Ride or Die? The 2nd Wave of Jada Toys' Fast & Furious Build N' Collect Series

Ride or Die.

Jada Toys has hit it big with its Fast & Furious lineup. Say what you want about the movies, the plots, or the acting, but they're exciting and fun-to-watch at the very least. That's how Fast & Furious has become one of the biggest Hollywood franchises today. Jada was smart to pull this business move and acquire official licensing to replicate F&F's most iconic vehicles in diecast form. 

They may not be for everyone. Jada Toys usually produces their vehicles in off-scales. Their 1/18 and 1/24-scale models are a tad larger than they claim to be. They also produce models in 1/32 and 1/55 scale, both of which are irregular scales in the diecast world. In a collection, it's hard to fit them in with the rest of the masses. Jada models have an exaggerated style that aren't very realistic even though they're packed with a ton of character. They use bling-y wheels and tacky bodykits on many of their cars. Furthermore, there are car enthusiasts who just don't care about Fast & Furious in general. 

Well, I do. 

I love all the movies, with the exception of the most recent one, which was both incredibly cheesy and ridiculous at the same time. While 1/55 scale is a bit out of my range, I had to grab a set of these, just as I did with the first wave of Build N' Collect releases. 

A little bit on the Build N' Collect series. When the first wave came out, they sold like hotcakes. I rushed to Target every other day to look for them. I even overpaid, as Target initially priced them at $6 rather than $4. The marketing strategy is simple yet genius. Each of the six cars in the set comes with an extra part to build a "bonus" vehicle (not sold individually), hence the "Build N' Collect" moniker. In Wave 1, that was the white Toyota Supra from Furious 7. In this wave, it's the orange Supra from the original movie. Tempting, right?

That forces collectors like me to purchase an entire set, even if we don't like some of the models. I personally would've passed on half of the cars here if it weren't for the Supra. Therefore, the strategy was a success. The important question is "Was it worth it?" 

In short, yes. The Supra is one of the best models of the bunch. However, the throne goes to the bare-metal Dodge Charger Maximus. Take a look for yourself...