Besides the American and Japanese cars we've recently gotten, I've also really enjoyed the European ones too. And I'm not just talking about the high-end exotics, either. I'm also talking about the other ones like the Volvo 850 Estate, which started out as a replica of a BTCC race car. So far, that release is the only one with a design on it, but that's fine because I wanted to have a plain example of it, and Hot Wheels has released more than enough of them to satisfy my need for one. And to my delight, they chose to give us more than one in this year's mainline. So I definitely can't complain if they ever choose to decorate a future release.
To be honest, I still like the green one the most. However, this one does have one thing going for it, and it's the type of paint that was used for its body. For the first one, Hot Wheels' design team chose to use a metallic paint, and to be honest, it's not necessarily the best type of paint for this casting. Why is that? Well, as you know, the entire lower half of this casting is its base, and because it's a basic release, the base is plastic. Now, they are able to make its color similar to the body's color, but if a metallic paint is used, then the difference becomes very noticeable. That's why I think it's better to use a gloss paint for this casting.
One of the things that I've noticed is that the design team likes to use grey wheels for a lot of releases. And even though there's nothing wrong with that, I do think they should broaden their horizons a little more. So what would I have done, then? Well, since its black, I would have considered giving it black wheels instead. In my opinion, that would have made this release truly stand out.
To be fair though, using a grey wheel is the best way to keep things neutral. After all, my preferred customization might not be your preferred customization. So grey is like a middle point. In other words, it's a color that everyone will be okay with. Okay, I've said enough about this release, so let's move on.
Hot Wheels' Then and Now set is another one of the mainline sets that I look forward to each year because it's always intriguing to see the pairings they come up with. Although... I do have to admit that I get frustrated when they decide to use JDM castings. Oh, and I especially don't like when that JDM is also a Treasure Hunt. Yeah... I'm still a tad bit salty about the Miata paring. Anyway, case "M" has two more releases from the set, and one of them is the legendary Toyota Supra.
To be honest, I feel this release looks a little incomplete. Now, I know custom cars don't always have to have a whole lot of decals. But I feel this release's design makes it looks like something you would have seen in the early 2000s. So I feel it should have had a few more decals like Sparco, Eibach, and Advan on its fenders. Each one of those would have been a great addition to this release, and it would have truly given it that custom tuner car look that I like so much.
I'm sure many collectors are just glad to see a continued use of this casting, though. So there probably isn't going to be too many complaints about the design choices. As for me, I just think they could have added more to it. But at the end of the day, this is definitely not a terrible looking release, so I can accept the design choices too. Alright, let's move on to the next Then and Now release that I got.
The '18 Camaro SS has finally been released again, and it just so happens to be one of the releases that I don't like as much as the others. And no, my disappointment has nothing to do with the color they picked for its exterior. In fact, the exterior color they chose is the main reason why this release made it to my want list. So it's not that bad of a release. I just can't get over a decision that was made for its stripe design.
So what's wrong with its stripe design? Well, there's nothing wrong with the one on its sides. My issue has to do with the deign that was applied to the top of it. For some reason, they chose to only put the main stripe on this release's hood. Now, I usually would not have had an issue with that, but the thinner stripes were also placed on its roof and trunk. So I don't see why they didn't also add the main stripe to those sections too. Some collectors might not care, but in my opinion, it just doesn't look right.
As I have already said, the exterior color is the main reason why I added this release to my want list. Now, there are two previous releases that are also green, but I feel they picked a much better looking version of the color for this release. So despite not being able to ignore the stripe design, I am still happy to have this example of the casting.
Well, those are the two case "M" Then and Now releases. Hopefully I'll be able to easily complete both of the pairings. But if not, then I guess that's how the cookie crumbles, and I'll just have to move on. Alright, let's go over the next release I got.
This year's Muscle Mania has definitely exceeded my expectations. And even though there are still a few more releases to go, I can honestly say that the 2022 set is worthy of a ten out of ten rating. From the castings they picked, to the design choices made that were made for them, Hot Wheels' design team has definitely done things right. I especially like how they picked a lot of older muscle cars. Sure, the newer ones are much faster and they have all the fancy tech, but nothing beats the look of the older ones. And this case didn't just have the '84 Mustang SVO, it also has the '69 Camaro Convertible.
I might have really been excited for the '84 Mustang SVO, but that doesn't mean I wasn't also looking forward to finding this release as well. I mean, just look at this release. It's absolutely perfect! Although, I do wish the stripes were also added to its trunk. I know it's not that big of a deal, but I feel this kind of design would look a little more complete if the stripes continued onto the back of the car.
Now, if you've been collecting since 2006, then chance are you have all of the initial releases of this casting. So you might not care about this one too much since it's similar to one of the 2006 releases. Like this one, it too was black with a white interior. And despite being different, its stripe design was also white. So I can totally understand why someone would be disappointed with this one. But I'm not because I missed that release, as well as a lot of this casting's other releases. So this release has made it so there is one less thing I have to by off of the secondary. Okay, there are two more exciting releases to go, so let's move on to the seventh one.
Earlier this year, Hot Wheels released of a retooled version of their Lotus Sport Elise casting, and I was extremely pleased with it. Overall, the casting was massively improved, and thanks to the changes they made, it now looks closer to the real-life car it's based on. So I really couldn't wait to have another example of it, and I thought my second one would be a 2023 release. But what I didn't know was that they were going to give us a second one this year, and I'm so glad it's not one of the store exclusive recolors.
I was pretty happy with the design choices that were made for the first release, and the reason why is because they made it match the 2021 5-pack release of the Lotus Esprit. But in my opinion, this one looks cooler. I mean, most automotive enthusiast will agree that white is a great color for any high-end car. And you know what? I think so too. However, I also think some high-end cars look way better when they are finished in eye-catching colors, and this is definitely one of those cars. So I'm glad they decided to use yellow for this release.
Another reason why I'm happy to see a recolor of this year's release is because it has nothing but a simple stripe on it. And it's a stripe that looks like it could have been a factory option. Now, I'm pretty sure there's going to be more relatively plain or completely plain releases, but what if there's not? For all we know, the next couple of releases could have a racing theme. So these two releases have made it so I don't feel the need to have a plain one.
Now I just have to wait for a blue one, and hopefully they pick an eye-catching version of the color. But I won't complain if they chose a dark blue instead. At the end of the day, blue is still blue, and I like most versions of it. Okay, let's move on to the latest addition to my display.
There are a few different ways to organize diecast releases that are on display. Some might organize them by exterior color, while others will organize them by manufacturer. As for me, I am a part of the latter group. So with that being said, one of the cars that I have on display is the Koenigsegg Jesko, and as you already know, that is no longer the only mainline Koenigsegg casting. That's why I felt like my display was missing something. So I had to eventually open a Gemera, and the recolor is the one I chose.
I did end up getting an extra grey one, but I just never got around to actually opening it. Eventually, I found a picture of this recolor on the internet, and seeing it made me decide to leave the grey one closed. Sure, it would have been a great looking example of the car to have on display, but this orange one is something else! Plus, the Jesko I have on display is silver, so I figured it was time to make my display a little more lively. And the best way to do that is with an eye-catching release like this one.
Okay, those are the last six releases that I had on my case "M" want list. Now, I might not have liked all of the design choices that were made for some of the releases, but none of them were removed from my want list. At the end of the day, they don't look bad at all.
So how do you feel about this year's case "M" releases? Do you like one of them more than the others? Go ahead and let me know your thoughts down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this multi-part edition of My Want List. Till next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.
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