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 →
Matchbox has released a number of great recurring liveries and themes over the years, both licensed and unlicensed. One of my all-time favorite Matchbox recurring themes is the DHL delivery vehicles. Not only is DHL a real-world delivery brand that both kids and adults would recognize, but Matchbox also used the livery on a huge... Continue Reading →
My first experience with LCD Models was their McLaren 600LT, which I bought on a whim after finding a killer deal on one last year. It blew me away with its quality, especially the carbon fiber detailing and fully detailed interior. So, when LCD released a McLaren P1 – a car I’ve been wanting a... Continue Reading →
It's no secret that Matchbox has a pegwarmer problem right now. Countless people online, myself included, have shared anecdotes about the sorry state of Matchbox distribution this year, but I wanted to take a step beyond anecdotal evidence. I decided to take an inventory of all the Matchbox models on the pegs at 10 local... Continue Reading →
I can’t help but feel like modern American muscle cars are a bit underrepresented in the diecast world. That’s especially true among the premium brands, as the only brand that consistently prioritizes muscle is AutoWorld, whose castings have never really impressed me. MiniGT, however, has been consistently impressive with their releases, and this new Shelby... Continue Reading →
I’ve made no secret of my love for 2000’s and 2010’s era Aston Martins, as they just exude cool in a way that few other automakers have ever managed to replicate. The Hot Wheels DBS is among my favorite premium castings, and I’m a big fan of the new Vanquish casting as well, so I... Continue Reading →
For a long time, McLarens didn’t get any attention from Hot Wheels. Prior to Hot Wheels losing the Ferrari license a decade ago, the only McLaren casting in the lineup was the F1 GTR from the Speed Machines line. Then, starting with the P1 in 2015, the Hot Wheels McLaren lineup exploded to fill the... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
In the past few years, we’ve seen usually-staid Matchbox become more adventurous with some of their casting choices, including a few that have overlapped with the JDM hype that has dominated the Hot Wheels brand in recent years. Through hyped releases like the 5th Gen 4Runner and Mk5 Supra, I’ve seen an increasing awareness of... Continue Reading →
It seems like Hot Wheels has been neglecting the modern muscle car market lately in favor of JDM and retro Euro models, and there’s no better example of that than the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. This casting has seen more than a dozen releases, yet we have never seen one with a fully detailed stock... Continue Reading →
I begin this feature with an embarrassing admission: this MC20 has been sitting on my “to be reviewed” shelf for over a year. That’s absolutely no statement about the quality of this model – it's truly excellent – but these models don’t tend to get the viewership numbers that their more mainstream Hot Wheels and... Continue Reading →
With the recent announcement of Ferrari’s return to Hot Wheels, it seemed like a perfect time to take a look back at one of the best and most overlooked of the Hot Wheels Ferraris: the California. Though, if we’re being honest, it’s not just this diecast version of the California that gets frequently overlooked, as... Continue Reading →
Calling a modern BMW ugly is a bit like calling the sky blue. Insulting their design language has become so common that it’s becoming a cliche, even if the insults are well-deserved. While models like the iX showcase the worst of BMW’s current beaver teeth, the BMW M2 stands out among the BMW lineup for... Continue Reading →
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