20 GF9 VW Bug Convertible

VW Convertible

The VW Bug convertible is a great addition to the Bug line. The open top gives a great view of the interior which is as basic as the real car was.

This particular release was part of a basic series, as you might have already guessed, the Easter series. Easter cars always feature fun liveries in bright colors and usually feature some fun castings.  The yellow paint job is bright, the purple interior shows off the Easter spirit. The blue chrome 5 spoke wheels are an odd addition but do tie the striping on the car back to the overall look. Maybe the interior color is the odd color.

The convertible version also features the metal base, cast in headlights and the basic body lines of the hard-top version. The body lines are a little chunky looking on the convertible versions but they are not to far off, so the casting overall looks great.

This version is a 2010 Easter eggclusive series release. There was a yellow version and a baby blue version. The last release of the Volkswagen Beetle convertible was 2014. Hopefully, it will make its way back sometime soon. I really enjoy all the VW Beetle versions and look forward to adding to my own collection.

Thank you,

Collector Quentin

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

20 GF8 VW Bug

VW Bug

I did an extensive write up on the VW Bug casting already, (https://collectorquentin.blogspot.com/2020/01/20-07-vw-bug.html) I will try to keep this one focused on this piece only. To add a little background, the Beetle or Bug is a huge part of automotive history on its own. Hot Wheels has had a beetle / bug in the line up for many years. There was a version in the sweet 16 that was less refined.

The casting we represent here has been around since 1989 and has remained unchanged since the original release. That says a lot for car that through time has really just faded into smaller pockets of collectors and enthusiast. I really like this release. The red is not a typical Beetle color and the multi-colored flame decals look great on the black background. There are some subtle overlooked details to the Bug casting that I would like to point out. The side windows that do not have pillar but are still clearly represented like the real car. The headlights still amaze me. Most casting these days have decals for headlights, the VW Bug casting has lights that are metal and are part of the base. I have not witnessed (although I am sure there are some in existence) one of these with an error in manufacturing at the headlight area. A detail that amazes me is the pointy rear metal bumper. This is also cast into the metal base and looks spot on but seems like a semi dangerous feature for such a fun and likeable casting.

Overall, I have been a fan of the VW Bug casting and have many versions in my collection, there are many versions out there to find. Some have collectible premiums but most are reasonable so adding one to any collection is not only affordable but recommended.

Thank you,

Collector Quentin

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

20 GF7 VW Brasilia

VW Brasilia

Another odd car for a Hot Wheels representation. The VW Brasilia. The real car the casting is modeled after is the first VW completely made outside Germany. So, it earned a space in the lineup. Originally released in 2011, the Brasilia has made few appearances and this version is from the 2015 Holiday Hot Rod series. Holiday Hot Rods are a basic line series released every year at well, Christmas time.

I usually pass on these series because they usually feature fantasy castings. I do however really like the Brasilia, so I was very happy to add one to my collection. This particular version is a great release. The metallic gold paint is different for the holiday series that are usually red or green. The Santa decal on the side represents the Hot Wheels style and will make you smile if you look closely at it.

The PR5 wheels are done in red chrome and bring the livery back together. The details on this casting are fantastic. There are louvers cast in the back fender, the front end is spot on to the real car and the bumpers have been removed, giving a usually normal car a very aggressive street look. The roll cage in the interior is a giveaway at what this car is imagined to be used for. With the minimal releases and the last release in 2015, the Brasilia can be hard to find but they are a worthy piece to add to any collection.

Thank you,

Collector Quentin

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

id 20-11 Volkswagen T1 GTR

Volkswagen T1 GTR – id

Volkswagen T1 vans have been a hot item for Hot Wheels. It is no surprise considering that the most valuable Hot Wheels is a T1 van! (Pink Beach Bomb side loader) There are a lot of versions of the T1 in the Hot Wheels line up and I really like that they branched out with another version for the id series.

      The T1 GTR is not released in any other part of the Hot Wheels line up. I am confident that most collectors will like this version. Hot Wheels captures all the looks for this one, including a racing placard on the side, a carbon look to the roof and all the lights are highly detailed. The chrome smaller id wheels give the casting a lower center of gravity, but the lower stance and long wheel base are huge disadvantages on the orange track.

Interestingly, this model represents a recent fad in Europe where they actually put a high-end engine in the back of one of these – typically a Porsche engine – and race them. There are several videos on Youtube of vans similar to this one frustrating high-performance cars!

   

 

This casting is great in the app. I raced it a couple times. The T1 handles great for a bulky car and has great speed.

Thank you,

Collector Quentin

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

#20-07 VW Bug

 VW Bug

Some like to call it the beetle, some call it a bug, some call it a punch buggy named for that famous driving game. No punch back. No matter what you like to call it, we all see this car on the road somewhere and never really knowing how significant of a car the Beetle has been for all these years. Growing up, I played Punch Buggy and had my share of bruises. I saw them on the road but never knew anyone that had one. Personally, I always lied them, there was just something about a VW Bug that was cool, maybe it was just the tie to Porsche.

                                                                                                                                        Logo Variation

This Hot Wheels version depicted and discussed here today is called the VW Bug and was first released in 1989. The VW Bug has continued to be a regular part of the line-up all the way into 2018. There are a total of 65 different releases of this casting since. There is also a convertible version that is only used for special series like holiday cars and mystery cars. These numbers also do not include the first version called the Custom Volkswagen that is part of the sweet 16. [1]

The casting is a great casting. The door handles, door lines, hood and trunk lines are all cast into the metal body and are usually clearly visible. The base has remained a metal base which gives the casting some weight and gives the casting a solid feel. The base has little detail but if you see the base much, you are playing with it wrong. The headlights are part of the base and are set into the body giving some depth to the front end. Paint jobs have been across the spectrum of styles from wild to mild. There was some variation controversy on the 1997 release where the early release had a black Hot Wheels logo and the later release did not (see picture above). This created some temporary collector frenzy, but it settled down rather quickly. There are always minor variations like these in every year on one casting or another so keep your eyes wide open when trying to collect a particular casting. Wheel types especially seem to capture the most collector premiums, the VW Bug has adorned almost every wheel type and sometimes several different wheel types on the same release as well.

Convertible variation from Mystery cars series

The VW Bug has some collector premiums with specialty releases but with such a long list of releases, it is still fairly easy to add one to a collection at fair price. My personal favorites from my VW Bug collection are the Matte Black version that was part of the 2008 Volkswagen series and the Herbie version released in 2014.

 The real-life car started as the Type1 in 1938. The Beetle was produced from 1938 all the way into 2003 although the later versions were only sold in South America from the Brazilian factory. The original split window design was changed in 1953 to provide better vision. Interesting in that approach considering Chevrolet must not have cared about vision 10 years later in the Corvette. I digress. Take these numbers in: 21,529,464 total Beetles have entered the world with 15,444,858 sold in Germany alone. The Beetle was produced in 15 different countries spanning 3 continents. [2] The Beetle has been compared to the American Ford Model A in contrast to the evolution from horse and buggy to Automobile. The Beetle was also elected as one of the most influential automobiles of the 20^th century coming 4^th overall. [2] Those numbers and facts make this car one of the human species’ historic treasures. There is some interesting drama surrounding the design rights and getting to the bottom requires much more research.

The Beetle has also had its share of racing applications through the years. From a Beetle cup that features only air-cooled versions to Baja 1000 races across Africa and even in the US Trans Am racing series as an entry in the small displacement category. [2]

Personally, I have always enjoyed this casting and now that I have done some historic research on the back story, much respect to the Beetle Type 1 and what it truly stands for in automotive history.

And that is the review of the VW Bug. Hope you have enjoyed the information and read, hopefully you read this alone, so you didn’t get punched for every picture. No punch back. Happy peg hunting and collecting. As always, drop a comment below and if you have any pictures from your own VW Bug collection, leave them in the comments below.

 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.

Beetle is a copyright of the Volkswagen Automotive group.

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

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_130