id 20-04 - Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S - id

This was my first dive into the id series. I really like the Hot Wheels Tesla line and this one does not disappoint at all. There is a mainline super treasure hunt is spectraflame dark blue from 2019. Not sure what it will do to value but the only differences in the id and super treasure hunt are availability. Both feature special wheels, both have spectraflame paint, but the id version has some extra decals not used on any model S releases to date.

The id version is the same tooling as the main line Hot Wheels Model S casting. The side decorations are what make this one stand apart from the rest. The Tesla logo on a red and silver stripe which if you can get close enough has a metallic imprint to it. The wheels are id exclusive with red accents and lettering. The headlight, taillight details and Tesla logos are impressively detailed. This is the first time detailed in Spectraflame red and it is a very complimentary color for this casting.

I have won many city races on the app with this car. It was my first venture into the append the car is easy to control in app. It is a D class car (must not have the Ludacris mode). This casting is ok on the orange track, we will see what it can do on a portal setup when I get one on hand.

Thank you,

Collector Quentin

I own the actual diecast pictured in this post. However, all packaging artwork, Mattel or Hot Wheels logos, paint descriptions and wheel descriptions in regard to the Hot Wheels versions are copyrights of the Mattel toy company.

Model S is a registered trademark of the Tesla Motor Company

#20-12 Rodger Dodger

 Rodger Dodger

Its all in the name sometimes. The Rodger Dodger is a great piece of Hot Wheels history. The casting continues to be featured in the mainline including 2020 releases. With some stints out of production, the casting has been around for 21 years! (excluding the out of production years)

     The casting was first released in 1974 [1]. It had a short run up to 1979 and then was re-tooled and re-released in 2000. The re-tooling just brought it up into the new century. However, in 2015 it was re-tooled again and brought the casting closer to reality as the exhaust was relocated from the hood to behind the front wheels and now exits below the front fenders [2]. The versions with the exhaust pipes on the hood is really cool but not sure if I can even imagine being able to see past them!

     Rodger Dodger is another fantastic creation of Larry Wood [3].  The latest release in the mainline (2020) is a gorgeous steam punk livery with gold and silver accents on a matte black paint. This release also has Grey wheels, something fairly new but really adds to the look of the steam punk look. 2019 also saw Rodger Dodger get released in the new id series line up (see my feature in the id series). It is an Amazon exclusive release and has another gorgeous livery in white, black and gold.

  From a collector’s angle, this is a gem. The first releases in the flying colors line are very difficult to track down and there is a very rare blue version of the first release. Rodger Dodger has been featured in several collector convention releases and the coveted treasure hunt line in 2001 and again in 2005 [4].

    

                    

    I personally owned a 1973 Charger SE with a 318. It was a fun, big car. It was no where near the pavement bruiser that the Rodger Dodger represents but I do wish I had though to invest in recreating the Rodger Dodger. I imagine the powerplant would be a 426 or 440 big block. Reminiscing, I remember a lot of fun with this car even though it wasn’t much on power. 70s era chargers have gained a lot of popularity in the real car collector market and seeing one at a car show is always a treat.

                  

Happy Hunting,

Collector Quentin

       

I own the actual diecast pictured in this blog post. However, all Hot Wheels packaging artwork, Mattel logos, Hot Wheels logos, wheel types and paint descriptions in regard to the Hot Wheels versions are copyrights of the Mattel toy company.

Dodge and Charger are copyrights of Fiat FCA LLC.

[1] Casting information gathered from:

https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Rodger_Dodger

#3 Hot Bird

Hot Bird

         The only image one can have when seeing a Hot Bird casting is that black and gold Pontiac Trans Am jumping over a river to evade the sheriffs who is in hot pursuit. Even though it is not necessarily a good example to keep in mind per say, it is an iconic part of the late 70s / early 80’s car scene that helped influence car movies and TV shows. This is also a casting that has stood the test of time and is still cast to this day. That is why it earned a spot here.

       

        It has always been a good casting. The t-tops of the era are perfectly cutout of the roof line, the hood scoop to mimic that famous shaker scoop, the shape of the front bumper and headlights, all the way to the rear bumper and the taillight embossing. Every line of this casting is spot on and the interior is one of the better interiors of its early days. It was released in 1978. [1] It has been fitted with almost every wheel type starting with the basic blackwalls, hot ones, 5 spokes and even with a white letter tampo on plastic wheels in the classic series. It was also featured as a treasure hunt in 2008 in a satin gold with 5 spoke rims (basic treasure hunt).

           Hot Wheels have done a great job keeping this casting in the lineup and have been good to the Trans Am overall with almost every body style getting a casting. The Hot Bird castings are fun to collect as there are so many variations, almost every year has a version in at least the mainline and many specialty series have one as well so there is something for every type of collector to find in the Hot Bird. Quite possibly in the running for the most variations of paint jobs for any casting, it has been depicted in that recognizable black and gold, stars and stripes and many other versions. There is even a glitter paint job with a bright pink interior that was released in the early 90s. I only mention that because it is very far from the rest of the paint jobs that have been on this casting though the years and is one of the variations to not have that iconic bird on it. I have collected many of the hot birds over the years both loose and carded, these only represent a small portion of the Hot Bird lineup.

        So what of the real life version? Well, it is an interesting part of automotive history for sure. This car was on the roads in my youth and I always turned my head to check one out. It began alongside the 67 Camaro in the early days of the pony / muscle cars. It ventured onto the race tracks, then made its name at the drag strips. In 1976 it would be Pontiacs 50^th anniversary and they celebrated it with a special edition Trans Am featuring a slick black paint job with the gold bird and gothic text to top it off. It was a mediocre seller at first. In 1977 the Trans Am had a name but it would go through a major redesign and morph into what we see in this casting. In 1978, the car did not change aesthetically but Pontiac brought back the black and gold version to celebrate 10 years of the Trans Am. Later that year, a movie that would imprint this car into every car enthusiasts’ brain. Like them or not, you know what it is when you see one. When you do see one, you probably get that same image I described earlier. There have been rumors that the main actor of the movie hinted to hand assigned the inside of many of the production cars and it remained quiet until recently. I have personally owned 2 Firebird / Trans-Ams and still have one to this day. The Trans Am made it all the way into 2002 and made several other marks in the automotive industry along the way but I am going to save those notes for another casting to be featured at a later date. There are only a few select cars to this day that have a certain look and paint job that sets them apart from the rest and creates a connection between hollywood, young boys dreams and a passion for the experience of the open road and this is one of them.

           

              

      

And until that next post, take that there black beauty east bound and down, just remember to keep an eye on the sky and the pedal on the floor as you race to the state line on the orange track of destiny while doing what they said cant be done. 

[1] https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_Bird

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

Pontiac, Firebird, Trans Am are all trademarks of the General Motors corporation.