White Booth Wednesday #62

It's once again time for another Wednesday showcase here on the boulevard. Here's this week's featured vehicle.

Vehicle: 2013 Hot Wheels Chevy Camaro Special Edition

Series: 2017 Hot Wheels Camaro Fifty (Mainline)

Boulevard rating: 9

How I feel about this release: Black with gold wheels is another one of the exterior/wheel color combinations that I like. And in my opinion, the color scheme makes this a cool Camaro to have. I also like the gold scallop design that was applied to it's sides. The design itself might be simple, but I feel it was a nice touch. I only wish the gold used for it was similar to the gold that was used for the wheels.

So collectors, what would be your rating for this release? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. As always, happy diecast collecting.

Today on the Boulevard: Hot Wheels GameStop Exclusive Case - My Honest Feelings

Okay collectors, welcome to another feature here on the boulevard. Today's post is going to be a little short, as I'm simply going to go over my honest feelings towards the recent GameStop exclusive Hot Wheels case. So with that being said, let's get things started.

Most collectors might consider their case to be a win if they got the Super Treasure Hunt. That's all fine and dandy, because after all, we all have our own reasons for collecting diecast cars. If you're new to the boulevard, then you should know that I don't really care for special releases like Super Treasure Hunts. That also usually includes store exclusives. However, this time I was specifically going after the GameStop exclusives.

So as you all know, there's still reports of the Coronavirus going around. Whether you believe it or not, is entirely up to you. I'm not here to tell you to believe it, but what I will say, is that I'm apart of the crowd that does. As such, I decided to go ahead and order a case from GameStop's website.

After opening the case, I knew right away something was not quite right. Sadly, my case only had three of the four exclusive colors. And it wasn't even two of each like it used to be with the Kmart exclusive cases. So packed within my case, was two 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500s, one Big-Air Bel-Air, and one 2018 Bentley Continental GT3. So for me, this case was a loss. I mean... you win some, you loose some. But I can honestly say that this exclusive case was not quite worth the money in my opinion.

Not all was bad though, as I was able to get some of the other 2021 releases that I wanted. Now with those, I would like to mention that I'm going to wait to show them in a future My Want List review. I just have to get the rest of the cars that I want from case B, then I will review them. 

Aside from those, my case also had nineteen other vehicles that I most definitely would not have gotten. Some of you might think that's great, because that's one car short of being able to do the mail-in promotion, which I might consider doing I might add. But I really didn't order this case to get the main-in, and I'm not sure if I want to spend any more money on this year's GameStop Hot Wheels event.

I know these pictures aren't the best quality, but as you can see from the second picture, there are some cars that I feel didn't need to have doubles. This would have made it so there could have been two of each of the exclusive colors per case. Since the Kmart cases used to be packed that way, I assumed this GameStop one would too. That's why I didn't think twice about ordering one.

It almost seems like Mattel wanted us to either spend extra money on multiple cases, or go around to multiple GameStop locations to hunt for all of the colors. If this is the direction they are going with these cases, then I'm most definitely going think twice about trying to participate in these events.

So collectors, did you decide to order one of these cases from GameStop's website? If you did, did you get all of the colors? Feel free to let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for today. Until next time, thanks for reading and happy collecting.

My Want List: 2020 Matchbox Ford Mustang - Second Assortment

Alright diecast fans, it's time for another edition of My Want List. It took some time, but I was finally able to find the Mustangs that I wanted from the second release of the Matchbox Mustang Walmart set. Most of the models featured in this assortment were simply recolors of the first ones. This is of course fine, since the first ones were all great models. Now not all of the Mustangs featured are recolors. One of ones in this second half, was not featured in the first half. So with that being said, let's get today's post started.

For today's post, I'm going to start with the one that's not a recolor. The model in question, is the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500. This model is also replacing the '18 Ford Mustang Convertible that was available in this set's first half. Unlike the Mustang that was replaced, this one was given stripes. The car itself was finished in silver and the stripes applied to it are red. This color scheme is not bad at all for a Mustang, and it makes this a nice 1:64 scale model to have.

A diecast models interior color, is one of the many aspects that can liven it up. And that happens to be the case with this model's interior. The decision was made to make this model have a red interior to go along with the red stripes. I feel this was a very nice decision, as it contributes to this being a nice model. 

The Matchbox 5 Spoke Superfast Sport, are the wheels that were chosen for this Mustang. And I like how they are silver. These five spoke wheels were an okay wheel choice for this release. However, looking at the real car makes me wish this model had different wheels. If this was a Hot Wheels release, then I'd say it should have been given the Y5 wheels. But since this is a Matchbox release, I feel their lace wheels might have looked cool on this release.

With the non recolor out of the way, it's now time to go over the ones that I wanted that are the recolors. So first up, is the 2019 Ford Mustang Coupe. As you all know, the first color was a cool shade of green. For this recolor, the decision was made to make it orange. Since the green one's color was on the darker side, I really like the choice to use a bright color for this one.

I'm not entirely sure if the designers were trying base the color on an actual one that was available for the real 2019 Mustang. Based on some of the pictures I'm seeing, this color appears to be based on Ford's competition orange. Now I should mention that I haven't personally seen a real Mustang with that color, so I could be wrong. And in some of the pictures I found, the color looked more red. No matter what, the color chosen makes this Mustang look fantastic. 

For this release's wheels, the Matchbox designers chose to give it the same wheels as the green one. So that's the Matchbox 5 Spoke Superfast Sport wheels. This time though, they were given a silver finish. This color choice is okay, but I personally would have chose to make the wheels black. Orange with black wheels is a cool combination, and it's one that makes this model's real-life counterpart look great.

The third one that I wanted, is the 1968 Ford Mustang GT CS. The first color was a great looking metallic blue. Now I'm sure you all know that's my favorite color, but this release's color is right up there in terms of how much I like it. For this release, the designers chose a fantastic shade of gold. I can honestly say that pictures don't do it justice. Like pink, gold is one of those colors that isn't used as much as it should. And this American beauty looks fantastic finished in gold.

The exterior color wasn't the only aspect that received a color change. This release's side stripe was changed to black. Although I'm very happy with this color change, they honestly could have left the side stripe white. I don't know what color schemes the diecast community likes for cars, but in my opinion, gold cars look okay with black or white stripes. Of course, it's still a good thing that they decided to make this release feature different colors than the blue one. Being different adds some variety to the overall set.

Like the blue release, this one is also sporting the Matchbox Cut Tri Spoke wheels. I have absolutely no problem with these, as they are some of the best Matchbox basic wheels for a classic car like this.

The fourth and final one that I wanted, is the 1965 Ford Mustang GT. I am so glad this wasn't the Mustang that was replaced by the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 G. Initially, this was a casting that I didn't have in my collection. Last year's holiday five pack was the last time this casting got used. And I made the decision to not get it. The one before that was in a 2011 ten pack, and I don't always get those. I stopped paying attention to the ten packs from Hot Wheels and Matchbox after I kept coming across ones that were altered. So this ultimately makes me miss out on some okay releases.

This one's color scheme was changed to red with silver stripes. Sometimes, I will end up liking a recolor better than the initial release. That however isn't the case with this one. Don't get me wrong, red with silver stripes is a very cool combination for a Mustang. It's just that I also equally like the look of white with gold stripes. Basically, I like both of them equally because they are the only two in my collection.

Unlike the other two recolors that weren't given different wheels, this one was. This recolor was given the Matchbox Spit 10 Spoke wheels. To be honest with you all, I really wish they used a different wheel for this release. I mean, it's great to switch things up, but these wheels look to modern to be on this classic. Some of the original releases of this casting used a small five spoke wheel with a thick tire. Since they decided to change the wheels, I feel this release could have looked much better with those. And if not those ones, then I would have preferred for them to use the Cut Tri Spoke wheels again.

Okay everyone, that's all of the models that I wanted from this second assortment. Now for those of you that also like the card art, then I should also point out that this second assortment's cards features an interesting art change. The first assortment featured artwork of the cars driving in the daytime, while this assortment features them driving at night.

Alright, that's all for this edition of My Want List. As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts on these models down in the comments section. Until next time, thanks for reading and happy collecting.

White Booth Wednesday #61

It's once again time for another Wednesday showcase here on the boulevard. Here's this week's featured vehicle.

Vehicle: Porsche 911 GT1

Series: 1998 Matchbox Street Cruisers

Boulevard rating: 10

How I feel about this release: Having the ability to own a beautiful diecast model like this, is one of the reasons why I collect. Now some of the diecast community might prefer one of the later colors over this one, but I think this model looks great finished in gloss white. Also, the fact that it wasn't given a wild design, is another reason why I gave it a ten. The only thing that would have made this release better, is if it was given lace wheels. But I can totally ignore the wheels since I love the car itself.

So collectors, what would be your rating for this release? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. As always, happy diecast collecting!

Today on the Boulevard: Hot Wheels Pixar

Alright collectors and parents of child collectors, welcome to another edition of Today on the Boulevard. Collecting toy cars can be so much fun, and since there are a wide range of manufacturers that make them, there will always be something for all age groups to collect. Some companies focus solely on the adult collector, while others make toy cars solely for children. There is however, a company that excels at making toy cars for all age groups. That company, is none other than Mattel and their Hot Wheels brand. So for today's post, I'm going to be showcasing a nice Pixar themed set from the aforementioned company.

It doesn't matter what age you are, at some point in your life, you either heard of or saw a Pixar movie. Maybe it was when you were growing up, or maybe it was you watching a movie with your children. No matter what, Pixar movies have a special place in all of our hearts. In my opinion, sets like this are great for both kids and adults alike. After all, if you're grown, then it will most likely be about the nostalgia like it was for me. And for children, it will be about having awesome toy cars that feature their favorite movie characters.

The first vehicle from this set, is the Hiway Hauler. This box truck casting is representing the movie Cars. The artwork applied to it's box section, is none other than Lightning McQueen speeding to the finish line. The cab section of this truck was finished in a bright yellow. This was a great color choice, as the cab being a bright color helped to make this truck more awesome.

Contributing to the awesomeness of this release, are the chrome gold Hot Wheels 5SP wheels. I'm not sure about you and your little one, but I think it was a great choice to throw gold into the mix. It's just one of those colors that goes great with either red or yellow, and this truck features both of these colors.

The second vehicle from this set is the Path Beater. This Hot Wheels pickup truck is represent the movie Finding Nemo. This one was painted in a dark blue, which might not seem so exciting, but there is a good reason for it's color. The artwork, it's all about the artwork on this release. And the blue that was used has a important role. The artwork on this pickup truck depicts a underwater scene with Dory, Nemo, and Sheldon. It also features some bubbles, as well as some additional fish in the background.

The decision was made to utilize orange for some of this pickup truck's other aspects. The interior piece, which is also the truck bed, is the first of those aspects. Being orange really helped to add some eye catching brightness to this pickup. The Hot Wheels OR6SPs are the wheels that were chosen for this release. What's great, is that they chose to make the rim section chrome orange. The Hot Wheels designers also chose give this pickup truck a orange tinted window piece. In my opinion, it added an extra touch awesomeness to the overall appearance of this release. And I believe your children will feel the same way.

The third vehicle featured in this set, is the Fish'd & Chip'd. This cool coupe is representing The Incredibles. The car itself was finished in red, which was a great choice since it matches the family's suit color. Now this one's artwork is very exciting, and I'm sure fans of this movie are going to love it. It features the Incredibles rushing off to the scene of a crime to stop the bad guy's evil plans. Behind the family, is the sun rising from behind some mountains. There is also one single cloud that's next to Mrs. Incredible.

This car was given the Hot Wheels Lace wheels, and the decision was made to make them white. In my opinion, this color combines nicely with the overall colors used for the artwork. Like the path beater, this too features a tinted window piece. For this car, it's yellow. Now it might not be as bright as the Path Beater's window piece, but I feel it's one of the aspects that helped to make this car awesome.

The fourth vehicle from this set, is the Combat Medic. This box delivery van is representing the movie Toy Story. This movie is one of the many medias that I used to watch growing up. As such, this vehicle is my favorite one from this set. And I'm sure your children will love it as well, since it features Buzz Lightyear. But that's not all! The artwork also has a few of this characters logos, as well as a cool red and black stripe design. Now since the overall artwork utilizes green, purple, white, red, and black, I feel white was the best color for this vehicles body.

The Hot Wheels OH5s are the wheels that were chosen for this release. Now in my opinion, there were two wheel colors that would have looked great with the artwork. Chrome green or chrome red are those colors, and the Hot Wheels designers chose the latter. This release was also given a blue tinted window piece. Sure... a brighter color might have been more exciting, but I think your little one will still admire this release anyways.

The last vehicle from this set, is the Altered Ego. This fun casting is representing the movie Monsters Inc. This release was finished in black. Now yes, this isn't a bright and exciting color like the other vehicles in this set. But when you take a look at the artwork that's featured on this car, I think you will understand why it was chosen. The art depicts the stars of this movie Sully and Mike using a door portal to escape from something. Being finished in black, makes the characters look like they're in a dark room. I feel this fits the theme of this movie perfectly, since the monsters job is to scare children at night while they're trying to sleep.

This car was also given two other colorful aspects to help brighten it up a little. And those aspects are it's base and wheels. In fact, the colors used are based on Sully and Mike's colors. The base is bright green, and the Hot Wheels 5SP wheels are chrome purple.

I don't know how you feel, but I feel the Hot Wheels designers did a fantastic job creating artwork that captures the themes from each of these movies perfectly. As such, I feel children will definitely love this set. And that should also be the case for adult collectors that grew up watching Pixar movies.

Now for parents that might be new to Hot Wheels, you should know that when released, these kind of media themed sets are only found at Walmart. I should also mention that like most toys, these are subject to availability. So I'm not entirely sure if your local Walmart has this particular set anymore. But what I do know, is that every now and then, Hot Wheels releases cool sets like this. So if your little one likes various movies or video games, then it's worth taking a look down the toy car isle.

Alright parents and collectors, that's all for this edition of Today on the Boulevard. Until next time, thanks for reading and happy collecting.

Looking at: 2020 Matchbox Candy Series

Welcome to another edition of Looking at. Themed releases are another one of the many fun aspects about collecting diecast cars from Mattel's Hot Wheels and Matchbox brands. These kind of sets provide collectors with all sorts of cool releases that would otherwise not be seen in the mainline's of these two brands. So for today's post, we're going to need to get our toothbrushes out because there are six different candies that are going to be unwrapped in this 2020 Matchbox Candy series. 

Unwrapped first, is the Volkswagen Caddy Delivery. This model is representing the Tootsie Roll Pop brand. The decision was made to make this model's exterior white with orange bumpers. Due to the overall design that's featured on this model, white was a great choice. The orange bumpers also helped to give this model more of an appetizing appearance.

The best thing about the design on this release, is how it features multiple aspects. And being a panel van helped in a huge way, as the lack of rear windows gave the designers additional canvas space. I'd say, the main design aspect is Tootsie Roll's Mr. Owl that's featured licking an orange Tootsie Roll Pop. Applied next to his head, is the companies logo that's seen on the wrappers. And "Tootsie Roll Pop" was applied to the doors. 

The sides of this model also feature two additional sections that are brown. Since "Tootsie" was applied to both of these sections, this is obviously representing the candy that's in the center of these pops. The brown section on the fenders were also given the number 2.

The wheels given to this release are the Matchbox 6 Spoke Sport wheels finished in silver. These wheels have pretty much been used on all of this castings releases. Now since I haven't seen one of these in real life, I decided to pull up pictures of this model's real-life counterpart. Upon doing so, I came across a picture of one with wheels identical to these Matchbox wheels. As such, I feel these are the best for this casting.

The next vehicle being unwrapped, is '02 Humvee H2 SUV Concept. This model is representing the Tootsie Roll brand. As such, it's exterior was finished in brown. This is important because the Matchbox designers decided to make this release have an overall appearance of a Tootsie Roll wrapper. The designers also chose to give it a grey base. This is okay, but since the base is also the front and rear bumper, I feel it should have been white. As you know, the ends of a Tootsie Roll wrapper are white. So a white base would have made this model look closer to the wrapper.

Two main design aspects are all that was needed to give this brown H2 the look of a Tootsie Roll wrapper. A wide white stripe with a thinner red stripe in it, was applied above each wheel arch. And "Tootsie Roll" was placed in-between them. The sides were also given an additional detail. "Unit 3" was applied to the front doors. I suspect this is to give it the look of a company vehicle. I could totally see this being a vehicle that is brought to a event by Tootsie to hand out candy. 

The Matchbox designers decided to give this model the 6 Spoke Utility wheels with a chrome finish. Now yes, chrome wheels do look nice on this model. However, I do feel black wheels would have looked just as nice too. Of course I might be alone, but I like how brown vehicles look with black wheels.

The third vehicle being unwrapped today, is the Volkswagen Beetle 4X4. This model is representing the Tropical DOTS brand. Unlike the pack these come in, this model's exterior was finished in white. This is okay, but it would've been nice if they made it blue like the pack. Adding some pizzazz to this model is it's base, which is a cool shade of green. The Matchbox designers also chose to give this model a green tinted windshield piece. 

The design on this model is situated between the front and rear wheel arches. This section of the exterior was given a yellow tampo coating. Placed over it, is the Tropical DOTS logo as well as "Assorted Tropical Flavored Gumdrops." Tropical plant leaves were applied to each end of the yellow section. Although this isn't the artwork from the pack, it's nice to see the addition of these leaves. For me, they help to give the design it's tropical look. The last detail on this model is the number six. This was placed just above the leaves over the rear wheel arch.

For this model's wheels, the Matchbox designers decided to give it the Ringed 8 Spoke wheels. Both wheels feature black spokes with a chrome outer rim. But what I like, is how they chose to make the rear wheels have a chrome green outer rim. Having different colored wheels can add some uniqueness to a model, and I feel that's what it did for this Tropical DOTS themed release.

Unwrapped next, is the Matchbox Chow Mobile. This model is representing the Charms Blow Pops brand. Personally, this is one of the better vehicles from this set. I mean... it is a food truck after all. So I feel it's the perfect model to use for a candy themed release. I really like how the decision was made to make it's exterior pink. Adults and children at a carnival are definitely going to take notice of a pink food truck. In my opinion, this will lead to the possibility of more sales. That is why I feel this exterior color was a great choice for this Blow Pops themed release.

One of this castings best aspects, is the center section along it's sides. This section features the shapes of various would-be food products. For this Blow Pops themed release, a variety of tampo colors were applied to the various shapes. This helps to make this model have the appearance of different flavored  candy being for sale.

A yellow tampo was applied around the food section of this casting. This section acts as a canvas for the other design aspects. A male character holding a Blow Pop was applied to the back half of the sides. I'm not sure if he's is an official Charms character, but if not, then I feel he goes along with the theme nicely."Fun House" and "America's Most Popular Pop" was placed over the the yellow section in-between the wheels arches. And Blow Pops were then placed on both sides of the words. 

This model also has the looks of being a company owned truck. This was achieved with the application of the number 5 above the front wheel arch. Completing the design off nicely, are the various little designs that were added above the food section. Now I can't quite tell what they are, but they seem to be depicting different colored light bulbs. If I'm right, then that goes perfectly with a "Fun House" theme. 

The wheels given to this model are the Matchbox Ringed Gear wheels with a white finished. I really like the choice to make the wheels white. In my eyes, white wheels complement the Blow Pops theme perfectly.

The fifth vehicle from this set being unwrapped, is the Ford GT 40. This model is representing the Sugar Daddy brand. Since this candy's wrapper is yellow, the matchbox designer chose to make this model's exterior yellow as well. The only detail featured on this model from the Sugar Daddy wrapper, is the logo that was applied over a white half circle that has a black outline. Other than that, everything else was the idea of the Matchbox designers.

The next detail is a red and black stripe design that runs along the entire side of this GT 40. Now there is nothing wrong with the decision to give it this kind of design. However, I do feel this release might have looked better if it was given the various shapes that are seen on the back half of this candy's wrapper. The last details applied to this model are the number 4 and "Ford GT."

This model was given the Matchbox Split 10 Spoke wheels finished in gold. This was a great choice as it helps to liven up this model. And personally, gold wheel look nice on a yellow car.

The last vehicle from this set, is the Austin Mini Van. This model is representing the Junior Mints brand. The best thing about this model for me, is how it's exterior was finished in the same color that is used for this candy's logo. Although the Junior Mins pack is white, I feel this was a nice design choice. For me, the color alone makes this a cool looking model to have.

The main design on it's sides, consist of a wide white section with designs placed within it. A light yellow pinstripe starts in front of the white section, and then runs along the top of it. I like the inclusion of this color into the overall theme. Though not from the pack, an additional brown stripe is the first of the designs that were placed within the white section. Since this candy's exterior is brown, this stripe is an nice addition. The next details added are ones from the pack, and they are "Creamy mints in pure chocolate" and two Junior Mints with a mint leaf behind them. 

The second design is featured on the section just after the side window. This design consists of a brown rectangle with a light yellow outline. Placed over it is the Junior Mints logo. "No. One" is the last detail applied to the sides of this model. It was placed over the front wheel arch.

Finishing off this release nicely, are the Matchbox Ringed Disk wheels finished in gold. The choice to give this model gold wheels is fine by me. In my opinion, the color goes great with the colors used on this Junior Mints themed Austin Mini Van.

Alright candy lovers, that's all six vehicles from this sweet set. Now if you were to ask me which ones I liked the most, I'd say it's the Chow Mobile and the panel vans. In my opinion, these are the most appropriate vehicles for a set like this. As I've mentioned, the Chow Mobile is perfect because it's a food truck. The panel vans are great because they have the look of a official delivery van.

So readers, which one of these vehicles do you like the most? Do you also think a food truck and a panel van is the most appropriate vehicle for a set like this? Go ahead and let me know your thoughts down in the comments section. Okay collectors, that's all for this edition of Looking at. Until next time, thanks for reading and happy diecast collecting.

White Booth Wednesday #60

It's once again time for another Wednesday showcase here on the boulevard. Here's this week's featured vehicle.

  Vehicle: Quick Bite

Series: 2020 Hot Wheels Art Cars

Boulevard rating: 7

How I feel about this release: Initially, I wasn't going to get this release. But I changed my mind after seeing it multiple times. The green and yellow paint splotch styled design, is what finally made me decide to buy it. In my opinion, the colors combine nicely over this release's dark blue exterior. I also like how it was given chrome orange 5SPs. Being this color helped to liven up this model. All in all, this is not a bad food truck release to have.

So collectors, what would be your rating for this release? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. As always, happy diecast collecting!