My Want List: 2022 Hot Wheels Case "N" - Part 2

Hello, and welcome to the second part of my 2022 Hot Wheels case "N" want list. Like I said in part one, this case had a few releases that I had to have on display. And as you already know, the Zonda R was one of them. But there were also three more, and you'll see two of them in this post. So what about the third one, then? Well, I've decided to save it for an additional feature because I felt it deserved to be the only one in the spotlight. So be sure to check out the post when I publish it. Anyway, I still can't believe how many awesome releases there were in this year's case "N." The Hot Wheels team has definitely blown me away with each of the releases. Although, I do have to admit that I have an issue with a few of them, but as usual, it's nothing serious. And that's why they were on my want list. Okay, there's no need to make this into any longer, so let's get things started!

Since this year's Muscle Mania got started, I've continuously praised it for the choice of castings, as well as the design choices that were made for each one. In my opinion, Hot Wheels' design team has done everything right. Besides mostly using classic cars, they've also chose to keep things relatively simple for each of the releases. And by "simple," I mean the stripe designs, which are ones you would expect to see on the actual cars. So that's why I have nothing but good things to say about this year's set. And now, case "N" has given me another reason to praise it.

I have to say, this is truly a wonderful release of this casting, and I really like how blue is the color they went with. Now, it might be a little more decorated than the other 2022 Muscle Mania releases, but I feel they've still done everything right. After all, this casting is a race car, so this is definitely the type of design you would expect to see on it.

Now then, no race car is complete without some additional decals, and as you can see, this release features multiple. And I truly appreciate the decision to use real-life companies. Of course, they could have used some of their fantasy decals, and I still would have liked this release. But real-life decals are always a huge plus for me. Okay, let's look at the next release.

Like many of you, I am also happy with the return of the Then and Now set. And the next casting I got, which is the Corvette C6R, is one of the main reason why I like the set so much.

You see, this casting is another one of the ones I've wanted to have more of, and the reason why is because I barely had any release of it prior to this one. As most of you already know, this casting first raced into everyone's collections back in 2006. And around that time, I was more into Yugioh and Pokemon. That's why I only had two release of it. So this mainline set has made it so I was able to finally have a third example of this beautiful Corvette race car.

Now, in case you didn't know, the one from 2006 is also blue, and it is still a very cool release. However, I kind of like this one just a tad bit more due to the specific colors that were used for it. Not only does it just match the "Now" version, it also matches many of the other Corvette race cars we've gotten too. And the most recent of those is the '69 Copo Corvette that was released earlier this year.

Although I'm happy with the Corvette pairing, I do have to admit that I have a small issue with both cars. Like the C8.R, this too has no additional sponsor decals. And I feel that makes them look a little incomplete. Now, I'm not saying they should have had a numerous amount of decals, but I do think it would have been great if they at least had a tire decal. And if it was up to me, I would have given them both the Michelin decal. Other than that, they are both very nice releases, and I'm extremely happy to have them. Alright, let's move on to the next release.

Back in 2017, Hot Wheels gave collectors a yellow '90 Acura NSX in that year's Nightburnerz set, and I was able to find one. However, once I got back home, I realized that I accidentally grabbed one that had a wheel error. And sadly, I never got around to replacing it. Now, I did manage to also get the recolor, but that didn't stop me from thinking about getting a replacement off of the secondary. I mean, I really didn't want to, but I really wanted to replace it. After all, you never know if there will ever be another one that is finished in the same color. And even if there was, there's a chance it might not look as good as the one you missed or needed to replace. 

After a while, I decided to act like the yellow one didn't exist, which allowed me to avoid paying too much money for a replacement. And you what? I'm glad I did because I would end up having a chance at another yellow one in a few years. Oh, and this time I made sure to get a few extras so I wouldn't have to worry about any errors.

Now, it is worth mentioning that this new release is finished in a slightly different version of yellow. And I feel it's one of the reasons why this is the better of the two. In my opinion (And I might be wrong), the 2017 release is finished in Honda's "Indy Yellow." On the other hand, this year's release looks like a less saturated version of it. 

As for why I think this year's release is better, well... I feel the 2017 release's color is the version of yellow that is typically used for other castings. And if I'm right, then that means it doesn't stand out as much as this year's release, which is finished in a yellow that I have really seen before.

Besides the color, I also think this year's release features a better stripe design. It might be a little more simple than the 2017 release's stripe design, but sometimes, less is more. And I think this year's release features a much neater looking design overall. Now, some collectors might actually like the 2017 release's design more, but I feel it's a little excessive for a stock version of the '90 NSX. 

The 10-spoke wheels are another great thing about this year's release. In case you hadn't noticed, all of this casting's prior releases were given some kind 5-spoke wheels. And that also includes the Super Treasure Hunt release as well. Now, it's no lie that the NSX looks great with the aforementioned wheel style, it's just it also looks great with other wheels too. So that's why I find it interesting how it took them six year to consider using a different kind of wheel for this casting. But I guess it's better late than never. Okay, let's move on to the next release I checked off of my want list.

The "Retro Racers" is also one of my favorite sets from this year's mainline, and it's all thinks to the awesome castings they picked for it. Now, I knew there was going to be a lot of great cars, but I was definitely surprised by their decision to give us a new motorcycle as well. And it was a BMW R nineT Racer, no less! We don't frequently get new motorcycles, so I was thrilled to see it. Now, when you look up "BMW R nineT Racer" on the internet, you mostly get pictures of a white one with their stripe design. So I really wasn't expecting them to give us a recolor, but I'm glad they did.

I don't know about you, but I kind of like this one just a tad bit more. Sure, the first one is great because it features BMW's main color scheme. But I have to say, their stripe design's color scheme looks fantastic over black. In my opinion, the color makes the stripe design stand out a little more, and that why I like it so much. 

I really can't wait to see what they have planned for a future release. I, for one, am hoping to see a release that features some kind of livery. So hopefully BMW has allowed them to do whatever they want to this casting. Alright, let's go over the next release I got.

Within the last couple of years, the Hot Wheels design team has created a few different unlicensed race cars that I really like. Remember, race cars are not always based on a street-legal production car, so that's why I feel the way I do about castings like the Dimachinni Veloce. To me, it looks like it's based on an actual purpose-built rally car. That's why I had to have it and its recolor in my collection.

Now, I do think this is a nice recolor, and I'm sure many of you think so too. However, I do have to admit that I'm not entirely happy with the exact color they picked. Why is that? Well, take a look at the card art. In my eyes, the card art shows this car finished in a color that doesn't look like the color they used. I feel it looks closer to the color that was used for the debut release of the Volvo 240 Drift Wagon. And I don't know about you, but I think that would have been a much better color for this release. In fact, I probably would have liked it just as much as I like the blue one if it was finished in that color. But as I have already said, this is a nice recolor, and I still decided to take the opportunity to add one to my display. Well, there's not much else to say about this release, so let's move on to the next one I found.

As usual, none of the special releases from this case were on my list. But I do have to admit that the treasure hunt did pique my interest, so I decided to keep an eye out for it whenever I went out looking. Well, to my surprise, I was able to find it!

I was actually beginning to wonder if they were ever going to create a design for this casting. I mean, I do like the plain releases of it, but in my opinion, it was time for something different. And for the most part, my expectations were met. However, I do think it could have been a little better.

When compared to some of the other 2022 Treasure Hunts, I feel this one looks a little too pain. I mean, I know its hood has two vents and a scoop, but I feel they could have at least placed a similar styled design somewhere on it. And if it was up to me, I would have placed it on both sides of the hood just behind the vents. I then would have put the Treasure Hunt logo in front of the scoop. I also would have considered adding the Hot Wheels logo there as well.

Since this is a Rally Champs release, I feel they should have also considered giving it some real-life sponsor decals like they did with the other releases. I mean, just look at the the Lacia Delta and the '84 Audi Sport Quattro. Neither of those are Treasure Hunts, and they had a few real-life sponsor decals. So I find it interesting how they didn't give this Treasure Hunt at least one. Now, if I designed this release, I would have picked some of the ones that are typically seen on the various Subaru rally cars.

Although I have some complaints about this release, I can honestly say that I am happy to have it. At the end of the day, it's nice to finally see an example of this casting that is decorated.

Okay, those are the last six case "N" releases I picked for this multi-part edition of My Want list. Overall, I'm pleased with everything this case had to offer, and I'm going to have a very hard time picking releases for this month's edition of Best On The Block. Although, you can definitely expect to see the Zonda R in the number one spot. Remember, the Zonda is one of the cars I've wanted them to make, and I feel they've done an excellent job re-creating it. So it has to be featured in that post.

So how do you feel about this year's case "N?" Did one of the releases pique your interest 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. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.