Also in this larger scale are the HIN (Hot Import Nights), G-Machines and Customs lines. Purchasing the four car sets and sending in the packaging backs plus a handling fee gave you the opportunity to collect the bonus cars, 1 each released for each quarter of the year starting in 1996 through at least 2000. In 1981, Hot Ones wheels were introduced, which had gold-painted hubs, and claimed to have thinner axles for greater speed, along with additional suspension compliance that older production Hot Wheels lacked. Car Culture cars are typically based on real automobiles; however in 2018, Hot Wheels introduced a set called "Team Transport", which included some fantasy truck castings. This would be under a silver flame logo on the card for T-Hunts. Both lines of vehicles were charged using the Sizzler Juice Machine or Power Pit. [20], Hot Wheels designer Ryu Asada died on March 28, 2021, at age 42, after years of suffering from cancer. Variations in crash panels included front, rear and side panels, the last of whose mechanism has proven to be the most durable. In 2007, Mattel introduced a two-tiered Treasure Hunt system. Mattel put the Sizzlers on a hiatus after that year, and in 1976 they created Sizzlers II. General Motors also released a special Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition, which was a blue convertible that offered various Hot-Wheels-themed decorations throughout the car. Over the years, Mattel has also teamed up with other retail organizations to produce special models available through those retailers. The latter were vehicles with a panel that, on contact, would rotate to reveal a reverse side that appeared to be heavily dented. [10] During the fledgling Hot Wheels era, Mattel wanted to make sure that each of the cars could be used with any of the playsets and stunt track sets. Later, the Power Pit was introducedwhich was an electric charger that plugged into any household AC outlet and resembled a race track garage or pit stop. This movie tied into the Highway 35 line of cars that featured 35 classic Hot Wheels cars with special graphics and co-molded wheels.[18]. 2011 saw the release of 244 cars beginning with the 2011 New Car Series which includes the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, Custom 2011 Camaro, and the DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future series. (The X-V racers of the 1990s were similar.) An unknown number were made as test subjects and given to employees. As with the lower-friction wheels in 1968, this innovation was revolutionary in the industry, andalthough far less effective in terms of sales impact than in 1968was copied by the competition, who did not want to be outmaneuvered again by Mattel product strategists. (Case Only), UNIH City Ultimate Garage Toys for Boys, Tower Toy Cars Garage with Electric Elevator, Race Car Track Toys for 5+ Year Old Boys, 2TUFF Collectible Toy Car Storage Case and Toy Organizer Storage Case with 48 Compartments and 2 Removable Trays - Toy Display Case Compatible with Most Hot Wheels Cars and Matchbox Cars. All Car Culture sets have five cars, and often have new castings created for the sets. The series completely disrupted the industry for small die-cast car models from 1968 onwards, forcing the competition at Matchbox and elsewhere to completely rethink their concepts, and to scramble to try to recover lost ground. [11] The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles had a pink RLBB in its Hot Wheels exhibit, displayed alone on a rotating platform under glass. Popular new models included the `68 Cougar and the Nissan Skyline GT-R. Two lane race sets such as the California/8 race set were developed that allowed Sizzlers to race side-by side, until Mattel created the black Fat Track which is three lanes wide with steep banked curves and designed to allow Sizzlers to run free. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available. [1] Bradley was from the car industry and had designed the body for the (full-sized) Dodge Deora concept car and the Custom Fleetside, (based on his own customized 1968 Chevrolet C-10 fleetside. For example, the Twin Mill, first released in 1969, still had a 1969 copyright date on the 2019 mainline releases of the car. The Hot Wheels Collectors Club released a new, updated version of the Rear Loading Beach Bomb in 2002 as a limited edition. In late 2005, Series 2 now consisted of 30 models including the 1967 Camaro Convertible, the 1969 Dodge Charger, and a 1965 Mustang GT. In 2012, Super Treasure Hunts came with special paint and wheels, but with series designation on the card. Although "Team Transport" is labeled under the Car Culture line, they are a separate category of Car Culture vehicles than the usual 5-car sets, possessing different barcodes and prices. A widened version with the surfboards mounted in side slots was designed and released for the 1969 model year, making the "rear loader" version a rarity and very sought-after piece. This symbol means you just found a collectable treasure-hunt car!". 2017 saw a major change in casting numbering. Also in 2001, Mattel issued 240 mainline releases consisting of 12 Treasure Hunts, 36 First Editions, 12 Segment Series with four cars each, and 144 open stock cars. In 2006, McG said that he dropped out as director and chose to produce instead.[33]. Later in Hot Wheels' lifespan, the normal drag set with Snake and Mongoose were still being produced. In 2016, Hot Wheels started a new line of Collector's models, in a line called Car Culture. 1970 was a very successful year for Hot Wheels, so Mattel came up with a new advertising slogan for the cars: "Go With the Winner". If the tooling for a car has a major change at some point in its life, the copyright date might be changed or amended to reflect the change. Popular models that debuted include the HyperMite and FrightBike. Some of Hot Wheels' greatest cars, such as the Twin Mill and Splittin' Image, came from Ira Gilford's drawing board. There are a few cases where the copyright is several years before a car's first release. Interest in the toys began to increase once again. In 2008, all the series and vehicles were relatively similar to 2007's cars. They were sold through Toys 'R' Us and were made in limited numbers.
The new line focused on muscle cars, hot rods, and other offbeat vehicles (such as a go-kart, a motor home and even an airplane), many from the company's first ten years (196878) of production. When the company asked him to come back, he recommended a good friend, Ira Gilford. Market prices on RLBBs however, have easily reached the five-figure plateau, ranging from $70,000 to $120,000.
Hot Wheels also in the early 1990s introduced a series known as the California Customs. In 2016, Hot Wheels released a special collection for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles 1966 song Yellow Submarine. The collections includes five cars, a VW microbus and a yellow submarine.[31]. The first event was the Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention, normally held each year in the fall. In addition to the cars themselves, Mattel produced a racing track set (sold separately). One was the 1995 Model Series, which included all of that year's new castings. Fatbax models included vehicles such as the Toyota Supra and Corvette C6. Of the 24 models appearing for 1973, only three were new models.
cars, as compared to Matchbox cars which were generally small-scale models of production cars. The letter is then followed by two numbers, which represent the week of that particular year the car was manufactured. Wood accepted, and, by the end of the week, Wood was working at Mattel, where his first design was the Tri-Baby. Since then, the Conventions are held each year in southern California. For 2002, the mainline consisted of 12 Treasure Hunts, 42 First Editions, 15 Segment Series of 4 cars each, and 126 open stock cars. Due to low sales, and the fact that the majority of the castings were not re-used in later years, the 1972-3 models are known to be very collectible. These three cars featured "supercharged" engines (featuring large Roots blowers) without hoods, and open exhaust headers, after the style of drag racing cars of the era. As of January 2009, the Sizzlers line has been discontinued by Target. VERSION RELEASE K / FACTORY SEALED CASE OF 72 / FREE SHIPPING*, HOT WHEELS 2022 BASIC CARS U.S. Hot Wheels have a series called Hot Wheels Elite and Hot Wheels Mattel. For the first time, there are chase cars in the classics series. At each event, one car is picked to be recreated as a potential new Hot Wheels casting. Those exceptions are mostly funny car castings where the same base was used with various different bodies over the years. The music series features singers' and rappers' Ferraris, including Jamiroquai's Jay Kay's Black Enzo Ferrari. These date codes are more specific than the 3-digit codes as they indicate the day a car was made instead of just the week. The Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals rotate among cities outside of California during the spring. [15] Despite the fact that they were very popular, the Real Riders line was short-lived, because of high production costs. Some of those cars include Rodzilla, Fangula, Twin Mill III (3), Bone Shaker and Baja Bone Shaker. VERSION RELEASE L / FACTORY SEALED CASE OF 72 / FREE SHIPPING*, HOT WHEELS 2022 BASIC CARS U.S. It had 2,700 diamond chips, a total of almost 23 karats, and was cast in white gold, with rubies serving as taillights.[30]. New models include the Cruise Bruiser, Side Ripper, Grass Chomper, and the '16 Acura NSX, while other models first see their release in the mainline series, such as the '52 Hudson Hornet. The Hot Wheels Elite series have a "mini" series which can be seen on the website. [13] Tam continued to work for Mattel until 1973. These vehicles did not sell as well as Mattel expected, and many could still be found in stores throughout 2005. The original production run was 10,000 of each car worldwide; that number has since risen due to the increasing demand for and popularity of Hot Wheels as a collector's item. There was also supposed to be a separate Mustang Funny Car (as listed on the blisterpack rear checklist) but this was apparently changed to a Plymouth Barracuda Funny Car during production. The date is usually the year before the car was first released, but not always. The latest set with the Snake and Mongoose is in the Drag-Strip Demons lineup. On October 4, 2018, Hot Wheels filed a new trademark for the motto it's not the same without the flame. It was claimed by advertisers that the 90-second charge time was "the longest minute and a half in a kid's life" as they waited impatiently for the car to charge sufficiently to get back into the race. Discover more about the small businesses partnering with Amazon and Amazons commitment to empowering them. A date code of 1987 would indicate the car was made on the 198th day of 2017 (July 17). 2016 lineup was similar to 2015 and 2014 in terms of segments, and the design of the card was overhauled. The 1984 Corvette production ran for 1.5 model years covering half of the remaining 1983 model year and ending on time for the 1985 model year. In action, Sizzlers supposedly display a unique, competitive "passing action" when running on the Fat Track, as if each car were piloted by an impatient driver trying to jockey ahead of the rest. On June 17, 2011, it was announced that Legendary Pictures is developing a film based on Hot Wheels due to the success of Fast Five by developing an edgier film. Sizzlers run on the regular "orange" Hot Wheels track, and Mattel created special race sets with U-Turns, multi-level spirals and loops to take advantage of the cars' electric motor. After all the events for that year conclude, one finalist is then picked to be the winner, and their car then gets recreated as a new Hot Wheels casting next year. In conjunction with Epyx Software, Mattel released a computer game edition of Hot Wheels for various 8-bit platforms in 1985, as part of the Computer Activity Toys series. For its 40th anniversary in 2008, Hot Wheels celebrated the making of its four billionth car with the production of a diamond-studded model worth US$140,000.
99 car of Jeff Burton for one race at Darlington Raceway. [37][38] On August 1, 2017, Lin revealed that the film was still in development. Some of them include HW Showroom, BMW (100th anniversary of BMW), HW Screen Time (Cars and characters seen on television, video games, and movies), and HW Snow Stormers. Eichi-W Collection 1/64 Protector Cases Street Diorama Design Lot of 20 Protective Case for Hot Wheels and Matchbox Collectors, Hot Wheels R/C 1:64 Scale The Batman Batmobile, Remote-Controlled Vehicle from The Movie, USB Rechargeable Controller, On or Off Track Racing, Gift for Fans of Cars & Comics & Kids 5 Years Old & Up, Hot Wheels Monster Truck Epic Loop Challenge Play Set with Truck and car, Hot Wheels City Ultimate Octo Car Wash Playset with No-Spill Water Tanks & 1 Color Reveal Car that Transforms with Water, 4+ ft Long, Connects to Other Sets, Gift for Kids 4 Years Old & Up, Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash Track with Motorized Boosters [Amazon Exclusive], Hot Wheels Super 6-Lane Raceway with Lights & Sounds, Includes 6 Hot Wheels Vehicles, Track Unfolds to 8 Feet, Collapses for Easy Storage, Gift for Kids 5 Years & Older , Orange, Hot Wheels Japanese Multipacks of 6 Toy Cars, 1:64 Scale, Authentic Decos, Popular Castings, Rolling Wheels, Gift for Kids 3 Years Old & Up & Collectors, Hot Wheels Sky Crash Tower Track Set, 2.5+ ft High with Motorized Booster, Orange Track & 1 Hot Wheels Vehicle, Race Multiple Cars [Amazon Exclusive], Hot Wheels 24-Car Random Assortment Party Pack 2014 and Newer, Hot Wheels Track Builder Unlimited Triple Loop Kit Collapsible 3-Loop Gift Set & One 1:64 Scale Hot Wheels Vehicle with Connection Points [Amazon Exclusive]. Premiums and other special series lines often run later in the calendar year before changing production to the next year. Treasure Hunt (sometimes T-Hunt) is a line of Hot Wheels cars, introduced by Mattel in 1995. 2013 also saw a change in the look of the packaging cards which includes a quartet of helmeted motorcycle riders standing behind the flame logo and the Treasure Hunt series cards no longer marked with a treasure chest. For the most part, it is a relatively inexpensive hobby, when compared with coin collecting, stamp collecting or Barbie collecting, with mainline cars costing about $0.97-$1.08 (USD) at retail. In 1982, the Chevrolet Corvette had ended the curvaceous "Mako Shark" body style that had been in production for almost 15 years, and GM announced that the Corvette would be redesigned. Mattel also produced a Classics Olds 442 in Spectraflame blue for the 2005 Toy Fair. A code of 0250 would be the 25th day of 2010 (or 2020; depending on the car). In 2018, Hot Wheels celebrated its 50th anniversary. They do not necessarily reflect the model release year of a particular car. The Sizzlers were a 1970s Hot Wheels spin off with a built-in motor and a tiny rechargeable battery. The first line of Hot Wheels Cars, known as The Original Sweet 16 was manufactured in 1968. The roof was also cut away and replaced by a full-length sunroof, to lower the center of gravity. Then, Hot Wheels made rail-type dragster versions of them, based on the actual funny cars and was featured in the Wild Wheelie Set. [40] However the option expired and returned to Mattel. However, in 2016, this was changed to "Congratulations! These included mostly short-lived lines of cartoonish vehicles such as 'Tooned (vehicles based on the larger Hot Tunerz line of Hot Wheels created by Eric Tscherne[citation needed]), Blings (boxy bodies and big wheels), Hardnoze (enlarged fronts), Crooze (stretched out bodies), and Fatbax (super-wide rear wheels and short bodies). [16], In 1989, Mattel released collector numbers. In 2018, for Hot Wheels' 50th Anniversary, Car Culture card sizes were increased, along with the amount of decorations on the cars. [45] In 1992, Hot Wheels sponsored the Trans-Am car of Jack Baldwin as he went on to win that year's championship. In 2004, it released a 1/12 scale replica of the C6 Corvette. In 2001, Mattel created a Hot Wheels collectors website.[9]. Each display case came with an exclusive car. Only seven new models were made in 1972. The cars were decorated with flashy designs and special "rubber" wheels before 2007. Sales for the series models soared with another program also introduced that year called the Bonus Car program, causing stores across the nation to have shortages. There are a few exceptions where the copyright date applies only to the base of a car instead of to the entire car. A few models included are Copper Stopper, 1970 Pontiac GTO, and Hammer Sled. Each car had its own number. [29]. In the 1990s, Mattel's trademark on the "Sizzlers" name had lapsed and toy company Playing Mantis released a new Sizzlers line based around NASCAR stock car models and copied the Fat Track as the "Stocker 400" and "Mach 500" track sets to capitalize on the booming popularity of NASCAR in that decade. 2013 saw the release of 250 cars including Stunt, Racing, Imagination, City, and Showroom, all of which contain sub-series. In 2006, a Series 3 line of Classics was introduced, again containing 30 models with multiple colors of each vehicle. The idea of numbering a casting with a number corresponding to their own series was also aborted. The blister card said "Treasure Hunt" or "T-Hunt" on a green bar, sometimes with an illustration of a treasure chest. For example, Quick Bite, first released in 1984 as the Good Humor Truck, had a tooling update before 2018, so its date reads 1983, '17 on the base of the 2018 release. They were taken off the market after Mattel filed a lawsuit against Playing Mantis. Models included the '69 Pontiac Firebird, a Meyers Manx dune buggy, and the Richard Petty '70 Plymouth "Superbird". Tam's first design was the Whip Creamer. [36] On September 28, 2016, Justin Lin signed on to direct the film, which will be produced through his production company Perfect Storm Entertainment. They were introduced in 1970 and became immediately popular. It is featured in four movies and many short segments where the drivers (old ones, gangs, like Teku, Metal Maniacs, the evil Racing Drones, and the stealthy Silencerz). The Fat Track sets included the "Big O", "California 500", and "Super Circuit" race sets, and accessories such as the "Scramble Start" (a four-car starting gate), "Lap Computer" four car lap counter, and "Race-Timer" stop watch. In 1970, Hot Wheels sponsored Trans-Am Series driver Dan Gurney and his All American Racers car. The series is also used to debut several different castings, such as the 1965 Chevy Malibu or the 1972 Ford Ranchero. For that year, each blister card had a 50th Anniversary logo. For example, a car with the date stamp of "L42" was produced on the forty-second week of 2018. However, the regular T-hunts retained a special T-Hunt series card.
[6] The Twin Mill was introduced in 1969 and was used to create the company's first full-scale replica car in 2001.[9]. There were sixteen castings released, eleven of them designed by Harry Bentley Bradley with assistance from Handler and Ryan. The new series "Team Hot Wheels" appear in late 2011. Many Hot Wheels collectors have noticed in recent times that the US Basic mixes are more likely to have a Super Treasure Hunt in them compared to International Mixes. In 2011, Sizzlers have been re-released as Cars 2 characters, and were sold at Target stores. In 2005, Hot Wheels continued with new "extreme" castings for the 2nd year, debuting the Torpedoes line (skinny bodies and outboard wheels) and Drop Tops (flattened rooflines and wheel arches that extend above the car's roofline), in addition to 20 "Realistix" models. The convention occurred in various locations around the country until 2001, when the first Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals was put together. But Hot Wheels saw what the new model of Corvette was going to look like before GM's official unveiling, and they designed a die-cast version of the 1984 Corvette. [48] Six years later, the company returned to NASCAR to sponsor the No. Gilford, who had just left Chrysler, quickly accepted the job of designing the next Hot Wheels models. Models included a VW Karmann Ghia, a '68 Mercury Cougar, and the "Red Baron" hot rod. [41], In late January 2019, Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures agreed to partner on a Hot Wheels film. They are more expensive than the Mattel models which aren't as highly detailed. Mattel stopped using special cards for all Treasure Hunts in 2013. The rest of the line included the standard 12 Treasure Hunts, 10 Track Aces, 50 Segment Series Cars, and 50 Open Stock Models. The "Fat Daddy" Sizzlers (oversized bodies with huge tires) were introduced in 1973. This was followed by the 15-car Treasure Hunt series with 1957 Chevy and 1958 Chevy Impala, 15 Track Stars including the 2010 Formula Street series, the 10x10 series, the Thrill Racers series, and 22 HW Video Game Heroes which were packaged with codes for an internet computer game. 12 truck. In 2019, a seal was added in the bottom left corner of the blister card with the motto. [17] The cards were all blue, for all blister packs released from 19891994. [47] In 2004, Hot Wheels sponsored the No. The US version of the series debuted on Cartoon Network on August 29, 2009. Two of the popular limited 1:18 Hot Wheels Elite series' are the Ferrari in Music and Cult Classics. Mike Strauss has been called the father of Hot Wheels collecting; he has organized two collectors' events each year in some form since 1986. The Beach Bomb is a VW microbus with a pair of surfboards poking out the rear window. Mattel also released 2004 First Editions cars with unpainted Zamac bodies. That next year, the Night Ridin' Sizzlers (which had headlights you could turn on or off) were created. The original Hot Wheels were made by Elliot Handler. Strauss has also published the quarterly Hot Wheels Newsletter since 1986 and was one of the first to unite collectors all over the world. In 2009, Mattel released 42 New Models, 12 Treasure Hunts, 12 Track Stars, 24 Mystery Cars, 10 Segment Series of 10 cars, and introduced the Indy Car Series drivers. [2] It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox. There were also some new mainline series introduced, such as Experimotors (cars with moving parts, or a secondary purpose), Holiday Racers (cars that have a holiday based theme), Factory Fresh (a series including newer, sometimes older castings with fabric painting) and Camaro Fifty (a series dedicated to the Chevrolet Camaro, and its 50th anniversary). [21], Starting in 2018, Hot Wheels launched a new program called the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. In the late 1980s, the so-called Blue Card blister pack color scheme was introduced, which would become the basis of Hot Wheels colors still used today (original blister packs were red and yellow).
During this period, there was a trend away from wild hot rods and fantastic cars, and a move to more realistic cars and trucks, like the competitor Matchbox.
Mattel released its first-ever 3D CGI animated episodic television series called Hot Wheels Battle Force 5, which was a co-production between Canadian animation giants Nelvana and WildBrain. 48 Big Machine Racing Team car at Darlington Raceway; Buford's paint scheme for the race was modeled after Gurney's Trans-Am car. Youre seeing this ad based on the products relevance to your search query. He wanted to work on the Major Matt Mason action figure toy line-up. The former was able to change color on exposure to hot or cold water, and there was an initial release of 20 different cars, available as sets of three vehicles. There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of web pages dedicated to Hot Wheels collecting. Models included the 1957 Chevy Bel Air (pictured at the right), the 1963 Ford T-Bird, and the 1965 Pontiac GTO. The highest price paid for a Hot Wheels car was close to $70,000 in 2000 for a pre-production version of a Volkswagen Rear Loader Beach Bomb (the asking price was $72,000). The copyright date will usually not change through the lifetime of a casting. This base code can be used to identify exactly when an individual car was produced in the Hot Wheels factory. The Modifighters names are: Streetwyse, Skullface, Live Wire, Bedlam, Nightlife, Mr. Big, and Quick-Tyme. The initial prototypes of the Beach Bomb were faithful to the shape of a real VW Type 2 "bus", and had two surfboards sticking out the back window, in a nod to the VW's perceived association with the surfing community and the slang term for a person who spends much time surfing - a 'beach bum'. In 1998, Mattel celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Hot Wheels brand by replicating various cars and individual packaging from its 30-year history and packaging these replicated vehicles in special 30th Anniversary boxes. Since that moment, recolors are named with a different number than the original, thus causing the number limit of cars to expand to 365. Like Treasure Hunts of the past, a Super Treasure Hunt features premium wheels and Spectraflame paint, as well as (starting in 2015), a golden-colored circle-flame logo printed on the card behind the car.
The new line focused on muscle cars, hot rods, and other offbeat vehicles (such as a go-kart, a motor home and even an airplane), many from the company's first ten years (196878) of production. When the company asked him to come back, he recommended a good friend, Ira Gilford. Market prices on RLBBs however, have easily reached the five-figure plateau, ranging from $70,000 to $120,000.
Hot Wheels also in the early 1990s introduced a series known as the California Customs. In 2016, Hot Wheels released a special collection for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles 1966 song Yellow Submarine. The collections includes five cars, a VW microbus and a yellow submarine.[31]. The first event was the Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention, normally held each year in the fall. In addition to the cars themselves, Mattel produced a racing track set (sold separately). One was the 1995 Model Series, which included all of that year's new castings. Fatbax models included vehicles such as the Toyota Supra and Corvette C6. Of the 24 models appearing for 1973, only three were new models.
cars, as compared to Matchbox cars which were generally small-scale models of production cars. The letter is then followed by two numbers, which represent the week of that particular year the car was manufactured. Wood accepted, and, by the end of the week, Wood was working at Mattel, where his first design was the Tri-Baby. Since then, the Conventions are held each year in southern California. For 2002, the mainline consisted of 12 Treasure Hunts, 42 First Editions, 15 Segment Series of 4 cars each, and 126 open stock cars. Due to low sales, and the fact that the majority of the castings were not re-used in later years, the 1972-3 models are known to be very collectible. These three cars featured "supercharged" engines (featuring large Roots blowers) without hoods, and open exhaust headers, after the style of drag racing cars of the era. As of January 2009, the Sizzlers line has been discontinued by Target. VERSION RELEASE K / FACTORY SEALED CASE OF 72 / FREE SHIPPING*, HOT WHEELS 2022 BASIC CARS U.S. Hot Wheels have a series called Hot Wheels Elite and Hot Wheels Mattel. For the first time, there are chase cars in the classics series. At each event, one car is picked to be recreated as a potential new Hot Wheels casting. Those exceptions are mostly funny car castings where the same base was used with various different bodies over the years. The music series features singers' and rappers' Ferraris, including Jamiroquai's Jay Kay's Black Enzo Ferrari. These date codes are more specific than the 3-digit codes as they indicate the day a car was made instead of just the week. The Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals rotate among cities outside of California during the spring. [15] Despite the fact that they were very popular, the Real Riders line was short-lived, because of high production costs. Some of those cars include Rodzilla, Fangula, Twin Mill III (3), Bone Shaker and Baja Bone Shaker. VERSION RELEASE L / FACTORY SEALED CASE OF 72 / FREE SHIPPING*, HOT WHEELS 2022 BASIC CARS U.S. It had 2,700 diamond chips, a total of almost 23 karats, and was cast in white gold, with rubies serving as taillights.[30]. New models include the Cruise Bruiser, Side Ripper, Grass Chomper, and the '16 Acura NSX, while other models first see their release in the mainline series, such as the '52 Hudson Hornet. The Hot Wheels Elite series have a "mini" series which can be seen on the website. [13] Tam continued to work for Mattel until 1973. These vehicles did not sell as well as Mattel expected, and many could still be found in stores throughout 2005. The original production run was 10,000 of each car worldwide; that number has since risen due to the increasing demand for and popularity of Hot Wheels as a collector's item. There was also supposed to be a separate Mustang Funny Car (as listed on the blisterpack rear checklist) but this was apparently changed to a Plymouth Barracuda Funny Car during production. The date is usually the year before the car was first released, but not always. The latest set with the Snake and Mongoose is in the Drag-Strip Demons lineup. On October 4, 2018, Hot Wheels filed a new trademark for the motto it's not the same without the flame. It was claimed by advertisers that the 90-second charge time was "the longest minute and a half in a kid's life" as they waited impatiently for the car to charge sufficiently to get back into the race. Discover more about the small businesses partnering with Amazon and Amazons commitment to empowering them. A date code of 1987 would indicate the car was made on the 198th day of 2017 (July 17). 2016 lineup was similar to 2015 and 2014 in terms of segments, and the design of the card was overhauled. The 1984 Corvette production ran for 1.5 model years covering half of the remaining 1983 model year and ending on time for the 1985 model year. In action, Sizzlers supposedly display a unique, competitive "passing action" when running on the Fat Track, as if each car were piloted by an impatient driver trying to jockey ahead of the rest. On June 17, 2011, it was announced that Legendary Pictures is developing a film based on Hot Wheels due to the success of Fast Five by developing an edgier film. Sizzlers run on the regular "orange" Hot Wheels track, and Mattel created special race sets with U-Turns, multi-level spirals and loops to take advantage of the cars' electric motor. After all the events for that year conclude, one finalist is then picked to be the winner, and their car then gets recreated as a new Hot Wheels casting next year. In conjunction with Epyx Software, Mattel released a computer game edition of Hot Wheels for various 8-bit platforms in 1985, as part of the Computer Activity Toys series. For its 40th anniversary in 2008, Hot Wheels celebrated the making of its four billionth car with the production of a diamond-studded model worth US$140,000.
99 car of Jeff Burton for one race at Darlington Raceway. [37][38] On August 1, 2017, Lin revealed that the film was still in development. Some of them include HW Showroom, BMW (100th anniversary of BMW), HW Screen Time (Cars and characters seen on television, video games, and movies), and HW Snow Stormers. Eichi-W Collection 1/64 Protector Cases Street Diorama Design Lot of 20 Protective Case for Hot Wheels and Matchbox Collectors, Hot Wheels R/C 1:64 Scale The Batman Batmobile, Remote-Controlled Vehicle from The Movie, USB Rechargeable Controller, On or Off Track Racing, Gift for Fans of Cars & Comics & Kids 5 Years Old & Up, Hot Wheels Monster Truck Epic Loop Challenge Play Set with Truck and car, Hot Wheels City Ultimate Octo Car Wash Playset with No-Spill Water Tanks & 1 Color Reveal Car that Transforms with Water, 4+ ft Long, Connects to Other Sets, Gift for Kids 4 Years Old & Up, Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash Track with Motorized Boosters [Amazon Exclusive], Hot Wheels Super 6-Lane Raceway with Lights & Sounds, Includes 6 Hot Wheels Vehicles, Track Unfolds to 8 Feet, Collapses for Easy Storage, Gift for Kids 5 Years & Older , Orange, Hot Wheels Japanese Multipacks of 6 Toy Cars, 1:64 Scale, Authentic Decos, Popular Castings, Rolling Wheels, Gift for Kids 3 Years Old & Up & Collectors, Hot Wheels Sky Crash Tower Track Set, 2.5+ ft High with Motorized Booster, Orange Track & 1 Hot Wheels Vehicle, Race Multiple Cars [Amazon Exclusive], Hot Wheels 24-Car Random Assortment Party Pack 2014 and Newer, Hot Wheels Track Builder Unlimited Triple Loop Kit Collapsible 3-Loop Gift Set & One 1:64 Scale Hot Wheels Vehicle with Connection Points [Amazon Exclusive]. Premiums and other special series lines often run later in the calendar year before changing production to the next year. Treasure Hunt (sometimes T-Hunt) is a line of Hot Wheels cars, introduced by Mattel in 1995. 2013 also saw a change in the look of the packaging cards which includes a quartet of helmeted motorcycle riders standing behind the flame logo and the Treasure Hunt series cards no longer marked with a treasure chest. For the most part, it is a relatively inexpensive hobby, when compared with coin collecting, stamp collecting or Barbie collecting, with mainline cars costing about $0.97-$1.08 (USD) at retail. In 1982, the Chevrolet Corvette had ended the curvaceous "Mako Shark" body style that had been in production for almost 15 years, and GM announced that the Corvette would be redesigned. Mattel also produced a Classics Olds 442 in Spectraflame blue for the 2005 Toy Fair. A code of 0250 would be the 25th day of 2010 (or 2020; depending on the car). In 2018, Hot Wheels celebrated its 50th anniversary. They do not necessarily reflect the model release year of a particular car. The Sizzlers were a 1970s Hot Wheels spin off with a built-in motor and a tiny rechargeable battery. The first line of Hot Wheels Cars, known as The Original Sweet 16 was manufactured in 1968. The roof was also cut away and replaced by a full-length sunroof, to lower the center of gravity. Then, Hot Wheels made rail-type dragster versions of them, based on the actual funny cars and was featured in the Wild Wheelie Set. [40] However the option expired and returned to Mattel. However, in 2016, this was changed to "Congratulations! These included mostly short-lived lines of cartoonish vehicles such as 'Tooned (vehicles based on the larger Hot Tunerz line of Hot Wheels created by Eric Tscherne[citation needed]), Blings (boxy bodies and big wheels), Hardnoze (enlarged fronts), Crooze (stretched out bodies), and Fatbax (super-wide rear wheels and short bodies). [16], In 1989, Mattel released collector numbers. In 2018, for Hot Wheels' 50th Anniversary, Car Culture card sizes were increased, along with the amount of decorations on the cars. [45] In 1992, Hot Wheels sponsored the Trans-Am car of Jack Baldwin as he went on to win that year's championship. In 2004, it released a 1/12 scale replica of the C6 Corvette. In 2001, Mattel created a Hot Wheels collectors website.[9]. Each display case came with an exclusive car. Only seven new models were made in 1972. The cars were decorated with flashy designs and special "rubber" wheels before 2007. Sales for the series models soared with another program also introduced that year called the Bonus Car program, causing stores across the nation to have shortages. There are a few exceptions where the copyright date applies only to the base of a car instead of to the entire car. A few models included are Copper Stopper, 1970 Pontiac GTO, and Hammer Sled. Each car had its own number. [29]. In the 1990s, Mattel's trademark on the "Sizzlers" name had lapsed and toy company Playing Mantis released a new Sizzlers line based around NASCAR stock car models and copied the Fat Track as the "Stocker 400" and "Mach 500" track sets to capitalize on the booming popularity of NASCAR in that decade. 2013 saw the release of 250 cars including Stunt, Racing, Imagination, City, and Showroom, all of which contain sub-series. In 2006, a Series 3 line of Classics was introduced, again containing 30 models with multiple colors of each vehicle. The idea of numbering a casting with a number corresponding to their own series was also aborted. The blister card said "Treasure Hunt" or "T-Hunt" on a green bar, sometimes with an illustration of a treasure chest. For example, Quick Bite, first released in 1984 as the Good Humor Truck, had a tooling update before 2018, so its date reads 1983, '17 on the base of the 2018 release. They were taken off the market after Mattel filed a lawsuit against Playing Mantis. Models included the '69 Pontiac Firebird, a Meyers Manx dune buggy, and the Richard Petty '70 Plymouth "Superbird". Tam's first design was the Whip Creamer. [36] On September 28, 2016, Justin Lin signed on to direct the film, which will be produced through his production company Perfect Storm Entertainment. They were introduced in 1970 and became immediately popular. It is featured in four movies and many short segments where the drivers (old ones, gangs, like Teku, Metal Maniacs, the evil Racing Drones, and the stealthy Silencerz). The Fat Track sets included the "Big O", "California 500", and "Super Circuit" race sets, and accessories such as the "Scramble Start" (a four-car starting gate), "Lap Computer" four car lap counter, and "Race-Timer" stop watch. In 1970, Hot Wheels sponsored Trans-Am Series driver Dan Gurney and his All American Racers car. The series is also used to debut several different castings, such as the 1965 Chevy Malibu or the 1972 Ford Ranchero. For that year, each blister card had a 50th Anniversary logo. For example, a car with the date stamp of "L42" was produced on the forty-second week of 2018. However, the regular T-hunts retained a special T-Hunt series card.
[6] The Twin Mill was introduced in 1969 and was used to create the company's first full-scale replica car in 2001.[9]. There were sixteen castings released, eleven of them designed by Harry Bentley Bradley with assistance from Handler and Ryan. The new series "Team Hot Wheels" appear in late 2011. Many Hot Wheels collectors have noticed in recent times that the US Basic mixes are more likely to have a Super Treasure Hunt in them compared to International Mixes. In 2011, Sizzlers have been re-released as Cars 2 characters, and were sold at Target stores. In 2005, Hot Wheels continued with new "extreme" castings for the 2nd year, debuting the Torpedoes line (skinny bodies and outboard wheels) and Drop Tops (flattened rooflines and wheel arches that extend above the car's roofline), in addition to 20 "Realistix" models. The convention occurred in various locations around the country until 2001, when the first Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals was put together. But Hot Wheels saw what the new model of Corvette was going to look like before GM's official unveiling, and they designed a die-cast version of the 1984 Corvette. [48] Six years later, the company returned to NASCAR to sponsor the No. Gilford, who had just left Chrysler, quickly accepted the job of designing the next Hot Wheels models. Models included a VW Karmann Ghia, a '68 Mercury Cougar, and the "Red Baron" hot rod. [41], In late January 2019, Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures agreed to partner on a Hot Wheels film. They are more expensive than the Mattel models which aren't as highly detailed. Mattel stopped using special cards for all Treasure Hunts in 2013. The rest of the line included the standard 12 Treasure Hunts, 10 Track Aces, 50 Segment Series Cars, and 50 Open Stock Models. The "Fat Daddy" Sizzlers (oversized bodies with huge tires) were introduced in 1973. This was followed by the 15-car Treasure Hunt series with 1957 Chevy and 1958 Chevy Impala, 15 Track Stars including the 2010 Formula Street series, the 10x10 series, the Thrill Racers series, and 22 HW Video Game Heroes which were packaged with codes for an internet computer game. 12 truck. In 2019, a seal was added in the bottom left corner of the blister card with the motto. [17] The cards were all blue, for all blister packs released from 19891994. [47] In 2004, Hot Wheels sponsored the No. The US version of the series debuted on Cartoon Network on August 29, 2009. Two of the popular limited 1:18 Hot Wheels Elite series' are the Ferrari in Music and Cult Classics. Mike Strauss has been called the father of Hot Wheels collecting; he has organized two collectors' events each year in some form since 1986. The Beach Bomb is a VW microbus with a pair of surfboards poking out the rear window. Mattel also released 2004 First Editions cars with unpainted Zamac bodies. That next year, the Night Ridin' Sizzlers (which had headlights you could turn on or off) were created. The original Hot Wheels were made by Elliot Handler. Strauss has also published the quarterly Hot Wheels Newsletter since 1986 and was one of the first to unite collectors all over the world. In 2009, Mattel released 42 New Models, 12 Treasure Hunts, 12 Track Stars, 24 Mystery Cars, 10 Segment Series of 10 cars, and introduced the Indy Car Series drivers. [2] It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox. There were also some new mainline series introduced, such as Experimotors (cars with moving parts, or a secondary purpose), Holiday Racers (cars that have a holiday based theme), Factory Fresh (a series including newer, sometimes older castings with fabric painting) and Camaro Fifty (a series dedicated to the Chevrolet Camaro, and its 50th anniversary). [21], Starting in 2018, Hot Wheels launched a new program called the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. In the late 1980s, the so-called Blue Card blister pack color scheme was introduced, which would become the basis of Hot Wheels colors still used today (original blister packs were red and yellow).
During this period, there was a trend away from wild hot rods and fantastic cars, and a move to more realistic cars and trucks, like the competitor Matchbox.
Mattel released its first-ever 3D CGI animated episodic television series called Hot Wheels Battle Force 5, which was a co-production between Canadian animation giants Nelvana and WildBrain. 48 Big Machine Racing Team car at Darlington Raceway; Buford's paint scheme for the race was modeled after Gurney's Trans-Am car. Youre seeing this ad based on the products relevance to your search query. He wanted to work on the Major Matt Mason action figure toy line-up. The former was able to change color on exposure to hot or cold water, and there was an initial release of 20 different cars, available as sets of three vehicles. There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of web pages dedicated to Hot Wheels collecting. Models included the 1957 Chevy Bel Air (pictured at the right), the 1963 Ford T-Bird, and the 1965 Pontiac GTO. The highest price paid for a Hot Wheels car was close to $70,000 in 2000 for a pre-production version of a Volkswagen Rear Loader Beach Bomb (the asking price was $72,000). The copyright date will usually not change through the lifetime of a casting. This base code can be used to identify exactly when an individual car was produced in the Hot Wheels factory. The Modifighters names are: Streetwyse, Skullface, Live Wire, Bedlam, Nightlife, Mr. Big, and Quick-Tyme. The initial prototypes of the Beach Bomb were faithful to the shape of a real VW Type 2 "bus", and had two surfboards sticking out the back window, in a nod to the VW's perceived association with the surfing community and the slang term for a person who spends much time surfing - a 'beach bum'. In 1998, Mattel celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Hot Wheels brand by replicating various cars and individual packaging from its 30-year history and packaging these replicated vehicles in special 30th Anniversary boxes. Since that moment, recolors are named with a different number than the original, thus causing the number limit of cars to expand to 365. Like Treasure Hunts of the past, a Super Treasure Hunt features premium wheels and Spectraflame paint, as well as (starting in 2015), a golden-colored circle-flame logo printed on the card behind the car.