It’s the weekend, and that means it’s toy show time! Local toy shows are one of my favorite ways to get older and rare modern models without having to pay eBay markups and shipping. Let’s jump right in!
First up is a Walmart exclusive McLaren Senna from the Quarter Mile Finals semi-premium set. When these were new, I never came across a single one of the models from this series in stores, so I’ve had to resort to picking them up secondhand. This Senna was quite a good deal at $3 – only about 50 cents more than they were new – and it looks fantastic in yellow. Thankfully, this release has the modified headlight design, as the first two releases of the Senna lacked any indentation for the headlight. I wish the semi-premium releases of the Senna had headlight tampos, but this is otherwise a very nice looking model. I particularly like the use of the windshield piece to form the Senna’s distinctive calf windows.
Unlike the headlights, the rear of the Senna is fully detailed and it looks very aggressive. I particularly like all the casting detail in the rear diffuser area, as well as the Senna’s massive rear wing. The yellow paint adds a splash of color that really helps sell this car’s supercar demeanor, and I hope I can manage to track down the teal version to go with it!
Keeping with the supercar theme, the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 looks far better in this orange color than its debut dull green. While this is still far from the best Lamborghini casting in the Hot Wheels lineup, the change of color definitely made me like it more. The headlight printing leaves a bit to be desired, and the sides definitely look a bit squished, but the rear end detailing is excellent.
The Sian’s tail lights in particular are exceptional for a mainline car – they’re very 3D, much like the ones on the premium Countach. The entire rear section of this car is part of the black plastic base, but the Hot Wheels team employed a really clever design trick to make it seem more intricate. By adding orange detailing below the tail lights, they were able to make the rear of the Sian look much more realistic. Those hexagonal exhausts are excellent as well.
The Sian was far from the best Lamborghini I found at this toy show though, because I finally found the Matchbox Moving Parts Lamborghini Centenario. This model has eluded me for years, both when it was on shelves and at subsequent toy shows. While I found the Collector’s series version in black and red, that version never felt quite right to me. Partly, that was due to Matchbox’s poor premium wheel designs compared to their excellent basic wheels. More importantly, when I think of the Lamborghini Centenario, I don’t think of it in black, or in red (like the new Mattel Creations version), I think of the gray car with yellow accents that served as the halo car for Forza Horizon 3. When I look at this model, I can’t help but hear the Forza theme music.
Even without its Forza connection, this model was a big deal for the Matchbox brand when it came out. Matchbox has since created models of the Porsche 918, Koenigsegg Gemera, and Pagani Huayra, but back in 2020 they were not known for making models of hypercars. They certainly came out swinging with this undeniably hyper car, featuring a low and wide stance and lots of detailing.
The rear diffuser section really shows off the unbelievable amount of effort Matchbox put into this car, with yellow detailing on each of the diffuser’s fins, which match up with the yellow diffuser fins on the base section! The exhaust is detailed in silver – a rarity for Mattel models – and the lightbar gets red printing and a Lamborghini logo. This is a Moving Parts model with better detailing than some premium models, and I believe the hype surrounding this car helped push the Matchbox team toward building more hypercars.
The Ford Bronco R may not be a hypercar, but it would probably be fair to call it a hypertruck. This is a model I skipped out on when it was new in stores, but I later came to regret that decision. While I’m not a big fan of trucks, this Bronco is incredibly well detailed and perfectly proportioned, and it features the correct racing livery from the 1:1 truck. I particularly like the blue roll cage, a rare two-tone interior for a Hot Wheels. When I found this model for only $4, picking it up was a no-brainer.
Last but certainly not least, we have the Lotus Evija Super Treasure Hunt from Hot Wheels. I’m not the biggest collector of super treasure hunts, but I am a huge collector of Lotus models. My all-time favorite casting is the Matchbox Lotus Evora, and I’ve picked up every version of the Exige and new Emira that I can get my hands on. Much to my dismay, I found the new Hot Wheels Evija casting rather disappointing. The debut color scheme was atrociously ugly in green and yellow, and the far more handsome red recolor was ruined by its TRAP5 wheels. However, the super treasure hunt version features an even prettier shade of red and the excellent 10 spoke Real Riders, both of which serve to dramatically improve the look of this casting. Obviously, Hot Wheels couldn’t replicate the Evija’s crazy air ducts at the $1 price point while making a model that was also capable of standing up to children, but they did an admirable job of capturing the Evija’s wild bodywork.
The rear of the model is where the bodywork is at its craziest, with big air ducts and an aggressive diffuser. I love that the Lotus name is part of the casting, so it stands out without needing any printed detailing, and the spectraflame paint on this version makes the letters appear silver. This super treasure hunt hasn’t been getting the attention of the heavy hitters like the Datsun 510 wagon or Toyota Supra, but it’s definitely my favorite of the year. If you’re a Lotus fan like me, this model deserves a spot in your collection!
As always, use this as a reminder to visit your local toy show, and you can check out my other toy show haul articles here.
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