Keep Your Hype R, I Just Want a Clean Evo!

If you grew up in the mid-2000’s, you know how fierce the fan wars could get between lovers of the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi Evo.  These two rally icons were juggernauts of the car scene during the early internet era, prompting endless forum debates, Instagram fan pages, and plenty of races.  While many consider Fast & Furious the defining force of car culture in the early aughts, I will always associate the WRX and Evo with that era.  Which is what makes it so confusing that both cars are so underrepresented in the diecast world. 

Part of the problem inevitably comes down to Hot Wheels’ muscle car focus during the era when these cars were at their peak.  While we’re used to seeing legendary Japanese cars in the lineup today, they were few and far between back then. What rare rally cars we did get were inevitably ruined by crazy graphics, presumably because the Hot Wheels designers didn’t think a stock Mitsubishi could garner enough attention otherwise.  It wasn’t until the Evo X casting in 2008 that we finally got a clean deco on an Evo, but that casting wasn’t great and it only took a couple releases for it to also get covered in crazy graphics, as it has been ever since. 

With the release of the Modern Classics set in 2021, we finally got a proper Evo casting.  The blue Evo VI that launched in Modern Classics had great proportions, a factory fresh coat of paint, and a bright white set of wheels that fit the rally car vibe perfectly.  It’s an amazing model…except we never got the Evo VI in the US, so it always left me wishing for a model of the Evos I grew up with.  Thanks to the new Ronin Run II set, my wish has finally been granted! 

I’m genuinely surprised that this new Evo hasn’t been getting more attention online.  It was inevitable that the Type R (and especially the Hype R chase version) would be the collector darling of this set, both because there are so many Honda enthusiasts in the diecast world and because the chase car is always desirable.  The Evo doesn’t seem to just be playing second fiddle to the Honda though — it seems to be consistently the last car taken from this set.  In fact, it’s the only one I’ve been able to find so far!  While I’m glad to be able to find it, I’m shocked that it isn’t getting more love from collectors.  This fantastic little rally rocket deserves better. 

I’d have a hard time picking a more iconic color combo for the Evo IX than this gray-on-gray version.  It’s exactly how I picture a period correct Evo IX, with its comparatively understated color options next to its World Rally Blue Subaru competitor.  This isn’t a completely stock Evo, though.  The canards, front bumper, hood pins, and roll cage in the rear all betray this casting’s Fast & Furious origins.  Even though it’s unfortunate not to get a completely stock casting, none of these mods feel too out of place on a car like this, as Evo’s almost always received at least a few mods.  I would certainly have preferred a stock front bumper, but more on that later. 

My eye is immediately drawn to the back of this Evo, which is dominated by the classic boy-racer wing that defines both the Evo and WRX.  It’s metal, rather than the plastic of the previous premium Evo, so it feels sturdy and substantial while still showing an adequate amount of detail.  The wing’s presence tells me that this particular Evo probably isn’t that heavily modified (as the saying goes: never trust the wing-less Evo).  Beneath that spoiler is an Evolution IX logo with more text sharpness than we typically see on premium models, and a set of well-detailed brake lights.  I’m not crazy about the lack of a rear diffuser or the odd box around the rear rivet, but I can overlook it. 

From the side, the Evo’s charmingly awkward proportions really shine.  I’ve always loved the Evo’s odd blend of economy car styling with a giant wing and swollen fenders.  The black printed detailing around the windows is a nice touch, as is the inclusion of the orange marker light on the fender.  These gray 10 spoke wheels do a remarkable job of imitating the Evo’s factory BBS wheels, though I wouldn’t be upset to see the new PRF1-style Real Riders make their way to this casting on a future recolor.  

Sadly, the front end is where this casting starts to let me down a little bit, as it’s where the majority of the Fast & Furious changes were made.  I’ve always liked the Evo IX’s more aggressive mesh grille compared to the friendlier design of the Evo VIII, so it’s really disappointing to see this aftermarket bumper that makes the grille look more like the Evo VIII.  In fact, it looks so much like an Evo VIII that I had to sanity-check myself with the card art to make sure that this actually was an Evo IX (it is).  Also gone is the Evo IX’s characteristically square bumper cutout that shows off the intercooler, and the fog lights are nowhere to be found either.  It’s not the end of the world, but it makes this casting feel slightly worse as a result of its Fast & Furious origins.

This Evo IX serves as a perfect example of the double edged sword that is the Fast & Furious line.  John Lampert (Lamley Group) often talks about liking the Fast and Furious line because it allows new castings to be produced, but this Evo shows the downside of relying on Fast & Furious to bring new castings to the lineup.  I’m very glad to finally have an Evo IX, but if it had been designed for Car Culture rather than Fast & Furious, it almost certainly would have been a stock version, and it would be a better casting as a result.  

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen a situation like this either. Consider the legendary Mk4 Supra.  As one of the most significant cars to come out of the 90’s, you would think there would be more than enough reason to make a factory-correct Supra casting for the Car Culture series.  Yet, the Supra casting was made for Fast & Furious, so we’ve been stuck with a modified version with an odd bumper ever since.  It took an entirely new RLC casting for us to finally get a stock Supra, and that version will never be widely available in stores.  Am I glad to have a Hot Wheels Supra?  Yes.  Do I think a Supra casting could have been justified without Fast & Furious?  Also yes.

Which leaves us in a frustratingly familiar situation with this new Evo.  I’ve wanted a clean Evo like this for so long that I can’t help but think it’s the star of the set, but I also think it would have been a better model if it didn’t originally release as a Fast & Furious model.  The color choice, wheels, and printed detailing are all spot-on, in no small part because they’re all the things that could be changed specifically for this Car Culture release.  Maybe someday Hot Wheels will see fit to create a proper, factory Evo casting (and hopefully when they do, they will also make a Hawkeye Subaru WRX to go with it).  Until then, we have the upcoming Evo Wagon to look forward to!