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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
It’s about time we saw some proper modern muscle in the Hot Wheels lineup. It used to be common for every new muscle car facelift or generation to get not only a new casting, but a whole rainbow of recolors. In recent years, the number of modern-era muscle cars in the Hot Wheels lineup has... Continue Reading →
The Hot Wheels Mercedes 500E was made to be an instant classic. Easily one of the best mainlines of the year back in 2021, this German heavyweight helped usher in the classic Euro trend that’s currently proliferating throughout the diecast world. The debut version featured black paint with silver 5-spokes, which is exactly how I... Continue Reading →
In its first few years of existence, the Elite64 line has swung wildly from overpriced mediocrity to greatness and back again. There have been some greats, like the LBWK Aventador and Freightliner Cascadia, and there have been some not-so-greats, like the Modified Mustang. However, none have felt like a bigger disappointment to me than the... Continue Reading →
Normally, I make a dedicated top 5 list for both the Hot Wheels mainline and the premium line, but I decided to combine them into one roundup this year. The Hot Wheels mainline felt pretty weak this year, with only a few new models that interested me, so any top 5 list would require padding... Continue Reading →
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