Hot Wheels

Hot Wheels Car Culture Race Day Review

This entry was posted in Hot Wheels on October 30, 2023 by Trenton

We recently got in our Hot Wheels Premium Race Day sets so it’s now time for a review. The set features a few good cars and the overall theme of “Race Day” is communicated well by each of them.

Starting off we have the Porsche 935 in a Purple and White KW Suspensions livery. The car has a purple flake paint that looks awesome! It also features Porsche branding on the top of the windshield, spoiler, and also the Porsche crest on the front. This car is number 23 as reflected by the decals on the sides and hood. Lastly, a BBS wheels logo is visible on the rear quarter panel of the car. This Porsche also comes with white plastic wheels and rubber tires. There is minimal detailing as far as front and rear lighting. There are lots of Porsche fans so expect this car to be one of the hardest to find out of the bunch.
Next up we have the Aston Martin Vantage GTE. This car features an all over high-vis yellow paintjob. The base of the car has been done in a way that the rear of the vehicle looks like it has a diffuser which is an interesting touch. The car feature Aston Martin Racing (AMR) decals across the entire vehicle including the side of the spoiler, top of the roof, rear, hood, and windshield. This car is number 95 represented by its decals on the sides and hood. The Aston also features headlight and taillight detailing. The black rims on this car look much better than some of the plastic ones we have seen on some premiums. This car is potentially the most detailed in the set but for some reason has been sitting.
The third car in our set is the Audi R8 LMS. This car features the same great looking wheels that were on the Aston. It comes in a red, white, and blue camo paint scheme but there isn’t much for decals or branding on this car. An Audi R8 LMS logo on the front and Audi Sport #5 decals on the hood and doors are the only visible graphics. The car does however feature a white roll cage that contrasts well to the black interior. Front and rear lighting details also help this car keep the premium feel. The Audi is another car out of the set that will most likely be on pegs a little longer.
Fourth we have the Ford Capri Gr.5. It comes in an all over white paint but has an abundance of Ford branding. The Ford logo is shown sporadically throughout the vehicle. The wheels are a metal plastic hybrid that have a nice look to them. The car does feature front and rear lighting details, but the taillights look less than impressive. This is car #1 as indicated by the decals on the hood and side. Ford fans seem to be gravitating towards this car as it isn’t staying on pegs as long.
Our fifth car in the set is the ’94 AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM Touring Car. This car features an all over yellow paint and black plastic rims. It features Agip, an Italian oil and gas company, decals on the hood and doors. This is car #5 as indicated by the Mercedes-Benz decals on the sides and hood as well as the giant decal on the roof. The grey roll cage also contrasts to the black interior and yellow exterior. My least favorite part of this car is the yellow spoiler on the back which has been done in a yellow plastic as opposed to being metal and matching the body color of the car. The lighting details on this car are much better than some of the others and give the car a more realistic look as long as you ignore the spoiler. The exhaust sticker on the back is also a decent addition. Even with the questionable plastic spoiler, fans are still grabbing this car off the shelves so expect it to be a slightly harder find.
Our last car for the set is the one everyone will be looking for, the Porsche 935 chase. This car will come in an all black paintjob with black rims. Contrary to the other cars in this set, this has no real racing decals but does feature Porsche branding and a large number 75 on the doors in honor of Porsche’s 75th anniversary. The car looks clean in black and gold trim and will be the hardest car to find out of the group.

Upcoming: Hot Wheels x Daniel Arsham

This entry was posted in Hot Wheels Uncategorized on October 18, 2023 by Trenton

Hot Wheels and fine art aren’t two topics we typically hear brought up in the same sentence, but an upcoming drop looks to change that. Hot Wheels is partnering up with American artist Daniel Arsham to bring us something we haven’t yet seen from the diecast car brand. Arsham is know for taking modern pieces and giving them a distressed or eroded look. He aims to show his pieces as if they had been dug up sometime in the future. His resume includes collaborations with Adidas, Pokemon, Porsche, IKEA, and Tiffany & Co. With the upcoming collaboration, we’ll be treated to 8 castings done in Daniel’s style. They wont all drop at once but instead be introduced in segments or “Laps” as their being referred to.

Lap 1 gives us a Porsche 930 and a Hot Wheels favorite, the Rodger Dodger. The cars will be made out of Silkstone which will give them a smooth feel but also adds to the weight of the cars. These will be more like sculptures rather than cars to roll around. Each model will also be showcased in an acrylic case with a marbleized base. Both cars are also listed as having Real Rider tires but whether those are rubber tires for rolling or just the type of tire used in the casting is unknown. The Porsche 930 will be cast in white and the Rodger Dodger in Arsham Blue. Both cars look great and we’re excited to see the remaining 6 castings!

Now you may be thinking about where to display these cars should you choose to purchase them and Mattel has you covered. The Super Rally Case debuted in 1968 and in Mattel’s own words “has never been reimagined or reinterpreted – until now”. The case will also be done in Arsham’s eroded style so you’ll have a place to store all your precious new cars.

Lap 1 is set to release on October 27th at 11AM Central time. As of now the only way to get your hands on the Porsche is to buy the case and Porsche as a bundle for $200. While this is higher price point then we are used to, hesitating to buy may cause you to miss out. Looking at Arsham’s previous collaborations and works they have almost always sold out and prices on the secondary market are consistently above retail. If this is something you’ll want in your collection, I recommend getting up early and being as prepared as you can come drop time. It won’t be just Hot Wheels collectors after this drop so be prepared. The Rodger Dodger will retail at $70 and the collaboration will also feature some merchandise including a poster, keychains, patches, and stickers.

Images used from Mattel and the Mattel Creations Site.

2023 Hot Wheels M Case Report

This entry was posted in Hot Wheels Uncategorized on September 7, 2023 by Trenton

The 2023 Hot Wheels M case has arrived and we have a review for you! First up straight off the big screen is the 2024 Hummer EV featured in the Barbie movie. Like most fans of the film, we can’t get ‘Kenough’ of this casting so expect it to be difficult to find. Next up is an awesome new casting of a 73 Jeep J10. The car features a ton of chrome, but the addition of the chrome hubs on the back of this car make it stand out! The next car, and the one everyone will be searching for is the Mighty K. This car is your potential Super this time around and our case happened to have one. The Spectraflame Red on this car looks great and finding one on the pegs is sure to be a great surprise for some. Prices on this car have been steady at around $60-$70. Up next we have a Volvo XC40 that has an awesome forest tampo that makes the car stand out!

While the M case may lack new models the recolor of some old models help it out. The Remac Nevera looks outstanding and clean in white. The ’20 Toyota Tacoma also maintains this clean look in white but the pop of blue from the rims adds a bit of flavor that we enjoy. A very popular casting before, the ’89 Mercedes-Benz 560 AMG looks incredible in its new silver colorway. Another popular casting, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon looks mean in all black. Finally, who could be upset with a Black BMW ,and the new color of the i8 Roadster looks very good.

From the investment side the Mighty K is going to give you your best return if you can find it hanging on the pegs in its super variant. Other popular castings to hold on to will be the Mercedes 560, Challenger SRT Demon, which are very popular castings. Also, the Toyota Tacoma could fetch a few dollars from someone looking for a mini version of their daily driver.

Hot Wheels NFT Garage Series 1

This entry was posted in Hot Wheels Uncategorized on July 21, 2022 by Trenton

Hot Wheels has joined the world of blockchain/crypto with their Hot Wheels NFT Garage project. Hot Wheels NFT Garage Series 1 hit the blockchain on November 16th of last year. The set includes 40 digital collectibles divided into 4 themed subsets and 4 different rarities. The the subsets are: Garage of Legends, Checkered Flag, Race Team, and Time Attack. The 4 different rarities for Series 1 are Base, Rare, Premium, and NFTH.

NFT stands for non-fungible token. It is proof of ownership of a digital asset that is stored on the blockchain. While digital collectibles don’t appeal to everyone, there is a market for them because they are somewhat rare and convenient. What really separates Hot Wheels NFT Garage from other NFT projects is that they have physical Hot Wheels as a reward for acquiring the Premium or NFTH rarity levels. The physical Hot Wheels for Series 1 were among the rarest Hot Wheels ever released to the public by Mattel. Holders of the Premium or NFTH digital collectibles received a token that could be redeemed for a physical version of that particular Hot Wheels NFT. There were 1200 redemptions available for the Premiums and 600 available for the NFTH Bone Shaker but not all tokens were redeemed. The actual redemption numbers were 761 for the ’18 Camaro SS, 700 on the Twin Mill, 707 on the Rodger Dodger, 685 for the Mach Speeder, and only 394 for the NFTH Bone Shaker.

Premium ’18 Camaro SS

Premium Twin Mill

Premium Rodger Dodger

Premium Mach Speeder

NFTH Bone Shaker

The physicals are commanding a pretty high price on the secondary market right now. They all feature Spectraflame paint and Real Rider wheels. Full sets of all 5 vehicles have sold in the $2000 to $2500 range. The Twin Mill and Mach Speeder are currently in the $150 to $250 range, the Rodger Dodger is going for around $200 to $400, and the ’18 Camaro SS is selling for $250 to $500. The Holy Grail of the set, the NFTH Bone Shaker, is commanding prices of $1000 to $2000. I believe the lack of awareness has kept secondary market prices lower than they might be otherwise. As Hot Wheels continues to release more Series of Hot Wheels NFT Garage, we will see more collectors start to take notice and we can expect Series 1 to increase in value as it is the rarest of all planned series so far.

Mattel has added even more intrigue to the NFT Garage Series with the announcement that their would be physical rewards for completing sets. Members of the Mattel Discord channel voted on the set completion reward and chose the always popular ’83 Chevy Silverado. Holders of a complete set of any series between Series 1 and Series 5 will receive a token redeemable for what will be one of the rarest ’83 Chevy Silverados ever released by Mattel.

Here’s my video review of the Series 1 physicals

You can purchase the physicals while they last from Diecast Republic.

2018 Hot Wheels L Case Preview

This entry was posted in First Look Hot Wheels Uncategorized on May 23, 2018 by Trenton

The 2018 Hot Wheels L Case is here. Check out all the newest cars. This case introduces the Fast Master, Hover & Out, Batman: The Animated Series Batmobile, and Zoom In. Zoom In is especially cool as it can hold a GoPro Hero Session 5 or a Polaroid Cube to allow you to capture point of view videos as the car zooms around your tracks. This case also has recolors of New Models like the ’18 Camaro SS, Mach Speeder, Sandivore, Hi-Beam, 2016 BMW M2, and Cyber Speeder. The Checkmate series has some more vehicles in this case including the King Kuda, which is the Super Treasure Hunt for this case, and introduces the white pieces for the first time. There are some new HW 50th Race Team vehicles in this set. There is even a chase version of the Bone Shaker with Real Rider wheels that’s basically a bonus Super Treasure Hunt. Also be on the lookout for the regular Treasure Hunt for the L Case which is the Hollowback.