2016 Hot Wheels BMW Series Part 1: The Modern Castings...

Hot Wheels and BMW. To begin with, they weren't the best of friends, but since the beginning of this decade a blossoming relationship has appeared between the two, giving us countless new castings modern and classic such as the 2002, E36 M3 Race, M3, M3 GT2, Z4 M, M4, E30 M3, M1 and, later this year, the legendary 3.0 CSL 'Batmobile'. So it was no surprise then, that after producing a stellar manufacturer set for Porsche in 2015, HW would turn to BMW to make another set. And what a set it is. Four classics, three modern castings and a motorbike (I'm not a motorbike guy, so don't expect that to appear in a post, but once I have the four classics in hand I'll be sure to give them one). Plus, BMW has it's own 5 car segment in the 2016 mainline, in which the Z4 M appears again!

But back to these three. Let's start with the M3 GT2. Introduced in 2012, this appeared long enough before the upsloped chin crisis to remain a stunning model (although thankfully BMW doesn't allow anything like that anyway), technically and just on appearance. It's First Edition colours were white and black, both of which suited it down to the ground, just as this metalflake blue does, with a BMW M No. 12 livery (which has somewhat returned in this release). What makes it even more important, as I'm sure fellow collectors will well know, is two things. Firstly, it is within a group of castings (think Porsche Boxster Spyder, Bentley Continental Supersports) that debuted in 2012 but didn't appear again for several years - this is it's first release since then. The second thing is part of the car that may just be the reason for this:

That spoiler. Since late 2014 (AKA the start of the 2015 mainline) castings with plastic rear wings have been hunted down and, er, genetically modified to have a metal spoiler. To be honest, although it hasn.t been popular, it hasn't tragically changed the appeal of any of the models it has happened to, nor would I think that it'd be a disaster if it happened to the M3 GT2 (which is great, as that would be the only way it could return to the mainline in the future). Obviously the only reason that it hasn't been modified for this release is that the BMW set counts as a premium line, meaning that, as they charge more for it, Hot Wheels can justify keeping the plastic spoiler. Overall I think it's great to have the casting back looking just as good as its First Edition counterparts.

  Now on to the Z4 M. As you've probably already worked out, it doesn't have the same problem as the M3 GT2:

Despite also debuting in 2012, the Z4 has and has always had a metal spoiler. Just like the M3 GT2 it is proportionally excellent, with a perfect stance, and also appeared in white and black for its First Edition colours. Why, then, has it not returned until now? Your guess is as good as mine but HW seem to be making up for it as provided that the mainline version in dark blue gets a recolour later in the year, we could see three versions of it this year! Notably, there isn't a single version that has been done yet without featuring the number 4 in some shape or form. Again it's great to see this one back, enjoy the photos...

Finally, we reach the M3. There's a lot less to say about this model, as it's been with us for a good 5 or so years now, and has had many releases (making it all the more embarrassing that this one is my first). Anyway, despite not owning any of the previous versions yet, I feel like this is far from the best version. For example, the blue and black versions in 2013 were both stunning with ten spokes, but this one? The silver and stripes aren't bad, but I don't feel like the car has aged enough to sit on those 5 spokes, usually reserved for cars such as the Morris Mini and Porsche 959. That is just my opinion though, be sure to let yours be known in the comments.

Until I get the classics, that's all on the BMW Series. As a set of three these are competent, and two are as near as makes no difference perfect. Here's the rest of the photos, thanks for reading :).

  

Guilty Pleasures #2: The Hot Wheels Jaguar F-Type Project 7...

It happened with the Tesla Model S. Matchbox produces an exquisite casting that completely outclasses the Hot Wheels equivalent. The return of Jaguar to the Mattel brands brought much the same issue. Matchbox produces the (still relatively mad) stock version of the F-Type, and Hot Wheels gets to work on the exclusive, unhinged Project 7 version. The Hot Wheels Jag had extra pressure upon it, being the first new model since the XK8 and XJ220, both of which debuted in the mid to late 1990s. For many it was a disappointment, as proportionally it could be better and it features what has become the bane of collectors' lives since 2013 - the dreaded upsloped chin. I concede that it does affect the model, but it is far from the catastrophe that is the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (you'll never find that in this series).

Personally, I actually really like this model, as it is a great representation of the real thing and so far has been produced in two terrific stock colours, British Racing Green and bright red. It may not be perfect, but it is worth having in any collection and I really hope it gets a recolour this year in one of its remaining stock colours, maybe blue or white. Plus, the interior detail is really good.

All I can say now is yes the Matchbox is technically better and more accurate (I'll be photoshooting that when I get one), but this casting has earnt its place in this series, look out for more each Friday...

Verdict: The Hot Wheels McLaren P1 in Hot Blue...

Phwoar. For good reason, this casting was in my Top 3 best licensed new models of 2015. It was brilliant to see McLaren back with its latest piece of groundbreaking exotica. Hot Wheels has executed it to near perfection, and the colour choices have been sublime. It debuted in stock Volcano Orange before being recoloured in Mercury Silver, and has now returned to the mainline as part of the Exotics segment in Hot Blue. Who knows if there'll be a recolour but if there is, Amethyst Black would be great. This Verdict series is where I will review new models and new versions of castings, so I thought I'd start with one of the stars of 2016 Batch E.

Proportionally the casting is sound, and those big rear wheel haters should have nothing to say as in this case that is accurate. I guess I just wanted to write a post on how awesome this casting is and how it would be amazing to see a mainline debut for the McLaren F1 GTR (perhaps as a Then & Now? These two would make quite a pair...), so I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking...

 

The changing face of the Hot Wheels Morris Mini...

Every now and then, castings change. This is common practice in Hot Wheels, whether it be converting plastic spoilers to metal, making a moving part fixed or, hopefully in the future, fixing the upsloped chins that have plagued some recent new models such as the Corvette C7.R and the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. In fact when the details were released about the C7.R appearing later this year in the Hot Wheels Entertainment line with a 'New Modified Chassis' I jumped for joy. We'll see what comes of that, but for now back to the model in hand.

The Morris Mini has been with us for about 16 years now, debuting in 2000 as a Pop-Offs model, meaning the chassis and the base of the car could be separated. That has been the case since, until the 2014 versions where it became more difficult to prise them apart and the plastic frame which can be seen (in yellow) on my well worn 2006 version was done away with. Like I said, it's very normal for Hot Wheels to modify castings periodically, but this usually happens with a new year's issue, not with a recolour. However, in 2015 they did just that. Above and below you can see the first 2015 version of the Morris Mini in Orange from Batch C, which is (now the final version of) the traditional Pop-Off model. Next to it you can see its turquoise recolour, but all is not as it seems. Look closer and you'll see that the front grille has changed completely, and the whole car is lower. The Pop-Off function is gone completely and in its place is a plastic base instead of metal, making the casting noticeably lighter and the wheels fit much better in the wheelarches. The base now states copyright 2014 Mattel as that's when this new version was designed. So all in all this modification has resulted in a smoother, better-executed model - you just can't take it apart.

Guilty Pleasures #1: The Hot Wheels Porsche Boxster Spyder...

 Some call this the worst licensed new model of 2012. I don't. And that's what this series of posts is about really - castings I love that are technically not up to scratch, and this really is a good casting to start with.

The real car is excellent, and has just entered its 2nd generation looking better than ever, so it was brilliant to see that Hot Wheels was branching out with Porsche, and this was just the start of a trend that has given us somewhat unexpected modern castings like the Panamera (albeit the Turbo S version) and eye-wateringly good classic castings such as the 993 GT2, 934 Turbo RSR, 356A Outlaw...the list goes on. However, this casting proportionally is just not right. From some angles the casting is a beauty, but others reveal that the front and back ends are both a little bulky, and the fact that it has not yet received tampos on the rear does nothing to help this. In addition to that the wheels don't quite sit perfectly in the wells, and there is some overhang meaning it's not necessarily the best idea to push the wheels fully in.

Despite all this, it's a casting that I actually really like, and it did worry me for a time that it would be viewed as 'too bad' to return after it's 2012 debut in white and red, but those fears were put to rest when it returned in 2015 as part of the Porsche Series 8-car set in a great blue and white deco with gold 10 spokes. I'm happy to own all three versions of the Boxster, and hope it returns again in another three years or before. Look out for more of my Guilty Pleasures in the coming weeks...