, if you don't give them prestige, if you don't give them position, if you don't give them jobs. They will not submit to authority.
2. Be wholehearted. II Chronicles 25:2, "And he did that which was right in the sight of the lord, but not with a perfect heart." This usually shows up when faithfulness is required in doing that which you don't like. We're talking about avoiding an independent spirit. "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart."
A lot of times you can do things and still be grumbling and mumbling. A lot of people come week after week and hear teaching, and walk out mumbling and griping about it. They're doing a good thing, but not with a perfect heart. Some of them will sit around a church for years, and walk out the door and have roasted preacher for dinner. Then they wonder why God doesn't bless them.
VII. FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE THINGS: We are talking about — Many aspire and few attain. Why don't they attain? They're not faithful in the little things. Luke 16:10 says, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."
When you find a person who is not faithful in the little things, he'll not be faithful in greater things. If God can't get you to be faithful now, to sit and learn, you can't be faithful in leadership. When I taught the book of Joshua I taught about the preparation phase. It takes faithfulness to sit and learn, to bring you to any place of leadership.
Do all things as unto the Lord, as promotion comes from God — Psalm 75:6,7.
How close do you have to be followed to get you to do things? Do some assignments belittle you? How close does your boss have to follow you out there on the job? Does he have to "bird-dog" you to get you to work? Well, if he has to "bird-dog" you out there, when it comes to God's work you'll have to be "bird-dogged" to do God's work. If you've got that spirit, it will manifest itself everywhere.
Ladies, if you have to be bird-dogged by your husband to get the housework done, you can't do anything for God. If you have to be bird-dogged to get the house straightened, or bird-dogged to wash the dishes because company is coming, etc., if you're not faithful in the little things then you can't be faithful in big things. Realize, faithfulness in the little things is a necessity if you plan to attain.
You will not get promoted if you're not faithful in the little things. Why? Because the boss can't trust you. If he can't trust you to do little things, how can he put you over something big? If God can't trust you to be faithful to just sit, and study, and meditate the Word, then how can He trust you in a leadership position? How can He trust you OVER the people, when you won't even be faithful to sit and learn? You're not even faithful to meditate the Word while you're learning.
If you are not even faithful to be a good Christian while you're learning, God can't put you in a place of authority, because of your lack of faithfulness. You've got holes in your armor, and it will eventually show up in a greater way. A man must be faithful to minister to two, or three, as much as he would to 500. Most people say, "Boy, if I had 500 or 600, I could be faithful." No; if they can't be faithful to sit and learn, they can't be faithful there either. That same spirit is there. It doesn't leave.
If you're going to be unfaithful to yourself, how can you really be faithful to others? You'll do it for a season; then you'll fizzle. The devil knows it; therefore he'll put much pressure on you. Be faithful in the little things; otherwise you'll not attain.
It's those who falter in the little things that never attain to the greater things. It's the little foxes that spoil the vine. Really, in Christians it's not the big sins, it's not cussing that keeps them from attaining. It's not drinking, it's not adultery, it's not beating their wife — yet they fail, they don't mature. Then what is it? It's unfaithfulness. We would call it one of the "hidden sins." They're not hidden from God; it's the hidden thoughts of their minds, their unfaithfulness, in areas that most people don't pay attention to.
VIII. REFUSE TO BECOME BITTER: Hebrews 12:15 says, "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." "Brother Willis, I desire to be faithful to God; how can I become bitter?" When you don't get that promotion you think you ought to have; you don't get the recognition you think you ought to have.
A lot of people have left the Christian Teaching Center bitter at me, because I didn't give them recognition or do what they thought they should have had. You know, if God thought they should have had it, He could have gotten it to them without me. Faith always gets what you believe you receive.
Every Christian has some battles with bitterness. You say, "Brother Willis, why is this so important to me?" What you're saying is, you believe God wants to use you. As God begins to use you, many who are not willing to pay the price that you're paying will get resentful at you. You'll be going to Bible College two or three nights a week and being diligent, and when you get around those who are not doing it and start talking about it, they don't like you. They'll get a little resentful of you. They don't want to hang around you. If they find out you're going to Bible College all the time, and they're not going, they'll tell you it puts them under condemnation.
You need to be aware of these things, because it can cause you to get bitter. Someone will get a blessing and you won't — you can get bitter. Someone will get that car, get that raise, get that house — watch the bitterness.
Bitterness comes as the result of real or supposed ill treatment. It can be real or it can be supposed, just an imagination of the mind. You'll have to learn these things if you plan to go into leadership, because you can easily get bitter.
Self-pity is the other side of bitterness. Bitterness is hidden under self-pity.
Envy, jealousy, bitterness, and a competitive spirit — all work together. When someone is envious, or jealous, or bitter at you, they're bitter because you are more faithful or more dedicated or receiving something. They don't think you're doing this or that, or they're envious because you're receiving something or they're jealous of something you have — that's a competitive spirit. What they're saying is, "I ought to have that, too." As you go on with God and become faithful, this is what will happen.
Listen to what George Washington Carver said. "I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate or resent him." He was smart! Many people fail today because of bitterness, self-pity, resentment, envy, or jealousy. All of these are branches off the same tree.
IX. RECEIVE REBUKES: Remember: We're talking about many aspire and few attain. Hebrews 12:6 says, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
Proverbs 9:8 says, "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." Many people say this: "I don't mind God rebuking me; what I resent is other people rebuking me." "If God rebukes me it's all right; but, Brother Willis, don't you do it. Who do you think you are?" God knows that; that's why, many times, He will have a man of God rebuke you — to check your temperature. If that thing is down inside of you, it will rise up; it will "get your goat."
"Brother Willis, how do you know all this?" I've been there! That's why I don't rebuke very many men; most of them can't take it. I've found very few who can accept rebuke. That's why I just minister strongly from the pulpit. When most men come to talk to you about something, they don't really want you to be honest, because if you tell them the truth about it they'll think you're against them. This is very important, because many men fail because they can't take a rebuke.
What does it say in Proverbs 9:8? "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." I've found some who have been rebuked, and they're wise, and they love me. They appreciate it, because they're hungry. They want to learn, they want to grow, they want to mature. Normally an independent spirit in a person's life will never let them accept correction or rebuke.
X. CONTINUALLY WALK BY FAITH: It's exciting in the beginning, but after the new and novelty wears off, most begin to desire to have some security. They begin to talk about how this and that needs to be emphasized.
I have noticed that those for whom faith is not really operating are usually the fault finders. The ones who criticize the "full faith message" are usually the ones it's not working for. The ones who water down divine healing usually can't get their own healing. They failed somewhere, therefore they have to justify their failure, they have to justify their excuses. Realize: if you're going to attain, you'll have to continually walk by faith.
XI. KEEP UP THE HEART FOR BATTLE: It is easy to become tired of resisting the devil and pushing in to conquer, and find a comfortable stopping place — a halfway house. You might ask, "Do you ever get tired? Studying all the time, pushing and staying with it?" Keep up the heart for battle. The devil keeps the pressure on all the time.
I can remember when God began to show me the fact that we are conquerors. I said, "Lord, what does a conqueror do?" He said, "He takes territory." I said, "Lord, if I'm always going out taking territory, that means I've got to be attacking the devil and everything he stands for." He said, "Yes; that's why most of my people don't mature." They go out as conquerors, but they want to stay on R & R (rest and relaxation) most of the time.
You know what a little resting time is for? Just long enough for you to rest, regroup, and go back and fight. Do you ever get tired of studying all the time, meditating in the Scriptures? And after a while you say, "Aw, well, I've got a bunch of other things to do"? The devil always has something more exciting and more encouraging for you to do. He knows that you'll find you a resting place.
"How do you know, Brother Willis?" I've had that temptation many times. I've seen a lot of times, in past years, I wanted to rest and relax for a while. I've got my faith out all the time. I stay in the Word all the time; I can't take a break. Many times the body and the mind say, "Now you deserve a rest; look how faithful you've been all these years, believing God." That doesn't mean you don't take a break, but I'll tell you what — I don't take it for long. I can't afford to. You take an R & R very long, and the devil will take the territory.
Saints, keep up the heart for the battle, and you can attain and win.


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As I mentioned last week, I am back to doing single batches of items at times, and this week I am focusing purely on the 6 models that make up batch C of the 2021 Target Retro series. My title is a continuation of the one I used last week. I liked my title last week so I used the idea again. Now as these are exclusive to Target stores in USA, I am extremely grateful to have a friend in Rory McDonald (who goes by @wyoming_wheels on Instagram) who has secured me a set and sent over. Because these appear to be proving extremely tough to find, as I am hearing stories from many people in USA who say that their Target stores are not stocking them. Which sounds extremely bizarre to me. Ask for an exclusive for your store to sell, then don't bother selling it in many of them. I would have thought getting this exclusive would have made them more inclined to make sure they would be in more stores. So again, I am extremely grateful for Rory in being able to still secure these for me. So that is why I want to just focus on this batch.
Now as has become the de facto norm now for these additional ranges (and 5-packs now), as a rule a batch of models will likely be half "new" and half "carry forward". There is a technical reason behind it all which equates to more product visibility at less financial cost which is beneficial to Mattel as well as the stores that are (cough cough) stocking them. But for some of us, particularly me, I enjoy seeing these carry forwards pretty much the same as seeing the "new" models. Because you never know just how different a carry forward will be from when it was first being sold. Case in point, the MB840 Water Hauler. This is a carry forward for this batch, taking the number 6 slot in the series of 24.
It appears in orange and blue with a H20 design on the side, which is the same design that was originally issued back in 2013 when it was MB44 in the basic range.
But oh boy am I loving this one. Considering the era that Mattel were in during 2013, this was one of the less extreme "brighter" designs. I thought it was very realistic at the time and still do. It still works now.
So let's bring in the 2013 release to compare shall we?
This is a casting that saw some tweaks after its 2015 usage and when it returned in 2017 it was looking slightly different. You can see at the front how the grille along the bottom is different to how it was (newbie on the right).
Well it wasn't just redesigned, it was also thinned out. In fact the whole of the body section was.
The tank on the back is still the same tank. There was no adjustment made to that.
But as part of the alterations, part of the body was transferred to being part of the base section. So seeing this new production run of the model gives me a huge variation, as the casting is quite a lot different to how it was. Now as I have been talking about it, I guess I should do a quick history lesson.
MB840 is an offshoot of the MB710 Dump Truck, itself an update to the MB209 Dump Truck, which in turn was an update to the original MB58-C Faun Dump Truck. This means it has its roots back in the Lesney era, as it was first released back in 1977. The Water Hauler debuted as MB34 in the 2012 basic range in yellow and grey, and immediately I was on the ball in finding shades.
It then, as we have already well established, moved to the MB44 slot for the 2013 range.
In 2014 it was MB15 in blue and white, and although usually sporting dual ringed 8-dot wheels, a batch turned up with the older cog wheels on the model.
2015 saw one last basic range outing in white and blue as MB32. Oh jeez, my photography skills are failing again. Stupid camera focusing on the wrong model. Typical.
It was also thrown in the Jurassic World series too. It was in the Jurassic World Construction 5-pack in grey and blue. As we know, the license for Jurassic World was obtained by Mattel so late that they had no time to develop things for the first film, so did the best they could by getting some models out in some way to promote it. After 2015 the model took a year out to have that cosmetic surgery I went through earlier.
When it returned leaner, meaner and altogether cleaner, we saw a red and white arrival as MB75 in the 2017 basic range.
Before it was moved to 5-packs for the 2018 Rescue Ranger pack in the awesome ongoing National Parks theme.
It then took 2019 off before seeing another recurring theme (this time the Ranec one) for the 2020 MBX Construction 5-pack. Again I saw shades to this, except this time it was on the orange tank instead of the body. Newbie is the next in the list for the casting.
Next up we have the MB1200 '76 VW Golf Mk1 GTi. This one is in the number 13 slot for the range, and as people know does sport the 2 parcel shelf variations (with or without items).
It is also a new look for the series too in yellow with a Rompin Racing Team and white stripe/fading bunny design. Plus the front grille is still nicely detailed. It is great to see they can sneak in a few 3 panel tampos at times.
This is a really nice design and if you think it looks familiar well yes it is.
The MB1038 '90 Golf Country sported the same design earlier this year in the Off Road Rally 5-pack.
Except that time the model was white with yellow on the side, instead of yellow with white on the side. Plus it was number 7, whereas the new one is number 1. I love it! This is awesome stuff. I love these recurring themes. So now we need the MB684 VW Golf V GTi to wear this look too. Plus, there is a new "classic" VW Golf being added in to the Moving Parts series next year with an opening rear. They said it was a Mk2 but showed a picture of a Mk3, so we will have to see which it was. But I am hoping that too sees a Rompin Racing Team design. Did i say i just love stuff like this? Best model of the batch for me.
Next up is another new design. This one is adorning the MB709 Chevy Van, which appears to now be a dated Chevy Van, as the packaging is noting it as a 1975. Again this is a casting that was initially created during the Lesney era as MB709 was an alteration to the MB102 Chevy Van 4×4, which itself had been an alteration to the MB68-C Chevy Van from 1979. So this does mean that 2 castings in this batch are definitely retro purely in the fact they are based on ones from the 1970s.
This model comes in a light blue with a Tiki side design, which is really giving me 2012 vibes. Not the film, but the Matchbox year.
I can't explain it, but I like the look of this. It has quite a fun vibe to it. But I do notice the windows appear very dark.
And when I check the base I do see a new copyright year of 2020 on there. This is a recent alteration. So you know what that means.
I'm bringing in the last one to see what has changed.
The 2019 5-pack Service Squad issue in gold still sports the earlier 2006 copyrighted base, so this is why we did not see the model in 2020. It was being given cosmetic surgery. And boy did they go to town on this one.
Because what was immediately noticeable was the fact that the new casting is smaller. It has been shrunk down. You can also see that it was a slot in production model, so obviously was seeing a change to the drop method, hence the 2 slots at the back of the older one and the rivet towards the rear of the new one.
Now I have to admit, the way the wheels seem to slot into the wheel arches actually looks better now. I think because the casting was altered from a smaller wheel to larger wheel (the same as is on the Water hauler) meaning enlarging the wheel arches to accommodate, the reduction back down didn't do justice to the wheel arches. They appear much more finely shaped around the smaller wheels now. And considering the model is a little smaller now, it doesn't appear to feel like the wheel are now too large. They still suit it just as well. I guess this was a case of shrink or swap. The alternative might have been metal base, plastic body. I think this was definitely the better option for most people.
The front end does now look just a little better defined, but still very true to how it was. Now the other thing to note is that there is no longer an interior. Not east to see as the 2019 had such dark windows you could not see the grey interior inside. But to me, this is harkening back to its roots.
Because when the Chevy Van first debuted back in 1979 it was only a 3-piece build anyway. Body, base, window. It has finally returned to its 1979 piece count.
Obviously that one did have a metal base, with the new one being plastic, but that is the norm nowadays. I am perfectly fine with it.
I thought for a bit of fun, why not remind myself of a few Tiki models. Now this is not necessarily all of them. Just those I could remember off the top of my head. The oldest one I can think of (if you can think of an older one let me know) was the MB575 Jeep Willys Concept from the 2004 Around the World series which first introduced us to the Tiki of Hawaii.
I remember the MB526 Hummer H2 SUV saw a Hawaiian Excursion liveried blue model in the 2008 Vacation 5-pack. It didn't say Tiki, but it had one pictured on the door.
But as I mentioned, I did have 2012 vibes seeing the new one. Because that year we did get a few. The MB685 '06 Dune Buggy was one, MB19 in the 2012 basic range.
Just like the Hummer, the MB780 '63 Cadillac Ambulance did not say Tiki, but there was one on the side of Surf Doc, the 2012 MB11 issue.
And the MB744 '07 Shelby Cobra GT500 Convertible had a Tiki Wai Surf Shop design towards the back half of the MB16 release that year. It really was the year of the Tiki.
There have been ones since. The 2017 Mb104 release of the MB731 Baja Bandit in orange had a Tiki on the front.
And the MB705 Honda Ridgeline had a Tiki River Cruises side design in the 2017 Explore The River 5-pack release too. Of course it was towing a White Water Raft which I forgot to pull out to picture. There may be others, but I like the Tiki theme.
The MB969 '93 Ford Mustang LX SSP is next up. This is number 16 in the series and is another of the carry forwards. Well before 2020 we had only ever seen 2 "core" issues of the model (the Best of is a premium so doesn't count), and with 1 core issue already seeing a carry forward in last year's Mustang set, well it does mean we get the other one.
This is a repeat of the 2016 MB66 issue in silver. For those who don't remember it from 5 years ago, it sports a simple black and gold stripe State Police look.
I did think it was a nice look then, but I do wonder if the new one is any different. Because….
When it first debuted, I did find some shade variation to the silver paint. So was curious as to how the new one looked.
Well I see a difference. It is not easy to see in a triple shot in picture, but the new one sits in the middle of these and has a coarser sort of grey to the paint finish. That is the only way I can describe it.
As everything else about the model looked extremely similar. Perhaps just a slight shading to both gold and white in the tampo too. Plus you might notice the writing over the rear wheels does appear to be bolder now.
The last of the carry forwards. The MB610 '71 Chevy Chevelle. It is nice to see this model getting more uses. It was altered for the 2017 Open Road Cruisers 5-pack released, but until 2021 had not been used a second time. Suddenly this year gets this and (spoiler alert, the report is coming next) a 9-pack release.
So knowing that this was not a carry forward of the 2017 5-pack release I knew this was going to be an instant variation. But just how else was it different?
It does look very familiar in teal with dual white stripes going over the top.
But obviously the copyright 2003, '16 base is a giveaway of this not being the 2008 MB5 release.
Talking of which, let's bring it in shall we? 2021 meet 2008.
The first thing I always do is put the models side by side. Have to check out the shades before anything else. Yes, a brighter look to the new 2021 release, as it is on the left. The window piece is more upright since the alteration.
Being just a dual white stripe means there is not too much difference in the tampo.
With the casting lines now being a little deeper you do note how the tampo doesn't quite fit the gaps as well as it did before. The interior moulding was rebuilt for the updated casting, and all I can say is that it does make the interior look flatter.
Obviously a chrome base is a chrome base, but when they reworked the model, they did make some changes to it.
I don't know if you can tell, but the rear lights were enlarged for the rebuild too and this does stand out a bit. So yes, I knew things were going to look a little different, but although all the changes were pretty subtle to the casting when it was altered in 2016, when you see a before and after like this, you can really see all the little changes much more clearly.
So as long as we don't get this as a carry forward I am fine with them re-issuing any of the older releases. Although for core release there is only a 5-pack, 10-pack and 2012 basic to redo.
Which brings us to the last model in the batch. Another VW. This time the MB723 VW Beetle 4×4. A casting that has been around for quite a while.
Considering this casting debuted back in 2007, replacing an older MB582 Beetle 4×4 which had been around since 2003, itself an offshoot of the MB491 from 2001 I was half expecting quite a short shelf life for this too. But here we are, year 15, and still going strong. Plus, it has never been sold in pink before. So they keep coming up with cool new looks for it. I really like this one. With the brown, teal, yellow and orange wavy lines down the side. Plus a Matchbox and a VW logo in addition, this is a simple, yet elegant design.
I have to admit, it is one of my favourite looks for this casting. And can you really have enough Beetle 4x4s?
It's funny how last year we saw our first pink MB363 VW Beetle, and now a year later, the Beetle 4×4 also goes pink. Yet still no Cadillac One! I still want a pink Cadillac One. I think I might have mentioned it 1 or 2…. hundred times!
I believe that takes me to the end of another batch. 3 carry forwards, all showing something different, from the subtle to the extreme.
As well as 3 brand new designs, all of which I really like. So I am very happy with this batch, and also to Rory who helped me to secure it. I tend to notice how people see the USA Walmart exclusives in other countries in different stores, but Target USA exclusives do appear to be more rigid. They appear at Target in USA. Not all Targets (much to the frustration of many people), but I never seem to hear much talk of any other country seeing this retro stuff.
Talking of retro, is it time to go back and dive into the collection for some oldies, but goodies? I think so. So I will begin with a VW. Well, there were 2 in the current batch, one being a yellow Rabbit, so I had to bring out the classic yellow Rabbit didn't I!
I have always had a bit of an OCD moment with this casting. What does it clearly say on the side? Rompin Rabbit. Yet the base had it marked as Romping Rabbit, with a "G" on the end. It has always bugged me. Clearly this was the MB099 "VW Golf" Romping Rabbit even though the base never mentioned VW or Golf. It was an offshoot of the MB007 VW Golf LS casting, where they simply created a new base section with which they could add large 4×4 wheels. It debuted in white in the 1982 basic range, but only in the US market. It was sold as MB7 there, and in its debut year it was white.
Now this casting was being made alongside the still standard MB007 Golf, which was being sold in the ROW range as MB7. Due to there being 2 models, they did have a little fun with interiors. Both red and tan are to be found on this one, and it appeared that red was the more common variant to both models. I don't know if they attempted one to be the US and one to be the ROW. I have a feeling it was supposed to be red on this, and tan on the ROW, but they made so many red interiors they just put them on them all. Because you know, that was what the factory was like at the time. I am actually still hunting down a pair of tan interiors for this (as I said, red was the more common). Why 2?
Because the model came with or without a side stripe. As 1982 was finishing and Lesney went bust, Universal swooped in and decided as an initial move to send all castings that were being sold exclusively in the US market over to Hong Kong while they figured out what they were doing.
When they shipped it over to Hong Kong, they came up with an all new look. Yellow with a Ruff Rabbit design and a blue interior. During 1983 they realized that the factory was not one of theirs, but a sub-contracted one, so they ceased production of all Matchbox stuff and moved them all to their own factory in Macau. By late 1983 the same model was now being made in Macau. Visually, they looked very familiar.
But there was something that the Hong Kong factory had done. They were snipping off tow hooks. But because they had 2 interior moulds, but were only using 1, they shipped both out to Macau. Macau didn't notice and so used both moulds. From hereon, the casting could be found with or without a tow hook.
But what Macau also didn't notice was the template for the rabbit. As such the casting can be found with the rabbit running left or right.
The model ran for 3 years in the US range in yellow, although technically, it saw 4 years of action, as the Japanese range in 1984 was enlarged to 100 models and saw a number of US and ROW exclusives added. The Romping Rabbit was thrown in the Japanese range as MB54, but although it was dropped from the US range after 1985, it continued on in 1986 as a Japanese exclusive. People often forget those little anecdotes. Particularly when the only other noticeable changes had already occurred by then. The main one being that in 1984 they decided to go back to a red interior.
Shades of yellow can be found as it ran a few years. I admit both of my red interior models have tow hooks, but as I said, they were using both interior moulds and so they can be found without too.
But they never did notice the rabbit. All through production in Macau (from late 1983 until it was dropped after 1986 in Japan) that rabbit could be running either way.
Which does make for an easy 4-variation hunt. Red or blue interior, rabbit running left or right. After the Japanese range dropped the model after the 1986 year, it was never seen again.
So I am going to move on now to the often forgotten Chevy Van offshoot. As I already mentioned when I previewed the MB709 Chevy Van earlier, this was originally a Lesney made casting back in 1979. A classic that still lives on. Well in 1982 they created the MB102 4×4 version which ran until the mid '00s, which itself was recast back to the original more stock model as the original MB068 casting itself had gone. But in 1985, they came up with an alternate. The MB150 Chevy Breakdown Van.
Still struggling just a little to get enough new castings together under the Universal ownership, 1983 and 1984 had seen multiple offshoots, but we saw a few stragglers in 1985 too. This one was simply the Chevy Van with the rear chopped, and a boom and tow hook added. The roof also had a hole in it, with a large area attached to the boom which you could press down to lower the boom.
It debuted in the 1985 range as MB21 and ran for 4 years in the same design with the last 2 moving from Macau to China production. Well I say 4 years, the US range dropped it after 1986. The last 2 years were ROW only, but China production started shortly before the 1987 US replacement had arrived, so early production examples were still found there.
Chinese made examples tend to sport a more grey looking base. There is an offshoot which I never picked up. In 1988 an MB-101 multipack saw the model looking very similar, but the "Service and white/blue lines" print were replaced with white chevrons. I never noticed at the time (still young) and nowadays can I find that multipack? Nope!
1989 saw the model added to the Commando series where it ran until 1991. However, the one I picture here is not the Commando series model. This turned up randomly in 1998 as a Chinese error model. It was fitted with 5-crown wheels instead of the usual 8-spoke. This is why I like doing these dive backs, as they help me to remember some of the things I am missing. Note to self, MP-101 and a Commando model to locate.
Also in 1989 they changed the basic range look to this. It ran for 2, no wait, 3, actually no again wait, 5 years! This one is complicated. When it started it was an ROW exclusive. That was 1989. In 1990 they decided to re-add the casting to the US range where it was now allotted the MB53 slot. So in 1990 it was worldwide. In 1991 the model was dropped from the ROW range but continued in the US range for 1 more year. So both the US and ROW range saw it for 2 years, but they were 1 year skewed. So that gives us the 3, so where did the 5 come from? Well, Universal decided to come up with something a little different for the Australian market. There wasn't anything in the way of exclusives at the time, but during the Universal era, the Australian range was an unusual combination of ROW and US issues. So although it was being sold there as MB21 in the Australian market (where it was following the ROW trend), when the ROW market dropped it, they decided sales were still good in Australia, so they re-added it immediately in to the 1991 as MB66. And even though the US range also dropped it after 1991, they still kept it going in Australia. Guess how long for? Another 2 years. It was only dropped there after 1993. So as I said, it was 2, 3 and 5 years. Things were complicated at times. I didn't even mention the shade variation.
While all this was happening the Chevy Breakdown Van had another outing that ran a while. It debuted in the My First Matchbox series in 1990. A series where bright reds, blues, yellows and greens were the main focus (along with black and white).
1991 saw the model added to an Action Pack in USA. This was a new series of models that included accessories that were complementary to the playsets in use at the time. Sadly the series did not take off and was cancelled after 1 year, although due to slow sales, people were still finding it well into 1992. The model was orange, but used the same design as was being used on the basic range version.
And back to My First Matchbox. during production they decided to no longer print anything on the wheels, so after 2 years with yellow hubs, the model saw a further year with plain blue.
1992 saw a few outings for the model as it was still getting plenty of action. This was in an EM-82 multipack with an Auto Rescue look.
But if you wanted it plain, that was easy enough too, as it was also a part of Graffic Traffic that year in plain white. As with a lot of Graffic Traffic items, the plastic does tend to go a funny colour over time. At first it was bright white.
1993 saw the advent of Intercom City and the Chevy was added to that too in fluorescent orange with the Intercom City logo on the side.
And if you flipped the model over, there was a new base section with a bar code piece in the middle that would activate certain places on various playsets to initiate sounds and effects.
After all that, and the Australian range finally deciding to drop it too, the model went very quiet. 1994 and 1995 saw nothing at all, but in 1996 a new addition arrived. Black with a 24, arrow and hand holding a car side design. This was in a City Life 5-pack that year. After this the MB150 casting was retired, but not left. It was turned into MB316.
Where it debuted in 1997 in an Adventure Pack. This was appropriately titled Mechanic.
The difference between MB150 and MB316? A slightly redesigned boom section which now sported a dual hook off the back instead of a single hook. Everything else was the same.
The Adventure Pack continued in 1998, but was now known as Roadside Assistance. The model was still the same design, but was now silver, not yellow.
It also was included in the "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" series too. Many castings for the Jurassic Park license that year saw major modifications, but this didn't. It came as was along with a man and a velociraptor.
It was then added to the Scrapyard 5-pack for 1999 in what I think was such a cool design. Each of the models in the Scrapyard set had a rusty, weathered look to them. But this went a stage further.
They tampo printed cracks in the side windows. Such little details. After this the model took 2000 off before returning for one more outing.
One that I am a bit annoyed with myself with as I appear to have misplaced the hook off the back. It fell off and is likely somewhere in all my stuff. It was in the 2001 Rescue Riders 5-pack. I may have to relent and buy another one if I can't find my hook. So is it being added to my list of Chevy Breakdown Vans to hunt down? I will have to see. But this was the last time the casting saw action.
I had to go Mustang for my next dive back as there was a Mustang in the range. Being a 1990s era Mustang, I knew I had to do a Mustang casting that debuted in the 1990s. This is the MB322 '70 Ford Boss Mustang.
Obviously as I mentioned, this debuted in the 1990s. 1998 to be exact. As was the norm at that moment in Matchbox history, new casting would see their very first models run in a premium form. Released as a twin pack, you would see one completely decked out with full tampo prints and 2-part rubber wheels, and the pack would also see a second model left unpainted. Those were the very first ones run and designed so that people could really see the detailing that was going into the casting, without any paint etc covering it up.
I do own an oddity with this one, as some leftover bodies were used up by the Chinese factory and dumped out on to the local market with gold spirals instead of the proper wheels.
Later on that year we saw the basic range debut of the casting. MB37. But that was it. It was done. No sooner had the casting arrived in the basic range, it was dropped from the basic range. Of course it wasn't the end of the casting, or otherwise this would be a very short dive back segment, but I was always surprised they only ever used it once in the basic range. Of course during that time you would find variations. Mine I have feature the yellow tampo being quite a strong deep yellow (bottom) or quite a light pastel shade (top).
Of course there was this as well. Yes more Chinese dumped stuff, with this model seeing some old 8-spoke wheels used instead of the concave 5-spokes.
Now there are 4 more premium models done, but I own none so cannot show them. On my list to find. 2x blues, 2x greens, so from here on I concentrate on the non-rubber wheeled models. This was a 1999 Real Talking issue. In a Police Chase set with a talking police car and a few additional items too.
It saw absolutely no action at all in 2000 but in 2001 did start getting use again. This was a Coca Cola themed Avon exclusive. Part of the "Decades" twin packs they were selling in 2001. Each twin pack featured 2 models from a particular decade. Although this was from the 1970s decade, it was partnered with a '70 Chevy El Camino, which meant that they literally just used the first year of the whole decade. It also saw something new.
A metal base. At the start of the 2000s quite a few castings made a temporary switch from plastic to metal bases, before reverting back to plastic later.
Because by the time it was next in action (a pair of 2003 Barrett Jackson releases, again, these are premiums I don't own) the base was back to plastic again. My next issue was this one. It was part of the 2004 Duracell on-pack promotion in green. That was the period where my stocks of AA batteries skyrocketed!
It was then added to the new Superfast series later on too, in white in the number 28 slot.
2005 saw it continue in the 28 slot for the following year in the Superfast range. 2005 was the year of the split production, with 7,500 reds being made for the ROW market, and 15,000 blues made for the USA market.
Target stores in USA also had their special 6-pack of models, with this recoloured to a spectraflame green.
It never saw a 2006 release, but came back for the Superfast America series. After 3 years of Superfast being a set of 75, 2007 became a smaller set of purely classic American vehicles. This was number 5 in the series.
That proved to be it for a while, but in 2010 they dusted it off for a 10-pack journey. At the time, there were 4 batches of 10-packs released per year. Each batch would contain 1 all-exclusive set that would follow the same 4-scenario theme through the year. Alongside these all-exclusive packs would be 2 further packs with items pulled from the other ranges (as we see now, although packs are 9, not 10). But at the time they would only use 2 castings through the year. Each would see 4 different colours as the year went on. So the Mustang, in one of the packs sold alongside the "Real" pack was green.
When the "Action" pack arrived 3 months later, the Mustang in one of the alternate packs was blue.
Another quarter of a year rolled by and the "Adventure" pack appeared, with a red Mustang in one of the accompanying sets.
Finally, as the year came to a close and the "1st Editions" pack arrived, a yellow Mustang was the exclusive to one of the others alongside it.
Finally, a decade after it was last seen, a metal base returned to the Mustang for a 2011 Lesney Edition release in a darker yellow.
It wasn't the same metal base as was in use in 2001, as they redid it again. But this proved to be the swansong for the casting, as it has never been seen again. I have a feeling the only way we will see it again now is as a premium release due to the part count.
I would not be opposed to seeing it again. Maybe go orange. It is heading that way….
So why not go funky for my last dive back, inspired by a Water Tanker in the current mix. The early 2000s were a strange era in Matchbox circles. Mattel had not long taken over the Matchbox brand after their takeover of Tyco. Their purchase was late 1996, which meant that 1997 had already been signed off, and the Matchbox R&D guys were busy working on 1998. so Mattel didn't really have an awful lot of input into 1998 either, except to change the way Matchbox was being numbered. 1999 saw them go nuts with a German exclusive range, a whole variety of US/ROW alternative tampos and a greater number of real vehicles. But they sat down and thought, well we now have these 2 toy car brands, both of which have a good name, and we need to keep them. But we need to be different. So as the 2000s began they decided to position Matchbox as the younger skewing brand, and with it a more utility style feel. More fire engines, more police, more construction etc. This was ultimately leading towards Hero City and then Ultra Heroes. They also went through a lot more of their own original creations too. This was the MB529 Tanker Truck.
It debuted in the 2002 range as MB54, and being a logo year, the first 10,000 examples saw a 50 logo adorning the hood. Now this period is often seen as one of the lower ebbs in Matchbox history, but I always see silver linings in clouds.
As they did with quite a lot of their creations at the time, this had a little play value. It had a hose that you could pull out of the rear. It didn't detach. I suppose you could snap it off. I have never tried. But this was indicative of many of their original creations of the era. But sadly, this one did not last. Because as soon as the 2002 was done, so was the hose. They sealed it up and turned the casting into MB583. There is a variation of this model without the moving hose too, although I think that only appeared in a playset, which I never got.
The next we saw of the casting was the 2003 basic. Now with a stuck hose, MB48 in white and blue again saw a logo on the first 10,000 hoods.
The casting also saw its first 5-pack appearance that year too. The Fire 5-pack was one of the first of the year, and this model was mainly sporting sawblade wheels. However, there is a late run with dome wheels, which at the time I was not bothering collecting wheel variations too much and never picked it up. Now I never see it. Typical!
It was also included in the Licensed series. During the initial period of licensed sets, we would see different singles and 5-packs, whereas later, the singles were just recoloured 5-pack models, before just being duplicates, and then they just were selling 5-packs (later 3-packs). Rescue Heroes saw a number of single releases, with the Tanker Truck being one of them.
After 2003 the model was dropped from the basic range, but was not going anywhere in 5-packs. This was the Fire Chiefs 5-pack issue earlier in the year.
Fun Park was the final 2004 5-pack and saw a second release in a sort of circus theme. Well, a fun park basically. As the name implies.
But for 2005, the Matchbox brand had closed down their Mt Laurel site (the former Tyco offices) and moved from New Jersey to in house at El Segundo CA. The direction that Matchbox had taken had been a bust. Sales had dipped. Things weren't good, so they wanted a closer eye and a new direction. The Tanker Truck was not done yet, but for 2005, again in a 5-pack (just called Fire), it saw a nice realistic look. Part of the new move back towards realism that Matchbox had been renown for. 2005 also saw them decide to move production from their China factory back to the one in Thailand that had been used for other items since the late 1990s. This was how the original production looked, while it was made in China.
You might be able to make out a slight shade variation to the one made in Thailand later. If you are not sure which was which, the Thailand made one was at the front.
Mind you, me being me, I only went and found a shade variation to the Thailand made one on top. Yes, I was showing the model some love. Well, somebody had to.
But with this move back to realism, the Tanker Truck was felt to perhaps be a little too out there to really see more action. But 2007 did see a pair of licensed 5-pack issues. One was in a SpongeBob SquarePants pack, the other a Go Diego Go pack. They were both off white though, so I had better explain the SpongeBob pack had grey 6-spoke wheels/chrome base and the Go Diego Go had crown wheels/grey base. Now do you see the difference? I was just having a little fun to finish the report. Because that was it for this casting, and that is it for this latest report.
I hope you enjoyed my little ramble again this week. Be prepared, I went a little long on next week's report. What? Me? Go long? As if! I know, it's true though. I overdid things just a touch and there will be precious little back diving at the end. But there is a little bit, and it sort of makes sense. You will understand it all when you see what I did for next week.
Just be prepared to have a warm cup of cocoa, get your slippers on and get comfy. Because I keep going overboard. Until then I hope you all have a happy and safe week.