First Look

The 2012 Hot Wheels have been hitting the shelves for a couple of months now.  Here we take a first look at some of the latest and coolest 2012 series to hit the pegs. Also visit our 2012 price guides to see prices and checklists for what has been released so far.

2012 #002 1964 Chevy Chevelle SS – Mattel has done a great job at casting a variety of muscle cars.  2012 looks to be no different.  Chevelle fans get another great casting to add to their collections with this one.  The red paint job with grey trim looks great and I’m betting we’ll see this one show up again with another paint scheme before 2012 is over.

2012 #006 – ’71 Plymouth Road Runner – MOPAR fans rejoice!  We have another great Plymouth to add to our collections and what could be better than the Plum Crazy paint job?

2012 #168 – HW Main Street ’69 Mercury Cougar Eliminator – Everyone loves a good muscle car and everyone loves their local fire department, so a ’69 Mercury Cougar Eliminator sporting a Cranston Fire department paint job is the perfect combination.

In addition to what we see here, 2012 will be a great year for Hot Wheels collectors.  We will get a total of 50 New Models and tons of recolors on our all-time favorites.  One of the best ideas since the initial release of Treasure Hunts is the new way of doing Super Treasure  Hunts.  We will still get the classic Treasure Hunt line, but the Super Treasure Hunts will not be labeled as such on the packaging but will instead be packaged as regular mainlines from various series.  They will feature Spectraflame paint and Treasure Hunt graphics but will blend in with the other mainlines on the shelves due to their packaging.  This will bring back the thrill of the hunt as the absence of the bright green stripe down the side may help to keep them from disappearing so quickly from the shelves.  Click here to see the most recent Super Treasure Hunts on Ebay and stay up to date on what to look for.

A few more New Models and some repaints have hit the shelves this month.  Here is a look at some of the newer releases.

2011 New Model #33 Nissan Skyline H/T 2000GT-X   –  I love this casting.  This is a look back at the history of racing and great automobiles.  Due to it’s unavailability in the US, the Skyline is one of those cars most people can only dream of.  I applaud Mattel’s efforts to bring us lesser-known cars from racing history.

2011 HW Performance Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 – This is a really cool off-road casting.  It began as a Jeep-like offroader and has morphed into the more highway-friendly FJ Cruiser of today.

Thrill Racers – Raceway ’11 Fire-Eater  – I love firetrucks, as does my 2 year-old and this is just a great casting.  It has great details, a great paint job, and the red-rimmed OH5 wheels really set it apart.  I would love to see an entire firetruck series by Hot Wheels in the future.

Keep an eye out for these at your local retail locations or search for them among the ever-growing selection of diecast at DiecastMarket.com.  Show off your latest finds on our forum or see what other collectors are finding.