Even as I hold it in my hand, part of me can’t believe that this factory-spec Matchbox Subaru WRX actually exists. Historically, 1/64 scale Subaru WRX’s with clean decos are few and far between. Until the release of the near-stock bugeye WRX from the Cars & Donuts set in 2017, I couldn’t find a single... Continue Reading →
Back in the day, I used to regularly cover all the sneaks of upcoming Matchbox models that Abe Lugo would post to the matchboxworld Instagram every Friday. Sadly, when Abe Lugo was laid off by Mattel, the Friday sneak posts stopped and the current team at Matchbox hasn’t really done much to cultivate excitement among... Continue Reading →
It’s hard for me to view this model through an impartial lens, because I so desperately wanted it to be made. I grew up loving the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, watching acceleration videos and walkthrough tours in the early days of Youtube car content, and daydreaming of owning one in a few years (ah, the... Continue Reading →
I’ve made no secret of my belief that Hot Wheels is incapable of making a compelling Exotic Envy set. Despite the enormous potential of a theme based entirely around the exotic cars that occupy our dreams and adorn posters on bedroom walls, Hot Wheels has consistently filled the Exotic Envy sets with several pegwarmers. So... Continue Reading →
There are some Matchbox models that I know I’m going to like from the moment they’re announced, like the Bentley Continental or the Audi RS6. This Sequoia TRD Pro was not one of those models. I don’t particularly care about the Sequoia generally, and while TRD versions of Toyotas are at least somewhat interesting, I... Continue Reading →
The Hot Wheels Silver Series has been a mixed bag so far. Some sets have been so hot that they barely appear on shelves, while others have languished for months with little turnover. I can never quite make sense of how to feel about this line, as it’s nice to have more new models being... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
In what has become somewhat of a tradition, Hot Wheels showed off a lot of rather underwhelming and uninteresting models during their sneak preview slideshow at the Convention last Saturday, leaving me with a feeling of disappointment. Then, as seems to happen every year, pictures of the prototype boards started to appear online about an... Continue Reading →
You never quite know what you're going to get with a new Matchbox Moving Parts Lamborghini. The Centenario is a brilliant casting that reset the collecting world's expectations for what a Matchbox supercar can be. It was beautifully detailed, had great proportions, and featured scissor doors that remain the only opening doors in the entire... Continue Reading →
While I’ve been collecting for years, I’ve entirely avoided picking up RLC models. The price point surely had something to do with it, but I buy models from LCD and even Elite64 castings that are similarly expensive, so I can’t blame my lack of RLC exposure entirely on price. Instead, I find myself bothered by... Continue Reading →
Imagine that the product planners at Mattel come to you with a mission. “We’re impressed with your encyclopedic knowledge and good judgement as a Hot Wheels collector” they’d say, “and we need your help!” Flattered, you’d ask to learn more. “We need to create a Silver Series model that will be produced in large numbers... Continue Reading →
Did you know that the BMW M1 is the first BMW ever produced by Hot Wheels? That makes this casting one of the oldest licensed castings still in use by Hot Wheels today! Throughout all those years of production, it’s never received the kind of clean deco you’d expect on a modern Hot Wheels -... Continue Reading →
Every year, we get plenty of cool and exciting new models in the Car Culture series, but it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a model with as much significance to the brand as this LaFerrari. Sure, mainline castings like the SF90 and F40 may have made it into stores sooner, but this LaFerrari... Continue Reading →
Koenigsegg is undoubtedly one of the coolest hypercars makers on the planet right now, with an incredible ability to develop cutting edge technology while maintaining old-school appeal. Which makes it all the more frustrating that we just can't seem to get a decent Koenigsegg casting from Hot Wheels! The premium Agera casting dates back to... Continue Reading →
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that axiom certainly seems to be reflected in the values of Hot Wheels Ferraris from the early 2010s. But after 10 years of advancement in casting design and manufacturing techniques, many of the fan-favorite Hot Wheels Ferrari castings are starting to show their age. With the... Continue Reading →
The yearly line preview at the Gathering is one of the most exciting days of the year in the diecast world, and this year didn’t disappoint! As usual, this roundup won’t be a comprehensive list of everything in the presentation (check out the Lamley stream or David Tilley’s post over on WheelCollectors for that). Instead,... Continue Reading →
There’s an old Top Gear segment that always sticks in my head (as so many classic Top Gear segments do) where Jeremy Clarkson is testing the then-new Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series. He begins by asking “when was the last time you just got up and went for a drive?” before going on to complain... Continue Reading →
To say this model has been a long time coming would be an understatement. It feels like years ago that we first saw a prototype version of this casting, but we finally saw a production-ready version debut in April of 2024…but not one most collectors would ever be able to get their hands on. In... Continue Reading →
It’s been 18 long years since we’ve seen a Maserati from Mattel, and even though the return of the Maserati license was overshadowed a bit by the new Ferraris, it’s still incredibly cool to see Maseratis back in 1/64 scale. Where Hot Wheels inexplicably chose to honor the occasion with a model of the Shamal... Continue Reading →
With the Gathering just a few short weeks away, I’ve had Matchbox on my mind. A couple years ago, I wrote a blog post about the cars I’d like to see at the upcoming Matchbox line preview, and since most of those cars have now made their way into the Matchbox lineup, it seemed due... Continue Reading →
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