I think you've already noticed how I don't feature any of the Hot Wheels Pop Culture assortments here on the BLVD. To be honest, I was never really a fan of them. It's not that these releases feature terrible artwork, I just never liked how it wasn't the same on both sides. That's just a little pet peeve that I have. Anyway, whenever I did decide to get Pop Culture release, it was mainly because of the casting, and not the artwork. To this day, Pop Culture set are still the only way to get a release of a certain casting. And a lot of those castings, are the panel vans. I don't know about you, but I wish they would use them for other sets too.
Now, unlike some of the other Pop Culture releases, the artwork on these is the same on both sides. This is what I like the most about the ones featured in this Speed Shop Garage set. I can honestly say that it's the first Pop Culture assortment that I really like. In fact, this is the first time where all five of the vehicles have made it to my want list.
I'm sure a lot of you out there like the HW Speed Graphics mainline set. I, for one, am one of those collectors. Although... there are have been some that I didn't like, but that's neither here nor there. Like the aforementioned mainline vehicles, these too are representing a specific aftermarket company. They also feature a design that I feel the companies they are representing would use. So, the reason why I like this set, is because it's basically a premium HW Speed Graphics set. I also feel these are the kind of vehicles you'd see at a automotive show like SEMA.
Now that you know how I feel about this set overall, it's time for me to share my thoughts on each of the vehicles.
I had to start with the MBK Van first, since it's new. I might be wrong, but this casting is most likely going to only be used for Pop Culture sets for many years to come. So I figured that I need to have one that features a design that I like, and I really like how it looks with the HKS livery. I have no idea when they'll decide to release another nice looking one. As such, I feel this could end up being one of the best looking releases of this casting for a long time. Of course, that could change going forward, but only time will tell.
The next one from this set, is the Custom 77 Dodge Van. This release is representing Hooker Headers. No overly flashy stripe design was created for this one. Instead, the Hot Wheels designers created a simple design by utilizing the heart from the logo. Besides the design, I also like the exterior color. I feel the design looks really good over the red that was chosen. The color of "Headers," is the only thing I would have done differently. I would have made this word white. Doing so, would have made it stand out like the rest of the decal. Other than that, this is a really cool release.
Representing Michelin, is the Custom GMC Panel Van. And it's one of the ones that I really wanted from this set. Sadly, this is one casting that isn't used as much as I feel it should. For those of you that didn't know, it's A-Team themed debut release, is the only time it was in the mainline. This is why I had to get this nice looking release. I always liked how Michelin had a mascot, which is why I enjoy having a cool diecast model that features a big decal with the character. I also like the other design choices made for this release. One of the choices that I like, is how they decided to not create a model covering design for this release. The white stripe along the lower half of it's sides, is good enough for me.
The overall appearance of the Koni themed Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus is overly simple, but that's what I like about. In my opinion, what they did to this release, makes it match the 2019 HW Speed Graphics release of the Mazda RX-7. I know that release has a black stripe, while this Bus does not. But it was finished in silver, and like the design on the RX-7, this one's design also features a thin red stripe. Looking at this Volkswagen and the RX-7 together, is a perfect example of what I meant when I said this set is basically a premium HW Speed Graphics set.
Representing Bilstein, is the Land Rover Defender 110 Hardtop. As I've said in a past post, I wasn't too pleased with the last release of this casting. So I'm glad they decided to use it for this set. I might be the only collector with this opinion, but I happen to think this one looks a lot better than a "search and rescue" themed one. I should also mention that I like how they decided to make the roof blue. I feel this was a nice touch. They didn't have to since the hood, as well as the rear are white. But I'm glad they did.
Alright, that's everything from this set. Like I said, it's the first Pop Culture assortment that I really like. I wish they did more Pop Culture sets like this one. I would definitely have more panel van releases in my collection if they did.
So, how did you feel about this set? And did you have a specific favorite? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Okay, that's all for this post. Till next time, thank for reading, and happy collecting.
No comments:
Post a Comment