Heads-up: Target (New)

Okay fellow collectors, it's time to start checking your local Target locations. The first store that I went to, had 2020 case M as well as two full sets of the Rick and Morty Pop Culture assortment. So if you're still looking for those, then you may have a chance.

I also went to a second Target. I didn't end up taking pictures, but the location seemed to get one case of 2020 case N and multiple sets of the Modern Classics Car Culture assortment. Like I always say, you may or may not have a chance of getting what you want, but it's still worth a look. With that said, I hope you're able to at least get something. Good luck and happy hunting!

White Booth Wednesday #51

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

Car: '67 Dodge Charger

Series: 2010 Muscle Mania

Boulevard rating: 9

What I like most: This for me, is one fine example of a '67 Dodge Charger, and it all has to do with a couple of aspects. The shade of blue that was used, is the first of those. In my opinion, this light blue is a flawless color for this car. The white stripe design applied to this Charger, is the second thing that I like. White stripes will always look good over blue, and that's especially true for this blue. The wheels are the third aspect. I like how the Hot Wheels design team decided to use their MC5 wheels finished in chrome.

Okay readers, let me know down in the comments, what your rating for this piece would be.
As always, happy diecast collecting!

Looking at: Hot Wheels Fast and Furious (Quick Shifters)

Welcome back to the boulevard collectors! Like the title states, today's review is all about the Fast and Furious Quick Shifters assortment from Hot Wheels. Words can't describe how much I've enjoyed collecting these premium Fast and Furious replicas. And like all the other sets, this too features five great cars. In fact, two of them are brand new castings. So with that said, it's time to quickly shift right into today's review.

The first of the new castings from this set, is the '65 Corvette Stingray Coupe. As you all know, this car was driven by Letty in The Fate of the Furious. After seeing it in the movie, it instantly became a car that I wanted as a Hot Wheels. As cool as it is, there is one specifc reason as to why I wanted Hot Wheels to release it. When it comes to C2 Corvettes, my garage is seriously lacking. I do have a '63 Corvette, but I missed out on getting the '64. Initially, I thought Hot Wheels would utilize their '64 Corvette casting for this replica. I was ultimately delighted to find out that we were getting a whole new casting.

Personally, this replica was executed perfectly. The red that was used, contributed to that opinion in a big way. Sometimes the paint used on these replicas, is a slightly different shade. Thankfully, that isn't the case with this release. In my eyes, this shade of red is accurate to the shade of red that was used for the real car. To be honest though, even if the shade was a little off, I would still love this release a whole lot. Like I mentioned, my garage was lacking in C2s, so I will gladly accept any plain C2 Hot Wheels release.

The wheels given to this release, are the good ol' Torq Thrust styled Hot Wheels RR5SPs. Since Hot Wheels doesn't have a Real Rider wheel that looks anything like the wheels seen on the movie car, this wheel choice is fine by me. And to be honest, I think C2 looks better with this style of wheel. However, since the one in the movie has a pro-touring style customization, I fully understand the wheel choice.

I really like the smaller details that were given to this model. The front end, features this car's turn signal bulb. The door handles, were given a black tampo coating. The back half of this model's top, was given this car's gas cap details, as well as the would-be Corvette emblem. The rear was given tinted tail lights and a accurate license plate. 

The next debuting model, was seen at the end of Fast & Furious and at the beginning of Fast Five. That model, which is the second new casting, is the black 2003 Honda NSX Type-R. This car was seen during Dom's prison break. What's nice, is that we finally have all three of the cars that were featured in that scene. The only vehicle that we'd need now, is the prison bus. Of course, I don't see that ever getting a Hot Wheels release. One things for sure though, it's nice to finally have a Hot Wheels casting of this NSX model year. Flip up headlights are nice and all, but there's no denying how cool this car looks with it's facelift.

Like the one in the movie, this model is sporting a red interior. Aside from the color being correct, the interior of this model is different. The NSX that Mia drove, was left hand drive, while this casting features a right hand drive interior. Although this is supposed to be a replica, this is one change that I really like. In my opinion, this feature makes this model a true Honda NSX, instead of a Acura NSX with a Honda emblem.  

The wheels featured on this model, are the Hot Wheels RR6SPs. Now personally, I don't have a problem with them. I mean... you could honestly never go wrong with Volk TE37s on a NSX. However, since this is a replica, I feel they should've used different wheels. If you go back and pause at the scene where the NSX is turning after Mia pulls the hand brake, then you'll see what I mean about the wheels. Based on the wheels seen on the movie car, Hot Wheels could've used the D7RR wheels. If those wouldn't of worked, then the next best wheel would've been the RRMC wheels.

Completing this model nicely are the front and rear details. The front, features the Type-R Honda emblem. The rear features a detailed tail light section. Placed within the tail light section is the Honda emblem. Also featured on the rear, is a accurate license plate.

The next car from this set, is the black '70 Plymouth AAR Cuda, which was only seen in Fast and Furious 6. Personally, gloss black with a matte black AAR stripe, is a really cool combination for this car. Also along it's sides, are side marker lights. The only issue I have with them is the placement. The sides of this casting was designed to have indents for this detail. Unfortunately, the tampo light on mine was placed just above these indents. Due to mass production, this is one of those minor issues that I tend to ignore.

The next set of details, are seen on the top of this release. The entire front half, is accurately finished in matte black. Additionally, two silver circles were placed on the front half of the hood. And as you already guessed, these details are the would-be hood pins.

Front and rear light details, are one of the great things about premium Hot Wheels releases. And I really like the ones featured on the front of this '70 AAR Cuda. Aside from the headlights, this model's front end also features this car's turn signal/parking lights. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but this appears to be the first Hot Wheels '70 AAR Cuda with this additional tampo light detail. 

The details on the rear are nice as well. Besides the tail lights, the word "Plymouth" was applied to the license plate section. The detail next to the license plate section, appears to be this car's tail panel emblem.

The wheels seen on the real car, are the FIKSE Profil-5S. For this release, the Hot Wheels designers decided to use black RR8SP. I don't particularly have a problem with this wheel choice, as they do look great on this casting. I do however, have a problem with the choice to make the outer part of the rim chrome red. The car this is based on, has red line tires. As such, I feel Hot Wheels should've used all black wheels with red line tires.

Up next, is the Nissan Skyline GT-R (BCNR33). I'm sure you all remember this car from Tokyo drift. This release's design, is a perfect example of why I appreciate Hot Wheels putting the Fast and Furious cars into the premium line. Had this been a basic release, it might not have featured the full design. The full design being the sections on the top and rear of this model. The recent basic Fast and Furious R34 releases, are a perfect example of what I mean.

As good as this replica is, it does have one major aspect that's not quite right. And that aspect is the color that was used for the design. The Hot Wheels designers made the design blue. From what I can tell, the design seen on the movie car, is actually more of a purple. Now I might be wrong, as it could just be my TV's color settings. At the end of the day though, this possible color difference is not that big of a deal for me.

Now obviously, this release features front and rear tampo details. However, what I want to focus on, is the rear end details. This is because I have a issue with a design decision. For some reason, the Hot Wheels designers decided to make the section around the tail lights grey. This is not accurate at all, as this section on the movie car is the same color as the design. As much as I can ignore the possible paint difference, this is one detail that I jsut can't ignore. For me, it throws off the overall look of this replica. 

Not all is bad though, as I do like the other details featured on the rear. And one of those details, is the Japanese license plate. For me, this detail helps to give this model an authentic JDM look. Also featured on the rear, is a GT R emblem. The center of the truck was given a silver dot. This detail is basically this car's Nissan emblem.

The wheels featured on this release, are the new Hot Wheels Real Rider five spokes. Aside from looking fantastic on this model, they are also accurate to the wheels seen on the movie car. If you pause the movie while Han is drifting around this R33, you'll notice how the car appears to be sporting the Volk GTC wheels.

The last car from this set, is Suki's pink Honda S2000. In all honesty, I really wish Mattel would get the license to use Veilside. I know lots of folks don't fancy body kits, but I still do, and it would allow Hot Wheels to finally make an accurate version of this car. On a side note, it would also allow them to make Han's Veilside RX7. Ultimately, I still very much appreciate a premium version of this movie replica, and there are a few reasons for that.

The main reason, has to do with the casting it's self. This premium release, features a pink metal base. All the previous basic releases of this replica, featured a black plastic base. Personally, the pink base, which gives us an all pink S2K, looks much better. 

The next reason, has to do with the design. Unlike the previous basic releases of this car, the top of this of this one, was given the design seen on the top of the movie car. I feel this gives it more of a completed look. In the case of front and rear details, this release was given the usual. So that's headlights and tail lights, as well as the Honda emblem on the front and rear.

The wheels given to this release, are another reason why this premium version better. The wheels on the real car, appear to be the RO JA GTMs. The wheels on this release, are the Hot Wheels RRMCs. Even though the spokes aren't entirely like the RO JA ones, they are still better than the wheels used on the previous basic releases. 

The interior color, is the last reason. The first basic release, was given a grey interior, while the second basic release was given a black interior. Finally with this premium release, we have Suki's S2000 with a white interior. This for me, helps to make this replica a little more accurate.

Welp that's a wrap for this Hot Wheels Fast and Furious assortment. Despite all five cars being good, my personal favorites, are the Corvette and NSX. The reason for that, has to do with the fact that they are new, and I'm excited about all the possible future releases of them.

So readers, how did you feel about this assortment? Did you have a few favorites, or did you like all of them? Feel free to let me know down in the comments section. Alright that's all for this edition of Looking at. Until next time, happy diecast collecting.

Today on the Boulevard: Three 2020 Hot Wheels Case K Cars

Welcome back to the boulevard racers! It's once again time, for another edition of Today on the Boulevard! For today's post, I'm going to be featuring three more cars that I wanted from the 2020 Hot Wheels case K. Words cannot describe how difficult it was for me to find these three. It's just like the saying goes, ''It's better late than never.'' And I'm glad that it wasn't never, as these are great models to have. With that being said, let's get things started.

The first car for this feature, is the brand new '98 Honda Prelude. This casting, is the main one that I wanted from this case. I love how we're getting another Honda model to collect. Recently, both of Mattel's diecast brands have blessed us Honda lovers, with a couple of great models. Their Matchbox brand gave us the CVCC, and their Hot wheels brand gave us the glorious Civic EG. And now we're finally able to have a Prelude.

This model's body, features two design decisions that I feel, make it a fantastic model to have. As I've mentioned in past post, I like when Hot Wheels castings are designed with side rear view mirrors. I'm sure we can all agree, that having them, makes the model look more real. The second design decision, has to do with the head lights. Instead of being a solid casting, the head light section is not filled in. This allows for the head lights to be apart of the windshield plastic. I don't know about you, but I really like this aspect. Like side rear view mirrors, this feature also helps to bring the model to life by giving it realistic looking head lights.

If you're new to the boulevard, then there's something about me you should know. I personally like to have at least one plain version of every Hot Wheels casting that I like. So thankfully, the Hot Wheels designers decided to make this first release plain. As a whole though, this model is based on a '97 Prelude that was owned by Hot Wheels designer Ryu Asada's parents. A comparison picture can be found on his Instagram page. Being based on that car, made it so this model was given a detail that I like. The detail being, a license plate. And it's not just any license plate either. This plate is the exact on that was on his parents Prelude.

The final aspect of this casting that I like, are the wheels and the interior color. The wheels featured on this release, are the Hot Wheels PR5 wheels finished in chrome. These wheels were a nice choice in my opinion. On a casting like this, you could never go wrong with them. Now then... onto the interior. For this release, Hot Wheels decided to give it a red interior. I'm not sure if this is also based on his parents car or not, but what I do know, is that being red helps to liven up this model as a whole. It also combines flawlessly with the grey exterior color. At the end of the day, all I can say about this model is #4cylinderstrong!

The next car for this post, is another fantastic Hot Wheels Honda casting. This time, it's the 2018 Honda Civic Type R. I absolutely love the details that were given to this release. However... this design isn't a Hot Wheels original. From what I can tell, this release overall, is based on the one that was brought to SEMA by Team Honda Research West. And there are a few key aspects besides the design that confirm this. One of those, is the number plate that's on it's doors. Aside from being the exact shape as the one on the real car, it also features the same number as well.

The second aspect, has to do with the wheels. Like the car this is based on, this too features all black wheels. The wheels given to this model, are the Hot Wheels J5s. Despite being a fantastic looking wheel for this model, I do have a small issue with the decision to use them. The wheels featured on the Team Honda Research West Civic, are the Enkei NT03s. These wheels have a total of 12 spokes. In my opinion, Hot Wheels should've used their 10 spoke wheels. Aside from being two spokes less than the Enkei wheels, I do feel the 10SPs would've been a much better choice, since the spokes on them are the same shape as the Enkei wheels.

Now then... as far as sponsor decals go, this release does feature one that's seen on the real car. The decal in question, is the Honda Racing HPD decal. This decal is accurately placed on the back door. One of the other decals seen on the real car is Bilstein. Based on some of the recent premium Hot Wheels releases, Mattel does currently have the license to use them. As such, I do feel this release could've also featured that decal. But alas, this is a $1 mainline after all, so it's details aren't going to be the same as a premium release. Like the Prelude, it's #4cylinderstrong with this model! 

The Manga Tuner recolor, is the last car for this feature. In my opinion, this recolor is better than the first color. Since this model as a whole is cartoonish, the best way to complete it, is by giving it a wild cartoonish color scheme. Hot Wheels was able to achieve this with a couple of nice design choices. But before I get to those, I should mention that I really like the exterior color choice for this release. For this releases exterior, the Hot Wheels designers decided to use a purple that I feel, goes great with the cartoon like theme of this casting.

Now that I got the exterior out of the way, it's time to go over the other features that make this one more cartoonish than the first one. The first release, featured a base that was the same color as the exterior. This release on the other hand, was given a base that's a different color than the body. The choice to combine purple and pink, is what ultimately completed the cartoonish look of this release. But that's not all. There is another piece of this release, that further adds to this look. The piece in question, is the interior. For this castings first release, the Hot Wheels designers gave it a grey interior, which also means that it had grey exhaust pipes. For this release, they decided to go all out with the color scheme by giving it a yellow interior, which also means that it has yellow exhaust pipes.

I also like the recolor of the stripe design. The main stripe on the initial release was yellow. There were no other yellow aspects on that release. The thin stripes off to the sides of it were gold, which matched the gold OH5 wheels. For this recolor, the Hot Wheels designers decided to make the stripe design feature the colors that were used on various parts of this release. The main stripe is pink, which goes with the base. And for the thin stripes, they decided to make them yellow, which goes with the interior piece.

Like the first release, this too features the Hot Wheels OH5 wheels. However... unlike the first one, these ones are finished in chrome. This wheel color decision is fine by me, as the overall model itself is wild enough. And to be honest, gold or any other color wheels, might've made this release too wild. At the end of the day, this is another great release of this casting, and I hope to see more future releases that are just as colorful.  

In my opinion, case K wasn't bad at all, as it featured lots of good cars for collectors of every age to collect. With that being said, everyone has a favorite, and I'm curious to know which of the cars from this case was yours. As usual, feel free to let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for Today on the Boulevard. Until next time, happy diecast collecting!

White Booth Wednesday #50

It’s that day of the week again! Here’s this week’s #whiteboothwed weekly showcase!

Car: '64 Nova Wagon Gasser

Series: 2020 Muscle Mania

Boulevard rating: 10

What I like most: How could I not give this release a solid ten. One of it's best aspects, is the decal that's featured on it's doors. This Southeast Gasser Association decal, belongs to an actual drag racing association. Releases that feature real companies, are some of my favorite models to collect. Though somewhat simple, I really like the black and yellow stripe design that was given to this model. After all, a Gasser doesn't always have to have an over the top flashy design to be cool. As it is, the build itself is cool enough. It's exterior color, as well as it's black Hot Wheels 5SP wheels, are two of the other aspects that contributed to the overall rating that I gave it.

Okay readers, let me know down in the comments, what your rating for this piece would be.

As always, happy diecast collecting!

Today on the Boulevard: More 2020 Matchbox Superfast

Welcome back to the boulevard racers! It's once again time, for another edition of Today on the Boulevard! There were two more vehicles from the 2020 Matchbox Superfast that I needed. The hunt for them is finally over. So without further ado, let's get right into today's diecast feature.

Up first, is the 1963 Chevy C10 Pickup Truck. This casting made it's debut in last year's Matchbox Moving Parts set. As I've mentioned before, I wasn't always into pickup trucks. I am glad however, that I decided to put them on my list of vehicles to collect. If I hadn't, I would be missing out on great looking models like this one from Matchbox. I especially like how this model features an opening hood.

I'm glad Matchbox's designers decided to keep things simple with this beautiful classic pickup truck. Absolutely no flashy designs were needed on this model. On a side note, it might be cool if we eventually get one with scallops or flames. Unlike this casting's first release, which featured gloss paint, this one was given a metallic black. Though some might prefer gloss black, I really like how metallic black looks under a light. And because of the paint, I would personally give this model a solid ten.

One of the things that I like about the Superfast line, is how some of the vehicles feature the Real Rider wheels from Hot Wheels. And this Chevy C10 is one of those vehicles. Finishing off this C10 nicely, are the extra tampo details along it's sides. Details like the chrome side trim and this truck's fender badge, go a long way. I also like how Matchbox went the extra mile, by adding silver to the door handle, as well as the gas cap.

The last car that I was able to find, was the 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GTX. The Matchbox designers did a marvelous job with this release. This release overall, is sporting a racing theme, and I like how it's different from the typical stripe with a racing number circle. Of course that theme isn't bad, since it is based on the actual liveries seen on the racing version of this car.

For this Nissan Skyline release, the Matchbox design team decided to utilize a red, white, and gold color scheme. The shade of red that was used for this release's exterior, is one that I feel, goes great with gold. In my opinion, if the red was too bright, then the gold features might not have combined so well. Like the C10, this too features Real Rider wheels from Mattel's Hot Wheels brand. This time, it's the fantastic looking D7RR wheels in gold.

The design along this release's sides, consist of a wide white stripe, with a much thinner gold stripe around it. Both stripes start on the fenders. From there, the run along this model's sides until they meet up with the Japanese Nostalgic Car decal. This decal belongs to an actual online magazine of the same name. The gold stripe is the only one that continues after the decal. Underneath this gold stripe, is an additional thin gold stripe. There is an additional thin gold stripe that starts above the front wheel arch. It then runs down the fender in front of the main gold stripe.

Since this is a race themed release, this Nissan Skyline features a racing number, and I like how they stylized it. It is a slanted white number eight, with a wide black outline. Behind it, is a gold drop shadow. Like Mattel's Hot Wheels designers, the Matchbox designers are also able to masterfully create realistic looking fantasy decals. And that's the case with all the extra decals that were applied to the sides of this model. Take the decal that's next to the bottom half of the eight for example, as far a I know, there is no real aftermarket exhaust company with the name N.Cooper.

Both the hood and trunk of this Skyline, feature a theme that's similar to the one on it's sides. Both of these sections have a wide white stripe, that features a thin gold stripe within it on both sides. Similar to the sides, is a gold stripe that runs next to the white stripe. Both the hood and trunk sections of this gold stripe, have slanted ends. This is consistent with the design of the main gold stripe on it's sides. The top of this model, also features all of the decals from it's sides. And that includes the stylized racing number as well. The only difference, is the lack of the Japanese Nostalgic car decal that was used on it's sides. The Matchbox designers decided to use JNC instead, which is totally fine by me.

Finishing up this model nicely, are the tampo details on it's front end. Unfortunately, no details were given to the rear end of this model. At the end of the day though, that doesn't really matter. When you consider the overall design that was applied to this Skyline 2000 GTX, the front and rear are not all that important.

All in all, this year's Matchbox Superfast set, has given us some great vehicles. All of which, are wonderful additions to anyone's collection. So readers, out of all the Superfast vehicles so far, do you have a specific favorite? Or do you like them all? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for Today on the Boulevard. Until next time, happy diecast collecting!