White booth Wednesday #20

It's #whiteboothwed, here's this week's showcase.

Car: Mclaren F1 GTR

Series: 2018 GRAN TURISMO

Cool factor: 9

What I like most: I found out about the F1 GTR, when I got a pull back toy of it. I have a few more releases of this, but this one is the star in my collection. When I was a kid, I remember seeing a Mclaren F1 in a showroom across the street from where I was. It was a color similar to this. So that's why this one, is my favorite.

Looking at: 2020 Matchbox Moving Parts

With this first 2020 Moving Parts assortment, there were only three I wanted. The other two in the case were repeats. There are two things I like about the Moving Parts from Matchbox. First, It's nice to have some diecast models with parts that move, like doors and hoods. Second, there are newly released cars, like the Renault Trezor. So the first one off my list, is this Skyjacker themed 2019 Ford Ranger. One of the coolest ways to modify a truck, is to make it flat black, or grey in this case. I love how the camo design starts out as a tear graphic. Now I can't look past those black and gold beadlock styled wheels. They give this release, a true off road/show truck look.

I've been in love with the Matchbox Porsche 911 Turbo in the Moving Parts series. Although, it does seem to be a little bigger than 1:64 scale. But that's not a problem at all. Even though, the first one was blue, I think I like this one a little more. The biggest reason, is because it doesn't have a design. Even though I do like the stripes on the first one, I also like to have at least one version of a diecast that's clean. That's where this red one comes in. Red cars with black wheels are a cool color scheme for sports cars. Especially with black features like the spoiler. And this Porsche wears these colors perfectly. I also appreciate the continued use of beige for the interior. It goes so well with red cars, like Porsche and Ferrari.

The last vehicle from this assortment I wanted, was this Range Rover Vogue SE. I've mentioned before, how I felt that some vehicles, are just meant to be black. Like Bugatti and Bentley, Range Rovers, are one of those vehicles that always looks good in black. Although personally, this release might've looked even better if the interior was dark red. Nevertheless, I'm still glad Matchbox released their Moving Parts Range Rover in black.

Well that's a wrap for this case. Aside from these three, this case could've been better without the repeats. Although, that does possibly give collectors that missed out on the Trezor, a second chance. Thanks for stopping by the boulevard, happy collecting! 

Heads-up: Walmart (Restock)

Hey fellow collectors, if you're still looking for the Hot Wheels Nissan premium set or the Hot Wheels Boulevard set, then start watching your local Walmart location. As of today, Walmart has been restocked with both of these sets. As usual, you may or may not have a chance, but it's still worth a look!

Happy hunting and good luck!

Are you out hunting for diecast cars? Why not showoff a little by wearing d star blvd merchandise from the boulevard.
Series 1  Series 2  Series 3  Series 4

The legend continues (JH3)

When you think of Hot Wheels Car Culture, there's no question that there's one name that remains king. And that name is Japan Historics, the assortment that started it all. So here we are in 2020, and that legend continues. This assortment also brought to the table, two new castings. So let's dive right in and take a look at JH3!

The first of the two new castings for this assortment, is this '75 Datsun Sunny Truck. This one seems to be the collector favorite at the moment. Before this assortment, we collectors just had the Datsun 620. So it's refreshing to finally get new Datsun pickup. Although I'm looking forward to all the future releases of this truck, this one will always be my number one. If you've read some of my past post, you'd know that I like to have at least one release of a car without a design. Which just so happens be this one, with it's nice hue of yellow and four spoke wheels.

The '68 Mazda Cosmo Sport, is the second of the new cars for this assortment. Personally, I've been wanting some more vintage JDM cars like this. As history would have it, the Cosmo marked the successful launch of the Mazda rotary engine. I think that counts as a historic, which makes this a fitting assortment to be released in. White is a perfect color for this sports car, and the pear white paint this release has is fantastic. 

The CSP 311 Silvia from this assortment, is the car I was waiting for the most. This casting made it's debut in the Fast and Furious Fast Rewind assortment. Due to the design on it, I never fully liked that one. That's where this one comes in, with it's showroom looks. In fact, that's what I like about it. From the interior/exterior color, to the white wall tires, this whole release is based off of an actual factory option.

Up next is the '85 Honda City Turbo. This release, like some of the previous ones, has the graphic from the one make race that these raced in. This one also appears to be based off of one that's kept in a museum.Overall, I love this combination of gold and orange.

Initially, I wasn't going to get the Nissan Skyline RS from this assortment, due to it being the same as the New Models release. There are however, a few reasons as to why I decided to get it. The First reason being, I have all of JH1 and JH2, so I figured, why not have all of JH3. The second reason, is because of the details. The ducktail on the R30 is supposed to be black. On the mainline release, it's only the back of it that's painted as such. With premiums having the better details, that's gripe I have is corrected, as the whole spoiler is black. The last reason I got it, is because of the wheels. I'm a sucker for this style of wheel on classic JDM cars. And they look better than wheels on the mainline version. 

If you're like me, who has JH1 and JH2, then you're definitely going to want to get the whole set. My personal favorites from this set, are the Cosmo, Silvia, and Sunny. Feel free to leave a comment letting me know what your favorites are from this set. Thanks for stopping by the boulevard, happy collecting.

On the hunt #16 (Loss)

It's been a little bit since I've last did a full diecast hunt, so today was that day. The main diecast I'm looking for this time, are premiums. As you know from my recent looking at post, I'm done with the current basics. Jumping right into things, my first stop was a Target. There was nothing I needed here. 

I decided that I would check another Target, that's not too far from this one. No pictures were taken due to it being the same stuff. So leaving Target alone for today, I made my way to a nearby Walmart. As you'll see from the pictures, the row is kind of in a sad state of affairs. So I didn't stay long.

I decided that, since it looked like nothing was out here, I would stop at one last store. And that last store was another Walmart. Just like the first Walmart, there was nothing I needed. So the hunt was ended for today.

Well that's the way #DatDiecastLife goes, you win some then you lose some. Thanks for stopping by the boulevard, happy collecting!

White booth Wednesday #19

It's #whiteboothwed, here's this week's showcase.

Car: '65 Mercury Comet Cyclone

Series: 2018 Car Culture Drag Strip Demons

Cool factor:10

What I like most: Supercharged, open headers, and an American flag style livery. This American built muscle powerhouse, deserves the name AMERICAN PSYCHLONE. Another thing I like, is the extra decals. As you know, I'm big on race intended cars having the extra decals. This is actually my favorite car from this set.

Looking at: Hot Wheels 2020 E case

After a evening run to Target, I was able to complete my want list for 2020 E case. So as the slogan goes, ''Target run and done.'' Skipping any further small talk, let's jump right in on my thoughts for this case.

Undoubtedly the star of the show for E case, is the brand new S13 Silvia. When I saw the first pictures of this on Instagram, I almost spit my cereal out. Usually with a first release, I prefer for it to be plain, but the KW Suspension theme is perfect. Perfect as in it's ready to go drifting. The car also has extra decals like Greddy, and Fifteen52. I love the extra features this castings body has. The roof wing and ducktail spoiler, add spice to the S13 without going overboard with body mods. I mean, it just doesn't get any better than this! I can't wait to see what else the Hot Wheels design team does with this car.

The next car off my list, is the '88 Honda CRX. As usual, the Super wasn't a priority, as I just wanted the regular. The cool thing about this versions color scheme is, it goes with the Odyssey and City Turbo, that also used these colors. Going against the norm, I think I like the look of these wheels, with this design, better than the four spoke wheels the Super has.

Silently rolling onto the boulevard next, is this Tesla Model 3. Just like the first two colors, this color is based off of an available color for the real car. Now all we need is a blue, a silver, and a black release. Turbine wheels, are one of wheel options available for the real model 3. And they just so happen to be ten spoke, like the wheels on this release.  

As I've mentioned in a past post, I love black on certain vehicles, and this is one of them. I also love the front and rear tampo details. No extra stripes or side graphics were needed to make this a perfect release.

It's not often that I get the regular Treasure Hunts, but there was no way I was going to pass up on a  Arkham Asylum Batmobile. I already have several different releases of this particular Batmobile, but the color on this one is neat. It's also a change of pace from the various black releases.

I first saw the Mod Rod for this year in a 9 pack. At the time, I thought it was going to be exclusive to the multi packs. Thankfully though, it wasn't. This is now my number one favorite release of this casting. Everything about this release just works. From the metal flake red paint, to the scallop design on the sides, it all combines perfectly. Though a fantasy casting of a modern hot rod, it has all the looks of a custom rod from the '50s.

The Custom Cadillac Fleetwood is finally back in the mainline. Personally, the first release in black will always be the best, but this release is not too bad. I love this combination of metal flake midnight green and olive. The Hot Wheels design team has done this car justice with the pin striping detail on the top and sides of this release. I hope this car is used more in the future, as there are a lot of color schemes they could use. One such color scheme could be, cream and brown with orange wheels.

The tampo detail on the sides of this '49 Ford F1, are implying that this is a hot rod and customs shop truck. I love all the cool shop names the Hot Wheels design team comes up with, as they make for good classic truck releases like this. The Aero Disc, to this day continue to look good on any vehicle. And that includes this F1. All in all, this is another solid Hot Wheels release.

One of the most iconic racing liveries, is non other than Gulf Racing. As with the Advan livery, the Gulf livery looks good on any diecast car. It especially looks good on this '65 Mustang, since the casting was designed as a racer. I do like the fact, that a racing number was added for this Speed Graphics release. Having it, further completes the race look.

Sad to say, but the only thing I know about Formula E, is that the cars are all electric. Looking back, I never really got into Formula racing. Despite this, I wasn't going to pass up on this cool diecast race car. Especially when Mattel went and got the legal OK to use decals like ABB, Julius Baer, DHL, and Michelin Tires. After doing some digging, the real name of this car is called the Spark SRT05E. Overall, this is a very well done diecast release from Hot Wheels.

For me, the Audi RS 5 Coupe from this case is absolutely perfect for a few reasons. First, it's blue, and you know how I feel about blue. But on a more serious note, the wheels are the other reason I like it. The funny thing is, Audi used wheels that look exactly like these on their S5. When 1:64 scale diecast cars have features like this, I feel it brings them to life. So long story short, this is now my number one favorite release of this casting.

The next car I got off my list, is the circle Tracker. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not, but there are two card versions of this release. As you can see, one has a Mattel 75 emblem, while the other one doesn't. The other neat thing about this release, are the fine details. Each one of those tiny words on the sides, are the various Mattel toy brands.

Well that's a wrap for this case. Do you have any favorites? Feel free to post a comment letting me know. Thanks for stopping by the boulevard, happy collecting everyone!

Looking at: Fast and Furious basic set

There's one set that will always be collectible, and that's Fast and Furious. As much as I like the movies, that's not the sole reason I like these sets. Most of the time, this is the only way to get a certain Hot Wheels car, in a certain color. Case in point, Deckard Shaw's McLaren 720S. I remember seeing Hobbs & Shaw, and thinking to myself, man it would be nice if Hot Wheels made a 720S in that color. Well my prayers were answered with this release. I do feel, if not for this series, us collectors may not have ever gotten this car with this color. 

This Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4, is technically not new, as white was the 2010 New Models recolor. Although, this release is gloss white, while the first one is flat white. However, both use the same lace wheels. I'm glad this assortment gave me the opportunity to get a white one, since I missed out on the New Models recolor.

Another car that's technically not new, is this Nissan 370Z. This was also apart of the 2010 New Models. In fact, yellow was the debuting color for this car. The only difference this time, is the black PR5 wheels. Just like the Lamborghini, I missed out on this New Models color, and ended up with the blue one. Which is fine since I like blue, and this assortment gave me a chance to get the 370Z in yellow. 

This particular Mercedes-AMG GT, is also not new. The first one was released in the 2019 HW Screen Time series, and was flat grey. This one is more of a metallic grey. I think I like this hue of grey better. Personally, the only thing that makes the first release of this F&F AMG better, is the PR5 wheels. The wheels on that one look exactly like the wheels on the real car, versus the Y5 wheels on this one.

The '69 Ford Torino Talladega from this set, is a new one. The paint job on this one is something else. It seems like the main paint was the metal flake olive on top. Then the brown part you see, was added after as a tampo. I'm glad to have a Torino with this color scheme, but I think it's time for a new one. Dom's Ford Torino needs the premium treatment. The real car was built by Rad Rides by Troy, and is known as the GPT Special. What I'm getting at is, Hot Wheels needs to do a new premium only casting, modeled after that one. I hope one day Hot Wheels gets the legal okay to make the GPT Special.. Despite all this, this is still a very nice Torino Talladega.

Well that's a wrap for this Fast and Furious assortment. If you got any favorites from this set, feel free to leave a comment letting me know. Thanks for stopping by the boulevard, happy collecting!

White booth Wednesday #18

It's #whiteboothwed, here's this week's showcase.

 Car: The Mystery Machine

Series: 2017 HW SCREEN TIME

Cool factor: ??

What I like most: Can you solve the mystery of what I think of this? Don't forget to bring the Scooby Snacks.

Commercial break: 2 (New character and Merchandise)

Don't worry folks, I'm still on the hunt for diecast cars, but for right now, a new character has been added to the roster. His name is Clutch. Though not related to the trio, he is a close friend, as well as a prankster. As usual, there is new merch to go along with these characters.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by the boulevard, happy collecting!

Heads-up: Target (New)

Heads up fellow collectors! If you're still looking for JH3, and the Entertainment assortment featuring the Thundercats Tank, then it's time to start watching your local Target. I spotted a shipper that contained a mixture of both assortments. There were also some of the Led Zeppelin as well. As usual, you may or may not have a chance at getting what you want, but it's still worth a look!

Happy hunting and good luck!

Looking at: Fast and Furious Fast Tuners

So far, I've been enjoying the premium F&F assortments, from Hot Wheels. The biggest reason for that, is that brand new cars are making their debut. But first let me state, there are plenty of sites that go into detail about which scene these cars appear in and what not. So on the boulevard, I'm going to talk about my opinion on each car. So with that said, let's jump right into this assortment. Starting things off first, is the brand new Honda Civic EG. Never has there been a better time to say ''VTEC yo!''. And I don't have to tell you that, just about every Honda guy/girl, likes this hatch. I won't lie, this will always be my number one favorite EG from Hot Wheels, assuming they do more. And no, it's not because it's from The Fast and Furious, it's because it's yellow. I have always liked how yellow looked on this Civic. Especially, with carbon fiber features like, the hood and trunk. Then finished off with black wheels. Over all, this release is the poster child, for how a clean modified Civic should look. 

The past few years have been good to collectors that like the WRX. First we got the bugeye, then the 22B in the mainline, and now we got the 2016 WRX. I feel without this assortment, we may not have gotten this, as a Hot Wheels. Back in the day, when folks styled their Integras to look like the Type R, I remember seeing one that was white with white wheels. Ever since then, that became one of my favorite body/wheel color schemes. So it's a delight to have Mr. Little Nobody's WRX.

Aside from getting new releases, we're also getting some of the other cars, and designs featured in the various movies. I think you'll remember this RX7. If not, then I'll tell you, it's the one driven by Julius in 2 Fast 2 Furious. He was seen racing it, in that famous scene with Brian's R34.

Even though these releases from Hot Wheels, don't have all the decals like the real cars, I can appreciate the tampo work that's done to them. Take this RX7 for example, it has Julius's Florida plate. I love when diecast cars have a license plate, as it adds realism. But that's not all, this release has decals like, Street Glow and Sparco.

Remember that race scene in Fast and Furious 4, this was seen lined up next to Brian in his blue R34. Unfortunately, it ends up getting wrecked. This is another car with a design, that hasn't been used before. Now with the wheels, this is the one time I think they look better than the ones used on the real car. Or maybe I just like the look of TE37 styled wheels too much (LOL).

Just like Julius's RX7, this S14 has a license plate. I have to admit, the tampo details on this release are fantastic. This is why for me, the premium F&F assortments from Hot Wheels, are shaping up to be better than the basic assortments.

Okay, onto David Park's S15 Silvia. As much as I love this S15 casting from Hot Wheels, it would've been nice to get another new casting. One styled with the body kits from the movie. But maybe that's just me, since I still like cars modified with kits. Despite not looking like the one in the movie, it's still a very much appreciated addition to my collection of S15s. At the end of the day, it's still a clean S15 Silvia. I still can't decided which one is my number one favorite. It's between the white one from Street Tuners or this one. But I'm leaning more towards this grey one.

Well that's all from this assortment, do you have any favorites? If so, feel free to leave a comment letting me know. As usual, thanks for visiting the boulevard, happy collecting.