Hotwheels and their Special Packaging

Now I don't always go in for the all of the "Special Editions", all the variations, repaints, and miscellaneous versions of every car.... But every once in a while, one comes along that I find a way to get my hands on.

Case in point... The A-Team van.... This was a TV show that I grew up watching as a kid, and have very fond memories of.

When Hotwheels introduced the van as a New Model in 2011, I was happy to see it come out.

I was a little disappointed to see that they didn't have the two tone paint job. It's actually supposed to be a dark grey on the top, and black on the bottom, but that's another story.

So I found one, and added it to the collection.

 

Then I heard that they were doing a premium version of the van for this years Comic-con convention.

Not really a big comic-con fan myself, plus it was all the way out in California. However I do have a cousin who goes every year, and lives right there in town.... A quick email later I had my "order" in.

 

A couple of days later after the end of the show, this showed up in my mailbox.

It's a nice sturdy box printed to look like a hard case, or footlocker.

Inside I found this nicely packed car in a protective display case, and lots of protective foam packing.

I couldn't believe how well packaged this whole thing was.

The van is screwed to the base, and the clear plastic cover snaps over the top. The backdrop is just a colorful picture that slides in.

This one has the correct dark grey upper portion, and the lower body is black. Including the push bumper, fog lights across the roof. It was a good looking vehicle.

They also threw in some dust and mud looking spray like it had been driven hard. Even the windshield show some mud splatters, and a correct pattern showing where the windshield wipers had cleared some of it away.

This is one great looking vehicle, and packed with great care, and attention to detail. I am glad my cousin was able to get this one for me, as it was certainly one I wouldn't have been able to get on my own.

 

 

Tamiya Xanavi Nismo GT-R R34

So I decided to go back and do another racing car kit, as I have several of them staring at me from the "to do" shelf.

I also have to admit that I really do love the Tamiya brand kits. They are well engineered and fit together with minimal fuss. Almost never any flash, and very little clean up.

Just a little careful painting, and you are left with a really outstanding looking model.

This one you have to paint half the car red, and the other silver. The decals really take care of the rest of the body.

I am getting better, though still could use a little practice with the transfers for the tire lettering.
They don't always seem to be perfectly straight or centered.

That's about all I have to report on this one. It was a breeze to assemble, and looks great straight from the box, with no real extras added.

Hotwheels and Kmart

So a couple of times each year, Mattel teams up with Kmart stores and does a special promotion.

If you buy 20 cars, and mail in the backer cards, you get a special collector's mail-in car.

Here are the first two from this year.  (the Heavy Chevy was a Kmart promotion, and the Purple Passion Woody was the same concept, but done at Toys R' Us.)

The come with really nice paint, and real rider tires. More of a collectible item, there is special attention paid to the details.

The other advantage to the K-Day as they are called, is that Mattel ships specially marked packages to each Kmart. There is a raffle, and the winners get to be the first to open their case and dig through them. You have five minutes to view the contents and choose 5 cars.

Here's the advantages..... It appears that each case (at our store, there were 16 cases) comes with a treasure hunt. In this round it was the Bad to the Blade car. I hadn't seen this one before, and was excited to pick one up.

 

It also said that there is one "super treasure hunt" at each store, though I wasn't lucky enough to find that one. There were a lot of collectors there, and the one who found it, kept really quiet about it.

 

So in addition to the treasure hunts in each box, there are also special paint jobs on 4 regular castings that can only be found at this event.

 

It was the 34' Ford three window in red, the 64 Lincoln Continental in a purple-ish color, the 69' Corvette in a green on green paint job, and a 2011 Dodge Charger R/T in white on Blue.
The case that I opened had two of each of these, and I am sure just about everybody there went home with one set. (though I did see one person grabbing as many of these as he could).

So those are the main advantages of going to one of these special collector events.....


But there's more....

Also hidden in the cases were some "first to market" cars. These are cars for next year, that have come out ahead of all the other cars.... I managed to find two...

The 72' Ranchero in a burnt reddish color, and a Chevrolet SS that looks really nice on Blue on Blue.
There was also a Plymouth Superbird/ Dodge Dayona that was red with white stripes, but I didn't manage to get one of these.

So those are the exclusives.... But I was excited to get two more of these....

The very wild 76 Greenwood Corvette! I have one already, but have plans for a custom with this one. It's wild wide body, fixed headlights, and lowered stance make it a custom already, but I'm thinking something a little different with the paint, and maybe wheels too.

So that's it from the Kmart store this morning. Now back to work on that project I hinted at that is almost ready to be revealed.

 



1979 Camaro Z-28

So as a "quick project" I had this Revell 1979 Z-28 kit that I have been looking at for a while, and decided to get back to something more "pedestrian".

Not that a Z-28 is boring, but compared to the Hurtz GT350, and the Porsche GT2, it just seems a little plain.

Being that this was going to be a quick build, the hood is glued shut, and no attempt was made at even building the engine.

I didn't really care for the custom, or drag race versions that were build options with this kit, so went with the street-stock version.

I wasn't sure how accurate the blue stripes over silver paint is, but I felt that it added enough visual interest to work.

The T-Top panels were painted on the inside with Tamiya "Smoke" to make them appear tinted.
The front grill and headlights were carefully painted, and I feel turned out quite well.

The rear tail lenses were also carefully painted, and may not be entirely correct for the amber lenses... but added with the rear license plate, they make the back end look nice and clean.

So this one has actually be done for a little while, and just got around to photographing it.

I actually almost have my next project, and have a few pictures from along the way, so here is a sneak peek at the next one.....

More Custom Hotwheels Projects

Okay, so after finishing my latest project I decided to dive back in to some more Hotwheels customs.

Some are all done, others are waiting for glue to dry, and yet other need to be started over after placing a nice thumb print in some not-completely-dry clear coat.

More custom Kool Kombi's, a 65' GTO, a Corvette is in there, 2 different 240zs, and even a Challenger hiding in there.

Shelby GT350-H

So here is another kit that I have had in my "stash" for a while, and decided to get it out, and put it together.

I love the idea of Hertz Rental Cars teaming up with Carroll Shelby, and creating a series of custom GT350s for their rental fleet.

The distinctive black with gold stripes is probably one of the most recognizable of Mustang liveries.

This one however presented a few challenges. The kits went together without much fuss, but I managed to tear one of the large stripe decals while trying to get it on. After many curse words, I decided that I would just have to paint my own stripes.
Should be easy right?

Using Tamiya Masking Tape, I was able to layout the boundaries of the outside of each stripe.
Then using a straight edge, and an un-torn decal I was able to match the stripe that runs down the very center of the body.
Then I used the masked body, and tried to match up the front and rear fascia as best as I could.
Knowing that they wouldn't actually touch, I had a little leeway, but wanted them to be as close as possible.

A light coat of gold (looks almost grey here) and I was ready to pull the tape off.

A couple of coats of clear, some buffing, and then final details of chrome trim, headlights, blacked out grill to accentuate the horizontal bars.. stuff like that, and I had a pretty sharp looking model when all done.

The view from behind.

This one went together without any real drama, and has a striking paint scheme that really makes it stand out in the display case.

A quick sneak while things dry

While waiting for the last of all the little bits to dry, and set.....

Here's a sneak peak at the latest project.

Changed my mind

After fighting with all the fiddly little pieces in that engine, and having not even gotten started on the rest of the car, I was burnt out.

So I grabbed a different kit, one that had quite a bit fewer pieces.

And this one is going to be black, with gold stripes.....

Now that may ring a bell with a couple people.
And especially if you are a Ford fan....

There are only a few cars that have carried that livery.

So more to come shortly...

Enthusiast Series

So this is my first venture into Fujimi's Enthusiast series....

It is impressive, but also equally daunting.....

 

Here is the 2.8Liter V-8 from my latest project.

 

This thing has more pieces just in the engine than some kits have!

 

From all the hoses, and connections, to individual fuel rails for each bank of cylinders.

 

Still have a couple of spots that need a little more attention and paint.

For instance the intercoolers on top are just "mocked up" as I try to get all the plumbing for the twin-turbo system looking right.

 

It fits nicely on the little engine display stand that was included (6 pieces itself, just for the stand!)

 

But I have yet to start work on the suspension or chassis

 

So I am hoping everything will line up the way the factory intended, and it will all fit when the time comes to put everything together.

 

Porsche 993 - GT2 COMPLETE!

So it took a little time to wait for the paint and clear to completely harden before I started polishing, but finally have it all done!

I really like the way this one turned out. The paint and clear all wound up nice and flat.

The color isn't obnoxious like some of the newer GT cars, and it just looks understated, yet aggressive.

This one just went together with the usual ease of a Tamiya kit. Really no fitting issues, and with just some careful application of accent color, it really came out nice.

The gold accent on the wheels is a nice touch, and again, adds just enough color for visual interest.

The rollcage is a brighter shade of silver so it stands out a little bit, and the seats are bright blue with red 5-point safety harnesses. Hard to photograph through the side "glass" but adds just some color to the interior.
Had to add a Michigan license plate to finish it off. And I am glad that Michigan is a state that doesn't require you to run a front plate. I just think it ruins the lines of some really great cars to have this big, flat, add-on piece so you can stick a license plate out there.

You can see the seat colors a little bit from this one.

 

Already started the next one, and have been sitting on it for a while too.
Actually started it some time again, and recently changed my mind on the color.

It's going to be red..... stay tuned....

Completed Model Storage

So the question was posed to me, just where I store all of my completed models.

Simple, IKEA. More precisely some of the storage/china cabinets that they offer.

First off I have three of these.
They are the Detlof. Glass on all 4 sides, and 3 glass shelves.
Not entirely air-tight, they do require an occasional dusting to keep everything clean.

This one is little "washed out" as it is right next to the basement walkout door.

Lots of light coming in that day.

 

I actually have three of these all lined up next to each other.

Makes for a pretty nice "display wall".

I also have this other one, that is a little older, and has been carted around with me a couple of places.

It is also an Ikea, but I don't remember the kind. I think the even stopped making them.
This one only has glass panels on three sides, and also came with three glass shelves.
Once I had a permanent home, and started building in earnest, that one was quickly outgrown.
So I drilled some holes, and added some plexi-glass shelves in between the glass ones.
A couple of them sag a little bit from being a little too wide, and I bowed them to get them to fit.

I still have one more if the Detlof's in the box for when I need it.

So that's also pretty much a sneak peek of the entire completed collection.

 

 

 

More work on the Porsche GT2

Just a quick camera phone shot of the body mocked up on the completed chassis and interior.  Still lots of little bits to get sorted out, but definitely starting to take shape.

Porsche GT2 quick update

Managed to get a little bit of work done over the weekend.
Got the engine, suspension and chassis all put together.

I just love the ease with which these Tamiya kits go together.
Also just enough detail, in just the right places to make everything look believable when it all comes together.

Moving on to the interior next.....

Next Project - Porsche 911 GT2

So this is one that has been in my "stash" for a long time, and am a little excited to start on this one.
I have done one before, but it was the full race version, where-as this one is the road version.

Couldn't wait, and had to open the box. Now I need to re-organize my work area, and make sure I have the space to lay everything out.
A little stumped as to what color would look best on this one.
I like the white, but I have a Porsche 959 in the collection already that is all white.
Hmmm.... might have to think about this one for a while.

Not a whole lot of info to be found on the correct colors.

This generation was known internally as the 993 model. The last of the air-cooled porsches.
Originally based on the 911 Turbo, this version removes the all-wheel drive system in order to meet racing homologation rules. Creating a significantly lighter overall vehicle. The final year, 1998, the power output was up-rated to 450 HP. In car that weighs only 2850 lbs.

So it weighs about the same as a Honda Accord, but has more than double the horsepower!!

Here's a quick picture of it's track only sibling, decked out in Taisan livery.

Could have used another coat of clear, but I kind of liked the "stickers" look of all the sponsors.

I am anticipating progress on this newest one will be a little slow, as I want to do it justice. Though once I have a color selected, at least it will start to look like it is moving.

Busy, busy weekend

So the weekend itself wasn't busy, but I managed to carve out some good chunks of time, and got several more customized Hot Wheels done....

Hope you enjoy.

First off is a simple wheels swap. Had an orange Kombi (okay I have several, but this was the first one I opened up.) Added some "Real Rider" rubber tires. A little detail painting on the engine and surfboards, and it was back together.

Next was a little more involved. This one is a complete repaint. Flat military green and flat black.
Swapped the wheels and used the off-road looking ones from the custom Jungle Crawler from a while back.

 Did some extra detailing on the back where the surfboards and engine are.

Thought that one came out pretty well....

Next was a late model corvette that I had stripped the paint off, and wasn't sure what to do.
So I decided to try metal polishing it!
Worked better than the photo shows. Looks pretty close to being chrome finished.

Only problem is that a chrome finish is hard to photograph on a grey overcast day.

Next I decided that this one had a good body shape that would compliment the color/colors.
I painted this Honda S2000 using House of Kolor Chameleon paint. It shifts from green to copper.

Again, a hard color to photograph.

So this one is plenty easy to photograph.
Started as a Dodge Challenger Drift Car.
Just a nice custom mixed lime green color, and experimenting with my airbrush a little.

Painted the hood flat black along with the wing, and detailed the headlights and tailpanel, and that was about it for this one.

Next was one of two 65 Mustangs that I had removed all the paint from.

I liked the orange and black combination from a Kombi a little while ago and thought it would look good on this one.

Once I got it almost together, I decided that I didn't like the orange chrome wheels that it came with, so found these nice 5 spokes, with a chrome lip. Thought it all tied together nicely.

A little detail for the lights, bumpers, and few small bits and this one was done too!


Ahhh... the 62' Corvette.
I was very excited when I saw that this casting was coming out, and really like the teal color that Hot Wheels is issuing them in, but decided something a little more "classic" might look good too.

So metallic black with silver coves I feel really compliments the body lines. The oversized and low profile wheels add to an aggressive feel on this one.

So the next one, I had to go even more classic looking.

Red with white coves. Just the way Chevrolet would have offered them.

And since I had a "donor" laying around. I decided to use some Real Riders white wall tires for this one. Now that looks classic.

And lastly.... I still had one more 65 Mustang Fastback.

So why not....

A Hertz GT350 tribute. Shelby made a run of these black with gold stripe cars specifically for the Hertz rental car company back in the 60's.

The called it their "rent-a-racer" program. Came with all the Shelby high performance goodies. Thought there are stories that more than a few of them were returned with regular Ford parts where Shelby had made the upgrades.

The real riders tires are not quite the same shade of gold, but I decided to go with it, rather than repainting the rims. I also like the Goodyear lettering on the sidewalls. Adds that "racing" feel.

So it looks like I got a lot done this weekend, but to be fair, most of them were already disassembled and in primer already. Just needed to decide what I was doing with them.