Smoking Hot Custom Beetle

Today we look at the Hot Wheels Custom Volkswagen Beetle. Not to be confused with the Hot Wheels Custom Volkswagen from the Redline Era, this smoking hot California Custom screams SOCAL Beach Car. With its hot rod stance, open roof & split rear window, the Custom Volkswagen Beetle is not your ordinary VW Beetle.

The picture below shows what WAS a very cool feature on this casting. The rear “hood” flips up revealing a customized VW beetle engine. I say “WAS” because in its transition from the Ultra Hots Premium line to mainline this part of the casting was sealed shut in yet again, another cost-cutting move by Hot Wheels.

The cool thing about this Red Heat Fleet Series version from 2009 is that the change occurred somewhere midway through production. About half of the Custom VW Beetles feature this opening rear hood, while the other half feature the sealed hood >>> SEEN HERE.

As far as the Hot Wheels Custom Volkswagen Beetle casting itself, it was designed by the legendary Larry Wood and it first appeared in Magenta/Matte Black as part of the 2007 Ultra Hots line—a line that featured vehicles with Real Rider tires and an opening feature. Since then, it has appeared in several lines with multiple colorways in each. Another interesting tidbit is that this casting also lost by the narrowest of margins as 19 votes separated this casting having the “RLC Treatment” as part of the 2008 sELECTIONS Series.

A True Show-Stopper

The Hot Wheels Seared Tuner is a special car for a variety of reasons. It is one of a few that has gone by multiple names for one. The Seared Tuner was originally released as the Sho-Stopper but the name changed in 2003 due to what is speculated as “legal challenges”. What really makes this casting special is that it was the first tuner car released by Hot Wheels ushering a new generation of diecast. That generation shift, coinciding with the new millennium, was so important in terms of branding Hot Wheels as a toy leader for future generations that Hot Wheels decided to have the Sho-Stopper on the packaging for ALL of its mainline releases from 2000-2003. Not many castings have signaled in a new era quite like this one.

This new style for diecast started when Hot Wheels saw the tuner trend starting to surface in the late 1990s and thats when they brought in Eric Tscherne, designer of the Sho-Stopper. Eric Tscherne designed many tuner models for the Hot Wheels brand from 1999-2004 and it was enough to get him inducted into the Diecast Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Seared Tuner itself has not showed up since 2009 when the version shown above was released exclusively as part of the Jurassic Starter Set–a Hot Wheels track system featuring dinosaurs. It could be found in various multi-packs as well. From 2000-2004 the Sho-Stopper/Seared Tuner casting had side vents cut out that were filled with inserts from the interior. The casting disappeared from 2005 to 2006 only to resurface in the 2007 Clover Cars with these “side vents” now sealed on the casting. If you’re into Hot Wheels and Tuner cars this one is where it all started!

Military Rods ’69 GTO

In 1969, Pontiac released its GTO with a new trim level called, “The Judge” which was oddly enough derived from a comedy routine. Make no mistake as the ’69 Pontiac GTO or “The Judge” was no laughing matter. This beast of raw power and pure muscle car strength in arguably the best year of muscle ever, 1969, lives up to “The Judge” name. The Hot Wheels ’69 Pontiac GTO was no different as there have been many savvy collectors picking up every version of it since it came out as a 2005 First Edition. There have been some very “mean” versions ever since, including some highly-desirable ones.

Three of the hardest versions to track down are the 2009 Military, Cop & Fire Rods versions. The ’69 Pontiac GTO shown above is from the Military Rods line. The Fire Rods version is the most rare of the group pulling anywhere from $25-$35 carded (when you can find it). The downfalls of the 2009 Military, Cop & Fire Rods were attributed to a variety of reasons.

First was the price point. These sold at retail between $2-3. At that price point collectors have come to expect something a little more than a basic mainline. While the Fire & Cop Rods featured authentic graphics from cities around the United States, this was overshadowed by the line’s basic wheels and lack-luster choice of castings. The line never really caught on and most cars were never released at the larger retail stores as they had originally intended to be. A few cases of the later releases were shipped to local hobby stores and national “overstock” stores such and Big Lots and Tuesday Morning.

Some of the more desirable castings such as the ’83 Chevy Silverado, ’69 GTO, Olds 442 & Rodger Dodger sell for close to 15x the original cost! So what started as a line the angered collectors in the “cheapness” of it (as some had stated in 2009), actually turned out to be quite collectible!

Ferrari F430 Challenge Mystery Part 1

There is somewhat of a mystery surrounding the Hot Wheels Ferrari F430 Challenge casting. When did it appear? Many collectors, including myself had believed that the mystery lied within a mystery, in that the first occurrence of this challenge version occurred in the 2009 Mystery Cars–a segment series within the Hot Wheels mainline that had blacked out bubbles on its blister cards. Ferrari collectors rejoiced when it had initially been revealed by a few collectors that they had this stunning stallion to add to their stables.

While what “most” collectors didn’t know is that this Ferrari was actually released a year earlier in the 2008 Ferrari Racer line. The Ferrari Racer line was initially released in 2007 to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Ferrari. It was also released initially in the United States but was not available at many of the larger retailers. Someone in the marketing ladder at Mattel decided to cancel this series in the US but continue it internationally. Here in lies the reason why “most” collectors didn’t realize this casting existed. Many series sold exclusively in countries outside the United States are not exposed to the domestic collector base and are often times forgotten–at least in this collector’s realm.

So please enjoy the “2nd release” of the Ferrari F430 Challenge…the 2009 Mystery Car version. For a look at the inital release, click HERE.

A Tribute to Heroes

12 years ago, a calm September morning turned into one of the most devastating days in American history, and once again we learned what heroes are made of. We learned once again that loving one another is the best way to overcome the bad deeds of others. On September 11, 2001, many heroes and heroines became just that, heroes through their love for each other.

Firefighters, police officers and first-responders in New York rushed back and forth before the World Trade Center went down and stayed long hours into the night rescuing people from the rubble after the towers had collapsed. Passengers on Flight 93 stood up to the terrorists face-to-face and laid down their lives for the greater good, protecting more people than they would never know. Officials in Washington DC fought hard to save the lives of those injured in and around the Pentagon.

It doesn’t take much to see the amount of heroism displayed 12 years ago. We will never forget those who lost their lives that day. Heroism did not start and end on 9/11 though. Heroes are born and serve every day. We are lucky to have quite a few in our small diecast community as well.

We have quite an array of men and women who serve and have served in the armed forces, protecting countries all over the world and allowing us to have the silly little luxury of collecting diecast cars. We have doctors/nurses who keep us all healthy. We have teachers who educate our children and even a few of us grown ups from time to time. We have everyday, average collectors, who do the right thing on a daily basis for nothing other than to do the right thing.

I challenge you, the collecting community to BE A HERO. Help out others in need and look out for more than yourself. While its not always the easiest thing to do and others have been taken advantage of, take the higher road and live the life of an everyday, unnoticed hero.

For those that are the heroes in the crowd, I salute you with the Hot Wheels Fire Eater. This classic Fire Engine was designed in 1977 by the one and only, legendary Hot Wheels Designer Larry Wood. This particular Fire Eater shown above was released in the 2009 Treasure Hunts Series and is considered the “regular” Treasure Hunts version while the “$uper” version had Spectraflame Red paint and real rider tires. Detailed on the outside of this beauty are an ax, oxygen tank, shovel and fire hose. Consider yourself lucky if you found one of these 2 versions in the store as they were hard to come by. Still, with that said, the regular version can be had for around $5 and the super version can be had for around $15 on the secondary market. Enjoy this fantastic piece for yourself and remember to be that hero, even when no one is looking.

Love and Diecast

When this Hot Wheels Lamborghini Reventón first came out as part of the 2009 New Models, I remember saying that I love it. While love is an arbitrary thing that many of us overuse when it comes to our diecast obsessions, we are sure to underutilized it at times as well when it comes to those who matter. So, in the next 5 or so minutes, the time it would normally take you to read an article of mine, tell someone you love, how much they mean to you–do it in person if you can! If you’re not able to, call or even text that 1 person (at least 1)…come on…and do it for real, don’t just say, yeah, yeah, yeah…enough of this hippie non-sense. If you are truly all alone, and do not care for anyone in your life, tell yourself, “I love you”. Say it out loud! That’s it, take my advice or leave it. Come back to collecting knowing you love the people in your life and they love you by honoring the commitment you have to this hobby/obsession….and that these toy cars are just that, TOY CARS.

Power back into the work week!

…with the Hot Wheels Power Panel. The Power Panel was designed by Phil Riehlman and is based off of the Dodge Power Wagon. Its an underrated casting believe it or not. Not being a very good track car, it has a tiny cult following of customizers and I believe the Hot Wheels Graphics Team are secretly fans of this casting as well. As of late, this casting has been featured in premium lines (Nostalgic Brands/Carvel in 2012 & Hot Wheels Delivery in 2010) due to its real estate for large graphics. Its a relatively easy casting to find since it is definitely not hoarded by any measure and basic versions are in 5-packs which have some of the easiest vehicles to find.

The Power Panel shown above is from the Creature Cars 5-Pack of 2009. The 5-Pack featured 3 realistic vehicles (Power Panel, 8 Crate & La Troca) with “creature” graphics while it also contained two fantasy “creature” cars in the Croc Rod & Arachnorod. The Power Panel came in purple and had graphics of a Giant Squid/Octopus. A variation of this particular version was found as well. There was the earlier version of the 5-pack that contained the Power Panel with Chrome Off Road 5-Spoke Wheels (shown above), while later versions of the 5-pack contained the Power Panel with Black Off Road 6-Spoke Wheel with a Chrome Lip.

The Power Panel casting was released in 2003 as part of the 2003 First Editions and has had over 14 versions come out ever since! This is definitely a cool truck and one, that if you wanted to start collecting a particular casting, you’d have no problem trying to track down every release. Look for it on the peg hooks of your local retailer today as part of the 2013 Graffiti Rides.

Take a cruise…

…through the blog here and look at all the articles. Its been a couple weeks now so hopefully you find an article that interests you. While you’re at it, why not cruise in style with the top down in a Ferrari California.

The Hot Wheels Ferrari California was released as part of the 2009 New Models Series. Its is one of many Ferraris that Hot Wheel’s stable includes. Released originally in Ferrari Red (A MUST!), this Ferrari is quite fast as a 1:64 & 1:1 scale car…so much so, that in 2011, Hot Wheels decided to put “Faster Than Ever” wheels on it and make it part of the series of the same name.

While the real Ferrari California can switch from Hardtop to Convertible in a matter of seconds, you’re stuck with the top down on this model (but hey, who’s complaining?). This casting works great on a variety of Hot Wheels tracks, especially the Hot Wheels 3-Lane Super Speedway–Check out Race Groove’s YouTube video for how the track itself works. If you have the speedway, take the Ferrari for a few laps as you won’t be disappointed.

Get out of town!

…this weekend with the Hot Wheels GMC Motorhome. Its labor day weekend and people everywhere are traveling across this great nation of ours. If you’re one of those people, great! Get out and enjoy your vacation. If you’re stuck at home this weekend like I am here’s an interesting read for you.

I bring to you the GMC Motorhome from the 2009 Treasure Hunt Series. Yes, I know its just the regular version but we aren’t here to talk about $upers or Trea$ure Hunts. We are here to look at a tiny (hidden, if not overlooked) graphic on this beauty. On the drivers side (side that normally faces the blister card) is a map of the continental United States. This white map is highlighted with six states in orange—California, Utah, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan & New York. These were the six stops that the 2008 Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary Road Trip went through.

If you were fortunate, you were able to meet up with the Hot Wheels gang at one of these stops and receive an exclusive Hot Wheels Custom Otto for each city. A chrome Custom Otto on Super Chromes card was given out (I believe only to Mattel employees) at the start of the road trip in El Segundo, California, home of Hot Wheels. The 2nd stop was in Wendover, Utah, home of the Bonneville Salt Flats. At this stop a dark red Custom Otto on a Since ’68 card was given out. Then it was onto the tiny town of Speed, Kansas where the mayor declared the town an official Hot Wheels town (I think there may even be a Hot Wheels logo on the watertower!). Attendees were given a Spectraflame Brown Custom Otto on a Classics card. The 4th stop was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Event goers here received a blue Custom Otto on a Treasure Hunt card. The last two stops on the road trip were the Automobile Hall of Fame in Detroit Michigan and Watkins Glen International Speedway in Watkins Glen, New York respectively. A spectraflame black Custom Otto on Modern Classics card was given out in Detroit and a white Custom Otto on special Watkins Glen card was given out at “The Glen”.

Whew! That was a lot of details. If you’re still with me, the motorhome featured above represents the motorhome the Hot Wheels gang drove across country. It was confirmed that the gang was trying to enjoy a bevy of beverages one night across state lines in the back of the motorhome when it was discovered that the motorhome did not have a bottle opener in it. The Hot Wheels gang, quick on their feet, realized that the recently released Hot Wheels Carbonator was in a box of Hot Wheels they were giving to children at the stops. They used this to open their beverages and it was rumored that the gang happily made it across the nation the rest of the way!

It’s going to be a “cool one” today.

With summer temperatures in decline, and with fall approaching, we have a special treat for you today. It’s the Hot Wheels casting, Cool-One. This Cool-One was released as part of the Connect Cars—cars that came with an interlocking case that could stack, vertically & horizontally, to form a custom display case. Originally the connect cars were to encompass numerous themes but unfortunately, they met their demise as a Hot Wheels line three-quarters of the way through their first theme, The 50 States. Thankfully Hot Wheels decided to finish the line through the 50 States but the cars the came in the last few waves are hard to come by. These cars retailed at $3 in the US but some of the cars in the last few waves (like the North Carolina ’70 Plymouth Superbird) go anywhere from $20 to up over $100. Since we are focusing on the Cool-One above, lets dive into why I decided to post this car for today.

I am partial to the Cool-One shown above for two reasons:

One being that I was born and raised in the great state of Wisconsin and love everything about the state. This casting encompasses quite a bit, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally. First off, the Cool-One has a main deco which focuses on cheese. From being a golden yellow with little “hole” graphics to the large decal on the side saying “Wisconsin Famous Cheese” to the types of cheese listed on the back quarter-panel, Wisconsin’s world famous cheese is well represented. The number “30” appears on this deco as well. Wisconsin was the 30th state to enter the union back in 1848 and that number was put on there to represent exactly that (note: all 50 State Connect Cars feature the number in which their state entered the union). Also, one can’t help but notice, that the main colors in this deco are green & gold…the colors of the Green Bay Packers—an NFL team, that many Wisconsinites live & die by. The Packers are the only team in the 4 major sports to actually be owned by its fans.

The second reason I am partial this Cool-One is that I collect the Cool-One casting. Way back in early 2004, I saw the sketch that Hot Wheels designer Mark Jones did and from that point on, decided to obtain this casting and all of its variations. That fact that Hot Wheels made a hot rod ice cream truck really represents what the brand is all about—speed, power and a coolness factor of 10. Being a fan, of the Twisted Metal video game, one can’t help but notice there is a tiny resemblance to the ice cream truck driven by one of the mainstay characters in the series, Sweet Tooth.

So with the end of summer coming, grab a brat with sauerkraut, along with some cheese curds and enjoy those last few local cars shows of the season.