I’m never quite sure what to make of the Team Transport series. It’s home to some of the most legendary Hot Wheels releases of modern history, but as its price has crept higher over the years, it’s also felt more difficult to justify many of the sets. Especially when, if I’m being honest, I buy many of the sets just for the car and leave the truck to languish on a shelf.
The purple RWB Porsche is perhaps the ultimate example of this phenomenon. Its legendary status in the Hot Wheels world means it commands a high price in the secondary market, and I was lucky enough to find one at retail when they were new. When I bought it, I was solely after the RWB porsche itself – I couldn’t care less about the Aero Lift truck it’s packaged with. While the $13 price tag of Team Transports at the time was certainly steep for a single premium car, it was still cheap enough that I could justify it for cars that were especially cool.
However, as prices have crept up toward $17 or even $18 at some retail stores, it became difficult to justify the implied $10 value of a truck that I usually have no interest in. It seems that Hot Wheels saw this too, because they started using the new car hauler trailer in more and more Team Transport sets, which can improve the value proposition by allowing you to get two cool cars in a set, rather than just one. Plus, there’s something inherently cool about towing your racecar with your daily, so there’s a lot of display value in the trailer as well. Response from collectors has been clear, especially with the hype surrounding the recent Toyota Supra/4Runner Team Transport pack.
The Supra and 4Runner are both very cool cars on their own, though. I easily would have picked up either of them if they were available in individual retail packaging. What makes this new Land Rover Defender 110 and Jaguar MK1 pack so cool is that it’s more than the sum of its parts. It’s unlikely that I would have sought out either car on their own (since they generally fall outside of the part of car culture I’m most interested in), but as a pair they were impossible to pass up. Perhaps it’s the nature of a British car to feel effortlessly cool, but I can’t help but feel like I want to have a conversation with the owner of this rig.
Though maybe it’s best that I don’t, because this combo also feels a bit sinister, a bit villainous. Land Rovers are so often used as villain cars in movies, and the Jaguar MK1 is a classic British getaway car, so they seem to fit perfectly together. I keep envisioning a mobster’s son towing his grandpa’s car to their hidden workshop. You don’t want to cut this Land Rover off on the motorway…
These models may be more than the sum of their parts, but that’s not to say that either is a bad model. Far from it, in fact. This new Land Rover 110 casting is easily one of the best off road SUV castings we’ve seen from Hot Wheels. Unlike the aforementioned 4Runner, its wheels feel chunky and tough without looking cartoonishly oversized and fit for a monster truck. While I usually prefer stock vehicles to modified ones, something about this Defender’s plethora of off road gear really works for me.
This roof rack is incredibly cool, as it actually sits above the diecast roof of the model, which makes it look like you could actually tie something down to it. The LED lights on at the front of the roof rack are another excellent touch, as is the snorkel running up the A pillar.
I’m impressed by the accuracy of the printed detailing throughout this model, but the front end stands out as particularly good. The Land Rover badge is visible in the grille and the headlights are fantastically detailed.
In fact, it seems like the designer was paying attention to every detail on this casting, because there are so many little touches that show the effort that went into this model. The little notches at the top of the black cladding on the wheel arches have always drawn my eye on Defenders, and it’s cool to see them replicated here. If you peek behind the wheels, you can even make out some suspension detailing molded into the casting!
By far my favorite detail is the side mirrors, which are printed black on the outside but were left silver on the mirror side to make them actually look like mirrors! This is a super cool design trick and one that I can’t remember ever seeing from Hot Wheels before, so I hope to see them use it again in the future.
Apart from that comically unrealistic trailer hitch at the back, the rear of the Defender is as excellent as the rest. Regular readers will know my affinity for exhaust detailing, so these silver quad exhaust tips immediately drew my eye. I can practically hear the muscly V8 idle. I’ve also always liked when British cars use clear brake light lenses, so I’m glad to see the clear units on this diecast version as well.
The Jaguar MK1 isn’t a car I ever would have thought to ask for in diecast, but the execution here is impressive. This looks like a perfectly restored vintage race car, complete with black tape over the headlight lenses and racing numbers on the side. The chrome base allows for proper chrome bumpers (like an old-school Matchbox) and the silver trim around all the windows is a nice touch. Even these wheels, which I would normally find objectionable, feel like a perfect fit for this car. Perhaps the only weak point is the leaping cat hood ornament, which looks like little more than a slight bump at the top of the grille. Even premium-line Hot Wheels have to stand up to play from children, so what can you do?
At least the rear lights are able to stick out impressively far from the casting while still getting perfectly aligned printed detailing. The rear bumper benefits from the same chrome treatment, with the added bonus of a chrome exhaust!
Even the trailer is really nice! I know it isn’t new for this set, but this is the first of these trailers I’ve added to my collection, and I’m pleasantly surprised by it. It feels weighty, looks good in black, and even features red detailing for the tongue jack! This trailer has tons of photo potential, so expect to see it in some future photoshoots on my Instagram…
Taken together, this Team Transport set feels like a love letter to the British auto industry, or at least to JLR. The attention to detail throughout this set is amazing, and while I likely wouldn’t have chased down either casting individually, the combined set makes for a gotta-have-it display piece. This is exactly what the Team Transport line needs more of, especially as it seeks to justify its ever increasing price.
diecastleno.com 
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