White Booth Wednesday #77

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

Vehicle: 2016 Ford GT Race

Series: 2017 HW Speed Graphics

Boulevard rating: 9

How I feel about this release: What's not to like about a Ford GT race car, especially considering how iconic the GT40 is. Now this release in particular might not be considered as nice as some of the later releases, but I still think it's pretty good. It's exterior color is one of the reasons why I gave it a nine. The other reason has to do with the fact that it does feature a racing number. Since this release isn't as decorated as some of the later releases, having this detail is a huge plus for me. Despite it's lack of sponsor decals, this detail alone helps to give it a completed racing look.   

So collectors, what would be your rating for this release? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. As always, happy diecast collecting!

Today on the Boulevard: Matchbox Top Gun Models

Okay collectors, welcome to another edition of Today on the Boulevard. Let me start things off by saying that I've heard of Top Gun, but I never watched the original. And I should probably watch the new movie once it's released. Anyway, today's post isn't really going to be a review. Instead, this post is basically me sharing the Top Gun models from Matchbox that I decided to get.  

I'm sure most of you might have wanted these models because you're a fan of the series, but I had other reasons for getting them. One of the reasons has to do with the models themselves. I know a good model when I see one, and I can honestly say that these Top Gun Matchbox models look great! So there's no way I was going to pass up on the chance to add some cool planes to my collection.

The second reason for wanting them, has to do with the fact that my Dad was in the Navy. I remember the times when I'd hear the loud roar of a hornet in the distance while on base. Once the sound got louder, I knew that one was getting ready to take flight. I would then look up, and watch as the fighter jet went soaring off. So actually getting to see these aircraft in action, played a huge roll in me deciding to collect these.

Now like I said, I've never seen any of the movies. As such, I don't know the exact roll of each plane in the movie. It's also worth noting that I didn't end up getting the whole set, which I know I should have. But I'm perfectly happy with the ones that I got. Matchbox also had a few other Top Gun themed releases, but I just stuck to these.

The first one that I grabbed was the P-51 Mustang. For those of you that aren't new to the BLVD, then you already know how I like classic cars. Well I guess I also should have mentioned that I like the look of classic planes too. So the P-51 was a must.

Since the jets I used to see were Hornets, I was definitely going to add at least one of the ones from this set to the collection.

One of the models from this set is called the Darkstar. I'm actually curious to see what roll this aircraft has in the movie. 

The next one that I got is called the Enemy Strike Jet. Why do the bad guys always get the coolest stuff? I'm not exactly sure if this model is based on any real jet, but what I do know, is that I really like how it looks. And that includes the pattern that's on it too. 

Now Hot Wheels also decided to make a F-14 Tomcat to go along with this movie. The 1:64 scale model itself wasn't bad, but I figured these were much better due to their larger size. So I ultimately decided to pass on getting the Hot Wheels Entertainment model.

Alright collectors, did you decide to get all of the Matchbox Top Gun themed sets? Or did you only get certain ones like I did? Do let me know down in the comments section. Okay, that's all for this edition of Today on the Boulevard. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting. 

White Booth Wednesday #76

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

Vehicle: '67 Chevelle SS 396

Series: 2016 Leap Year

Boulevard Rating: 10 

How I feel about this release: I don't know about you, but I think the Hot Wheels design team did a wonderful job with the Leap Year design featured on this release. There are two main design aspects that I like. By now, most of you know that I really like cars with flames. So the first design aspect that I like, is the design of the flames. The second design aspect has to do with how the Leap Year date was used like a racing number. I think this was a nice touch. The interior color also contributed to the rating I gave this release. Having a red interior helped to further liven up this release, and it goes great with the colors that were used on the exterior of this Chevelle.

So collectors, what would be your rating for this release? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. As always, happy diecast collecting!

My Want List: 2021 Hot Wheels Case E - Part 2

Okay collectors, welcome back to the BLVD. As promised, here's the second half of my 2021 Hot Wheels case E want list. Before I get started, I just wanted to quickly say thanks for coming back to see the rest of what I wanted. With that being said, let's get started.

Checked off of my want list next, is the '55 Bel Air Gasser that's apart of this year's Mattel Games mainline set. Okay...  so this release is representing a game that I had never heard of before. The game is called Gas Out. Basically, it's a card game where each player gets three cards. If the player uses a number card, they must then press on Guster the Gas Cloud as many times as the number he/she played. Now if the character makes a fart noise, then the player is out. There are supposedly other cards that are similar to UNO where you can skip your turn. The game overall seems simple enough, and if you or your children are into that kind of humor, then it could be a fun game for family game night. 

Now as you might know from one of my older post, if a release has a design, I will only get it if I feel it makes sense on the model. And this is one of the ones from this mainline set that I feel does. I think it was a cool idea to utilize this game, and it's character for a gasser. As you know, these types of drag cars are given names by their owners. As such, if this wasn't a game, I could honestly see someone naming their gasser Guster the Gas Cloud. 

Overall, I love how this release came out. No pun intended by the way. It's exterior was finished in a nice looking green, which of course is the color that was needed for the design. The gas cloud artwork from the game was utilized for the design. In-between the gas clouds is "Guster" and Guster the Gas Cloud himself. The Hot Wheels logo was placed underneath him. 

The roof of this release was also decorated. It features the character, as well as some additional designs around him. In my opinion, decorating the roof was a nice touch, and I feel it helped to make this release even better than it already was.

Now usually, I would have liked to see some decals on a car like this, but I actually don't care this time.

Like most of the basic releases of this casting, this too has the Hot Wheels 5SPs, and the decision was made to make them grey. Some of you might have preferred a different wheel color, but I have no issue with this color choice. There's really no need to have flashy wheels when you have a car that's as cool as this one.

Speeding off of my want list next, is the McLaren Speedtail that's right at home in this year's Factory Fresh mainline set. And I really like the color that was picked for it. The decision was made to finish it in the same orange that was used for the debut release of the McLaren 720S that I have. I don't know about you, but I think it's cool when the same paint is used for multiple models from the same manufacturer.

Being the kind of car that it is, and being in the Factory Fresh set, means that it wasn't given any kind of wild livery. Now obviously it was given some tampo details, but these are basically the same ones that were applied to the debut release. I really don't think this casting will ever need a design. 

I really like how this release was given the same realistic wheel combination as the debut release. The wheel color is the only thing that was done differently. As you all know, the debut release had all grey front and rear wheels. For this release, the decision was made to make the front wheels black with a chrome rim, and the rear wheels chrome. 

By the way, the "Exotics" watermark on the picture means that it's featured in my World Wide & Exotics gallery.

Silently speeding off of my want list next, is the Formula E Gen 2 Car that's apart of this year's HW Green Speed mainline set. This is another one of those releases that's just as good as the first one. And I really didn't think that was going to be the case with this car. Since Hot Wheels went all-out with the first one, I though the second one was going to feature more of a simple design with little to no decals. Thankfully, us collectors were given another great release to race against the first one.

The best thing about this release for me, is that it's a replica of the Formula E Gen 2 Car with the DS Autombiles livery. And it's a pretty good replica at that. Now obviously, since this is a $1 mainline, it isn't going to be totally accurate. But I think it's more than good enough, and it's great how it features a lot of the decals that are seen on the car this is based on. I could just imagine how accurate the livery would be if it was a premium. I also like how the top of it was given details too.

Once again the the Hot Wheels 10SPs were used for this casting. Now the real car has seven spoke wheels, but I feel these ten spoke wheels from Hot Wheels are good enough. Although... Hot Wheels did used to use a seven spoke wheel. But with all of the details featured on this release, the wheels are not that important to me. 

Shh... can you hear it? Can you hear the sound of a rumbling V8, and some screeching tires? Well I sure can, as the next car drifting off of my want list it the Custom '18 Ford Mustang GT that's apart of this year's HW Drift. Ever since this cool casting made it's 2019 debut, I knew it was going to be one that I was most likely going to always get. Now that could possibly change with a future release, but so far, I have liked all of it's mainline releases. And this metallic grey release is pretty good.

I feel the designers did a good job making a livery that features the Formula Drift logo. I only wish that it also featured some additional decals as well. Having them would have made the livery look more complete in my opinion. But I guess the Hot Wheels logo on the fender could be considered a sponsor decal.

The Hot Wheels designers also chose to decorate the hood of this casting too. First, the hood was given a black tampo coating. This was obviously done to gave it the look of being carbon fiber. The hood was then completed with the theme from the sides. So that's a similar styled design, as well as the Formula Drift and Hot Wheels logos.  Now Instead of using "FORMULA DRIFT" for the hood, the designers chose to use the "FD" logo instead.

The MC5s are the wheels that were chosen for this release. The front and rear wheels are a different color, which is fine by me since this is a drift car. All white MC5 wheels were used for the front, while the rear MC5's are black with a red rim. 

Now as cool as this release is, I do feel it would have looked slightly better if it had some kind of details applied to it's rear. But I can't complain since this is a $1 mainline, and not a premium.

Speeding out of the TV screen, and into my collection next, is this year's release of the Mystery Machine that's  apart of the Screen Time mainline set. I know some of you might be tired of seeing this casting, but I'm not. Sometimes, a newer release of a model might have one aspect that makes it better than the last one, and that's the case with this mainline release. The last time this casting was release in the mainline, it's front and rear were left plain. That isn't the case with this year's release. The front end of this one features the design. Sadly, the rear end was once again left plain. But I know, if I wanted one with a complete design, then I should just go look for one of the premium releases.

Now the design isn't the only thing that made me want to get this one. The wheels are another one of this release's aspects that contributed to it being added to my want list. The last mainline release, which was in 2017, was given the MC5 wheels. Those are okay, but I like how the decision was made to give this release the RSW wheels. Maybe it's just me, but the Mystery Machine looks way better with these slotted wheels. I guess it all comes down to personal preference though, as you might be more into how it looks with the MC5s.

Picture of the 2017 release with the MC5 wheels

Flying high above Diecast BLVD and D Star BLVD, is this year's release of the Batplane. When I say that I LOVE this release, I really mean it. If you decided to pass on this release, then I think you made a mistake. It might be hard to see with the lighting in the store, and you won't be able to see it in my picture, but this release was finished in a very dark metallic blue. When I first saw it, I though it was black, but I knew that couldn't be right because the debut release was black. I guess they could have made it metallic black if they wanted to, but I'm glad they didn't. 

The color isn't the only thing that makes this release cool. The designers chose to make a design for this release that consist of thin lines, and I think it was a very nice touch. I also like how they chose to make it blue. Now the design was only placed on the wings, but that is totally fine by me. After all, too much of anything is never good.

The one thing that I thought was interesting, was how they decided to give this blue release a yellow window piece. I would have personally chosen a blue piece, as that would have matched the design. But I will admit that it really doesn't look bad with a yellow window.

Alright collectors, that's my entire 2021 Hot Wheels case E want list. I don't think I have to say it, but my favorite model from this case is definitely the GT-40 MK IV. I used to say this all the time, and I'm going to say it again, I love the timeless look of classic sports cars, and race cars. 

Okay, so if you have a specific favorite from this case, feel free to let me know down in the comments. With that being said, that's all for this edition of My Want List. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.

My Want List: 2021 Hot Wheels Case E - Part 1

Hello collectors! Welcome to another edition of My Want List. Things just keep getting better and better with the Hot Wheels mainline. I can honestly say that I really like what was offered in this case. Sometimes, a case might have four releases that I want, while other times there will be more. And this is one of the cases where there was more. So without further ado, let's get started.

Checked off of my case E want list first, is the brand new '67 Ford GT-40 MK IV that's apart of this year's HW Race Day mainline set. I still remember how I literally jumped up out of my seat with excitement when Hot Wheels showed this over on Instagram. And I was even more excited with the fact that it was going to be in the mainline. Being in the mainline makes it a much easier model to get multiples of, and you already know I was going to get an extra one of these to open.

The best thing about this first release, is that it's a 1:64 scale replica of the actual #1 GT-40 MK IV. I love how Hot Wheels was able to re-create the exact livery on this 1:64 scale model. I personally think they did a good job with the side stripe. I also like all of the details that were applied to the top half of it.

The headlights are one of this castings aspects that I really like. Now I've mentioned this a few times before, but I think it's great when Hot Wheels makes a model with headlights that are apart of the windshield piece. For me, this gives the model realistic looking lights, and I think it's a much better design. I mean... I still would have liked it even if it was designed the other way, but this is much better than needing a tampo.

Now since Hot Wheels doesn't have a basic wheel that looks anything like the real wheels, they decided to use the 5SP wheels. I could care less about what wheels were chosen, as I'm just happy we got this car. On a side note, a picture of this car out of it's pack will be posted to my 1:64 Scale GT Approved gallery. 

If you're not new to the boulevard, then you might have read one of My Want List post where I reviewed the vehicles I wanted from last year's Matchbox case F. As you probably remember, that was the debut of Matchbox's stock C8 casting. In that post, I made mention of how Hot Wheels was going to be releasing some C8 goodness. Well... their C8.R casting is out, and it's the next vehicle that was checked off of my want list. 

The C8's from Matchbox and Hot Wheels, are a prime example of why I think it's great that Mattel has these two brands. One brand gives us the stock version of a vehicle, while the other brand gives us a customized or race car version. And I think Hot Wheels did a pretty good job with the overall design of this casting. 

Like the GT-40 MK IV, Hot Wheels chose to base this first release's overall appearance off of the actual race car instead of making a fantasy livery. With the yellow that was used, I'm not entirely sure if it's correct, but it looks close enough to me. The tampo details that were applied are great, and I like how the top of it was given details as well. I only wish the rear end was given details too.

Now for some reason, it doesn't feature any of the sponsor decals that are seen on the real car. After going to Google Images, I found a picture of the #3 C8.R that has the Michelin Tires decal. Based on some of the recent Hot Wheels releases, Mattel does appear have the legal okay to use them. So I feel it would have been nice to see at least Michelin featured on this release. Oh well, maybe a future premium release will have more decals.

Black 10SPs are the wheels that were chosen for this release. These are nice, but from the pictures I'm seeing, they are not the right spoke shape. Based on the picture I found, Hot Wheels should have used their Y5 wheels instead. At the end of the day though, the wheel choice is not that big of a deal. 

Checked off of my want list next, is the Subaru Impreza STI 22B that's apart of this year's HW J-Imports mainline set. To say this casting made it's debut in last year's mainline, it has sure had some great releases. And this year's release is just as good. One of the reasons why I like it, is due to it being another plain release. It would be cool to eventually get one with a rally style livery, but for now, I'm loving these plain releases.

Not having a design is all fine and dandy, but a model could ultimately not be cool if the color choice is bad. Of course this is Hot Wheels we're talking about, so the color is not bad at all. For this release, the designers chose to finish it in a very dark metallic blue. It looks absolutely fantastic when a light is shined on it. What's funny, is that I thought it was black when I found it. That's how dark this blue is. Anyways, I think it's a wonderful color for this car.

For the most part, this release was given the same front and rear details as the previous mainline releases. However, this one's front end was given one additional detail. That detail is the STI decal done in white.

Like the previous release of this casting, this too was given gold wheels. Now this is completely fine by me, since the wheels are different. The PR5s are what they went with for this release, and I think they helped to make this release look nice.

Up next, is the '98 Honda Prelude that's right at home in this year's HW J-Imports mainline set. After last year's release, I thought this next one might feature some kind of design. Thankfully it doesn't! I mean... I'm sure the designers could have come up with a nice looking one for this model, but it's nice to have another stock looking one that's finished in a cool color. 

Unlike the previous releases, Hot Wheels decided to go with a bright color for this release. The decision was made to paint this release yellow. Being a brighter color than the last two really helps to make it stand out more. That of course, doesn't mean that I no longer like the first two.

Now despite not having a design, it was given one detail that makes it look like it's been slightly modified. The decision was made to make this release look like it has a carbon fiber hood. This decision also helps to make this release stand out more from the previous ones.

As far as front and rear tampos are concerned, this release basically has the same ones that were applied to the blue release.

Contributing to the modified appearance of this release, is it's interior color. The designers chose to give it a red interior, and what's great, is that the red is not too bright. I feel it's the perfect shade to go with the yellow exterior.

Finishing off this release nicely, are the MC5 wheels. I think it was a nice touch to make them white, as that further contributes to the modified appearance.

Up next, is the '15 Mazda MX-5 Miata that's apart of this year's Then and Now mainline set. Now I'm sure everyone remembers the blue one from the 2019 Nightburnerz five pack. Basically, this release features a design that's somewhat similar to that one. Like the the aforementioned release, this too has a side stripe that's paired with a thin stripe above it. And like the blue one's stripe, it ends on the door. Thankfully this one's design only has one thin stripe, whereas the blue one had three above the main stripe. If the design had just one more thin stripe, then I might not have decided to get this release, as I would have felt that it was way too similar.

The placement of "MAZDA" is another one of it's aspects that's similar. The only difference, is that they chose to make it smaller than the one that's on the five pack release. In my opinion, instead of using the same decal as the blue one, they could have chose to put the Yokohama Tires or Advan decal there instead. And if not that, they could have just chose to put nothing.

Not everything about this release is similar. The top of this one was given some details that weren't given to the five pack one. First, the decision was made to apply a stripe to this casting's passenger side. Then, a tampo coating was applied to the hood latches, as well as the Mazda emblem. I'm glad they did this, as it helps to make this one look slightly better in my opinion. Sadly, no details were applied to the rear end, but that's alright since this is just a $1 mainline.

The wheels used for this release, are the 10SPs finished in white. Since some of the details are similar to the last release of this casting, I feel it was a good idea to not use the same wheels.

The 2019 Kia Stinger GT is the next vehicle that got checked off of my want list. I still think it's nice to finally see one of Kia's vehicles as a Hot Wheels casting. Now since Mattel has the legal okay to use this company's name, I hope we'll eventually get to see some of their other vehicles too. I don't know how you feel, but I feel Kia makes some okay looking rides. Personally, their K5 GT doesn't look too bad. Anyways, that's enough about that. Let me get on with this year's HW Turbo release of the Stinger GT.

So like the first two releases of this casting, this too does not feature any design, which is a good thing in my opinion. A model like this looks just fine without one. Now if they do decide to ever make one with a design, then I feel a simple stripe along the sides is good enough.  

For this release's color, the designers chose to finish it in a cool shade of red. Now obviously red is one of the colors that's available for the real car. And upon doing some research, I found out that's it's a color called HiChroma red. From what I'm seeing though, the color used for this release is darker than the actual color offered by Kia. Now if the designers wanted it to be Kia's color, then it might just be that my model got a darker version of the paint. At the end of the day though, I really don't care about the accuracy of the color. In my opinion, the red that's on my model looks great.

Once again grey Y5 wheels were used for this casting. These are honestly one of the best mainline wheels for this casting, as they are somewhat close in appearance to the real wheels. So I will never grow tired of seeing them being used for this model. I'm only hoping that they'll eventually use a different color for them. I personally think a black Stinger GT would look nice with black or chrome wheels. So fingers crossed.

The last vehicle for part one of this review, is the '20 Jeep Gladiator. I can honestly say that I'm glad I decided to expand upon the type of vehicles that I like. Had I continued to only like cars, then I would be missing out on cool looking models like this, and I still like how Hot Wheels decided to make their version's pickup section feature dirt bikes.

Now this release's color is the sole reason for me putting it on the want list. The first two colors are still just as great, especially the matte tan one. But since blue is my favorite color, there's no way I wasn't going to add this dark blue one to the collection. 

Unlike the Kia, this year's release of this Jeep was given a design. And I like how it's not too wild. Flashy off-road designs can be saved for a later release. The overall design consist of a few aspects. A simple stripe that starts after the front wheel arch, and ends after the rear wheel arch. The front doors feature a "DIE-CAST BUILT TO LAST" decal, and the rear has a skull design. Now if the skull on the rear is based on anything, or has some kind of off-road meaning, feel free let me know down in the comments.

Nothing really need to be said about the wheels, as they're the same as the ones that were used for the previous two releases of this casting. What I can say though, is that I hope to see a release of this casting with one of the other off-road wheels that Hot Wheels has. Unlike the Kia, this Jeep will look okay with a customized appearance, and I would definitely buy some custom off-road wheels for my Gladiator if I had one.

Okay collectors, that's all for this first part of my case E want list. As always, be sure to let me know your thoughts on any of these releases down in the comments section. Be sure to come back to the BLVD tomorrow for part two. Until then, thanks for reading, and happy collecting!

Looking at: Hot Wheels Pony Rides Box Set

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Looking at. Hot Wheels has started this year off right with a brand new pony car themed box set. And I was actually able to score it on a chance run to a local Walmart. So for today's post, I'm going to briefly talk about each of the models from this set. With that being said, let's get started.

This whole box set is 1:64 Scale GT approved! In other words, I really like this set. The models included are as follows: '70 Dodge Hemi Challenger, '65 Mustang 2+2 Fastback, '70 Camaro, and the Retro rig. Each of the cars were given a racing livery that I'd best describe as being period correct. This is what makes them great models to have. I also like how they don't all feature the exact same decals and wheels. 

I'll be honest, the '70 Camaro is the one that I wanted the most. I do have a few other releases of the casting in my collection, but I didn't have one that featured a true racing theme. That's why I thought about trying to get the 2015 Hot Wheels Heritage release off of the secondary. Although I still kind of want that release, I can actually put getting it on the back burner now that I have the one from this set.

It's pretty much the same story with the '70 Dodge Hemi Challenger. It's a casting that I had a few releases of, but none of them featured a true racing theme. So this was another must for me. The yellow 2010 Mystery cars release is the only one that I have that even comes close to this one. But that one doesn't have any aftermarket decals. 

The Mustang wasn't one of the ones that I absolutely had to have, but I will admit that it's a welcomed addition to my collection. I think it's interesting how the designers chose to make this release similar to the 2019 Target Throwback release of the '65 Mustang. This isn't a bad thing since I like blue, and the blue used for this Mustang is different. The design of the stripe is the biggest similarity. Like the Mustang from 2019, this 2+2 Fastback features a white stripe design with a thinner red stripe placed in the center of it. At the end of the day though, I have no issue with these similarities.   

Now that I talked about the cars, I'm going to switch the focus over to the Retro Rig. After all, collecting these sets isn't just about the cars. For me, it's also about the haulers. I don't know about the rest of the diecast community, but I think this is one rad release of the Retro Rig. It's cab was finished in a beautiful metallic gold, and it was given some cool pin stripe details. The doors of this truck feature a "SOUTH BAY PONY RIDES El Segundo CA" decal. I like when Hot Wheels decides to make non manufacturer specific haulers. Not having the name of a specific manufacturer makes it so the truck can be paired with just about any release. 

The last thing that I want to say about this set, is that I really like it's background. The background appears to depict a race track, but that's not what I like. This might be surprising, but I like all of the scenery around the course. The hill sides, as well as the trees, are picture perfect. And I feel this scenery helped to further make this a beautiful set to own.

So collectors, what are your thoughts on this set's classic racing theme? Feel free to let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this edition of looking at. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.