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"What does 'Tampo stripping' mean, Daddy?"

"Tampo" is the name of the patented process which most diecast makers use to stamp fancy graphics onto the painted surfaces of their vehicles. "Tampo-stripping" is the process collectors use to remove those graphics, and thereby reveal the (hopefully) gorgeous "plain" paint job underneath...and it's a skill any collector can - and in my opinion, should - learn. (Here's a complete how-to guide.) elsewhere on the site. Here's where to come if you want to see what a tampo-stripped example looks like before putting the time and effort into doing the job yourself. And if by chance you don't feel like doing the job yourself, you can always buy "pre-stripped" vehicles...provided there's one to be bought!

Hot Wheels

Hot Wheels 'Premiums' 2010 Mainlines << 20+ new pages added 03/01/11 2009 Mainlines 2008 Mainlines 2007 Mainlines 2006 Mainlines 2005 Mainlines 2004 Mainlines 2003 Mainlines << 40+ new pages added 25/11/10

The 'Legacy' Galleries (Hot Wheels Mainlines Pre-2003)

2002 Mainlines (old site's format) 2001 Mainlines (old site's format) 2000-and-earlier Mainlines (old site's format)

Matchbox

Miscellaneous Matchbox 'Strippers'

Johnny Lightning

Miscellaneous Johnny Lightning 'Strippers'

Miscellaneous Brands

Jada, RC2, Winner's Circle, Maisto and more

This site began in 2002 with a just a few dozen examples; today the galleries number into the hundreds of cars. This is still the only place on the web to see this many different mostly-Hot-Wheels releases in various stages of undress.If you've ever thought of doing this yourself, there's a complete how-to guide elsewhere on the site. Here's where to come if you want to see what a tampo-stripped example looks like before putting the time and effort into doing the job yourself. And if by chance you don't feel like doing the job yourself, you can always buy "pre-stripped" vehicles...provided there's one to be bought! Remember...most of the pieces in my collection can't (or won't) be replaced once the original is sold.

This site began in 2002 with a just a few dozen examples; today the galleries number into the hundreds of cars. But don't expect this gallery to continue growing...Tampo formulations are getting tougher and paint finishes more difficult to strip safely every year. 2010 offered fewer than 20 truly appealing "stripper" possibilities for me, six of which proved either impossible or dangerously destructive. The days when nearly every ugly Tampo job on a mainline was likely to become a successful "stripper" are over, at least for now...partial or complete Tampo-stripping of most recent mainlines requires skill and/or patience, and the percentage of potentially nice pieces which prove impossible to strip cleanly is increasing every year.

Warning: Tampo-stripping is habit-forming. Most people report significant improvements to their collections with minimal cost and effort, but a large percentage also report side effects, including (but not limited to):

• peer jealousy
• the sudden appearance of large numbers of open blisters
• loss of interest in bad television
• long-term: the development of "x-ray vision" (specifically the ability to see below the Tampo graphic to the underlying appeal of a graphics-free casting)
• Other symptoms may occur. If symptoms persist, see your vendor.