#7 - Mazda Miata

Mazda Miata

             The Miata has been one of those cars that has been a silent icon. The car released late in 89 at the dealerships and Mattel put their casting on the market in 91. [2] This marked the very first casting of a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) car. The casting captures most of the car’s essential features but ironically it provides the true essence of the car. Simple lines, simple details but plenty of fun, it was a compact sporty car. The fact that this was the first JDM casting in the Hot Wheels lineup provides enough of a reason for me to collect this casting through the years. It paved the way for many more castings (and reviews) to come so cheers to the Miata for this.

             There are a few versions that claim some collectability like the 1992 Lime wheel version. The lime wheel was only featured on 2 castings, the BMW 850i and the Mazda Miata. [1] The castings shape and prominent lines including the small blinker lights at the nose. The use of Tampos on this casting and overall livery have been tame over the years with the surf collection being the most vibrant of the designs. It was also featured in the sugar rush series with a Reeses orange livery. This casting was also one of the castings to feature the ‘screaming wheels’ that made a screaming noise as they went down the track. These wheels were interesting for the feature but were not as good for random play because of the ribs that create the sound (see picture above). The interior has little details and falls short of some of the other convertible castings like the Cobra but again, this car was not meant to compete with the Cobra either. This casting does however excel on the orange lanes especially if it is a metal bottom model. It is small enough to get down the track and heavy enough to carry speed.  

       This car made an incredible impact on the street scene. It has an inline 4 cylinder (imagine it with a rotary?) but it packed enough horsepower (98-120 Bhp) to be fun to drive and due to the weight of the compact car, it didn't need a ton of horsepower. It handled like a compact sporty car should and its size meant it was nimble when it needed to be yet good on gas. It is a fan favorite at autocross races and small course events. There have been many successful Miata’s on racetracks and even had its own series. I have witnessed some crazy builds with these cars as well. All the way up to one that had an LS1 V8 stuffed into it. It really doesn’t take much power to turn one of these into a lightweight pocket rocket. They have become a little scarce in recent years, but one can still be found for a decent price if you are looking for a weekend racer or maybe just a cruise-in car. They lasted a good while and recently made a comeback with the latest release in 2017. There is a lot of competition, but the Miata still is a solid offering in this market. It earned its place on the street and in the Hot Wheels lineup. 

So here it went, another review that has me inspired to get out to the local store to check the pegs. Maybe we will find something to review in the next review.....nope, already got one. 

Happy peg hunting.....

As always, although I own the diecast pictured in these posts, all artwork, logos, car names, paint descriptions and wheel descriptions are copyrights of the Mattel toy company.

Miata and MX-5 are trademarks of the Mazda corporation.

[1] https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Mazda_MX-5_Miata accessed November 18, 2019

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_MX-5