Best On The Block: June 2022

It's the last day of June, so it's time to show six of the best releases that were featured in various post during the month.

#1: 1994 AMG-Mercedes C-Class DTM Touring Car - 2022 Hot Wheels Car Culture

Why I Picked It: This replica ended up being my favorite release from this year's Deutschland Design Car Culture assortment. And I felt it deserved to take the number one spot due to how impressive it is. I just love all of the tampo details that were applied to it.

#2: '20 Dodge Charger Hellcat - 2022 Hot Wheels Car Culture

Why I Picked It: This is a stunning version of the 2020 Charger, and I feel it looks good enough to always be considered one of the best releases on the block. But how its exterior looks is not the only reason why I picked it for this post. So far, there's been two releases of this casting, and I happen to think this is the better of the two. And no, I'm not just saying that because this is the only one I have. Sure, the first one is a movie replica, but I think the 2020 Hellcat looks phenomenal finished in green. 

#3: Porsche 918 Spyder - 2022 Matchbox Mainline

Why I Picked It: The design of this casting is why it took the number three spot. Unlike the Hot Wheels version, this casting's engine section is a separate piece, and that's what I like the most about it. Of course, that's not the only great thing about it's design, but I do think it's what makes this version a little better than the one from Hot Wheels. 

#4: 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia - 2022 Matchbox Mainline

Why I Picked It: I think you already know why I picked this release. But if not, then I picked it because it's the one I've been waiting for. The previous releases (especially the white one) are still nice, but this one was finished in a cool version of my favorite color. 

#5: McLaren P1 - 2022 Hot Wheels Racing Circuit Series

Why I Picked It: If this wasn't one of the releases I got from Racing Circuit set, then the '71 Porsche would have taken the number five spot instead. But I had to pick this one because I've wanted an orange McLaren P1 for quite some time now, and I think this release was finished in a fantastic version of the color. 

#6: Nissan Z Proto - 2022 Hot Wheels Mainline

Why I Picked It: The first picture of the new Nissan Z that I saw showed a yellow one with gold wheels, and I instantly liked how it looked. So this release will most likely be my all-time favorite one due to its exterior and wheel color scheme. Another reason why I picked it is because I think it's a nicely designed 1:64 scale model. 

Okay, those are the six releases I picked for this month's edition of Best On The Block. Now that you know my favorites, I want to know yours. So go ahead and let me know what your favorite releases were from this month.

White Booth Wednesday #142

It's once again time for another Wednesday showcase here on the boulevard. Here's this week's featured vehicle.

Vehicle: Mazda REPU

Brand Or Series: 2022 Hot Wheels Hot Trucks

Boulevard Rating: 9

How I Feel About This Release: In my opinion, the designers picked a fantastic exterior and wheel color scheme for this recolor. It's not everyday that I see a green release with white wheels, so that's why this one instantly made it to my want list. Now, I do have one small issue with this release, and it has to do with the color of the stripe. I feel it shouldn't have been the same color as the orange release's stripe. So if it was up to me, I would have changed it to white. I've seen many pictures of green vehicles with white stripes, and I think it's a great color scheme. So I feel this release would have looked even better than it already does if they made its stripe white. At the end of the day, this release is still cool enough for me to give it a nine out of ten.

So how do you feel about this week's featured vehicle? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. Till next time, happy collecting.

My Want List: 2022 Matchbox Mix 2 - The Other Four

Hello, and welcome to a new edition of My Want List. Earlier in the month, I published a My Want List post where I showed the "obvious remnants" that I was able to get from this year's Matchbox mix two. Now, it might not have been everything, but I was able to get all but four of the releases I had on my want list. As such, I was completely satisfied. Of course, I still kept an eye out for the other ones, and thankfully, I didn't give up on them because it didn't take too long for me to find them. So for today's post, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on them. With that being said, let's get things started. 

I knew I'd eventually find two of the releases, but I didn't think I was going to find all four. I mean, they're all great castings, but the first two I'm going to talk about are obviously the stars of this mix. Although, some of you might feel that way about the other one I found. Anyway, I really thought I'd never see these two, and there's a reason why I was especially worried about one of them. 

So what release was I worried about? Well, it's none other than the 2020 Corvette C8.  In case you didn't know, I was unable to find the second release of this casting. I had the blue one, but I really wanted to have the red one. Last year, there were many times where I came across full pegs of the mix it was supposed to be a part of, but it was the one release I never saw. In fact, it almost seemed like it didn't exist. So I thought it was going to be the same story with this year's release. Thankfully, history didn't repeat itself. 

Maybe I'm missing something, but the C8 seems to be as popular as a Datsun 510, and I really don't know why. Sure, it's a stunning car, but I don't see why they're being hoarded. And I actually still don't know why the 510 is hoarded either. Anyway, Matchbox's version of the C8 is the one I like the most due to its overall proportions, so I'm glad I was able to get another release of it. 

For obvious reasons, the debut release of this casting is still my favorite, but I can't deny how remarkable C8 looks finished in black. Now, if it was up to me, I would have given this release black wheels instead, but I can live with the wheel color they picked. I just think this release would have stood out a little more if it had black wheels.

Although I like this release, I do have to admit that I'm disappointed with the license plate they gave it. Once again, they gave this casting a plate that says the name of this car. I feel they could have came up with something better than "C8 VETTE." Other than that, this is a really good release. 

I'm sure most of you like when both brands make the same car, and I will admit that I do too. However, I think it's even better when one of the brands makes a different version of the car. That's actually what I thought Hot Wheels should have done with their version of the C8. In my opinion, they could have made the convertible version, or one that depicts the car with its roof panel removed. Anyway, Matchbox has finally created their own version of the Porsche 918 Spyder, and I truly appreciate how they steered clear of making a casting that's the same as the Hot Wheels one. 

This Matchbox 918 depicts the car with its roof panel attached, and its windows rolled up. The roof panel isn't the only nice thing about this casting's design, though. There are two additional features that I really like, and one of them is seen along its sides. Unlike the Hot Wheels version, this one features side-view mirrors. I think we can all agree that it's nice to see them incorporated into the overall design of a casting. Having them adds a lot of realism to these little cars. 

The second feature is seen on the back half where the engine is, and I think it's a feature that makes this version slightly better than one from Hot Wheels. In order for it to have a detailed engine section, the Hot Wheels version has to have a tampo. Unlike that version, this one's engine section is not a part of the body. I, for one, think this is a much better design because it eliminates the possibility of a release not having a detailed engine section. That's actually the main thing I didn't like about the last release of the Hot Wheels version. 

Having the license to use Toyota again has made it so we've gotten some cool new castings from both of Mattel's brands. But that's not the only good thing about the renewed license. Like a few other vehicle manufacturers, Toyota also has a luxury car division, and I'm sure you all know that it's Lexus. Now, there has been a few Lexus releases from both brands, but the division was never frequently used. So I guess you could say that the releases are kind of rare. Fortunately, it looks like that could be about to change, since Matchbox has made the 1994 Lexus LS 400. 

This is a very nice casting, and I like how it has a multi-piece design. Sure, the lower half won't be able to have the same paint as the top half, but that's only an issue when they decide to do a single colored release. And it's only really noticeable when a metallic paint is used. Having a multi-piece deign makes it so we can have a release of a casting with a complete two-tone color scheme. Designing it the other way would have made it so they'd have to used a tampo for the second color, and it most likely wouldn't have been applied to the front or rear bumper. Now, some of you out there might have preferred for it to be designed the other way, but I think it's nice to have a casting that's able to have a cool two-tone color scheme.

There are pros and cons to a lot of things in this world, and this casting is not exempt. As much as I like the multi-piece design, I do have to admit that it's not perfect. Due to it being a mass-produced separate piece, the wheel arch section does not line up properly. Now, I can live with the imperfection because it's not that bad, but it might be something you care about. So that's why I'm pointing it out. I suspect that some of these will be better than others, but you'll have to do your own investigating.

The '76 Volkswagen MK 1 GTI Golf is the last one I needed to find, and I didn't just want it because it's a classic Volkswagen. Since its debut, this casting has had some okay releases, but I always wondered why all of them had to feature some type of design. Don't get me wrong, I do still very much like all of the older releases I got, it's just I was expecting to see a plain one. And after last year's Retro Series release, I started to think there wasn't going to be one anytime soon. Well, I was wrong. 

It might not have been finished in a flashy color like the debut release, but this is definitely the release I've been waiting for. And to be honest, this car looks pretty good finished in silver. The one thing I don't like is how they chose to leave the rear end plain. If it was up to me, I would have at least given this release tail lights. But not having rear end details is something I can live with. 

Hopefully there'll be more plain releases of this casting going forward, but if not, then that's fine because I'm completely satisfied with this one.

I can finally say that I'm done with my mix two want list. Overall, this mix had many great releases, and some of them instantly became candidates for this month's edition of Best On The Block. One of them is definitely going to be featured, but I might just pick another one. So be sure to visit that post at the end of the month. Well, I guess it's time to be on the lookout for the next mix.

So did you have a favorite release from this mix, or were there too many good releases to pick from? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Okay, that's all for this edition of My Want List. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting. And remember, these are just toys.

Today On The Boulevard: Random 2022 Hot Wheels Premiums - Good Finds

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Today On The Boulevard. It's no lie that the Hot Wheels team has put together some exciting assortments over the years. And I absolutely love when they decide to include castings like the Datsun 510 or the Volkswagen Bus. Now, many collectors will get excited about those two castings alone, but there's another reason why I get excited when they're added to an assortment. Basically, those two castings will usually overshadow everything else from an assortment, and when a store gets a huge shipment, they are the ones that get hoarded. When that happens, I'm usually able to get the releases I really want.

Earlier this year, a new Hot Wheels Boulevard assortment was sent to Walmart, and it had not one but two different Volkswagen Bus castings in it. And they were the main releases that were bought from the huge shipment of premiums my local store got. Based on the number of full pegs there were, I'd say my local store got about nine boxes of the assortment. So I can only imagine how much it would have cost to buy all those Buses. Anyway, I was able to get a few different premium releases that I really wanted thanks to those two castings being in the same assortment. And they aren't just from the Boulevard series. So with that being said, let's go over the latest additions to my collection.

Since its debut, there's been many nice releases of the Nissan Laurel 2000 GTX, and I've been fortunate enough to get all of them. So it's not like I didn't already have at least one release of it in my collection. That's why I wasn't disappointed when I found out that the next release of it was going to be in the Boulevard series. But there's a reason why I wanted it, and it has to do with one specific aspect. 

 

Did you think I was talking about what was done to the exterior? If you did, then you're wrong. Although I like the color and the design, what was done to the exterior is not why I wanted to have this release. Take a look at the wheels. All of this casting's releases (mail-in included) prior to this one were given the the 4-spoke wheels. So I wanted to have at least one example of this casting with different wheels. 

The Acura NSX GT3 was one of the coolest new premium releases from 2019, and I was hoping they'd give us back-to-back releases of it going forward. However, that didn't happen. You never know when a casting will only be used once or twice. That's why I try to find as many premium releases as I can. Now, since I was satisfied with the first two releases, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal if they were done with the casting. But I'm glad they're still using it.

Some of you might not like how there are no aftermarket companies featured on this race car, but I still think it's a cool release nonetheless. In my opinion, not having any decals made it have the appearance of being owned by a team that has yet to secure any sponsors. 

What was done to the exterior is not the only reason why I wanted this release, though. Similar to the Laurel, this too is the first release of this casting with different wheels. The first two releases were given the 6-spoke wheels, and there's no denying that it's a great wheel for this race car. However, it is nice to switch things up. Doing so keeps the various releases of a casting from being too similar. So I'm really glad they chose to do something different for this third release.

The Boulevard series was actually not the first thing I noticed when I arrived at the diecast row. Sitting underneath the pegs was a huge stack of a new premium box set. And I instantly got a huge smile on my face when I saw the box art. In that moment, I knew that I was going to finally have a pickup truck that I've been wanting for some time now.  

I honestly though I wasn't going to see this set due to the Texas Drive 'Em, but I guess it too got overshadowed by the mighty Volkswagen Bus. Now, the aforementioned pickup might have been the one I wanted the most, but it isn't the only cool one from this set. In my opinion, the other three trucks are just as nice, and I especially like how they gave us the "Midnight Express" version of the Li'l Red Express Truck.

The next premium release I found is the '20 Dodge Charger Hellcat from the American Scene Car Culture assortment. I might have been happy about finding the other premium releases, but I was overcome with joy when I saw this release sitting next to the stack of box sets. Sadly, I never once saw the debut release or the assortment it was a part of, and the American Scene assortment never really made it to the pegs. So I honestly thought I'd never have one of these in my collection. Fortunately, I no longer have to look at pictures of it on the internet.

This second release is absolutely fantastic, and I actually think it's better than the first release. Sure, the first one is a replica of the one from the Fast and Furious franchise, but who wouldn't want a Charger finished in this green? Of course, green isn't going to be for everyone, so I could understand why some collectors would like the first one more.

Okay, those are all of the premium releases I found. It might not have been a massive haul, but something is always better than nothing. And that's especially true for premiums. At the end of the day, I'm very happy with what I found. 

So how do you feel about the releases I talked about today? 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. Until the next post, thanks for reading, and happy collecting. And remember, these are just toys.

White Booth Wednesday #141

It's once again time for another Wednesday showcase here on the boulevard. Here's this week's featured vehicle.

Vehicle: '85 Honda City Turbo II

Brand Or Series: 2022 Hot Wheels Turbo

Boulevard Rating: 9

How I Feel About This Release: I would have normally had a slight issue with them using a similar color again so soon, but this is the one time where I don't mind. After a while, I wanted to have a City Turbo II on display, but I never got any extras of the ones I'd consider having out. Now, I know I could have gotten an extra green one to open, but I really wanted to have a blue one on display. So I thought I'd have to turn to the secondary market, but that's not something I really want to do for a release that I'm going to open. Fortunately, Hot Wheels chose to use blue again for this year's second release, and I made sure to grab an extra one.

So how do you feel about this week's featured vehicle? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. Till next time, happy collecting.

Today On The Boulevard: Hot Wheels Racing Circuit Series - The Other Ones

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Today On The Boulevard. Last month, Hot Wheels released a racing themed set called "Racing Circuit," and I was only able to find two of the releases from it. That's why I decided to look up the rest of the set to see if I'd want the other three. Remember, this is a Walmart set, so I wouldn't have bothered trying to find them if I didn't like them. After I saw how the other releases looked, I made the decision to not go out of my way to find them. I mean, they're not terrible looking releases, but they do kind of look like something you'd see in the mainline. And it's just way too stressful trying to find Walmart exclusive sets. So I decided to only get more if I chanced upon them hanging on the pegs. And to my surprise, it didn't take too long for that to happen.

In last month's post, I made mention of how I was only interested in getting one or two of the releases from this set. Well, the whole set was there, but I decided to only get two of the three. So to start this post off, I'm going to talk about the '71 Porsche 911 first, since it's the one I really wanted to find. After that, I'll get to the other one I chose to get.

The various Porsche castings from Hot Wheels seem to have the same amount of "hype" as the various Volkswagen castings. And I'm sure that's why this was one of the releases I could find last month. But the hype behind this casting is not the reason why I wanted this particular release. 

As you all know, this casting made its debut back in 2018, and it featured an Urban Outlaw theme. Now, even though I didn't have a problem with it, I do have to admit that I couldn't wait to see one that was either plain or featured a different theme. 

Hot Wheels decided to use this casting again in 2019, and I didn't get it because I didn't want one of these with a police theme. They then used it for a Car Culture assortment, and even though I got the release, it was basically the same as the debut release. The next release looked okay, but I couldn't get it because that particular Orange and Blue assortment never made it to the floor at any of my local stores. The next one was a mail-in car, and I couldn't get that one either. At the time, there were way too many good mainline releases, and I never found enough extras open. So the Urban Outlaw themed releases were the only two I had. That's why I was overcome with joy when I found this one.

I can honestly say that this is the release I was waiting for, and it's definitely my favorite one thanks to all of the design choices that were made for it. And it might just be my favorite one for many years to come. Of course, that could change with a future release, but it'd have to either be plain or feature a design that's better than this one's design. Even then I could still like this one more due to it not being overly decorated. 

Back in 2017, Hot Wheels put together a Car Culture assortment called "Cars & Donuts," and the McLaren P1 was one of the castings they picked for it. Now, this was before the boulevard, so you wouldn't have known that I didn't get the aforementioned release. Long story short, I absolutely hated the design they gave it, and to this day, I think it's one of the worst releases of the P1. At the time, I was very disappointed because I wanted to have an orange McLaren P1. And orange isn't a frequently used color for licensed castings, so I didn't know if there'd ever be another one. Well, as luck would have it, I'd have another chance at one in a few years, and I think its finished in a much better looking orange.

Now, the top of this release does has a design that's similar to the design that was applied to the top of the 2017 release. But I don't mind. At the end of the day, I would have still gotten this release even if I didn't completely like the design they gave it. For all we know, this could be the last time orange is used for this casting. So I wasn't going to miss my chance to finally have one of these finished in orange. 

The one thing I don't like is how this release was packaged. Thanks to its wing, all of the plastics were cracked. This is actually not the first time I've seen a bunch of P1s with cracked plastics. In my opinion, this casting needs an extra plastic piece around it to stop its wing from hitting and cracking the main plastic. 

Well, those are the two releases I chose to get. The Acura NSX is the one release I chose to leave behind. Sure, it was finished in my favorite color, but I already have a blue one. And its racing theme isn't that cool, so I didn't feel the need to add it to my collection. 

So what was your favorite release from this racing themed set? Go ahead and 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. And remember, these are just toys.

White Booth Wednesday #140

 It's once again time for another Wednesday showcase here on the boulevard. Here's this week's featured vehicle.

Vehicle: 2020 Ram 1500 Rebel

Brand Or Series: 2022 Hot Wheels Hot Trucks

Boulevard Rating: 7

How I Feel About This Release: Similar to last week's featured vehicle, this too was initially not on my want list. As you already know, this casting's debut release was also finished in red, and it's a release I have. So I didn't feel the need to have this one too. Sure, it's finished in a darker version of the color, and the paint is metallic, but it's still red nonetheless. I, for one, don't see why the color had to be used again after two years. In my opinion, they should have used a new color for it. If I was on the design team, I would have made this release yellow or orange. I also would have considered a matte or satin finish as well. To be fair though, this is still an okay looking release, and I do like how its wheels match its exterior. 

So how do you feel about this week's featured vehicle? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. Till next time, happy collecting.