I always expect good things from the HW Exotics mainline set, but this year's set is in a league of its own, and it has definitely raised my expectations. Not only did we finally get a mainline version of the '71 Miura, we also got a mainline version of the Automobili Pininfarina Battista. Both of those castings were initially a part of the id line, and I don't know how things are for you, but those don't exist at my local Targets. That's why I was thrilled to see them.
I was especially happy about the Battista because I feel it makes up for the lack of Ferraris, and that's why I was hoping there would be many releases of it. And so far, my expectations have been somewhat met because they've given us a second recolor. So that's three releases in one year!
I really didn't think they were going to do it so soon, but they have released the one I would have wanted in the beginning. And since this is a blog post, you won't be able to see the big smile I have on my face right now. I might have been very pleased with the yellow one and the red one, but words can not describe how happy I am with this one. Out of the many versions of blue that I like, this one is finished in one of my favorite ones. So this is definitely now my all-time favorite release of the Battista, and I don't foresee them releasing another one that'll take its spot.
At the end of the day though, I'm happy with all three mainline releases, and I appreciate them giving everyone the chance to own an example of this magnificent car. I mean, they could have just made the id version and called it a day. But they didn't, and I'm glad.
Now I'm curious to see what color they're going to pick for the next release. I know they are only able to do what the license allows them to do, so we might only get so many releases. But I hope they are able to do whatever they want because I think a black release with black wheels would be nice. A purple one might be cool as well. I guess we will just have to wait to see what the future has in store. Alright, let's move on to the next one.
This year's Exotics set also has a lot of new releases too, and I can honestly say that most of them have left me speechless. I was especially happy about the Zonda because it was another one of the cars I've waned to see from Hot Wheels. There was also the McLaren Elva, which is something I wanted them to make after we got the Aston Martin V12 Speedster. But there are also some I wasn't expecting to see, and one of them is the awesome Aston Martin Vantage GTE.
This right here is honestly something I've been waiting for. Now, I would usually say that about a release that was finished in blue, but there's another reason why I'm saying that this time. Back in 2015, Hot Wheels gave collectors the then version of the Vantage race car. And it never got that many releases after that. But I'm sure no one really cares because it really wasn't the best looking casting ever. Around that time, Hot Wheels' design team would design castings with a front end that slopped up. Obviously, this was done so the car could be used on their tracks, but the design choice ultimately led to some weird looking models. And the Vantage GT3 definitely looked a little weird. So I'm glad they've stopped designing race cars like that, and the decision to do so has made it so we finally have a nice looking Aston Martin Vantage race car.
Besides the casting itself, I'm also happy with most of the design choices that were made for this first release, and I'm not just talking about its exterior color, either. Usually, when a race car makes its Hot Wheels debut, it will feature some kind of livery on it. And even if it isn't overly decorated, the release will still feature a racing number. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. After all, it is cool to see 1:64 scale replicas of actual race cars. But I also think its nice to see examples of them without a livery and a racing number. Of course, this release has the stripes that are seen on the real car, so it's not entirely plain. But it doesn't have anything else, and that's what I like.
I can't say that everything is perfect, though. Why is that? Well, the top of the real car is decorated with a stripe that starts on its hood and continues onto its trunk. And as you can see, Hot Wheels only placed it on this release's hood. I know they weren't going to decorate the trunk, but I feel they could have at least added the stripe to its roof. Other than that, I'm very happy with this release. In fact, since it doesn't really have anything on it, it'll most likely always be my favorite one.
In my opinion, the HW Drift mainline set isn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be. I mean, it has some okay releases like the ones I got, and I'm sure many of you absolutely adored the new Volvo 240 Drift Wagon. But I was expecting a little more than what they gave us. You know, castings like the S13 Silvia. Instead, they decided to only gave us three licensed castings, and only one of them is a JDM. So I feel the set could have been much better than what it was. Anyway, that's enough negativity. Let's take a look at the recolor of the only JDM, which is the Falken themed '95 Mazda RX-7.
To be honest, there's really not a whole lot to say about this recolor. Whenever Hot Wheels gives us a Falken themed release, you can always count of them to give us a blue and silver one too. As for why I got it, well... I figured I might as well collect the releases that feature this color scheme too. I mean, why not, right? Even though the green and blue color scheme is my favorite, there's no denying how cool the alternate color schemes are.
So which Falken color scheme do you like the most, and do you only collect certain ones? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, let's get to the next one.
As I have already said, they decided to only give us three licensed castings, and only one of them is a JDM. The other two are their own vehicles, and I guess I can't complain too much because I did pick the Drifsta for an edition of White Booth Wednesday. And I do still think it is one of the best looking releases of the casting. So I'm not too disappointed with the decision to use two unlicensed castings for the set.
The second unlicensed casting they picked is the Muscle and Blown, and they decided to make it one of this year's treasure Hunts. Now, I knew my chances of finding it were low, but I decided to add it to my want list anyway because it's a casting that I like. And I figured it might be a little easier to find because it's not a popular licensed casting, and it looks like I was right! Of course, I might have just gotten lucky.
Like I said, the Muscle and Blown is an unlicensed casting that I like. So as long as they don't do anything silly, then I'll go ahead and add its releases to my want list. Now, this release's design might not be anything silly like the designs you see on the Art Cars, but I can't say that it's anything special. In my opinion, they could have and should have created something better. I mean, look at the Morris Mini Treasure Hunt. Or better yet, look at last year's '65 Ford Galaxie Treasure Hunt. No matter which one you look at, they both have decent looking racing liveries that also feature some additional decals as well. So it is a little disappointing how they only chose to only put "drift" on its sides. The top of it was also decorated, but it's no better, although... its hood does at least have a design on it.
When this casting first came out, I was hoping to see some excellent releases of it, and so far, that has yet to happen. To be fair though, this isn't exactly a terrible release, it's just not was I was expecting. But I am still happy to have it, though. And no, it's not because I think it will have value in the future. Alright, let's move right along to the next mainline set.
Unlike the previous one, this year's Rod Squad has definitely met and exceeded my expectations. Not only did we get a new release of an older casting, we also got a new hot rod casting that I was very pleased with. In fact, I ended up getting an extra one to have on display. That's how happy I was with it. Anyway, there was only one more release to go, and I couldn't wait to get it because it's a very nice example of a cool hot rod. But there ended up being another release of the Mod Rod, and there's a reason why it was instantly added to my want list. So that's why I'm going to talk about it first.
Every now and then, Hot Wheels partners up with different brands, and Broken Promises was one of the brands they partnered with. Now, as usual, the partnership led to the creation of some different merchandise, and one of them was a Broken Promises themed Mod Rod that was packaged on a special card. That particular Mod Rod was also available at every store on a regular card, and I got it just to have it. But it wasn't something I really cared for like that. I mean, it's not a terrible looking release, it's just that after last year's HW Flames release, I was expecting something different. And this right here is a perfect example of what I wanted to see.
Now, I don't know how you feel about this release, but I honestly think it's one of the best looking ones. Sure, there's been many nice releases now, and one of them even had a fantastic flame design. But all of them are finished in colors that are commonly used for a lot of other castings. On the other hand, this release is finished in seafoam green, which is definitely not a color that's used everyday.
Hopefully they'll continue to do nice looking releases of this unlicensed casting. Of course, I already know a silly looking one is just around the corner. But it won't matter because I'm completely satisfied with the current releases I have. Alright, let's move on to the last Rod Squads release.
There's been quite a few times where Hot Wheels ends up releasing something that I thought I'd never see. Sometimes, it's a casting like the Vantage GTE, while other times it's a casting with a certain design on it. Now, I'm sure everyone gets excited when a certain vehicle is finally made, but what about the vehicles that feature certain designs? Do you also get excited for those? Well, I do, and this year's case "P" has a '32 Ford that features a design I thought I'd never see on it.
Like a few other 2022 mainline releases, this too left me speechless when I first laid eyes on it. When I think about a custom design for a hot rod, the first thing that comes to mind are scallops and flames. Not one time have I ever thought about putting the iconic Gulf livery on a '32 Ford. I guess I should broaden my horizons, right? Anyway, the Gulf livery is something I would mostly expect to see on a car that races around a circuit or a team support van. So I feel this is a somewhat unique release.
In 2017, this casting's engine section was updated, and it was an update that I liked because I thought a painted supercharger scoop was cool. But I never thought they would be able to put anything there, which is why I was quite surprised when I saw the Gulf logo on top of it. I, for one, think it was a fantastic idea, and it's one of the reasons why I was speechless when I first saw it.
Now then, whenever I have to make a multi-part post, I usually try to limit each part to six releases, and any additional extras will be saved for a White Booth Wednesday post. But this time I figured I would go ahead and bump the number of releases up to seven. So with that being said, let's go over the next release I got, which is the 1986 Toyota Van.
I really wasn't expecting this casting to get a recolor, but I'm actually really glad they gave us one. Why? Well, there probably won't ever be a completely plain release of this casting, so this year's release will have to do. I know it's not exactly plain, but its side stripe looks like it could have been a factory option. So I feel there is really no need for a plain release. Of course, it would be nice to see one, but I'm not going to be disappointed if they never make one.
Well, those are all seven of the releases I'm going to talk about in this post. The last six releases I got will be talked about in part two. So be sure to come back to the boulevard tomorrow to see how I feel about them.
So, how do you feel about the releases that are featured in this post? Do you like one of them more than the others? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for part one. Until tomorrow, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.
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