Two Ford GT LMs, both Hot Wheels and both with the same Gran Turismo-inspired livery. But one is five times the price of the other, which begs the question: is it actually five times the model?
In short: yes.
Not sure what prompted Hot Wheels to finally start producing cars based from video games (seems like common sense to me), but it's better late than never. And, in my opinion, they've knocked it out of the park with these Gran Turismo cars, which are featured in both "mainline" and Retro Entertainment forms. The mainlines can be found at Walgreens and online hobby dealers, and consist of a set of eight cars; the Retro Entertainment is a set of five and can be found at all major retailers. Both series feature different models, but they do share one in common. This one.
Thus, it's only right that we compare these two.
This is neither the first nor the last time Hot Wheels has produced the same casting with the same livery in two different "levels" of detail. Earlier this year, the Aston Martin DB10 from the James Bond thriller Spectre was first introduced in the mainline and then thrown into the Retro Entertainment series. I picked up both and regretted neither. The "premium" version is many times more expensive, but totally worth it. I would say the same here as well.
Starting with the basics, the Retro Entertainment Ford GT LM wears Real Riders (plus Goodyear lettering on the tires) to go along with its metal base and cast rear wing. The basic one curiously has a separate, plastic wing that sits a little shorter. I say curious because recent releases of this model have all been converted to the cast wing. The premium GT has windscreen decals, wing decals, printed fuel caps, and full rear detailing, none of which the basic one has. The headlight treatments are slightly different in execution. The interior of the premium version is a little darker and more metallic, the body paint a bit glossier. Everything else remains the same.
At five times the price, Retro Entertainment models would seem like worse value than their mainline counterparts, but trust me, they're completely worth it. The Real Riders alone completely change the look of the whole model, just as having the right set of wheels would on a real car. Which is why most Hot Wheels premium lines tend to sell very quickly and why they're wildly popular with customizers.
Quality over quantity - the golden rule of collecting diecast.
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