For the most part, cars are what you'll see in each Car Culture assortment. However, there are times when Hot Wheels decides to give us pickup trucks and SUVs, and this was one of those times. I have to say, it's nice to see more premium releases of other types of vehicles. I mean, cars are nice, but pickup trucks and SUVs are nice too. So I've decided to put the spotlight on the ones they've given us first, then I'll get to the cars. With that being said, this assortment had two releases I really wanted to have, and the main one was the '87 Toyota Pickup Truck.
Back in 2014, Hot Wheels gave collectors a premium one that was based on the Toyota truck driven by Marty McFly in Back to the Future. Now, I do have two other releases of this casting, so it's not like I didn't already have one of these in my collection. I just didn't have a premium release of it, and I've wanted one after I saw how cool the casting looked with Real Riders.
The wheels aren't the only reason why I wanted this one though. The 2016 Retro Style release and the 2017 Hot Trucks release, are the two I had prior to this one. And as you know, both of them feature a flashy design, which is fine. I mean, it's not like I don't like them, I just wanted to have one that wasn't as decorated. So thanks to the design choices made for this release, I'm now completely satisfied. And I honestly couldn't have asked for a better one than this.
The other nice thing about this assortment is that it features the debut of two new castings. One of them is the SUV, and it's the Toyota Lancruiser FJ60. So are you happy about this casting because it's a new Toyota? Or are you happy about it because it's another new SUV? For me, it's the latter. And the funny thing is, just a few years ago I would have never said that I was happy to see a new diecast SUV. But in sea of diecast cars, it's refreshing to see diecast SUVs. That's why you've seen the latest ones from both of Mattel's diecast brands featured in my various post.
I don't know about you, but I like how this casting was designed. And to be a little more specific, I like how it wasn't designed with any wild off-road modifications. Maybe you'd like a FJ60 with a bullbar or a roof rack with a spare. And I'll admit that it would look cool with those features. But there's nothing wrong with stock looking FJ60, and I'm sure most of you will also agree.
As you already know, premiums have tampo details that are not seen on any $1 mainline. For the most part, there isn't a need to make mention of them, since it's usually additional details like lights and window trim. However, there are some additional details that I like to put the spotlight on. And when it comes to this release, it is the Japanese Nostalgic Car decal that was applied to its back window. I love when they add details to the window piece, and I think they should do more classic JDM releases with a window decal.
Okay, now that I got those two out of the way, it's time to move on to the cars from this assortment. And I'm going to start with the '81 Toyota Starlet KP61, since it's the second one making its debut. It's also the other one I really wanted.
There's just something special about an old school JDM car modified with fender flares, and Hot Wheels does a great job at re-creating the modification in 1:64 scale. And the look is further complemented by the four-spoke wheels. Now, even though it's modified, I like how they made the decision to not do anything crazy with the interior. In other words, I like how it has all of its seats.
As for the design choices made for this first release, I think they started things off right by giving us a plain release. Of course, like you, I'm curious to see what they have planned for this casting. I'm sure they'll do one with a simple stripe design and some additional decals like Advan or Greddy. And if they do decided to do that, then I hope they use the TRD stripes. Ultimately, no matter what they choose to do, it'll definitely be a release I try to get because this is such an awesome little retro hatchback!
Remember how I said I think they should do more classic JDM releases with the Japanese Nostalgic Car decal applied to the window piece? Well, I think they should have added the decal to this release's window piece. And if it was up to me, I would have placed it on lower left corner of the windshield section. Now, don't get me wrong, I have no issue with them not using it for this release. I just think it might have looked even cooler with it.
As I've said, there are some additional details I like to point out. So before I get to the next car, I thought I'd take a moment to put the spotlight on the license plate, since they gave it a Japanese one. You know me, I love seeing these little cars with plates, and I especially like when they use plates from other countries.
Finally making another appearance is the Toyota 2000 GT. I know they released one in the mainline two years ago, but it featured an Olympics theme. And it was a theme I had no interest in, which is why I've spent many months hoping they'd make another one that I'd actually like. Fortunately, I just had to wait a little bit longer.
As you can see, the designers chose to give this release a racing theme, and it's very similar to the one that was applied to the Japan Historics release. Of course, that one doesn't have a racing number like this one does. Anyway, I honestly would have preferred a plain release instead, since there hasn't been one without a design on it. But this casting is technically not a street car, so I'm not going to complain too much about it having a racing theme. I mean, its interior does have a roll cage, and its passenger seat was removed. So it's basically a race car.
As much as I want to, I just can't quite bring myself to say this is a perfect release. My issue with it has to do with the color of its base. Like the JH release, this too features an unpainted metal base. In my opinion, the front half of this casting just doesn't look right with an unpainted base. I really don't understand why they didn't give it a white base. I mean, just look at the Hakosuka from JH. That release has a blue base. So I wish they would have painted this release's base white.
At the start of this post, I made mention of how I was initially disappointed with one of the releases from this assortment. Well, it's now time to go over the Toyota Supra. If you read my last Looking At post, then you might remember why I was disappointed with the Honda Prelude. If not, then let me tell you. Basically, I was disappointed with the decision to make it the same color as the debut release. Now, the reason why I brought this up is because this Supra's exterior color was the design choice I didn't like.
You might be thinking to yourself that there's nothing wrong with a white supra, and I'll admit that there isn't. But the color has already been used for the Fast and Furious release. And since there haven't been too many plain releases of this casting, I was hoping for something a little different.
To be fair, this release's paint is not the same as the one used for the Fast and Furious release. Unlike that one, this one was finished in metallic white. It is also worth mentioning that this one features a license plate, which is a detail the Fast and Furious one doesn't have. So some of you might actually consider this to be the better of the two, and that is an opinion I can agree with. Although... I do still wish they took the opportunity to give us a plain one finished in a color that hasn't already been used. But there's always a chance they could do one later. So I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed. And hopefully it'll be a release I can get.
Okay, that's all five of the releases from this Car Culture assortment. Despite my issues with the 2000 GT and the Supra, I can honestly say that this is a pretty good assortment. And at the end of the day, all five of these are nice releases. I'm especially glad to finally have a nice looking premium release of the '87 Toyota Pickup Truck.
So how do you feel about the releases from this assortment? Go ahead and 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. And remember, these are just toys.
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