Hello, and welcome to a new edition of Today On The Boulevard. It's no lie that being a Hot Wheels collector, can sometimes be very tiring. And specifically trying to find store exclusives is a very daunting task for most. It's especially hard when the exclusives are premiums. So, for the most part, I tend to stay away from these type of releases.
Now recently, I noticed that one of my local Walmart locations kept having a bunch of leftovers of the recent Boulevard assortment. I came across these leftovers three different times. This lead me to believe that this location got a large shipment of them. So I decided to give myself a little bit of a challenge. For the first time, I decided to try and specifically hunt for a store exclusive premium assortment. And after a little bit of patience and persistence, I was able to finally get an entire assortment of Boulevard. So for today's post, I'm going to briefly share my thoughts on each model.
Up first, is the beautiful '64 Buick Riviera. For those of you that didn't know, Hot Wheels has two different '64 Riviera castings. This is the version that was created for the 2016 SDCC exclusive Star Trek diorama. I know they didn't have to use this casting for any thing else, but I'm glad they did. And I hope they continue to use it.
This is the only one from this assortment that's plain, and I'm glad it is. I have exactly one release of the other version, and it has a design on it. Now I'm not saying that it looks bad, but it is nice to finally have a plain '64 Riviera that's finished in a great looking red. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better one than this.
Okay, the next one from this assortment is the 2019 Subaru WRX STI. Unlike the Rivera, it didn't take them long to do another one of these. When it made it's Fast & Furious debut last year, I wasn't quite sure if we were going to see any other releases of it. Take Brian's Eclipse for example, that casting has yet to be used for a non F&F assortment. So I'm glad to see a continued use of this casting, and I hope it gets many more premium releases.
Now then... onto how I feel about this release. Like the Riviera, I couldn't have asked for a better one than this. Yes, the F&F release is nice, but I like this one slightly more. It's all due to it's overall appearance. For the longest time, I've wanted a Hot Wheels WRX that featured the iconic Subaru livery. And this one has completely satisfied that need.
I'm not someone who's afraid to admit when I don't know something. So that brings me to the next thing I want to talk about. One of the decals applied to this release, is Vermont SportsCar. So with the assumption that this was an actual company, I decided to do a quick Google search. Upon doing so, I found out that they're a partner of Subaru of America. On a side note, I also learned that they are the ones that made the body kit for Mr. Nobody's WRX. Anyway, this release is basically a replica of the WRX's they've built, and I think it came out great.
You can also buy this release directly from Vermont SportsCar. You'll just have to pay a little more than what you would have at Walmart. But if you missed out, this could be your chance to get one.
YES!! That's all I can say about this next one. The model in question, is the '63 Chevy Nova. This is one of those premium only castings that isn't used often. I always worry about this. That's why on very rare occasions, I will try to get store exclusives like this. You never know when they'll release another one. This casting only had three releases after it's 2009 debut, and the 2018 Drag Strip Demons release, was the only one I had before this one. So you can probably imaging how happy I am to finally have another one of these altered wheelbase dragsters from Hot Wheels.
Thankfully, this release is just as good as the 2018 release that I have. In fact, I actually like this one a little more. The colors, as well as the additional details, are what I feel makes this one better. I know there's been numerous releases that are finished in purple, but I feel it's not used as much as red. So that's why I'll end up liking a purple release over one that's red.
As I mentioned, I also like the additional details. What I was talking about, were all of the aftermarket sponsor decals that were applied to this one. The 2018 release also had aftermarket decals, but it only featured Autolite and Goodyear. On the other hand, this one has four additional decals. It also has the Southeast Gassers Association logo.
Next up, is the 1968 Mazda Cosmo Sport. This is actually one of the main ones that kept getting left, and I can kind of understand why. Although I got it, I still prefer the 2020 JH3 release over this one. The car itself is a very beautiful classic, so I'll always prefer a plain one over one with a livery.
Now then, despite not liking it as much, I will say that it's not an outright terrible looking release. There's a reason why it's a welcomed addition to my collection, besides it being a Boulevard release. As you've all seen, Hot Wheels has been giving us Mad Mike themed releases. And since I have most of them, I figured that I would go ahead and acquire this one as well.
The Mighty Volkswagen Drag Bus, is the final vehicle from this assortment. This release isn't too bad, but I do have something to say about it. By now, all of you know this release is sporting the same Mooneyes design that was given to the Car Culture Cargo Carriers Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus. At first, I was a little disappointed with how they decided to use the exact same design. I mean... they could have easily thought of something different. Anyway, my opinion of it changed the following day, and I now have no issue with it.
Even though I don't have a problem with the design itself, I do have an issue with the lack of decals. This is a drag race casting right? So where are the additional sponsor deals? Having some additional decals would have definitely helped to make this release stand out from the Car Culture T1. I know not every model drag race themed release has to have a bunch of decals. But I feel this is one of the ones that should have had some, especially since it's a Boulevard release.
Before this Drag Bus, all I had was the 50th Anniversary Favorites one. So despite the lack of decals, this is a welcomed addition to my collection.
At the end of the day, it really does pay to have patience, while being persistent. It's definitely a mindset that's needed to be a diecast collector.
So collectors, what are your thoughts on these releases? Do you have a specific one that you like the most? Feel free to let me know 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.
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