Now, even though I found all of the releases, I ended up leaving one behind, and it was the Muscle Speeder. It's not a terrible looking release, and I'm sure many of you added it to your collection. But I chose to leave it simply because it's not a casting I care for. At the end of the day, I was solely interested in getting the castings that I like. And I'm not a completest, so I don't mind having an incomplete set. Okay, now that I got that out of the way, let me move on to the releases I got.
Although I like this release, I do think the side design could have been a bit better. If it was up to me, I would have made it similar to the design that was applied to the top of this release. But I guess they were trying to make the sides look similar to the American Flag. So I'm not going to complain.
As you know, I don't go out of my way to search for store exclusives releases, but sometimes there is one I have to have no matter what, and there are reasons for that. It could be that I really like what was done to the release, or it could be because it's a casting I want to have more of. So with that said, the release I had to have is the '67 Pontiac GTO. And both of the aforementioned reasons are why I wanted it.
Even if I owned more of this casting's releases, I'd still add this store exclusive release to my want list. That should tell you how much I like it. Now, I'm sure some of you out there won't like chrome gold features, but this is a diecast model after all. So it doesn't have to be completely realistic.
Since this is an American flag themed set, it is only natural that each of the vehicles are from American Manufacturers. So some castings will get multiple Stars & Stripes releases. One such casting is the Custom '56 Ford Truck, and this is the second time they've used it for the Stars & Stripes series. Now, I'm actually very happy with their decision to use it again, and I'll explain why.
This casting was used for the 2019 Rod Squad mainline series, and there ended up being a Kroger exclusive release of it. And as you know, it too was finished in dark red. It also had chrome Aero Disk wheels. Now, if you were able to get the aforementioned release, then you're probably not too happy about them using dark red again, and I can understand you frustration. After all, I also get disappointed when a new release is somewhat similar to a release I already have. But these design choices are great for collectors who missed out on a release, and I'm a part of the crowed that missed out on a the dark red Kroger release.
Even if I did get the Kroger one, I'd still have this one on my want list. The 2019 release featured an okay looking shop truck theme, but I feel this one's theme is much better. Furthermore, the 2019 release wasn't as decorated as this one.
The '71 Dodge Challenger is the next release I wanted. Now, normally I'll show the side of the release first, then I'll show the top. But there's a reason why I decided to show the top first, and it has to do with the design.
Some of you out there might not like an overly decorated release, but if you wanted a Stars & Stripes release with a lot of decoration, then the 2018 Ford Mustang is the release for you. In fact, one might even say that this release stands out from the other ones due to how decorated it is. And I might just be one of those people because I'm really impressed with the design choices that were made for it.
This release features a very flashy design, and I feel it helped to create one of the coolest releases of this casting. I mean, the other releases in this assortment have a lot of decoration too, but there's just something special about the overall design that was applied to this release.
The '65 Ford Ranchero isn't as decorated as the Mustang, but it's still an okay looking release, although... I do have to admit that I don't completely like what was done to it. And to be more specific, I don't like the design along its sides.
In my opinion, the two side designs don't combine well, and I feel it should have been one or the other. And if not that, then they could have slanted the red stripes so they'd flow in the same direction as the blue stripe. So even though it's not a terrible looking release, it is definitely not one of my favorites from this assortment.
Overall, this year's Star & Stripes set is okay, and I'm really glad to have a few of the releases from it. However, I think the set could have been a little better. And I'm basically saying that because I didn't absolutely like every single release from it. But I guess it was only two of the eight, so I won't bash this set too much.
So how do you feel about the releases from this year's Stars & Stripes set? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all I got for this edition of Today On The Boulevard. Till next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting. And remember, these are just toys.
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