My Want List: 2022 Hot Wheels Case "K" - The Kool Assortment Part 1

Hello, and welcome to another multi-part edition of My Want List here on the Star Boulevard of Speed. Well, that's was fast! I'm really not used to finding releases from more than one case in a month. It honestly seems like it was just yesterday that I was talking about the releases that I got from this year's case"H." And now, I'm talking about the releases I wanted from case "K." That's three different cases in one month! But hey, I'm not complaining because these three cases have some awesome releases, and I'm glad it didn't take too long to get my hands on them. 

In total, this case had seventeen releases that I wanted to get, and I was fortunate enough to get all but one of them. Now, I usually would have picked six releases for each part, but there's a reason why this post will have seven releases instead. And it has to do with my decision to group each of the releases by the sets they are in. So with that being said, let's begin.

Some of the sets from this year's mainline have been completed, so it's time for some different ones to get going. And this case has two new ones and two older one that are all off to a good start. Now, since I'm very happy to see a continued use of them, I'm going to start things off by talking about the releases from the older sets first. Afterwards, I'll get to the releases from the new ones. 

The Muscle Mania set is the first older one that I'm happy to see. Cars from Japan and Europe are nice, but our very own cars are just as nice. And sometimes, I feel they get overshadowed by the ones from other countries. So thanks to the Muscle Mania set, we get continued releases of the hottest muscle cars from America, and the first two releases in this year's set are definitely hot! Alright, let's take a look at the first one, which is the '69 Copo Camaro.

This casting was first released in an id assortment, and I never ended up getting it due to the id series no longer making it to the floor at any Target in my area. Fortunately, Hot Wheels made the decision to put the casting into the mainline. And like you, I was also happy with that release because it featured the Falken livery. Now, despite being happy with it, I do have to admit that I was hoping to eventually see one that had more of a street-legal appearance to it like the id one had. And I thought I was going to have to wait a few more years. But no, the decision was made to create another one with the aforementioned appearance for this year's mainline. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with the design choices that were made for this release. Not only was it finished in a nice version of red, it was also given a side stripe that's basically the same as the one that was given to the id release. They also chose to take things a step further by decorating the hood as well. So I feel this release is a great alternative to the id one.

The Muscle Mania set also sometimes has releases of older castings that I wanted to have more of, and one such older casting is the '65 Mustang 2+2 Fastback. Sadly, I missed out on a few of its early releases. However, I was able to get some of them, and the 2010 release was the first one I got. Now, it's not like I wasn't satisfied with the ones that I had, it's just I wanted to have a few more examples of it in my collection. So I'm thrilled with their decision to use it for this year's Muscle Mania set.

I'm actually very pleased with their decision to go with a simple look for this release. A few of the ones that I have feature a design that's a little on the wild side, and while there's nothing wrong with that, sometimes you just want a diecast model with a design that's a little more subtle. And this release's simple stripe design is a perfect example of what I mean by that.

Now, blue might be my all-time favorite color, but I have to say, this Mustang looks really good finished in this particular green. I also think this color helps to make this release stand out from all of the previous releases. Since its debut, there's been a few times where they've used similar colors for the various releases, but there hasn't been a release that's finished in a green that's similar to this one.

The Then and now set is the second older one that's making a return, and I'm very delighted to see it because I love seeing all of the different vehicle pairings they create. Now, I was actually quite disappointed with last year's Miata pairing. Why? Well, as you know, the "Then" version ended up being a Treasure Hunt. And that decision made it so it was basically impossible for anyone to complete the pairing. So I'm hoping they don't do that again for this year's set. But if they do, then I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles.

Now then, this case has two Then and Now releases, and both of them were added to my want list. The first one is a licensed casting, and it's the Corvetter C8.R.

I think you already know what I'm going to say, right? Yeah, that's right. This is the release that I've been waiting for! Sure, the first mainline ones were based on the real cars, but it truly is nice to finally have one that's finished in my favorite color. 

The side design is a little similar to the one applied to the side of the debut release, but there are enough noticeable differences for me. So I don't mind. The top of this release was also decorated as well, and I like how a design was also added to its roof.

I'd also like to mention that I really love this release's overall color scheme because it matches a few of the other racing themed Corvette releases. And this year's mainline release of the '69 Copo Corvette is the latest one that it matches.

The second one is an unlicensed casting, and it's the Twin Mill. There's been many spectacular releases of this vehicle since it made its debut, and sadly, I've missed over half of them. Fortunately, the Twin Mill is an older casting that's never really has a hiatus. So I've been able to add a few of them to my collection, and this latest release was definitely one that I wanted to have.  

I was able to get the 2020 boulevard release, and I have to admit that it's still my favorite one. However, this one does not look bad at all. I, for one, really like the metallic purple and orange color scheme. Now, one could say that this color scheme is what you'd expect to see around Halloween, but I'd have to disagree. Purple and orange are just another set of colors that go together, and I don't think they have to just be associated with the aforementioned holiday. 

Although I like it, I do have to admit that the color scheme is a little on the wild side, so I'm glad they didn't choose a wild color for the wheels too. In my opinion, chrome wheels were the best choice. 

Okay, now that I got those out of the way, it's time for me to put the spotlight on the releases from the new mainline sets. 

For this year's mainline, the Hot Wheels team created a set that's called HW Drag Strip, and as the name implies, it's a drag racing themed set that's going to feature some of the hottest drag race castings. And so far, the set seems very promising. So with that being said, the first release is the '40 Ford Pickup.

This casting has been around since 1998, and I've missed a lot of its releases. I might have gotten products from Hot Wheels when I was younger, but I was usually just into cars. So even if I found a release of this casting, I most likely would have ignored it. Of course, things are much different now that I'm older, and that's why I'm glad they've started to use some of their older castings again. 

Now, I did have one other release of this casting prior to this one, and it's the one from the 2019 American Pickup set that was only sold at Walmart. I still very much like that release, and I'm glad I was able to get it because this year they decided to make some changes to the casting. 

Sadly, this is another casting that has lost its plastic wing. I, for one, liked the plastic wings because they made it so we could have colorful releases. But things change, so it's just something I'm going to have to live with. At the end of the day, I'm just glad to have a second release of this casting in my collection. Alright, that's enough about the casting, let's move on to the design choices that were made for this release.

You should already know how I feel about its exterior color, so there's no need for me to say anything about it. As for the design they created, I think it looks great, and I'm especially happy with the additional decals. Now, I do have to admit that I didn't initially like the checkered pattern that's on its rear fender. At first, I thought the design was a little random, which is how I felt about the checkered pattern that was on the back half of this year's release of the Volkswagen Kafer Racer. But my opinion of it changed after I took a closer look at the Comp Cams decal. Since the company's logo has a checked pattern, I now think it was a great addition to the overall livery. 

One of the things that I've noticed is that a lot of this casting's releases have the 5SP wheels, and this release's wheels are the same color as the 2019 release's wheels. Now, I'm not saying they are a bad wheel for this casting, it's just I just think they should have taken the opportunity to use a different wheel for this release. Especially since some of them weren't around when this casting made its debut back in 1998. Okay, let's move on to the second release from this drag racing set. 

RPM Starz isn't the only race team that's headquartered at the Star Boulevard of Speed. One of the other teams is Red Bell, and thanks to this case, they've acquired a new '06 Pontiac GTO.

This is exactly what I like to see from the Hot Wheels design team! To be honest, I really wasn't expecting the second release of this casting to be this nice. I thought they would have done something a little more simple, but they have completely blown me away with the design choices that were made for this release. Not only was it finished in a great color, it was also given a fantastic livery that features two additional real-life sponsor decals. "Pontiac" and "06" were great additions to the livery as well. I also like how they chose to decorate its front end.

I like plain releases, but I can honestly say that this is now my favorite release of this casting. After all, it's a drag car, so its appearance benefits greatly from an awesome livery.

The second new mainline set is called Rally Champs, and it has definitely piqued my interest. Like you, I also love the look of older rally cars, and a lot of them ended up making history. So I'm expecting great things from this new mainline set. And so far, my expectations have been met with the '84 Audi Sport Quattro, which is the first release from it. 

I have to say, I'm very pleased with the design choices that were made for this release. I especially like how they chose to use a stripe design that's seen on an actual Audi rally car. Now, the car that it's from is white, but I think it's cool to see the livery on a different colored car. And in my eyes, the colors go great with yellow. I'm also happy with their decision to use real-life decals that you'd expect to see on a rally car like this. 

The only bad thing about this release is that there are no decoration on its hood. I mean... I know it's a mainline release, but I feel they should have added something to its hood. And if it was up to me, I would have at least added the racing number. But the first mainline release didn't have a decorated hood either, so I can live with this release's hood being plain as well.

As long as they don't do any muddy looking releases, the Rally Champs set will be one of the mainline sets that I look forward to each year. Now, I'm sure some of you wouldn't mind if the releases had that look, but I think all of the releases should look clean like this one. In my opinion, the muddy look should really only be used for the Baja Blazers and Mud Studs releases.

Well, those are the first seven releases that I had on my case "K" want list. The next six will be talked about in part two. So be sure to come back to the Star Boulevard of Speed tomorrow to see my thoughts on them. Alright, that's all for today. Until part two, thanks for reading and happy collecting.

Looking At: 2022 Hot Wheels Car Culture Mountain Drifters & A Team Transport

Hello, and welcome to a new edition of Looking At here on the Star Boulevard Of Speed. Today's Looking At post is going to be a little different from the usual ones. In case you didn't know, these particular post are made when I'm able to find all of the releases from an assortment. But I decided to make an exception this time because I already knew I wasn't going to find a specific release from the latest Car Culture assortment. So I decided to only count the other four as the entire assortment. I was also able to find the release I wanted from the new Team Transport assortment. So I made the decision to include it in this post too. So without further ado, let's get this post started. 

As you all know, the latest Car Culture assortment is called "Mountain Drifters," and as you'd expect, it's a JDM themed assortment. Now, most collectors will probably have their sights set on trying to get the "Itasha" styled AE86, and I will admit that it looks nice, but the thought of wanting it never crossed my mind. I mean, obviously no store employee will ever let a premium AE86 come to the floor, so I'm choosing to ignore any and all premium releases of the casting. Although... I will get one if I ever happen to find one.

Now, everyone will have their own opinion on what the highlight of this assortment is, and I'm sure the aforementioned release is going to be considered the highlight by many in the diecast community. But for me, there's two, and they are new castings. 

The first one is a replica of the Liberty Walk Nissan ER34 Skyline, and I can honestly say that it's a very stunning diecast model like the rest of the Liberty Walk castings. It even features a roll cage.

I'm so glad Mattel and their Hot Wheels brand are able to legally use Liberty Walk's name. Back when the Liberty Walk R35 was released, I had high hopes that we'd see more castings designed with the company's kits. And Hot Wheels has completely exceeded my expectations with the addition of this casting. Hopefully it gets more many more releases going forward. It'd truly be disappointing if it was a one-and-done thing like the "Silhouettes" release of the R30.

The second new casting is the '95 Toyota Celica GT-Four, and it's a casting I've been waiting for. Many years ago, Hot Wheels had a casting called "Pikes Peak Cellica." That casting was a replica of a 90s Celica hill climb car driven by Rod Millen. At the time, I'm sure most collectors were satisfied with it because that was the only 90s Celica. But I always wondered why they never made a stock version of the car. Fortunately, the wait is over. Now we just need Matchbox to make the ST185 with its headlights flipped up.

I'm going to assume that at some point in the future this casting is going to have a rally livery. Why would I make an assumption like that? Well, it's because this casting was designed with a roof scoop, and from what I can gather, the actual stock ST205 GT-Four doesn't have one. So one of the reasons why I'm happy to have this release is because it's plain. I know there's a chance we could see a few more plain releases going forward, but you never know. 

Besides being plain, I really like how they chose to finish it in yellow, and the chrome 5-spoke wheels do nothing but complement its overall appearance. In my opinion, this is truly a ten out of ten release like the R34. Now I just have to decide which one I'm going to pick for this month edition of Best On The Block. 

So what about the other two releases? Well, I might not consider them to be the highlights from this assortment, but I think they are both fantastic releases. So with that being said, let me start with the '03 Honda NSX Type-R.  

This casting made its debut in the "Quick Shifters" Fast and Furious assortment, and that was two years ago. So I was starting to think there weren't going to be any additional releases of it. Now, I'm sure you all thought otherwise, but the '95 Mitsubish Eclipse is a perfect example of why I'd think that. Like this NSX, it too was made for a Fast and Furious assortment, and it has yet to have a different release. So that's why I was delighted to see this latest release. 

Now, it might not have been finished in a flashy color, but I think this car look perfect finished in Honda's "Championship White." And I'm sure you all will agree. I also like how they chose to give it matching colored 10-spoke wheels. 

The Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 is the last one, and it's truly the release I've been waiting for. I mean, I still very much like the red one, but I was definitely waiting for a blue one. And I'm really glad it didn't take them as long as I thought it would just to use the color.

I have to say, they picked a very beautiful version of blue, and I think it's great how they went with a metallic paint. Using a different type paint definitely helped to make this release stand out from the first one.

There's been a few times where multiple premium releases of a casting have had the same wheels, and the Skyline H/T 2000GT-X is a perfect example of that. Now, even though there's nothing wrong with that, I do think it's nice to see some variety among the various premium releases. So that's why I'm happy with their decision to give this release dark grey 10-spoke wheels. These wheels also help to give this release the look of being somewhat modified, and that makes it fit right in with this assortment's street racing theme. 

A license plate is the only thing that's missing from the last three releases. I know it's not that big of a deal, but giving them the aforementioned detail would have made them look a little better than they already do. But most Hot Wheels releases don't have a license plate, so I can accept these for how they are. Ultimately, these four releases are perfect. Alright, now it's time to talk about the Team Transport release I got.  

I was actually able to find the entire assortment hanging on the pegs, but there was only one that piqued my interest, and it was the Lancia Startos Group 5. The other two releases are okay, but I just didn't feel the need to have them. The Gulf Porsche 917 LH looks fine, but I have the mainline Gulf 917 LH. I also have the Gulf themed 917 K from the "Iconic Racers" box set. As for the AMC Rebel Machine, well... I feel its livery isn't that great.

When looking at the overall design of the livery and the placement of the Bilstein decal, I get the impression that this release is based on the Marlboro sponsored Group 5 Startos. Now, for obvious reasons, they're not going to promote certain products. But that hasn't stopped the designers from re-creating certain liveries. And I feel they do a fantastic job at making re-created liveries look just as nice as the ones they are based on.

I do think it would have been nice if this release had red wheels like the real Marlboro Stratos, but I don't mind their decision to give it gold 6-spoke wheels instead. And I guess they do help to make it stand out from the first release, which has red 4-spoke wheels.

At the end of the day, I'm very happy with what I was able to get. It's almost impossible to find full premium pegs nowadays, so I'm always overcome with joy when I'm able to find at least one premium release. And I'm even happier when I find as many as I did.

So how do you feel about the releases I talked about today? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this edition of Looking At. Until next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.

White Booth Wednesday #149

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

Vehicle: Ford Bronco 4X4

Brand Or Series: 2018 Hot Wheels Ford Trucks

Boulevard Rating: 10

How I Feel About This Release: Love it or hate it, there's no denying the fact that this releases's exterior is a bit on the wild side. So it definitely stands out, and I happen to think it stands out in a good way. Sure, I'll admit that the debut release of this casting looks really good, since it's what you'd expect to see driving around. But this is a 1:64 scale diecast model, so it doesn't necessarily have to look like that. In fact, I think that's what makes diecast cars from Hot Wheels special. Thanks to them, we get to see how a vehicle would look with a flashy exterior. Now, I'm not saying all of their ideas are great, but I do really like the design choices that were made for this release. Of course, you might not like the version of green they picked, but you have to admit that it's one of the rarer colors. I mean, how often have you see a licensed casting that has this exterior color? I, for one, haven't seen to many, and that's the main reason why I feel it stands out in a good way.

So how do you feel about this week's featured vehicle? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments. Till next time, happy collecting.

My Want List: 2022 Hot Wheels case "J" - One Super Awesome Case

Hi everyone, welcome to another edition of My Want List here on the Star Boulevard of Speed. Well, I really didn't think I was going to be talking about the case "J" releases I wanted anytime soon. This case has many must-have releases, which is why I thought it was going to take me months to be able to find anything good. Thankfully, I was able to find all but one of the releases I had on my want list. So which release am I missing? It's the Honda Super Cub, and I'm actually not surprised that I wasn't able to find it. After all, it's a Honda, and they are usually some of the first castings to be hoarded from any assortment. Anyway, that's neither her nor there. So let's move on from that because today's post is all about the super awesome releases that I checked off of my want list.

I really like stock looking diecast models, but I also really like the ones that depict how the car would look with a body kit. And over the years, Hot Wheels has given collectors many different modified castings. Now, as you'd expect, the modifications featured are the most popular ones at the time of the casting's creation. So in the early 2000s, we got tuner cars like the Civic Si that featured the Wings West kit.

Fast forward to today, and we have popular kit manufacturers like Liberty Walk. It goes without saying that the aforementioned company has produced some noteworthy kits for some of the hottest cars on the market today. And thankfully, our favorite diecast brand has acquired license to give us some deicast models that feature their products. So with that being said, this year's case "J" just so happens to have three Liberty Walk releases. That's right, three! And I can definitely say that they are the highlights from this case. Although... I won't lie when I say that I was a little more excited about another release, but I'll get to that a little later in this post. First, I want to go over the three Liberty Walk releases. 

This particular replica is definitely the main highlight from this case. I, for one, love how it isn't just the regular 2000 GT-R casting with tampo details. In other words, I like how they took the time to create a whole new casting. Remember the replica of the RTR Boss 302? Well, the main thing I didn't like was how it featured tampo velocity stacks. I feel they should have created a new casting. Anyway, this is a pretty accurate replica, and I like how the custom tail lights were moulded into the body.  

I also appreciate the tampo details that were applied to this release. I especially like how they added details to its custom headlights. Not having details there would have made that section of this model less noticeable since it's black plastic. Although... I'm sure many of you wouldn't have cared. I also like how they added the lettering to the window piece. 

Last year, they gave us the LB-Works Lamborghini Huracn, and it featured a Mad Mike theme. Like you, I was also very impressed with it. But I really couldn't wait to see one that was a little different, and I think you know what I mean by that. If not, then I'll tell you. Basically, I wanted one that didn't have two different wheels. It didn't have to exactly be plain, it just had to have the same front and rear wheels. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long because they gave me exactly what I wanted in this case.

I honestly couldn't have asked for a better release than this. Not only does it have the same front and rear wheels, it's also way more plain than the first one. It's exterior color isn't anything flashy like the Skyline, but that's fine because white is still a great color for any Lamborghini. 

Like the rest of the Liberty Walk castings, the Hot Wheels LB-Silhouette R35 is such a stunning model. And its next release is the third one Liberty Walk casting that's available in this case. 

I wasn't quite sure what they were going to do for this casting's next release, but I have to say, I'm very pleased with the design choices that were made for it. In my opinion, this modified R35 look pretty good with a Hot Wheels theme. 

Hopefully we'll see even more Liberty Walk castings. I, for one, would love to see a replica of the NA1 NSX that they've built. Okay, let's move on to the other releases I got.

The HW Drift mainline series has returned this year, and it's off to a good start. The Driftsta was the first one we got, and it was the release I featured earlier this month in White Booth Wednesday #148. Anyway, the next HW Drift release is out, and this time it's a licensed casting.  

Like the Driftsta, this too is a ten out of ten release. It features a nice amount of decoration, and I love all of the details that were applied to the top of it. I just wish they would have painted the front bumper green, but this is a mainline release after all. So I can't complain. I'm just happy they still have the license to use the Falken Tire livery, as well as the other real-life sponsor decals that were applied to it.

Although I like this release, I do think they need to create a modified version of this RX-7. I mean, it's nice having this stock version, but I feel a modified version would have looked a little better with this drift livery. Of course, you might have a different opinion. So feel free to let me know down in the comments whether or not you also think they should have a modified version of this car for drift themed release.  

It's no lie that Mattel being able to legally use Toyota again has been a very good thing for us diecast collectors. Since re-acquiring the license, both of their diecast brands have given us some cool releases of Toyota's vehicles. And Hot Wheels has given us both premium and basic releases. So there's a lot more Toyotas to look forward to each year. Now then, so far, there's been cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. But what about mini vans? Well, Hot Wheels decided to do something about the lack of Toyota mini vans. Making its debut in this case is the 1986 Toyota Van.

I was very excited to learn that the J-Imports series was going to return this year, and I knew we were going to get some cool releases. But I didn't think an old school minivan was going to be one of them. So I really didn't know what to make of this casting when I first saw it. Of course, I wasn't going to not get one.

The bottom half being a separate piece is one of the things I like about this casting's design. Maybe you would have designed it differently, but being designed this way will make it so there can be full two-tone releases like this one. I also love how it features plastic headlights. There's no denying the fact that it gives these 1:64 scale vehicles realistic looking lights. 

As for its exterior, I think it's great how they didn't do anything too crazy. All it has is a period correct looking stripe that's along its sides. 

Okay, at the start of this post I made mention of how I was a little more excited about another casting. Well, it's now time to take a look at it. 

The Hot Wheels id series has a few cool castings that are only used for the series. Now, when they first came out, I used to see the orange trays sitting at every single target in my area. Sadly, they no longer exist at any store due to Hot Wheels deciding to use more of their licensed castings. I, for one, think we all know that it's secondary market that's making them not exist. And it's truly unfortunate because there's been some cool releases. At one point, I saw someone trying to sell an entire id assortment for $700. Yeah... no way! Anyway, one of the new id castings that piqued my interest was the Automobili Pininfarina Battista. And I was truly saddened because I knew I was never going to have a chance at it. Fortunately, Hot Wheels has decided to make a mainline version of it. .

Words can't describe how happy I am with their decision to make it so everyone has a chance at owning a release of the beautiful electric hypercar. And I don't know about you, but between the two releases, I feel this is the better one due to it being finished in a nice version of yellow. I also want to say that I think it's great how this one features the same tampo details that were applied to the id release. 

I really hope being in the mainline isn't going to be a one-and-done thing. It would truly be unfortunate if they decided to go down that road. But if they do, then I'm glad I was able to get this one. 

Within the last couple of years, Hot Wheels gave us two very beautiful super cars from the 90s. One of them is the McLaren F1, and the other was the '94 Bugatti EB110 SS. Now, when it comes to the latter, I really didn't think I was going to like any of its future releases as much as the first two. But that's not the case. The next release of the '94 EB110 SS is available in this case, and I actually like it as much as I like the first two. 

Initially, I wasn't sure how I felt about them using the Aero Disk wheels for this casting. But I came across the "GT" version of the EB110 while doing a Google image search. After seeing the wheels it had, I came to the conclusion that this release is technically the EB110 GT. Of course, I could be wrong, but I don't think any of the "SS" versions had a wheel that looked like this. From what I can gather, all of them had 8-spoke wheels. At the end of the day, it's nice to see something different. So I'm glad they chose the Aero Disk wheels for this recolor.

Okay, I'm going to stop this post here. There were a few more releases that I got, and yes, they were also on my want list. But I've decided to keep doing what I've been doing, which is basically save some of them for a future White Booth Wednesday Post. And the reason for that is because I don't want every one of those post to be about older releases. Anyway, this was one super awesome case, and I hope the next case has many good looking releases like this one does. 

So, what was your favorite release from this case? Go ahead and let me know down in the comments section. Alright, that's all for this edition of My Want List. Till next time, thanks for reading, and happy collecting.