Looking At: 2021 Hot Wheels Flying Customs - Second Mix

Hello everyone! Welcome to a new edition of Looking At. I really love the Hot Wheels Flying Customs series. Each mix has featured eight beautifully decorated models, and that continues to be the case for this year's second mix. One of the other things I like about this mix, is that Hot Wheels decided to go all American with the releases that were picked. This decision made it so I could get some cool releases of castings that aren't used that often in the mainline, and one of them is new to my collection. So with that being said, let's go over the eight releases. 

The first release I'm going to talk about, is the '84 Pontiac Firebird. I was wondering when we'd see another release of this casting. The 2021 mainline is almost over, and I really though it's second release was going to be featured in a My Want List post. Ultimately, I have no issue with them deciding to make it's second release apart of this year's Flying Customs. 

I'm really pleased with how black and gold was picked for it's color scheme. To this day, it's my favorite color schemes for these cars, and I know it is for a lot of you as well. I know it isn't the only nice color scheme for a Firebird, but it's definitely one of the best ones, if I do say so myself.

As for this release's design, I like how they kept things simple. Now, when it comes to the Flying Customs, I really don't have a problem with the flashy designs that are created. However, for this car, I feel it looks the best with simple stripes. 

Once again, Hot Wheels chose to include one of their own castings, and for this mix, that casting is the Custom Otto. I'm truly overjoyed with their decision to use it for this Flying Customs mix. It used to be a casting that I dreamt of having, but that all changed when they created a closed hood version for the mainline. Now it seems like it's going to be used on a regular basis, and I'm glad.

When this mix first started showing up, this was the main one that was left. I still can't figure out why folks don't like it as much as the other releases. I mean, I know it's not one of the licensed castings, but it's not a bad release at all. The racing theme isn't bad either, but what I really like, is the metallic gold that was used for it's exterior. My pictures don't do it justice!   

The next two releases from this mix, are vehicles from Plymouth. Remember how I said one of the castings was new to my collection? Well, that casting is the convertible '70 Plymouth Barracuda. I really thought I'd missed my chance to get one of these at retail cost. The last time it was used in the mainline, was 2013. And I know there were two multi-pack releases back in 2017, but those packs didn't have enough releases I'd want. So for the longest time, I had my sights set on one of it's older releases that's for sale on the secondary market. I just hadn't made a move on any of them yet, since there were other old castings I needed to get first.

There's still a few older releases I'm interested in, but for now, I'm completely satisfied with this one. And it's all thanks to every one of the design choices made for it.

The second one from this mix, is the '71 Plymouth GTX. This is actually one of the ones I had to have. Now, it's not like I didn't have this casting in my collection. I had two different basic releases of this casting prior to this one. The 2005 muscle mania release was my first one, and the Fast and Furious one was my second one. I do have one premium release, but it's a premium version of the Fast and Furious one.

The one issue with the two I had, is that they feature similar stripe designs. Sure, the design on the 2005 release has an extra thin stripe in-between the main stripes, but it's basically the same design as the other one I have. So I've spent many months wanting one with a different design. That's the main reason why this was one of the ones I had to have. 

I really like the combination of red, yellow, and blue. Together, these three colors created a very stunning GTX!

The '70 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is the next one from this mix. And it was a casting I didn't have when I finally got back into collecting these awesome diecast models. I finally got my first one when Hot Wheels released the Vintage American Muscle set. After I got it, I decided to jump on the internet to see all of it's older releases. Although I was happy with the one I got, there was one older release I really wanted to have, and it's the orange one from the 1998 mainline. So I had my fingers crossed that I'd be able to get one off of the secondary market for a decent price. Fortunately, I no longer have to shop around, because Hot Wheels decided to release an orange one in this mix.

It might not be plain like the one I had my eye on, but it's definitely a nice release. And I honestly have no issue with the design. In fact, I like it and the colors that were picked for it. 

Today, the 1:64 Scale GT is holding it's annual classics race, and one of the cars participating, is the '68 Shelby GT500 from this mix. This one features an okay looking racing theme, and it's neat how they chose to give it the same color scheme as the one they gave the '67 Custom Mustang from this year's first Flying Customs mix.

I'm really am starting to think they have to use Goodyear so many times due to the licensing agreement. I mean, it could just be a design trend, but this is the third release with this decal placed over the rear wheels. The previous two releases were in case M, and I felt they didn't really need the decal. Of course, the decal makes sense on this release, since it features a racing theme. 

Up next, is the '64 Chevy Nova Wagon. I was really excited when I found out this casting was going to be in a Flying Customs mix. The 2020 HW Flames release, was the first one in my collection, and I still think it's a cool release. But this Flying Customs release is now my favorite, since it was finished in blue. Besides being finished in my favorite color, it features an okay looking design along it's sides.

The eighth and final release from this second mix, is the '55 Chevy. I don't know the exact case contents, but what I do know is that the pegs were full. So it seems like there's only one of these per case. I know collectors consider these to be the rare ones, but I really don't see the need to do that. Each case should have two of each. Anyway, that's enough about that. Let me focus on what I like about this release.

I love their choice to use Magenta, and the design they created for it is perfect. Oh, and let me not forget the additional design choices like the gold HO wheels, and the interior color. Combined, all four of those design choices created one superb release of this casting. 

You never know when there'll be one release that's completely hoarded up like the Exotic Envy release of the Bugatti Chiron. And all of these are exceptionally good models. So I'm really glad I was able to get all eight releases from this mix. 

So, what how did you feel about the releases from this second mix? I'm sure most of you like all of them, but you can let me know your exact thoughts down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this edition of Looking At. Until the next post, thanks for reading, and happy collecting. And remember, these are just toys.