Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy new year.  If you're in a reflective mood listen to Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne.  Prefer to ring out the old and ring in the new?  There's George Harrison's Ding Dong, Ding Dong from Dark Horse.  For the traditional you simply can't beat The Beach Boys' Auld Lang Syne from their classic Christmas Album.

The best is yet to come.  Cheers!

Batmobile Four-1 (Bat-1)

Hot Wheels Four-1

The Hot Wheels Four-1 is a custom design along the lines of a Smart car. This pint-size vehicle sports a huge 4 cylinder engine where a passenger might otherwise sit.  The black paint and wing-like rollbar extension  immediately reminded me of the Batmobile.  The blue windshield recalls one of my favorite toys: the Corgi #267 TV Batmobile from the 60s TV series.  The blue wheels allude to the glowing hubs on the Batmobile from Batman Forever.

The "Bat-1" (No room for Robin in this 1)

I removed most of the graphics from the side and the racing number from the rollbar.  The Corgi Batmobile inspired the bat sticker on the door for a retro touch.

The Bat-1 in front of a 1966 movie poster

 

King of the Kustomizers: The Art of George Barris is a fantastic book that covers many of Barris' creations including the 1966 TV Batmobile.

If you're a fan of the 1966 Batmobile you'll want this incredibly detailed 1:18 scale  Hot wheels 1966 Batmobile Elite Version Limited.  Mattel scanned Barris' 1:1 car to generate the casting. 

I'd Like To See A Hot Wheels Chaparral 2J

The 2J had two snowmobile engines turning props that sucked the car to the ground.  The boxy back end with enclosed wheel wells kept the air in and created the suction footprint. 
.




I have a cool Tyco HO racer from childhood like the one in this pic..

Jim Hall created some of the most innovative Can-Am race cars of all time.  To read more about the man and the cars there's this cool book (click on picture to buy from Amazon):




If you'd rather race than read there's this cool Scalextric slot car:

Today I Opened a Hot Wheels '49 Drag Merc

Very nice casting with see-thru hood scoop and fold-out wheelie bars.  Huge chrome wing looks great as does the dual carb engine visible through the scoop.  Now available in metallic maroon but I don't care for the translucent red windows/hood scoop or gold plating.  This metallic purple with flames paint scheme reminds me of the ever popular Purple Passion.

Hot Wheels Purple Passion

 If you enjoy building plastic model kits there is the Revell 1:25 '49 Mercury Custom Coupe

Mercury Blues is a great song. Vavoom!

Today I Opened A Custom '11 Camaro

Picked up this new release at today's K-Mart Hot WHeels event.  The Camaro is a great looking casting that belies its small scale and low price.  I like when the designer utilizes the different materials and their colors to add variety and detail.  The gray chassis yields lower body ground effects front, sides and rear as well as a fully detailed interior with roll cage; it also provides the hood louvers on either side of the cowl induction scoop.  The black plastic rear wing adds just the right touch to the back end and blends nicely with the black racing stripes. Blue tinted windows have molded in safety net in the driver's window.

The diecast body has lots of detail and dimension for 1/64 scale.  The yellow rimmed wheels might not have been my first choice but they look great.  All in all a great addition to the Hot Wheels lineup and you can't beat the bang for the buck.

Hot Wheels branded body kits are available for your 1:1 Camaro.   I wonder which came first: the toy or the body kits?  If you're a fan you might want a Camaro 2011 Wall Calendar.

I'd like to see a Hot Wheels 2012 Mustang Boss 302

Mattel could be accused of milking the Mustang name by producing nearly every year and variation that Ford produced (GT, King Cobra, GT500, etc., etc.).  However, this one caught me eye because it already looks like a Hot Wheels.  And there are even two color variations to start with.

For a great book about the original Boss Mustangs check out Boss and Cobra Jet Mustangs: 302, 351, 428 and 429 (Muscle Car Color History).

Tom Daniel Returns: Hot Wheels Mob Rod!

The first new Tom Daniel design produced by Mattel in almost 40 years!

The Mob Rod is based on a sketch Tom did many years ago.  It is a good-looking design but lacks the humor found in many of his best works.  You can find touches from a couple of them: the T'rantula double blower and Ice "T" scalloped front fenders.  

Cover art from Ice "T" model kit reissue (click on the photo above if you want to buy one.)

Cover art from original T'rantula model kit.

Tom's designs for Monogram model kits were used by Mattel for their Hot Wheels when they bought Monogram in the early 70s.  His designs include the Paddy Wagon, Ice "T", S'Cool Bus, Sand rab and influence can be found in many others.  The iconic Red Baron is one of the best selling Hot Wheels of all time and is still sold today.

Hot Wheels '71 Ford Maverick Grabber

Stunning Grabber Yellow paint and authentic-looking tampos.  Love the detailed interior with rear shelf speakers and is that an 8-track player in the dash?!  Also like the way the black interior yields a black grille and trim between the taillights.  Car seems to sit just right.  Ahhhh, the 70s.  Nice.

Hot Wheels Tyrrell P34 Six Wheeler

		I couldn't resist buying this one and comparing it to the Lickety Six from the 70s.  The Tyrrell was a Grand Prix racer and this Hot Wheels is very nicely done with enamel blue paint and diecast engine.   The tampos are reasonably authentic with the "elf" sponsor markings replaced with "Tyrell".  Elf Aquitaine was a French oil company. One flaw is the molded in driver is too small which makes the car seem rather large and it's easy to lose track of the scale with those tiny front wheels. The real P34 utilized small tires to improve aerodynamics but it didn't prove to be a successful concept and the idea was shelved after two seasons.  The cars pictured here raced in the 1976 season and a different more streamlined "B" version raced in '77. Hot Wheels Tyrrell P34. The real deal racing in the late 70s. Note the side window which allowed the driver to see the small tires. Tyrrell P34 with Lickety Six behind. The Lickety Six was clearly inspired and influenced by the Tyrrell. For gorgeous photos of the 1977 Tyrrell and other Formula 1 racers check out  Art of the Formula 1 Race Car by photographer James Mann.

I'd like to see a Hot Wheels AMX/3

I have Custom AMX and AMX/2 redlines and would like an AMX/3 to park next to them.  The AMX/3 Show Car was an exotic, mid-engined successor to the AMX, known as the AMX/3, came fairly close to regular production in 1970. Seven prototypes were made, styled and engineered by AMC with bodies hand-built in Turin, Italy. In mid-1970, the AMX/3 was first unveiled to the Roman press. The reception was enthusiastic. Unfortunately, financial problems at AMC, along with stricter safety and emissions requirements, caused them to abandon the project. In total, six examples of the AMX supercar were constructed.

 

A little AMX history.

The Custom AMX redline (above) was released in 1969 by Mattel based on American Motor's 1968 production AMX.  It is relatively stock in appearance except for the custom hood bulges.  With the Muscle Car wars raging between the Big Three auto makers, AMC, America's last independent car company, was in financial trouble. Their Javelin was sporty looking but couldn't compete with Mustangs and Camaros in the performance department.  They needed an image changer, a statement maker.  The AMX created excitement. Here at last was a two-place sports coupe American Motors could be proud to show off, and that's exactly what they did.  It's styling was essentially that of a truncated Javelin but it looked muscular and very successful.

Designed by in-house stylists Bob Nixon and Fred Hudson, the non-working AMX/2 show car featured a "twin" theme, including dual movable spoilers, and was intended to have a mid-mounted engine. Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show in early 1969.

 

   











AMX/2 Hot Wheels (above) released in 1971.  The twin engine covers are plastic and hinged so that they can be opened to reveal the engine.

In 1971 the AMX became a badge-change Javelin with performance features added.  Mattel recently released a rather nice version of this car but that's topic for another time.

 

If you're an AMX fan you'll want to check out this fine book (click on the photo to buy).