Taking a Chance With The Hot Wheels Speed Graphics 5-Pack

Each year, there's a grand total of about two 5-packs worth getting, and they both revolve around the same theme. One is the annual Hot Wheels Exotics 5-pack, usually featuring five of the hottest European sports cars and supercars, with minimal graphics and occasionally the odd stripe or two. The other is Matchbox's version of the Exotics 5-pack, which is similar but with far better castings and more realistic designs. Otherwise, most of these multi-packs are best suited as children's gifts, for the ones who haven't yet reached the age to differentiate good taste from bad taste.

This year, there's a third, and it's this Speed Graphics fiver. There are two particular models in here absolutely worth having regardless of what you collect, and the rest is a toss-up depending on who you're talking to.

I personally like three of these models: the Corvette Grand Sport, Ford GT LM, and the Toyota Supra. Three out of five, for five bucks, is not bad at all. Last week, I took opportunity of Target's 40% off all Hot Wheels promotion on Cartwheel to snatch this quintet for $3, which brought me to a single dollar for each car I intend to keep.

Now that's more like it!

After examining each of these in person, I felt the Corvette was more ho-hum than I had thought. The yellow base is, naturally, hideous, at which point I had to remind myself that Hot Wheels and common sense are not synonymous with each other. The GT, while a bit simplistic, is pretty as always. The Supra really wowed with its bold colors and perfectly suited (and very underrated) Y5 wheels. It's fantastic and my favorite release of the Mark IV to date.

I think I'll keep those two tucked away safely and toss the others in the donation bin.

The Dodge Charger Drift car is merely a shell of its former self.

Love the colors and the livery, but this casting is plain awful.

Hot Wheels designers sure love their yellow bases!

The Kyosho 1/18 Toyota Supra Turbo That Will Decimate All

"2ZJ no....."

You know the rest.

This is a car that needs no introduction. It's Kyosho's Toyota Supra Mk.IV, in 1/18 scale. Timeless design and a bulletproof engine with massive tuning potential pretty much sums up what makes the fourth generation Supra so great. That, along with the Fast & Furious cachet, is what also makes it perhaps the holiest grail of Japanese sports cars. It's widely known that the value of the real car has skyrocketed in the past few years, drastically slimming the chances of actually owning one, let alone finding one that is still in pristine condition.

The same applies to this model. Finding one of these miniatures can prove to be quite difficult in itself, even more so if you want one in good condition with a price somewhere within the realm of the universe. This old Kyosho is currently the only stock form of the Mark Four at this scale. Somebody please wake up AUTOart and tell them there is a ton of untapped potential for them to cash in on.

Nonetheless, I managed to land one of these, and now I get to cross it off my diecast bucket list. Easily an all-time top five car.

Project Premiere/World Class, Day 1: Twin Turbo Toyota's

What better way to start off than with the one that started it all?

The Toyota Supra Turbo. Not much needs to be said about this car; it's one of Toyota's best designs ever. You look at Toyota's current lineup and can't help but wonder if it's the same company that produced this beast back in the 90's. Despite that, it hasn't aged one bit. Its value certainly hasn't either. If you can't afford the real one, Matchbox has an excellent miniature of it that should make any fan happy. It's not the most detailed, but it certainly is my favorite diecast model of the Supra. Accurate proportions, stock form, and all of the goodies that come with the Premiere treatment: metal base, working suspension, rubber wheels, and painted interior, just to name a few.

It's also one of the first diecast cars I've ever owned. That one, however, is long gone. It was white with a red interior. It was a Matchbox Premiere, just like the two shown here. It was also very beat up, having gone through years of simulated car crashes and wild stunts performed by a younger me. Without a doubt, it was the toy car from my childhood. 

I threw it away when I started collecting diecast during my high school years. I understand the importance and meaning of keeping childhood relics. I've even seen some collectors prefer play-worn cars over mint pieces because they have more "character", as they call it. I, myself, am not a fan of beat-up cars. I display my cars, and I can't stand it when I see one with dents and scratches all over. OCD kicks in and I force myself to remove it from my shelf. If I can't proudly display a diecast model, it's not worth keeping to me.

I figured I would eventually acquire one off the internet. Which I did, except I got it in a different color. This bronze example has been an admirable replacement. 

One day, I will get my hands on that white one. They're rather hard to find (at reasonable prices) nowadays. In the meantime, I splurged on a yellow one, which is from a JCPenny-exclusive 8-car set. I got the whole set mainly for the Supra alone, and it goes without saying that it's the best of the bunch. In fact, I'll take the yellow over the bronze any day. I know there's also a dark grey version out there as well as a limited edition release in black. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me...

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...