Well, they've finally done it! Hot Wheels has finally given me a McLaren F1 release that I've wanted for some time now. And words can't describe how happy I am.
When this casting made its debut, I talked about how I had a wish list of colors that I wanted them to use next, and orange was the first one on that list. But as you already know, the decision was made to use black for its second release. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a black McLaren F1, and I even decided to nickname mine "The Crow." But this orange release is definitely the one I've been waiting for. Long story short, I saw one of these at an exotic car dealership when I was very young, and it was finished in orange. That's how it became my preferred color for this car.
Since it was so long ago, I can't quite remember if this color is similar to the one used for the real car that I saw. But that doesn't matter to me because orange is orange, and I think they've picked a wonderful version of it. So this is definitely going to be my all-time favorite release of this casting. And even if they do happen to release a blue one, this one will still be my favorite.
It goes without saying that both of Mattel's diecast brands have given collectors some awesome diecast replicas of Porsche's vehicles, and I really like the ones from Hot Wheels. That's why I'm glad they still have the license to make them. Having the license has allowed them to give us two different color releases of the beautiful 935. And I was very pleased with the second one. Anyway, the partnership between the two companies has led to the creation of a new diecast Porsche for us to collect. And this time, it's the new 911 GT3.
I, for one, think the designers did a marvelous job re-creating Porsche's new GT3 in 1:64 scale. I especially like how it has plastic headlights like the previous GT3 casting. I also think they did a great job with the swan-neck wing. In my eyes, it looks exactly like the one seen on the real car. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that casting was also designed with side-view mirrors, which are always a nice touch.
So what about the design choices that were made for this first release? Well, I think you already know how I feel, but I'm going to talk about them anyway. As you can see, the designers chose my favorite color, and it's a nice version of it, too. Now, it is worth mentioning that the color appears to be based on Porsche's "Shark Blue," which according to their website, is a special color. It might add an extra $4,220 to the price, but it's definitely the color I'd pick if I was going to buy one. So I'm glad they chose it for this first release.
This release also has a nice amount of tampo details, and I really like how they added a black tampo to the vents on its hood. Now, I do need to point out that one of the tampo details could be a problem for those of you that like perfect looking models. The detail in question is on its roof, and due to it rubbing on the plastic, sections of it could get scratched off. Now, mine isn't that bad, so I don't have an issue with it. But as a blogger, it's my job to point these things out to you.
There's already been a plethora of great releases featured here on the blog this month, so it's not going to be easy picking six releases for the next edition of Best On The Block post. But I really like this casting, so it'll most likely be one of the releases you'll see in the aforementioned post. Okay, let's move on to the third Factory Fresh release that's available in this case.
Besides Porsche, Aston Martin is another manufacturer we've seen more of recently, and I think we're all happy about that. I mean, how could anyone not be impressed with the recent Aston Martin models we've gotten? I, for one, was truly stunned when I first saw the Valhalla Concept and the V12 Speedster. So far, there has yet to be an actual third release of the former, since the third one was just a basic version of the James Bond premium release. So I hope to see new one soon. As for the V12 Speedster, its third release is finally out, and it's the latest car added to the Start Ghost team garage.
It's no lie that white is a color that's a little more common than some of the other ones. That's why I don't always like when it's used for a new release of a casting. But I have to say, this car looks pretty good finished in the color. So I don't have an issue with them using it this time around.
Now, is this latest release my new favorite one? No, it's not. That title is currently being held by the debut release. But that could change in the future if they decide to release a green one. Yeah, I said green. Usually, I'd say that I was waiting for a blue release, but that's not the case with this casting. Upon looking up this car on the internet, I came across pictures of one that's finished in a very nice looking version of green, and it has a blank number circle on it. I, for one, think it's a beautiful example of the V12 Speedster, and I'd love to see a Hot Wheels version of it.
At the end of the day, I'm satisfied with this releases, and it's definitely a great addition to the Vance family's personal vehicle collection. And since it's owned by them, its going to be called "Apparition."
Alright, now it's time to go over the last three releases that are from three different sets, and I'm going start with a casting that's new.
When you spend your days re-creating TV, movie, and comic book vehicles in 1:64 scale, you start to develop the ability to create your own what-if version of them. That ability was demonstrated back in 2019 when they created their own version of the Batmobile. And they've once again shown that ability this year with the creation of a what-if version of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider.
To be honest, this is the first time where I can say that a what-if version is actually better than the vehicle from the actual franchise. I mean, just look at this casting! I absolutely love the overall styling of it, and I feel this is how the character should look if Knight Rider was made today.
One of the main things that I like is how the designers didn't make this casting have any wild exterior features. Sometimes, their unlicensed castings have exterior features that make me scratch my head. So I truly appreciate their decision to go with a simpler look, and I think it helps to give this car a stealthy appearance.
The design of this casting's "Anamorphic Equalizer" is another thing that I like. On the actual character, the scanner is within a small section. So I think it was a great idea to do something different.
This year's mainline isn't over, but there's already been some very noteworthy releases of castings that are new and old. And I think we can all agree that the Liberty Walk S15 Silvia is one of the best looking new mainline castings. I mean, you have to admit that the designers truly outdid themselves with its overall design. But the casting itself wasn't the only reason why I was stunned when I first saw it. Since its a mainline release, they could have just decorated its sides. But no, they took things a step further by also decorating the top half of it, and that was a huge plus for me. Ultimately, I was completely satisfied with the release, and I couldn't wait to see the next one. Now, to my surprise, the next release ended up being one of this year's recolors, and I was once again in awe.
Most of the times, a recolor features a completely different color scheme, and that's what I like about them. But I have to say, I think it was a great idea to do a reverse color scheme for this second release. In my opinion, this casting looks awesome finished in yellow, and we don't always get a yellow release of a licensed casting that has a white design. Usually, if a yellow release has a stripe design, it's black, and sometimes there is an additional stripe that's red. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but it is nice to see a color scheme that's not used that often.
I also think it's great how the designers chose to change the color of the wheels, and I like how they went with dark grey. In my eyes, the color goes great with the other colors that were used for this release's exterior.
The Hot Wheels designers have recently made three very nice unlicensed race cars, and two of them made their debut this year. Now, even though I like all three of them, the Glory Chaser is definitely still my favorite. Sure, the other two look great, but the aforementioned casting has a specific race car styling that I truly like. And it's basically the styling from the late 50s as well as the early 60s. When I say that I like the timeless look of classic race cars, I am really only talking about the ones from that era. There is just something special about the overall shape of them. That's why I really love Hot Wheels' Glory Chaser. So you can imagine how happy I was when I found out they were going to give us a recolor of it.
I still really like the first release, since it's finished in a color that's not used all the time, but there's a reason why this could very well be the better of the two. And it has to do with its overall color scheme.
Just take a close look at it. Doesn't it remind you of the various MOMO sponsored race cars? I mean, it doesn't have any decals, so it's not officially a MOMO race car, but I think it has the appearance of being one.
Hopefully next year's release of this casting will be just as nice as the ones from this year. I also hope they'll think about giving it an actual livery. I mean... why not? I'm sure the entire Hot Wheels fan base would love to see one of these with the Gulf livery.
Okay, those are the last releases that I'm going to talk about in this multi-part edition of My Want List. From the licensed castings to the unlicensed ones, this year's case "K" is one kool assortment that features some very kool releases. Now I just have to hunt down one more release, but that could take quite some time considering which one it is. As for the other three releases that I got, they are going to be used for a future edition of White Booth Wednesday. So be sure to check out each post to see how I feel about them.
