The Hot Wheels Collector Nationals in Charlotte are this week, and perhaps the most exciting news so far is of the upcoming Car Culture mix. The card art was originally posted by Lamley Group, followed shortly by full images posted by 1stopdiecast. This mix is focused on JDM cars and looks to have some absolutely awesome models!
First up is the Nissan Skyline GT-R R-34 with a Liberty Walk body kit. I have no doubt this will be the favorite of most collectors, given the current JDM craze and the enduring popularity of Skylines. I must admit, it looks good, with what appears to be a full roll cage in the interior and an angular body kit. With this model also being the chase (in black), it’s sure to be a hard one to come by.
However, my pick of this series is the yellow Toyota Celica GT-Four. This is the kind of car choice Matchbox would make, in the best way possible. It’s simultaneously incredibly cool and incredibly obscure, with a strong cult following. I would never have expected to see a car like this done by Hot Wheels, so I’m excited to get this model in hand and see what they can do with it. From the pictures we have, we know it will be yellow with silver wheels and a clean deco – just front and rear detailing in a stock look – the way it should be.
Next up is the Honda NSX Type-R, a casting that I have been waiting to see return since its Fast & Furious debut in 2020. Frankly, I’m stunned it took this long for the casting to get another release, given how popular the first release was. Yet, while I’m happy to see it make a return, I’m not sure how I feel about this particular release. The white wheels are a bold choice, and the windows look very dark from the pictures we’ve seen so far. I’ll reserve judgment until I get to see this model in person.
I will not reserve judgment on the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 though. The blue looks fantastic, and these gray 10 spokes are the wheels the debut model should have had! The wheels on the debut model made the casting look a bit too chunky, but this blue release looks much more realistic. Can’t wait for this one!
The final car in the series is the Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno. Much like the Skyline, this model has proven popular with collectors. While I prefer stock looking cars, and as such the anime graphics on this model don’t excite me, I’m sure many will love this release. The bronze wheels on this model appear to be new, and I suspect that will also make this model a popular wheel donor.
Overall, I think this new Car Culture set looks rad (and the early buzz around it suggests I’m not alone), but I find the name a bit confusing. Most of the cars in this set aren’t really cars that would be out drifting, especially since the R-34, 3000GT, and Celica GT-Four are all wheel drive. It seems to me “JDM Canyon Carvers” would have been a more logical name for this set. Instead, the set name “Mountain Drifters” could have brought back some popular JDM castings that are commonly used as drift cars, like the Nissan 180SX and FD RX-7.
Questionable naming aside, I can’t wait to see this set hit store shelves. I just hope I can actually find some in store!
diecastleno.com 
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