2022 Hot Wheels Max Steel: An Unlicensed Hot Rod That We All Needed

Hello, and welcome to a new additional feature here on the Star Boulevard of Speed. To this day, the Hot Wheels design team continues to give collectors great looking licensed castings. And I'm sure everyone has a huge smile on their face when their favorite car is made. I know I did when they released the McLaren F1 and the Pagani Zonda R. Now, I don't know about you, but the licensed castings are not the only ones I get excited for. Every now and then, they create an unlicensed casting that I instantly fall in love with. And within the last couple of years, there's been a few. In fact, two of them made their debut earlier this year, and both of them were castings I had to have on display. Yeah, that's how much I liked them. Anyway, Hot Wheels had one more unlicensed surprise for collectors like me, and like the other ones, it too was a casting I had to have on display. So with that being said, let's get this post started.

When the Erikenstein Rod made its debut, I truly thought it was just something they created for that year's mainline. Well, as it turns out, it wasn't just a one-and-done thing. There ended up being a few more custom vehicles that were given the same color scheme. So I now truly regret my decision to ignore the aforementioned casting's debut release, and that's why I've made sure to get all of the new releases that are a part of the group. And that's one of the reasons why I made sure to get the Max Steel, which is the latest addition to the group. But being a part of a group is not the main reason why I got it. To be honest, this new casting would have instantly been added to my want list no matter what. That's how awesome I feel it is.

As you already know, the Mod Rod was the first hot rod they created for this group of custom cars. And while it's a cool casting, there's no denying the fact that it doesn't necessarily look like a car from a bygone era. On the other hand, this new casting's body has that unmistakable 1930s look that I like so much. I mean, when I think of a hot rod, this casting's shape is the first thing that comes to mind. 

Now, it does feature a headrest fairing, and I know it's something you would typically see on classic sports cars and not a hot rod. But you know what? It really doesn't ruin the overall look of it, and I think it was a nice touch.

The overall shape of its body isn't the only thing I like about it, though. I also like how they decided to give it an engine I don't typically see used for diecast hot rods. For the most part, we see hot rods with V8s or a "powerful v6" like what the Mod Rod has. But the decision was made to do something a little different for this casting. Instead of having one of those, the Max Steel has an air-cooled flat-six engine. And I have to say, they did a pretty good with its design. When you look at it, you can definitely tell they took the time to make it look as detailed as possible.

Over the years, there's been a few times where I was left scratching my head at a casting's proportions. However, that wasn't something I did when I took this one out of its pack. In fact, I was even happier about this casting once I was able to compare it to some of the other hot rods I have on display. 

A casting can sometimes look a little too small when compared to some of the other castings they've made, and that can make it so they don't exactly look great sitting next to each other. But as you can see, this casting's designer took the time to make sure it had the same proportions as the '32 Ford and the Bone Shaker. So it's definitely a great addition to any hot rod display. 

I really hope they treat this casting right going forward. I mean, I know this is an unlicensed casting, but I feel they've created a masterpiece. And I think it deserves to be treated like it's based on a real car. In other words, if they're going to create a design for it, I feel it needs to be something that you would expect to see on a hot rod at a car show.

Now, in my latest travels, I've seen many of these sitting around. So it doesn't seem to be too popular, which is a little surprising because I think it is right up there with castings like the Bone Shaker. But I guess that's a good thing for me, right? After all, not being popular will make it much easier to find.

Ultimately, I hope this particular group of custom cars continues to grow. In my opinion, they should do another car, and this time it should look more like a muscle car from the '70s. I also think it would be cool to see a motorcycle as well.

So how do you feel about this casting? Do you also think it's as good as some of the other iconic Hot Wheels castings? Go ahead and let me know your thoughts down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this additional feature. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.