Boom or Bust? The Hot Wheels Walmart-Exclusive BMW Series

Yeah, I know I'm a bit late here. You may have already seen these, as collectors in other countries had already found them last month. And how much more appropriate it would have been, to find them last month, with BMW's 100th anniversary going on. However, the big news this week circling around us folks here in the U.S. is that Walmart stores across the country have started putting out the "new" BMW series. It's a series of 8 models, per usual, focusing solely on Bimmers. We know there's a ton of Bimmer fans out there, so these are sure to be popular.

I was fortunate to find every one of the releases in this series. That was not the case with the Porsche series. I'd like to thank those on Instagram for sharing the news. If it weren't for them, I would not have stopped by Walmart on a whim a couple days ago. The good models would have been gone by now.

Like I said, there are 8 models in this series. You only see 6 of them here. I left behind the motorcycle and the E36. One, I don't collect motorcycles and two, I've never liked the E36 casting. So let's just focus on these six.

We have the M1, 2002, Z4 GT3, E30 M3, and the E92 M3 in street and racing forms. Six castings that I would collect any day of the week. Despite that, I'm still torn on how to judge this set. Being largely a sports car collector, I can never turn down any BMW releases. But when you look at these, there isn't one that stands out above the crowd. All of them pale in comparison to their First Edition counterparts. To me, none of the liveries are particularly appealing, and the overall designs look very mediocre.

This goes back to my argument that Hot Wheels clearly isn't putting much effort towards these Walmart-exclusive sets. While I can't necessarily blame them for it, as they're priced the same as the mainlines, I'd like to see more thought put into the design, into the color combinations, into the execution. Some of these models could use better wheels. Two-tone wheels are incredibly tacky and don't belong on such wonderful castings as these. The color choices are questionable; most of them aren't even proper BMW colors.

There is one bright spot, however. It's the model you see above: the stock E92 M3. Executed flawlessly, in my opinion. There's nothing better than a clean design, and that's exactly what it is. Plain-jane silver paint, simple striping, and oh, those 5SP wheels! We need more 5SP's on modern sports cars. Collectors and scalpers alike may hoard the Z4's and the M1,s but if there's one model that's a must-have, it's this one.

Happy 100th, BMW!

In this day and age, everyone loves celebrating anniversaries. First anniversary? Let's host a big event! Twenty-sixth anniversary? Sure, why not? But BMW just reached the century mark, and that's something definitely worth celebrating. One. Hundred. Years.

And for that, I brought out all of my BMW's for a group photo. It's way past midnight here and I'm still up writing this. It's totally worth it. You only reach 100 years once and it's an incredible milestone.

As diecast collectors, we've been blessed to have access to miniatures of some of the best cars to come out of Bavaria. We've seen Hot Wheels do its thing, bringing heat in both modern and classic models. Sure, there have been a few duds, but mostly studs. Matchbox, after a brief hiatus, has given us a number of gems in the past few years. While BMW may not have the diecast presence of some of the other major automotive brands, it's slowly getting there. Let's take a look back at some of the best (and maybe some not-so-good) ones!

The 1-Series M is my favorite BMW of all time. It's fat, it's stubby, it's got ridiculously wide hips and an abnormal number of ducts, vents, and creases, but I love all of it. It's only right that it is also my favorite Matchbox model of all time. Nothing beats the orange of the debut release.

The M5 Polizei was my choice for Matchbox model of 2015. That's quite the praise considering the stiff competition it faced, with models such as the Tesla Model S and Alfa Romeo 4C. Four-doors are my kind of car, and they're largely under-appreciated when it comes to diecast. Thank goodness for Matchbox. We need more of these cars.

The E30 M3 is one of the best Hot Wheels mainline releases in recent memory, the silver one in particular. Gold wheels are always a plus, and so are the seldom-used lace wheels. It's a wonderful casting, but it hasn't always been executed to its full potential. I have to say I'm not a fan of the other three colorways (red, white, blue). Let's hope this model receives the proper treatment in the future.

The 2002 was the gateway for Hot Wheels to produce European classics and signaled the return of BMW. Since this was released back in 2012, we've seen new BMW models in the mainline every year. This Jun Imai casting still remains one of the best. It's hard enough as it is to find this casting in my neck of the woods. That's a testament to the 2002's popularity.

This is the BMW 1M from the Hot Ones series a few years back. A seldom used casting, it will be making a return in the upcoming (or depending on where you live, already out) Walmart-exclusive BMW series. It screams throwback, with its realistic livery and the school wheels. 

From here on out, I'll let the pictures do the talking. You might see some that are drool-worthy, and some that may be cringe-worthy.

It's ironic how some of the best castings here are the most rarely used. Z4 GT3 and M3 GT2? Only appeared as first editions with a recolor. 2002 and E30? Haven't been in the mainline the past 2-3 years. I think we can all agree that we need more of those and fewer E36's and M4's. The good thing is that we have plenty coming in the future. The Hot Wheels BMW series, for one. Then, the debut of the 3.0 CSL. Oh, and Matchbox has a variation of the Police M5 that just released.

All I have to say is, keep 'em coming!