2022 Hot Wheels And Matchbox - 5-Packs And A Box

Hello, and welcome to a new additional feature here on the Star Boulevard of Speed. Each year, there are a wide variety of different releases from Hot Wheels and Matchbox. And for the most part, the releases I want are a part of each brand's mainline. But every now and then, I end up wanting a release that's not as cheap as those. Sometimes, the releases I want are a part of a Hot Wheels or Matchbox 5-pack, while other times they are a part of a premium assortment or box set. And recently, my want list had two 5-packs as well as a Hot Wheels premium box set on it. Now, to be honest, I was only really expecting to see the 5-packs. In my experience, they become extremely easy to find as time goes on. Anyway, I was also able to find the box set on the same day I found the packs, and there's a reason why I couldn't be happier. But I'll go over that set last because I want to talk about the 5-packs first, and I'm going to start with the one from Matchbox. So let's begin!

I really look forward to Matchbox's 5-packs because they sometimes have a release of an older casting that I thought I'd never see. So even if I don't necessarily want some of the other releases, I will definitely take the opportunity to acquire the older casting. After all, a 5-pack release of an older casting could be its final release. That's why I absolutely had to buy the new Autobahn Express III pack.

You see that grey car with the gold wheels? That right there is the 2002 Opel Speedster, and it's the main reason why I had to have this 5-pack. The casting's first release was way back in 2003, and I missed all of its releases because I wasn't really into diecast at the time. So I'm glad they've given collectors like me another chance to have this cool car. And I don't know about you, but I think they've picked a nice exterior and wheel color scheme for it. 

Now, the Opel might have been the one I wanted the most, but this pack has another release that I had to have, and it's the Volkswagen GTI.  

Unlike the Opel, the Volkswagen GTI is an older casting that I already had. However, I only had two releases of it prior to this one, and they aren't finished in colors that stand out. Now, I do still like them, it's just I've wanted to have an example of the casting that stands out a little more. You know, one that's finished in a more lively color. So if this 5-pack didn't have the Opel, then this release would have been the main reason why I got it.

So what about the other releases? Well, the Porsche Panamera and the Polizei themed BMW M5 are fine. The Mercedes-Benz Unimog U300 is the only one I don't really care for. I mean, it does fit the theme of this 5-pack, but I feel they should have picked another German car instead. But there's usually one 5-pack release that I don't like, so I can ignore it. At the end of the day, I'm just happy to have nice looking release of the Opel Speedster. Alright, let's move on to the 5-pack from Hot Wheels.

For the most part, Hot Wheels puts together themed 5-packs with vehicles from different manufacturers. But every now and then, they put together a manufacturer specific one, and they are among the 5-packs that I look forward to each year. Remember the awesome Lamborghini themed one? Yeah, I bet you do. Well now they've released another awesome manufacturer specific 5-pack. And this time, it's all about Ford and their Mustang.

This pack has five castings that I already have, but each one is definitely a casting I've wanted to have more of. I especially wanted to have more examples of the '62 Mustang Concept. For some reason, there's only been one mainline release of it, and that release is the only one I had prior to this one. So I'm truly happy to finally have a second one that looks nice. 

Now, I do have to admit that there is one thing I don't like about it, and it has to do with the color of its wheels. In my opinion, the wheel color just doesn't suit it. So if it was up to me, I would have given it all chrome wheels instead.

Besides the '62 Mustang Concept, I also really like the '69 Boss 302, and the reason why is because it doesn't have a lot of decoration on it. Now, as you might already know, I also like to have plain releases of the castings I like. But I don't think there'll ever be a completely plain release of this casting because it was designed to be a race car. So the next best thing would be one with a simple side stripe or one with a simple hood stripe, which is what the 2019 Fast and Furious release has. So to be honest, the '69 Boss 302 is the other Mustang that made me add this 5-pack to my want list.

Ultimately, this is a terrific 5-pack, and I almost got an extra one to open like I did with the Motor Show pack. Okay, let's move on to that premium box set.

Like the 5-packs, the box sets also sometimes have vehicles from different manufacturers, while other times they have vehicles from a specific manufacturer. And this latest premium box set features three beautifully decorated BMW M Series cars.

For some, the 2001 BMW M5 E39 is the highlight of this set because it's a new casting. But my favorite one is the M3 E46, and I feel it stands out the most because it features a simple livery as well as a windshield banner. The bronze 6-spoke wheels are another reason why I like it so much. In my opinion, the color goes great with the BMW colors.

As you can see, this box set also has the 2016 BMW M2, and it's another casting I've wanted to have more of. To be honest, I really wasn't impressed by any of the other releases after the blue one. The 2019 release is the only other one I would have gotten, but I didn't like how it had no front and rear tampo details. That's why I only had one release of it prior to this one. So yeah, this was one box set I couldn't miss.

There's been instances where I'll praise a premium hauler because it has no additional designs or vehicle manufacturer decals on it. But that's not the case this time around. I actually happen like how decorated this Fleet Flyer is. And I think it's nice to finally see a premium hauler that matches a lot of other BMW releases.

Okay, that's everything I found. Now, I might have liked some of the releases more than the others, but they are all great additions to my collection. And yes, that includes the Mercedes-Benz Unimog U300. Although I don't like it as much as I like the other releases that are featured in this post, I do have to admit that its not a terrible looking release.

So were you able to add any of these releases to your collection? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this additional feature. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting!