This year's J-Imports mainline series has definitely lived up to my expectations, and I'm sure it has lived up to yours as well. I mean, how could it not when it has given us some nice looking releases of some hot JDM cars. So I bet you were also excited to learn that this year's case "F" would have two more releases from the series.
Between the two from this case, the Mazda RX-3 is the one I was the most excited for. I was extremely pleased with their decision to add this casting to the mainline. At the time, I was hoping to see many nice looking releases of it, and so far, I have yet to be really disappointed with a release of this casting.
Although this is a nice release, it is worth mentioning that its overall design is very similar to the one that was created for the Car Culture Race Day release. One could even say that this release is basically a recolor of that one. At the end of the day though, I really don't mind how similar the stripe design is.
I do have a small issue with one of the design choices made for this release, and it has to do with the racing number. For some reason, the designers chose to give this release the same racing number they gave to the Japan Historics release, as well as the first mainline release. It honestly would have been nice to see one with a different number on its sides, but I guess I can live with it. Ultimately, this is still my second favorite mainline release of this casting
The second release from the J-Imports series is the '90 Acura NSX. I might not have been as excited as I was for the RX-3, but that doesn't mean this isn't a must-have release.
This isn't the first blue release of this casting, but I think it's one of the coolest, although, I'm sure some of you might still think the Super Treasure Hunt release was finished in the best blue. Anyway, the other blues used were darker, and they were metallic. So even though this release is blue, I feel it stands out due to the fact that it was finished in a bright gloss blue.
In case you didn't know, all of the releases prior to this one had a 5-spoke wheel. So I think it's nice to finally see a release of this NSX with some different wheels, and I think it looks great with the 10-spoke wheels. I especially like how they made them black. You could never go wrong with this exterior and wheel color scheme.
The Retro Racers mainline series is one of my favorite sets from this year's mainline. Like the J-Imports series, this too has lived up to my expectations due to the awesome race cars they've given us. The series also gave us a very beautiful unlicensed casting that has all the looks of a race car from a bygone era. And I'm going to assume that you know which one I'm talking about. After all, I made an entire post about it. Anyway, case "G" has given us another car from the series, and it's a very beautiful Porsche 935.
It just doesn't get any better than this! And for a matter of fact, this is the release I was waiting for. The debut release of this casting was okay, but I didn't completely like how they gave it the same design they gave to the debut release of the '71 911. Sure, I like matching releases, but I wanted them to create something new for this casting. The Urban Outlaw theme isn't bad, it's just it almost seemed like it was the go-to theme for a Porsche release. That's why I kind of grew a little tired of seeing it. Anyway, the design created for this release is exactly what I was hoping to see. I especially like the colors they picked for it.
It's great how this release features two real-life aftermarket sponsor decals, and I really like the placement of them. In my opinion, and I'm sure you will agree, each one made this release look even better than it already did.
I know it's not, but I feel this is the actual first release of this casting, and it's all thanks to the design choices that were made for it. Of course, you might still like the Urban Outlaw one more.
Earlier this year, Hot Wheels gave us new release of the Ford Focus RS, and it was finished in a blue that's similar to the blue they used for the debut release. After that, they gave us a Kroger exclusive one that was finished in white, which is another color they've already used for the casting. Now, it might sound like I'm disappointed with those releases, but I'm not. However, I do have to admit that I was still hoping to see them use a another new color for this casting, and I thought I was going to have to wait till the next release. Fortunately, they decided to give us a second recolor, and the decision was made to use another new color.
The other two releases are nice, and maybe you still like the Kroger one more, since it's a store exclusive, but I think this is the best one. Like purple, orange is not a color that's used that much for licensed castings. That's actually why I ended up liking the the recolor of last year's Ford Broncos more. Anyway, this color is definitely not one I'm used to seeing on a Focus RS. I've really only seen blue or white ones driving around in my area. So this release is a perfect example of why I like collecting diecast. Thanks to these toys, we get to see how a car would look finished in a certain color.
An orange diecast Focus RS might not be that exciting for people that live in Europe though. I mean, I'm sure our fellow European collectors will love this release, it's just they might have seen one of the fifty "Teif Orange" Focus RS Heritage Editions driving around. That's right, Ford created a Special version of the RS, and it was only sold in Europe. Of course, this release isn't based on that one, although, it is possible that the "Heritage Edition" gave them the idea to give us an orange release of this casting.
Most cars will look great finished in just about any color. However, I do think some look the best when they're finished in a certain color. Take any one of Ferrari's vehicles for example. Their cars will definitely look good finished in any color, but red is the best one. Another example of that is seen with Nissan's R34. It'll look good finished in black, but most would agree that it looks the best finished in blue or purple. So why am I talking about certain cars looking the best when they're finished in certain colors? Well, it's because I feel the designers picked a great color for this year's release of the Volvo 850 Estate.
Many years from now, Hot Wheels could give us a plain release of this casting that's finished in my favorite color, and I'll definitely like the release. However, and this may be a bit surprising, it most likely won't be my favorite release. In my opinion, this car looks really good finished in this green, as well as the yellow that was used for the Car Culture release.
Some of you might not like how they chose to use a metallic paint for this release, and I can understand why you'd feel that way. After all, the entire lower half of this casting is its base, and since this is a basic release, it's not going to be painted. I, for one, can ignore the lower half being different, but some of you could very well prefer one of the two 2021 releases over this one.
Alright, those are the first five releases I had on my case "G" want list. Part two of this post will be published tomorrow. So be sure to come back to the boulevard to see how I feel about those.
So how do you feel about the five releases talked about today? Do you like one of them more than the others? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for part one of this multi-part edition of My Want List. Till tomorrow, thanks for reading, and happy collecting. And remember, these are just toys.
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