Best On The Block: December 2022

It's the last day of December, so it's time to show six of the best releases that were featured in various post during the month.

#1: '66 Chevrolet Corvair Yenko Stinger - 2022 Hot Wheels Car Culture

Why I Picked It: I might not have found everything from the Jay Leno's Garage assortment, but I was definitely happy to find this one. After all these years, Hot Wheels has finally given us a much better looking Corvair, and it's the Yenko Stinger, no less! So this beautiful American classic had to take the number one spot.

#2: '32 Ford - 2022 Hot Wheels Mainline

Why I Picked It: There are many different things I don't expect to see, and a Gulf themed '32 Ford is one of those things. If it's not plain, then I would usually expect to see a hot rod with flames or scallops. So this release is refreshing to see, and I feel it is absolutely one of the best looking releases on the block.

#3: Chevelle S Express - 2022 Hot Wheels Mainline

Why I Picked It: A supercharged muscle car with no hood is already something most car enthusiast would drool over. But Hot Wheels' design team kicked things up a notch by painting it gloss black and giving it matte black stripes. Oh, and the Retro Slot wheels are basically the cherry on top of the cake. So I don't know about you, but I think this is one of the top five releases from this year's Muscle Mania set, and I think it deserves to take the number one spot on that list.

#4: Subaru SVX - 2022 Matchbox Mainline

Why I Picked It: This release ended up being one of my favorite ones from Matchbox's latest basic mix. Why is that? Well, if Subaru had ever decided to make a special high performance version of the SVX, I feel this is what it could have looked like. Of course, many car enthusiast might disagree, and that's fine. But you still have to admit that a metallic black SVX looks pretty darn good with gold wheels.

#5: 1956 Morris Minor - 2022 Matchbox Moving Parts

Why I Picked It: The 1956 Morris Minor is definitely not in the same league as the 1956 Aston Martin DBR1, but it's still a very beautiful classic car nonetheless! And I'm so glad Matchbox was able to make one for us. I'm also happy with their decision to make the convertible version, and the reason why is because it's not every day that we get a diecast model of a fixed profile convertible. Usually, we only get convertible models that have the other configuration where the entire rood folds or retracts down. So I feel this casting is somewhat unique. 

#6: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E - 2022 Matchbox Mainline

Why I Picked It: Earlier this year, Hot Wheels released a very modified version of the Mustang Mach-E. And to be honest, it left wondering if we were ever going to see a stock version of the vehicle from Matchbox. Well, to my surprise, they decided to give us one this year, and I couldn't be happier. Besides being a stock version of the Mach-E, this casting also has some fantastic proportions. Sometimes, Matchbox's version of a vehicle ends up being a little small, which is fine. But I do think it's great when their castings are around the same size as a typical Hot Wheels casting.

Okay, those are the six releases that I picked for this month's edition of Best On The Block. Now that you know some of my favorites, I want to know yours. So go ahead and let me know what your favorite releases were from this month.

White Booth Wednesday #168

It's once again time for another Wednesday showcase here on the boulevard. Here's this year's last featured vehicle.

Vehicle: Batmobile

Brand Or Series: 2019 Batman (Walmart set)

Boulevard Rating: 10

How I Feel About This Release: This right here is my favorite version of the Batmobile, and this particular example of it is absolutely stunning! Of course, many collectors will like the black releases more, and I can totally understand why. But I love unique releases, and it just doesn't get any more unique than this! And to be honest, I feel it deserves an even higher rating than the one I gave it. So that should give you an even clearer picture of just how much I like this example of my favorite Batmobile.

So how do you feel about this week's featured vehicle? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. Till next time, happy collecting.

Today On The Boulevard: Matchbox And Hot Wheels - A Classic Car Surprise

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Today On The Boulevard. Today's classic cars were just a regular sight when they were first made, so most people back then might not have put too much thought into the way they were designed. But today, they have a certain charm, and they are among the many cars that are drooled over at a car show. Sure, they don't have the capabilities of modern cars, but in my opinion, they are timeless. Now, a lot of these cars still exist, and many of them are in good working order. But unless you go to a car show or a museum, you are most likely not going to ever see them. Additionally, if you live in then United States like I do, then there many classic cars that you will never see. That's one of the reasons why I love Mattel's two diecast brands. Thanks to them, we get to see many nice examples of classic cars from American, European, and Japanese manufacturers.

Now then, this year is pretty much over, so I really didn't think there were going to be anymore surprises from Matchbox or Hot Wheels, but I was wrong. As it turns out, both brands had a few more classic car releases planned for this year, and I couldn't be happier. Sadly though, I was only able to find one release from each assortment. But you know what? That's fine because both of them are the main ones I wanted. Alright, I've made this intro long enough, let's go over the one from Matchbox first.

I might be into cars, but I'm more of a casual enthusiast, and that's why there are many cars I don't know about. So for example, when I think of Morris, the Mini is the first thing that comes to mind. But Matchbox has made me learn about the manufacturer's Minor, and the casting they made depicts the '56 1000 Tourer, which is the name of the convertible version.

This is definitely not a 1950s sports car like the '56 Jaguar XK140, but it's still a beautiful classic nonetheless. Oh, and I'm actually pretty happy with their decision to give us the convertible version of it. Why is that? Well, the Morris Minor 1000 Tourer is a fixed profile convertible, and we don't typically get diecast versions of them. Whenever Mattel's diecast brands decide to give us a convertible, it's usually the cars that have the other configuration. So the entire roof folds or retracts down, which is why there is nothing else after the casting's windshield. But a fixed profile convertible only has a center section that slides back, and that's why this casting's window piece is shaped the way that it is. So a casting like this is definitely a sight for sore eyes.

Besides the casting itself, I'm very pleased with the design choices that were made for this debut release. Cream is among the many colors that are great for classic cars, and a red interior only adds to the car's overall appeal. But those are not the only great design choices that were made, though. This release also features a period correct black and silver license plate. So in my honest opinion, this release is truly perfect, and it's another example of why I feel Matchbox is the go-to brand for classic cars.

Now, I might like how they chose to make this casting for their Moving Parts Line, but there is one bad thing about that decision, though. Since it's not a basic release, collectors like me who just want to admire it will have a much harder time trying to get its various releases. Sure, the Moving Parts might be easy to find in your area, but the stores in California are not always putting these out. And even when they do, there's never enough to go around. On the other hand, Matchbox's basic cars a sent in much larger numbers, so a lot of the releases end up being just a tad bit easier to find once the hype dies down. Of course, I can't complain because I was able to find one of these. But I would like to have at least two examples of this beautiful classic, and people could decide to start hoarding any and all releases of it like they do with the various Datsun castings. Okay, that's enough negativity, let's move on to the classic surprise from Hot Wheels.

If you like cars, which I'm assuming you do since you like Matchbox and Hot Wheels, then I'm sure you heard of Jay Leno and his Jay Leno's Garage show. Now, I have seen quite a few episodes, but I never really became an avid watcher. Of course, his show is not bad at all, and each episode usually features some of the world's hottest cars. So what does that have to do with diecast? Well, Hot Wheels has decided to put together a Jay Leno's Garage themed Car Culture assortment, and it is sure to please automotive enthusiast of all ages. I know I was pleased by it, which is why I wanted to find all five of the releases, but like I said in the intro, I was only able to find one. However, there's a reason why I'm extremely happy that I was able to find the '66 Chevy Corvair Yenko Stinger.  

Back in 2003, Hot Wheels created the Vairy 8, and it was basically a Corvair with a lot of modifications done to it. Now, I do have to admit that I don't completely like everything about it. The rear window intake scoop is fine, I just never liked the part on its front bumper that sticks out. But I still chose to add it to my list of things to get off of the secondary market because I wanted to have at least one example of Chevy's Corvair. But I can definitely scratch it off of my list now that we have a much better looking Corvair casting. And you know what? I feel this is the casting we should have had all along.

For the most part, this is a pretty good replica of the Corvair that appeared on Jay Leno's show. However, the actual car has 5-spoke wheels whereas this model has 8-spoke wheels. So it's not completely accurate, but I'm actually very pleased with the wheels they picked. Sure, the real car's wheels don't look bad, but certain classic cars look really good with the Minilite style wheels, and this is definitely one of those cars.

I know this casting depicts the Yenko Stinger, and most of the real-life cars are white with blue stripes, but I hope there will be more releases than this. After all, this is currently the best looking Chevy Corvair casting, so I would love to see other things done to it. Now, I don't know about you, but I would love to see a better version of the various Vairy 8 releases. In other words, I want to see a racing themed release of this casting, and it doesn't have to be anything extravagant, either. All it would need is a simple stripe design, a racing number within a circle, and some additional decals. So hopefully they'll be able to make one like that for us.

Well, those are the two classic cars that I found. I do wish I was able to find the other classics from both assortments, but something is better than nothing, and it's not like I didn't really want these. So I'm not disappointed at all.

So how do you feel about the two classic cars that are featured in this post? Go ahead and let me know your thoughts down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this edition of Today On The Boulevard. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.

My Want List: 2022 Matchbox Mix 6 - Ending The Year Right With Ten Releases

Hello, and welcome to another edition of My Want List here on the Star Boulevard of Speed. Well, the last Matchbox mainline mix has finally showed up in my area, and I feel they've put together a one heck of a final mix. That's why I'm saying they are ending the year right. Overall, it has a few vehicles from American manufactures, a few from European manufacturers, and a few from Japanese manufacturers. There are also a few classics too. So there is definitely something for everyone. Of course, if you're like me, then all of them are for you. Now then, for this edition of My Want List, I've decided to do things a little differently. Normally, I would have limited this post to six releases, but I've decided to talk about everything I got in one post. So I'm not going to say that much about each of the releases, and that will keep the post from being way too long. Alright, let's take a look at the American vehicles first.

There were a total of three American vehicles that I wanted. Two of them are new, while the other one is the second release of the 1932 Ford Coupe Model B, and it's definitely the release I was hoping to eventually see. So it's the first one I want to talk about.

It's no lie that red with black flames is a cool combination for a hot rod. So I still very much like the first release. However, this release is not only just plain, it is also finished in blue. And it's a version of blue that I have not seen used by Hot Wheels for their '32 Ford casting. So this release is definitely a sight for sore eyes.

Another great thing about this release is that it features a silver grill. Now, I'm not saying I had an issue with the red one's grill being painted black, so don't get me wrong. After all, it does complement its customized appearance. But I think it's nice to finally have an example of this hot rod with a normal colored grill. Okay, let's move on to the next ones.

The next two castings are new, and like the Ford, they both put a smile on my face. And one of them is something that I was hoping they would make. Now, before I get to that one, I want talk about the 2021 Cadillac CT5-V first.

This right here is something I thought I would never see down the row at Walmart. In my area, Cadillacs are also the ones people try to hoard. Remember last year's Cadillac Series from Matchbox? I bet you do. Well, I was only ever able to find one release from that series. Anyway, Cadillac's CT5-V is a very nice looking four-door, and I think Matchbox's version of it looks outstanding. Although, it is a little narrow when compared to some of the other castings, but that's fine.

Besides the casting itself, I'm also pleased with the design choices that were made for this debut release. Now, I do think Cadillac's vehicles look really good when they are finished in black, but I have to say, their CT5-V doesn't look too bad finished in red. Alright, let's look at the one I was hoping they would make.

Earlier this year, Hot Wheels gave us a heavily modified version of Ford's Mustang Mach-E, and I was very pleased with it. In my opinion, they did a fantastic job re-creating its exterior features in 1:64 scale. But I was left wondering if we would ever see a stock version from Matchbox. Well, to my surprise, this year's mainline has a stock version, and I couldn't be happier.

This casting is now my favorite version of the Mustang Mach-E. Sure, the modified one is cool, and its real-life counterpart has some incredible capabilities. But sometimes, you just want a plain old stock example of a vehicle, and this casting has completely satisfied that need. Oh, and I love how they went with Ford's "Rapid Red Metallic" for its first release. I've seen a few real-life Mach-Es finished in the color, and I think its a great color for it. Of course, I'm still waiting to see a blue one, but I'm truly happy with this one.

Up next are the European vehicles I got, and there ended up being five of them. That's right, five! And all of them are great castings. But I do have to admit that three of them put a huge smile on my face when I found them. Why is that? Well, one of them is something I thought I wouldn't see in this year's mainline, and the other two are new castings, and it's always exciting to see new castings. Now then, before I get to the new ones, I would like to first talk about the McLaren 720 Spider, which is the one I thought I wouldn't see.

My gosh, they've done it again! Once again, a release of this casting has left me speechless. As I have said in a few older posts, I love when exotic cars are finished in bright colors. I mean, they do still look great finished in dark colors like grey, but there is just something special about a brightly colored exotic car. And it just doesn't get anymore special than acid green. I'm also extremely pleased with their decision to give it black wheels. 

You might disagree with me, but I don't see how they'll be able to create a better looking one than this or the debut release. It's not like I won't add any of the future releases to my want list, it's just the first two are simply stunning. Okay, that enough drooling over this masterpiece. Let's go over the two that are new.

In recent years, there's been an increase in the number of Audi castings from Hot Wheels and Matchbox, and I'm sure that has made many in the diecast community happy. I know I am. You see, before I got back in to collecting, the only Audi I had was the debut release of the '07 R8. So that's why I get excited when I see a new one, and I was thrilled to see Matchbox's response to Hot Wheels' RS E-Tron GT.

Electric SUVs are seriously starting to grow on my, and it's all thanks to these releases from Matchbox. Sure, it's not as sporty looking as the RS E-Tron GT, but you know what? It's still a very nice looking vehicle nonetheless, and Matchbox's version of it looks fantastic.

I, for one, think it's awesome how they chose to start things off with an exciting exterior color, and it doesn't get anymore exciting than Audi's "Antigua Blue." I know it all comes down to personal preference, so other collectors might have preferred one of Audi's other colors. But you have to admit that this version of blue is something else! Okay, let's move on.

The second new European vehicle is also an EV, and it's the Volkswagen ID.4. Although, for some reason (and I don't want to speculate), its card says "EV 4" instead. But I'm going to refer to it by its actual name whenever I talk about a release of it. Anyway, this is honestly another great SUV casting from Matchbox. And castings like it as well as the other two are currently the reason why Matchbox is the go-to brand for diecast SUVs.

You should already know how I feel about this debut release's exterior color, so there's no reason for me to talk about that design choice. There is one that I would like to talk about, and it's one of the additional tampo details. 

If you look at the window piece, you'll notice how it has a silver tampo applied to it. Now, for some, this might seem like an insignificant detail, but it's actually not. Basically, this particular release is the ID.4 Pro S with the "Gradient" package. So like the real vehicle, it has a black roof with silver accents. It should have also had silver on its rear bumper too, but I'm not going to complain about that. After all, this is not a premium release.

It's too bad Matchbox doesn't have a wheel that looks like Hot Wheels' RA6 wheels. In my opinion, those look somewhat similar to the wheels you get on the Pro S Gradient, and they would have been a much better choice than the split 10-spoke wheels. But it's not like this model looks terrible with them, so I don't mind. I just think it could have looked a little more like the real thing. Alright, let's go over the last two European vehicles.

It's no lie that Hot Wheels has some great classic car castings, but a lot of them depict the vehicles with exterior modifications, which is fine. But that makes me want to also have a stock or base model version of the vehicle as well. That's why I'm always looking forward to the classics from Matchbox, and this mix has two European classics that I like. So I might be happy about the modern European vehicles, but I am definitely pleased with the classics they picked. I'm especially pleased to see another release of the 1962 Volkswagen Beetle.

I do have a few different Beetle castings from Hot Wheels, but Matchbox's casting is still one of my favorite ones. And this release of it is simply perfect. Now, the green they went with isn't as exciting as the blue that was used for the Audi E-Tron, but it's still a great color for an unmodified classic Beetle.

Another classic car that I look forward to seeing a release of is their version of the BMW 2002. And this mix has made it so we're finally able to have an example of it that is finished in red. Now, for some, that might not be that big of a deal. But in case you haven't noticed, Hot Wheels has yet to use red for their casting. So this release is a sight for sore eyes, and I feel they have picked a fantastic version of red for it.

Although I like release, I really can't understand why they chose to once again put "BMW 2002" on its license plate section. Take the Volkswagen Beetle for example. This year's release has a license plate like the 2019 release, but they changed what is says. So I don't see why they can't create something new for this casting.

Ultimately, I can ignore the license plate section because I'm just happy to finally have a red BMW 2002. Alright, let's move on to the Japanese vehicles.

No assortment is complete without at least one JDM, right? Well, Matchbox's team made sure they took JDM fans into consideration when they put this mix together. Instead of one JDM release, they chose to give collectors two, and I'm actually very happy with the castings they chose. So with that being said, let's take a look at the Subaru SVX first.

In the course of my life, I have only ever seen one of these driving around, and you'd think it'd be more common than that. But no, it's not. What's funny is that I've actually seen way more Lamboghinis and Ferrris driving around. So this casting is another reason why I love diecast brands like Matchbox. Thanks to them, we get to see vehicles that we don't typically see on the road anymore. 

Some collectors might not like how this release has gold wheels, and I can understand why. After all, gold wheels are something you'd expect to see on an Impreza and not an SVX. But I feel this is what the car could have looked like if Subaru had decided to create a special high performance version of it. So for that reason, I'm going to say that this is currently the coolest looking release, and it might just end up being my all-time favorite one. Okay, let's move on to the last release that I got from this mix.

The next JDM release is the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40, and I am extremely happy to have this latest release of it. I mean, I'm happy to have all of these releases, but the FJ40 is another one of the older castings that I've wanted to have more of. You see, prior to this latest one, the 2017 release was the only one I had, and the reason why is because I wasn't into Matchbox before then. Now, that one does look okay, but I do have to admit that I wanted to have an example of the casting that looked a little different. And this latest release is exactly what I wanted.

For the 2017 release, Matchbox's design team chose to give the casting an off-road racing theme, and at the time, I was just happy to have something new in my collection. But a few years later I wanted to have one that looked like something you'd see driving past you on the freeway. And I wasn't sure if there was ever going to be another one that looked like that. After all, Matchbox had already given collectors a few plain releases. So I was starting to think it was time to turn to the secondary again. But to my surprise, they chose to create one that looks street-legal for this year's mainline, and I couldn't have asked for anything better than this. Of course, it's not plain like the initial releases, but that's fine because there's nothing wrong with a diecast Toytota that features the TRD stripes.

Well, those are the ten releases that I wanted from mix six. At the end of the day, this was truly a fantastic mix, and I'm definitely going to have a hard time putting together this month's edition of Best On The Block. Remember, I liked a lot of the releases from this year's Hot Wheels case "P" too. So now the struggle begins.

Okay, so how do you feel about the releases they gave us in this mix? Do you like one of them more than the others? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Well, that's all for this edition of My Want List. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.

2022 Hot Wheels Volkswagen Series: Not Really Worth It

Hello, and welcome to another additional feature here on the Star Boulevard of Speed. Last month, I published a post where I showed all of the releases that I got from two different Hot Wheels sets that are only old at Walmart. And the first two releases that I talked about were from the 2022 Volkswagen series. Now, I might have been happy with the two that I found, but to be honest, I still wanted to see how the other releases looked. So I decided to keep an eye out for them whenever I ended up at a Walmart. Well, on one of my recent trips, I was able to find two more releases from the set, and that made me happy. But after I got home, my thoughts on them and the overall set started to change. So for this post, I'm going to be sharing why I no longer think they are worth it. With that being said, let's begin.

There's been many times where I didn't like some of the design choices that were made for the various releases in a Walmart exclusive set. However, I will usually still praise the set. Like I've said in an older post, these sets are sometimes the only way for collectors to get a certain release that is finished in a certain color. So that's one of the reasons why I pay attention to what's coming out.

Besides the exterior colors, these Walmart sets also sometimes have a release that's relatively plain, and that's what I liked about the two that are featured in this post. But is that a good thing for these releases, though? A few years ago, I thought it was, but now I'm starting to think it's not, And it's all thanks to the price increase. Yes, I can still afford a $2 release, but I'm starting to question my decision to pay that much money for a release that looks like a $1 mainline release. Oh, and thanks to a few additional cents, buying two Walmart exclusive releases now comes to $6. And that right there is where I'm having an issue.

Sure, the mainline releases have also gone up in price, but for the amount that I paid for these, I can get at least five mainline releases instead. Additionally, some of the mainline releases actually look a little more special than the Walmart exclusive ones. And I am going to share two releases that are a perfect example of that. So let's start with the Volkswagen SP2 first.

I actually ended up getting the debut release of this casting when it came out, and in case you didn't know, that release is also basically plain. In fact, this release is pretty much just a recolor of it, and that's one if the reasons why I started to think these weren't worth the new retail price. 

If the price is going to go up, then the design team needs to think of a way to make these releases worth it. I know that's not the easiest thing to do, but there needs to be a reason to buy these, and so far, there isn't. Of course, you might be someone who missed the first one, so this release is the one you'll want to get. I mean, if I didn't have the aforementioned release, then I might have been a little happier about paying for this Walmart exclusive one. But I have it and a few other releases that are actually worth the price increase.

This release is a part of the 2019 Volkswagen mainline set, and as you can see, it's not entirely plain. But the design on it looks like it could have been a factory option. Additionally, it's exterior is finished in a very beautiful metallic pale yellow. So even if they didn't want to create a cool design, I feel they should have at least tried to create a flashy paint for this year's release. 

Now, I'm not necessarily saying there is anything wrong with the version of green they picked, but I do think it would have been nice to see a metallic paint used instead. And in my opinion, that would have been a great way to make this release look a little more special.

Front and rear tampo details are another way they could have added value to this release. I know that's something you usually only see on the premium releases, but if the price is going up, then there needs to be a little more details added to these. Okay, let's move on to the second one that I got.

The second one I found is the Custom '69 Volkswagen Squareback, and I do have to admit that I'm just a tad bit happier about it. But I'll get to why that is in a minute because I want to share why I feel it's not worth the price first.

The 2019 Volkswagen mainline set also had a release of this casting, and there was even a $1 Walmart exclusive Zamac version of it too. But I'm going to stick to the regular mainline release because I want  to show how it looks a little more special than a release that is only available at a specific store.

Not only was this release just finished in a nice metallic purple, it was also give a cool design too. So I might have sighed a little at the price, but I would have been much happier if this was the Walmart exclusive release instead. Sure, I think they picked a phenomenal blue, but there's just something special about a metallic paint. It truly does make a casting look great!

The placement of the design is another thing that is similar to the store exclusive release. Now, I know there's only so many spots you can place a design on this casting, so I'm not going complain too much. But I feel it's another example of why the exclusive release looks like something that could have been in the mainline.

Okay, as I have already said, I am just a tad bit happier about this one, so allow me to take a moment to explain because there is a reason why I can somewhat accept how much I paid for it.

This casting was first released in 2010, and there were never any completely plain releases of it. And I'm actually quite surprised. You would have thought they would have given collectors one after all this time. But they haven't, and that continues to be the case. However, this exclusive release has a simple stripe design, and it's a lot simpler than the 2019 release's stripe design. Additionally, it doesn't have any shop or service decals on it. So I feel this is the closest we've gotten to a completely plain release of the casting. Now, I know I should have been happier about the SP2, since it's also relatively plain. But remember, I have the debut release, and I feel the 2019 release's design looks like it could have been a factory option. So I didn't feel the need to have another plain one, and that's why I'm still not happy about how much I had to pay for it.

Now then, will I give up on these Walmart exclusive sets completely? No, I won't because they do sometimes have some very nice looking releases. But I'm definitely going to think twice about getting multiple releases or entire sets. Like I said at the start of this post, buying two Walmart exclusive releases now comes to $6. So unless it's something that I really want to have, I might just leave the release behind in favor of a mainline release that I really want.

So how do you feel about having to pay more for store exclusive releases that look like regular mainline releases? Go ahead and let me know your thoughts down in the comments section. Well, that's all for this additional feature. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.