In total, this case had seventeen releases that I wanted to get, and I was fortunate enough to get all but one of them. Now, I usually would have picked six releases for each part, but there's a reason why this post will have seven releases instead. And it has to do with my decision to group each of the releases by the sets they are in. So with that being said, let's begin.
Some of the sets from this year's mainline have been completed, so it's time for some different ones to get going. And this case has two new ones and two older one that are all off to a good start. Now, since I'm very happy to see a continued use of them, I'm going to start things off by talking about the releases from the older sets first. Afterwards, I'll get to the releases from the new ones.
The Muscle Mania set is the first older one that I'm happy to see. Cars from Japan and Europe are nice, but our very own cars are just as nice. And sometimes, I feel they get overshadowed by the ones from other countries. So thanks to the Muscle Mania set, we get continued releases of the hottest muscle cars from America, and the first two releases in this year's set are definitely hot! Alright, let's take a look at the first one, which is the '69 Copo Camaro.
This casting was first released in an id assortment, and I never ended up getting it due to the id series no longer making it to the floor at any Target in my area. Fortunately, Hot Wheels made the decision to put the casting into the mainline. And like you, I was also happy with that release because it featured the Falken livery. Now, despite being happy with it, I do have to admit that I was hoping to eventually see one that had more of a street-legal appearance to it like the id one had. And I thought I was going to have to wait a few more years. But no, the decision was made to create another one with the aforementioned appearance for this year's mainline.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the design choices that were made for this release. Not only was it finished in a nice version of red, it was also given a side stripe that's basically the same as the one that was given to the id release. They also chose to take things a step further by decorating the hood as well. So I feel this release is a great alternative to the id one.
The Muscle Mania set also sometimes has releases of older castings that I wanted to have more of, and one such older casting is the '65 Mustang 2+2 Fastback. Sadly, I missed out on a few of its early releases. However, I was able to get some of them, and the 2010 release was the first one I got. Now, it's not like I wasn't satisfied with the ones that I had, it's just I wanted to have a few more examples of it in my collection. So I'm thrilled with their decision to use it for this year's Muscle Mania set.
I'm actually very pleased with their decision to go with a simple look for this release. A few of the ones that I have feature a design that's a little on the wild side, and while there's nothing wrong with that, sometimes you just want a diecast model with a design that's a little more subtle. And this release's simple stripe design is a perfect example of what I mean by that.
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Now, blue might be my all-time favorite color, but I have to say, this Mustang looks really good finished in this particular green. I also think this color helps to make this release stand out from all of the previous releases. Since its debut, there's been a few times where they've used similar colors for the various releases, but there hasn't been a release that's finished in a green that's similar to this one.
The Then and now set is the second older one that's making a return, and I'm very delighted to see it because I love seeing all of the different vehicle pairings they create. Now, I was actually quite disappointed with last year's Miata pairing. Why? Well, as you know, the "Then" version ended up being a Treasure Hunt. And that decision made it so it was basically impossible for anyone to complete the pairing. So I'm hoping they don't do that again for this year's set. But if they do, then I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles.
Now then, this case has two Then and Now releases, and both of them were added to my want list. The first one is a licensed casting, and it's the Corvetter C8.R.
I think you already know what I'm going to say, right? Yeah, that's right. This is the release that I've been waiting for! Sure, the first mainline ones were based on the real cars, but it truly is nice to finally have one that's finished in my favorite color.
The side design is a little similar to the one applied to the side of the debut release, but there are enough noticeable differences for me. So I don't mind. The top of this release was also decorated as well, and I like how a design was also added to its roof.
I'd also like to mention that I really love this release's overall color scheme because it matches a few of the other racing themed Corvette releases. And this year's mainline release of the '69 Copo Corvette is the latest one that it matches.
The second one is an unlicensed casting, and it's the Twin Mill. There's been many spectacular releases of this vehicle since it made its debut, and sadly, I've missed over half of them. Fortunately, the Twin Mill is an older casting that's never really has a hiatus. So I've been able to add a few of them to my collection, and this latest release was definitely one that I wanted to have.
I was able to get the 2020 boulevard release, and I have to admit that it's still my favorite one. However, this one does not look bad at all. I, for one, really like the metallic purple and orange color scheme. Now, one could say that this color scheme is what you'd expect to see around Halloween, but I'd have to disagree. Purple and orange are just another set of colors that go together, and I don't think they have to just be associated with the aforementioned holiday.
Although I like it, I do have to admit that the color scheme is a little on the wild side, so I'm glad they didn't choose a wild color for the wheels too. In my opinion, chrome wheels were the best choice.
Okay, now that I got those out of the way, it's time for me to put the spotlight on the releases from the new mainline sets.
For this year's mainline, the Hot Wheels team created a set that's called HW Drag Strip, and as the name implies, it's a drag racing themed set that's going to feature some of the hottest drag race castings. And so far, the set seems very promising. So with that being said, the first release is the '40 Ford Pickup.
This casting has been around since 1998, and I've missed a lot of its releases. I might have gotten products from Hot Wheels when I was younger, but I was usually just into cars. So even if I found a release of this casting, I most likely would have ignored it. Of course, things are much different now that I'm older, and that's why I'm glad they've started to use some of their older castings again.
Now, I did have one other release of this casting prior to this one, and it's the one from the 2019 American Pickup set that was only sold at Walmart. I still very much like that release, and I'm glad I was able to get it because this year they decided to make some changes to the casting.
Sadly, this is another casting that has lost its plastic wing. I, for one, liked the plastic wings because they made it so we could have colorful releases. But things change, so it's just something I'm going to have to live with. At the end of the day, I'm just glad to have a second release of this casting in my collection. Alright, that's enough about the casting, let's move on to the design choices that were made for this release.
You should already know how I feel about its exterior color, so there's no need for me to say anything about it. As for the design they created, I think it looks great, and I'm especially happy with the additional decals. Now, I do have to admit that I didn't initially like the checkered pattern that's on its rear fender. At first, I thought the design was a little random, which is how I felt about the checkered pattern that was on the back half of this year's release of the Volkswagen Kafer Racer. But my opinion of it changed after I took a closer look at the Comp Cams decal. Since the company's logo has a checked pattern, I now think it was a great addition to the overall livery.
One of the things that I've noticed is that a lot of this casting's releases have the 5SP wheels, and this release's wheels are the same color as the 2019 release's wheels. Now, I'm not saying they are a bad wheel for this casting, it's just I just think they should have taken the opportunity to use a different wheel for this release. Especially since some of them weren't around when this casting made its debut back in 1998. Okay, let's move on to the second release from this drag racing set.
RPM Starz isn't the only race team that's headquartered at the Star Boulevard of Speed. One of the other teams is Red Bell, and thanks to this case, they've acquired a new '06 Pontiac GTO.
This is exactly what I like to see from the Hot Wheels design team! To be honest, I really wasn't expecting the second release of this casting to be this nice. I thought they would have done something a little more simple, but they have completely blown me away with the design choices that were made for this release. Not only was it finished in a great color, it was also given a fantastic livery that features two additional real-life sponsor decals. "Pontiac" and "06" were great additions to the livery as well. I also like how they chose to decorate its front end.
I like plain releases, but I can honestly say that this is now my favorite release of this casting. After all, it's a drag car, so its appearance benefits greatly from an awesome livery.
The second new mainline set is called Rally Champs, and it has definitely piqued my interest. Like you, I also love the look of older rally cars, and a lot of them ended up making history. So I'm expecting great things from this new mainline set. And so far, my expectations have been met with the '84 Audi Sport Quattro, which is the first release from it.
I have to say, I'm very pleased with the design choices that were made for this release. I especially like how they chose to use a stripe design that's seen on an actual Audi rally car. Now, the car that it's from is white, but I think it's cool to see the livery on a different colored car. And in my eyes, the colors go great with yellow. I'm also happy with their decision to use real-life decals that you'd expect to see on a rally car like this.
The only bad thing about this release is that there are no decoration on its hood. I mean... I know it's a mainline release, but I feel they should have added something to its hood. And if it was up to me, I would have at least added the racing number. But the first mainline release didn't have a decorated hood either, so I can live with this release's hood being plain as well.
As long as they don't do any muddy looking releases, the Rally Champs set will be one of the mainline sets that I look forward to each year. Now, I'm sure some of you wouldn't mind if the releases had that look, but I think all of the releases should look clean like this one. In my opinion, the muddy look should really only be used for the Baja Blazers and Mud Studs releases.
Well, those are the first seven releases that I had on my case "K" want list. The next six will be talked about in part two. So be sure to come back to the Star Boulevard of Speed tomorrow to see my thoughts on them. Alright, that's all for today. Until part two, thanks for reading and happy collecting.
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