Thursday, February 25, 2021

Hot Wheels Photo - '69 Copo Corvette #4

Here's a recent addition to my growing Hot Wheels collection.  It's a 2021 Hot Wheels Corvette Series -  '69 Copo Corvette.  What's a Copo Corvette?  If you thought it had to do with Copo Cabanas, you'd be wrong.

Hot Wheels '69 Chevy Copo Corvette (3/4 view)

According to Hagerty.com, COPO stands for Central Office Production Order.  It was a way for Chevy dealers to order cars with options that weren't regular production options.

Hot Wheels '69 Copo Corvette (profile)

This Hot Wheels version sports a cool paint job and excellent wheels.

 

 

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Hot Wheels Photo: Buns of Steel

Feeling hungry?  Hot Wheels has a car for that:  Buns of Steel.  It features a hamburger and fries.  It's a goofy car that begs to be taken on a fast food run.

The Hot Wheels Buns of Steel is car 3 out of a 10 car HW Metro series for 2019.  It's car 147 out of 250 cars for the year.

It's certainly an unusual car and just shows how Hot Wheels designs can go in all kinds of directions.  While adult collectors may scratch their heads, this car looks like it might really appeal to the kids.  It would make a great Happy Meal toy at McDonalds (hint, hint large fast food corporation!)






Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Drugstore Diecast: Kinsmart Porsche 356B Carrera 2

One of the few places that we visit during the Covid crisis is our local drugstore.  In the dead of night, there are just a few customers coming in for necessities.  I also like to sneak over and check out the die-cast cars.  They are generally inexpensive diecast pullback cars, but some of them are nice little models that do a good job of evoking the legendary cars that they represent.  For example, here is a 1/32 scale diecast Porsche 356B Carrera 2 from Kinsmart.


Kinsmart Porsche 356B Carrera 2 (front)
Beige is kind of an odd car color, but I believe it was common in the original cars.  Against the drugstore fixtures, it looks perfectly at home.

Kinsmart Porsche 356B Carrera 2 (side)
It might be easy to denigrate a toy car that costs less than $10.  But, it's the Porsche design that is timeless.  No toy car will ever be a real Porsche, but a simple toy like this can make you remember one.




Sunday, November 22, 2020

Reflecting my Hot Wheels Plymouth Barracuda

If you've ever watched car commercials, you've seen cars parked on mirror smooth floors that reflect every detail of the vehicle.  Amazingly, it's very easy to recreate that look when taking photographs of die-cast cars.  Here are a couple of photographs of my Hot Wheels Plymouth Barracuda hot rod.  The mirrored surface is reflects every detail of the Barracuda in this photo.

Hot Wheels Plymouth  Barracuda (front view)


Hot Wheels Photography Secret 


What's the secret?  It's water.  These photos were taken in a car wash bay.  The roof of my car provides a smooth surface with a sheen of  fresh water from the car wash.  While the car wash provides the shade, the  photography lighting is provided by the sun. 

Hot Wheels Plymouth Barracuda (profile view)
 Of course, if you want more consistency for your die-cast car photographs, you may want to consider purchasing a studio light box.






Saturday, November 14, 2020

Drugstore Diecast: Kinsmart Dodge Viper

Sometimes the local drugstore has a car showroom that rivals anything in the city.  One of the CVS drugstores near me had this pair of Diecast Dodge Vipers displayed on a tower of diecast cars.

A Pair of Dodge Vipers at CVS


 You can almost imagine a car dealer or car show when you get down on the level with this little Vipers.  They are typically 2 for $10 or $5.99 apiece at the drugstore.

A Dodge Viper in profile


 

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Hot Wheels Fast FeLion Baseball Car

 The Fast FeLion is one of the coolest Hot Wheels models.  It has a long hood that conceals what must be a huge engine.  To me, this Hot Wheels design evokes the long, lean, looks of a Jaguar and combines them with a hint of brutish American muscle car.

The menacing front end of the Hot Wheels

The Fast FeLion profile looks positively Jaguar to me.  It's Jaguar done long, long, long.

 

The Hot Wheels Fast FeLion is a long, low, and ready to go!

The rounded rear end also reminds me of Jaguar or perhaps older Lexus.  This Hot Wheels favorite has some curves for sure.

Hot Wheels Fast FeLion (rear view)

 
Hot Wheels Fast FeLion strikes a pose



Sunday, November 1, 2020

Drugstore Diecast: Kinsmart 1959 Chevrolet Corvette

The 1959 Chevy Corvette was a timeless classic. Today, it's price has officially reached the stratosphere. Fortunately, a die-cast version is available. This Kinsmart version was available at my local CVS drugstore.
Kinsmart 1959 Chevy Corvette


If you'd like a slightly larger and more detailed model of the 1959 Corvette, check out this nice looking one from MotorMax.