id 20-12 HW50 Concept

HW50 Concept – id

The HW50 was released in the mainline in 2018 as a part of the 50^th anniversary of Hot Wheels. It is not clear if this casting is intended to be the next flagship car yet. The Bone Shaker remains the flagship for now. The HW50 joins the growing lineup of hot rods in the rat rod genre.

The original release wore HW blue colors and 50^th anniversary wheels. It was not released in the mainline in 2019 but it made the id series instead. The Hot Wheels blue plastic body is translucent and looks great with the silver flames all over the body. The chrome interior, windows and engine parts give the translucent body a cool glow in bright light. The all large id wheels give the HW50 an aggressive look that can handle any corner. The clearance is good and the HW50 does well on the orange track.

This car is great in the app. It is fast, responsive and does not need boosting to win races early on. I noticed that in the app, this car is depicted with treaded tires which indicates real riders (the actual casting does not have real riders) where most app cars have just regular plastic looking wheels. Interesting. This is one worth adding to the collection.

Thank you,

Collector Quentin

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

#20-11 Bone Shaker

Bone Shaker

The Bone shaker. The latest flagship car for the Hot Wheels brand. Hot Wheels has always embodied and celebrated cool hot rods and custom cars. Flagship car – a car that Mattel / Hot Wheels has actually manufactured into a real-life car that tours to chows and collector events around the United States. In an episode of Jay Leno Garage, a Hot Wheels designer noted that there are 14 such cars. The Bone Shaker is one of those additions. Darth Vader is the latest.

     The Bone Shaker casting has been featured in the Xbox Forza Motorsport video game and is the only car in the id series app to have a different paint job for the app car than the physical casting.  

The Bone Shaker was designed by Larry Wood and was first released in 2006 [1]. Bone shaker is the embodiment of the rat rod styling. A huge skull for a front grill, the skeleton hands holding the headlights in place. No frills interior, just seats and pedals are all you need. There have been a couple different versions of the casting. The main casting has an open roof. There is also a casting with a closed roof. There is a 1:48 scale release. 2018 collectors were treated to a limited run chase version with rubber tires painted like the real-life car and there were only 10000 pieces made, making it extremely rare and expensive when found for sale.

Bone Shaker has been in the main line every year since 2006 and has been featured in most of the Premium line including the 2020 Boulevard set which is a collector favorite (the boulevard sets have premium liveries and real riders with special wheels). There is also a special Batman 5 pack release that has not appeared anywhere else, the Joker Bone Shaker with purple paint and green wheels. Bone Shaker is a simple casting with not too much detail, but it doesn’t need a lot of detail, it is a true rat rod and that is how rat rods are meant to be. Bad to the Bone!!!

The real car is an exact replica (not sure which came first) of the 1:64 version. If you are curious about the specs and more images, check out this short article for more information:

https://hotwheels.mattel.com/explore/HW_50th/en/2011-bone-shaker

(photo courtesy of Google - labeled for reuse)

Take note that the real car is the open top version! There is no doubt that the Bone Shaker, weather in real life or on the pegs, will be sure to entertain and amuse all ages of Hot Wheels fans for many years to come.

Happy Peg 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.

[1] Casting information gathered from:

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

#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

#4 Purple Passion

Purple Passion

        

 Lowriders, hot rods. Pinstripes, Velour interiors, flames, side pipes and a pavement pounding V8. Frenched headlights, taillights and door handles. The image I just painted could go 2 different ways and that is why I paused. I know there are pictures but what did you picture as you read that description? Well, to clear the image up a little bit, we are directly focusing our attention on an entire car culture and its implied icon, the Leadsled.

  

             The real-life car it is cast in the likeness of is a 49-51 Mercury Eight. I state it this way because there is no indication, I could find that the casting refers to any particular car, more of a representation that sums up a mixed style of car cultures. Quite possibly a tribute to something the designer (Larry Wood) [1] had witnessed along his journeys. It is an expression of art in automotive form. At car shows, this is always one of the cars that everyone stops at and takes a picture of. When it comes to customizing cars, this one is the original that everyone looks for. It started the craze. Now, it is very rare unless you are at a large-scale car show or maybe in the southern California area to get to see one of these treasures slide on down the road. The “Leadsled” refers to a couple makes of the same time frame (49-51) and refers to the weight of the steel body. The sled portion refers to the style of lowering the car enough so that it  resembles the car sliding down the road rather than driving. The fender skirts also help complete this look. They were not meant to be speed demons; they are meant to ride low and slow and in stylish fashion. I really enjoy seeing these cars at a car show as there is no limit set for the creativity of the builder and there is always a new interpretation of the culture and the elements that make this style such a personalized expression of art and vision. With so much body to work with, it also implies a real dedication of the builder.

                                                                  

         And now, we focus this week on what I like to think is an absolute icon in Hot Wheels. It has been featured so many times that there is something for everyone to have in their collection. The casting is spot on for the image of a decked-out lowrider, hot rod, showstopper. It is cast in the imagery of a 49-50 Mercury Eight. The grill is perfectly detailed. The frenched lights and body molded license plate area are present and the chopped roof just gives this casting the lifestyle it resembles. The side pipes tucked under the rocker panels with what we assume is the flipper style exhaust gates seen on this type of custom. The liveries this car has had also tells a clear story about the casting to the hardened collector. The assortment of paint jobs has included heavily flamed to subtle pinstripes and it pulls off every one with style. Only very rarely has this casting donned a wild paint job. This tells me that there was a level of respect for this automotive style that was meant to remain even into the Hot Wheels culture. The pink version was a mystery car from 2010 [2]. The purple version with the white walls is a first release from 1990. It was also featured as a treasure hunt in the 2005 series and was a 10th anniversary of treasure hunts and bears a special logo on it with real rider tires and beautiful black with red / orange flame job livery.

            The casting remains in the lineup because although there have been several lowrider releases in the A2K (after 2000) years, none of them have stood the test of time when it comes to just cool car to collect and with over 99 versions [3] to find, there is bound to be something to elevate any collection. White wall tires are pretty cool, but I feel like they don’t seem to fit the imagery of a lowrider / hot rod of this type. The Black wall versions are great, and the lace wheel versions are second only to the treasure hunts wheels, not because or rarity or value, just that the real rider wheels fit the image of the hot rod style perfectly. Flame paints have been complimentary to every version and the pinstriping is spot on for the car culture it represents. All in all, this casting has too much to offer and serves as a direct link to an entire car culture that spans several styles. Just the same as it is an expression of art in automotive form, the Purple Passion is an exemplary example of cool cars which is exactly what the Hot Wheels castings are directly founded on.

  

           I started this blog for a similar reason. When I started collecting, it was born out of the love for the self-expression of hot rods. I love cars, I enjoy seeing different interpretations of them and this type of car is just that. If I had a garage full of cool cars, this would be high on the list of one to have so I keep my eye on the pegs when I know it is part of the lineup. I can hear the trumpets and that infamous song playing in the back of my mind as I wind this review down. Slide into the sunset big daddy with that jam a playin….. Low-ri-der.

[1, 2, 3] https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Purple_Passion website accessed November 2, 2019

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.

Mercury is a trademark of the Ford Motor Company.

#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.

#1 67 Camaro

The 67 Camaro

This is my first official collecting spotlight. I did not have a choice in the first casting review. The universe chose it for me.

For a college course, I had to write about a childhood toy that changed my life. This is the one. Later that day after I had submitted my paper, I happened into a local dollar store and they had a fesh stocked wall of Hot Wheels. The basic treasure hunt version of this very casting hangs deep on a peg, just patiently waiting there for me to purchase. This is the first treasure hunt I have found on a peg in a very long time. It has been decided.

          Originally received as a gift in celebration of my 12th year alive on this rock. I was already into cars and this one was on a long list of cars I dreamed about. The images here are of the original gift that has traveled with me for now 35 years. It has its scratches and play wear but it has never left my collection. So what is it about this casting (which is still current - 2019 Treasure Hunt) that makes it so special? Well, let's look at the real life impact this car has had.

         Hot Wheels is taking off in 1968 with a line of cool diecast cars. The "custom camaro" was in the initial 16 lineup. At the same time, on the streets, the muscle car era is just beginning to take shape and the Camaro is in a head to head battle to gain the pony car market over the Ford Mustang released a few years prior. Instantly thrust into a group of cars that will shape automotive history for decades. The Camaro has been an American automotive icon for 45 years and continues even into today. There has even been several versions at the dealerships that are a Hot Wheels edition and sport the beloved flame logo of our hobbies kingdom.

        So what better way would a car struck child have to get involved with cars than a toy that can be carried in a pocket everywhere he (or she) goes? Sure matchbox and other toys are out there but Hot Wheels just headed right for the top with cool spectraflame paint jobs, opening hoods, redline tires and cragar style mags. This particular casting (circa 1982) retains most of the familiar lines of the original casting and touched up some of the features to keep it cool. The hood vents are not representative of the real cars but they do look cool. The side pipes got added and gave it some of that muscle authenticity. The metallic green almost has the appearance of the spectraflame paints but keeps it in the 80s with all that flake. Lowriders and the high flake paint jobs are beginning to get noticed in the real life custom car world at this time which fits this casting right into the era it was cast into.
         The black roof represents the vinyl tops of the day and does a great job giving the look. The hood mechanism is simplistic but does the job perfectly even to this day. The hood has been offered closed and operational throughout its life but the recent treasure hunt has a closed version, unfortunately. This casting may see another review later on as it did evolve some over the years and deserves some more review. Overall, I think they did a great job with the lines of the car, the grill is spot on and the tail lights are also represented well including the lock for the trunk. This casting is sentimental to me personally as it was my first point in collecting Hot Wheels, a hobby that now spans decades of my life.