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!)

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.

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.

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

 

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

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.

A Diecast Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine

A Childhood Memory from Jada Toys

The Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine Van Diecast Model

I recently encountered a classic van from my childhood.  The Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine.  It transported a meddling band of mystery-solving teenagers in cartoon matinees every summer afternoon.  It transported Shaggy, Scooby, Velma, Daphne, and Fred from adventure to adventure.

 

Diecast Scooby Doo Mystery Machine from Jada Toys

I found this particular  Mystery Machine on the shelves at my local Walgreens.  It's a 1/32 scale model from Jada Toys.  The paint has a great looking cartoon quality.  If you loved Scooby-Doo cartoons, this model makes a great keepsake.

 

Fortunately, you don't need to travel far and wide visiting a dozen drugstores to find this diecast model.  It's conveniently available at a fair price on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Wheels Ford GT-40 Hits the Highway in Georgia

If you haven't watched the movie, Ford versus Ferrari, then you are definitely missing out.  It's a great film.  The star of course is the Ford GT40.  It was designed to take the Grand Prix racing championship away from Ferrari after Ford's offer to buy the venerable Italian sports car manufacturer was spurned rather rudely.  While the actors are great, one star of the show is the Ford GT 40 itself.  I'm pretty sure that I could never fit in one of these little race cars.  But, thanks to Hot Wheels, I do have one in my car collection!

Hot Wheels GT40 Race Day Series Car for 2020

This Ford GT 40 is from the Hot Wheels HW Race Day series for 2020.  It's car 8 of 10 of the series and 35th model of the 250 car Hot Wheels models for 2020.

Hot Wheels GT40 Top View

This model features the famed Gulf Oil livery that has appeared on some of the most epic cars in motor sports.  It's a combination that looks good coming or going.

Hot Wheels GT40 Front View

This model is much like the GT40 that raced in the 24 hours of Daytona in 1968.  Piloted by Jackie Ickx and Brian Redman, the car did not finish the race.

Hot Wheels Rear View

Taking a pose at a rest stop on a Georgia highway, this model looks great against the background of endless Georgia farmland.

Hot Wheels GT40 profile view

If you are collecting cars that made an impact in racing history, you must add a Ford GT40 to your collection.

Hot Wheels C3 Corvette Stingray

I got this Chevy Corvette C3 in a Hot Wheels multi-pack.  It's a cool looking car with a metal base and all plastic body.  For some reason, the all plastic body of this Hot Wheels car concerns me, but I'm totally cool with the fiberglass body of a real Corvette C3.

Hot Wheels C3  generation Corvette looking a little tropical.

Hot Wheels Photography Tip:  Sunglasses and a few trees in the background give this Vette photo a tropical feel.  Amazingly, I didn't even have to travel to Aruba to take this photo!

Hot Wheels Forward Force

This is the Hot Wheels Forward Force.  It's an interesting and futuristic addition to the Hot Wheels lineup.  It's inspired by electric cars and parts of the car are transparent. 

The Forward Force has bright orange wheels and mirrored rear quarter panels and a greenish tint.  It's pretty wild.  

Hot Wheels Dream Mobile at the Atlantic Theater

 One interesting addition to the Hot Wheels line up for 2020 is the Hot Wheels Dream Mobile.  It is part of the 10 piece Hot Wheels Dream Garage collection.  It brings a retro futuristic look to the collection with the optimistic looks of the 1950s.  The 1960s vintage Atlantic Theater in Atlantic Beach, Florida, makes a great backdrop for this design.  It looks like this model car was made to visit this theater!

The Hot Wheels Dream Mobile at the Atlantic Theater

Amazingly this retro look comes from the very first Mattel toy car design.  According to the Hot Wheels Wiki, the design of the Dream Mobile is based on a 1953 Mattel design for a 1/24-scale friction powered toy car.

The Front Grill of the Hot Wheels Dream Mobile

I love the bubble top, the trunk portholes, and the toothy grin of this model.  It's a throwback to a forward looking time and, frankly, in these times, I love the optimism!

Hot Wheels Convertible Corvette Out On The Town

If you are going to own a Chevy Corvette C7 Z06 Convertible, you can't keep it in the garage all the time.  You've got to cruise.  You've got to get out on the town to see and be seen.  It's no different with this Hot Wheels version.

Hot Wheel Corvette Convertible C7 Z06 (front view)

This shapely car just begs to be seen under the bright lights of the big city.  This one is taking in the scene at The Battery a development that includes the Atlanta Braves stadium.

Hot Wheels Corvette Convertible C7 C06 cruising the battery.

For a brighter view of this automobile, check out some of my other Hot Wheels Corvette C7 Convertible photos.

Hot Wheels 1976 Greenwood Corvette

The mid-1970s were not good for muscle cars.  High gas prices, gas lines, and emissions standards all conspired to limit the horsepower of cars like the Chevrolet Corvette.  But, the race track was another matter.  John and Burt Greenwood took a specially designed wide-body Corvette to the racetrack and showed the world that the Corvette could still be world class.

Hot Wheels 1976 Greenwood Corvette

If you'd like to read more on the history of these fantastic racing Corvettes, check out this Road & Track article:  The Greenwood Corvettes were Star-Spangled Endurance Champions.

Hot Wheels 1976 Greenwood Corvette

Hot Wheels Tooned '69 Chevelle Goes to a Beach Town

The great thing about "Tooned" cars is that their exaggerated features make them very photogenic.  When I stuck my new 2020 Hot Wheels Tooned 1969 Chevelle in my pocket for a quick run down to the Jacksonville, Florida, beaches, I thought I'd might have a chance to take a couple of quick photos.

Here are a couple of photos from near the Jacksonville Beach city hall.

Is the Hot Wheels Track Ripper inspired by the Dodge VIper?

I took these exclusive spy photos of the Hot Wheels Speed Blur series Track Ripper behind an old abandoned Pizza Hut location near my home.  With a dazzling camouflage scheme to break up its lines, I really had to look hard to identify the lines of this car.

Ever since I got the Hot Wheels Track Ripper a few months ago, I've wondered what inspired it.  At a glance, I think this heavily disguised car looks like some prototype Dodge Viper concept.  Of course, that's just my opinion.  Check out this photo of a Dodge Viper SRT10 GTS:

Dodge Viper SRT10 GTS - Michael Gil from Calgary, AB, Canada / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

The similarities between the cars are striking.  However, I can also see elements of my McLaren F1 GTR.  On the track, it could probably give the Corvette C7 Z06 a run for the money.

If you are on the Orange Hot Wheels track, I learned from this entry on Orange Track that the front bumper of this Hot Wheels pushes up for better aerodynamics and ground clearance.

Drugstore Diecast: Kinsmart Fiat 500 Pullback Car

The original Fiat 500 is an iconic European car. It was made in Italy from 1957 to 1975 and nearly 4 million were sold. In 2007, Fiat created a modern Fiat 500 that was just recently discontinued. The original and the new version are both European cars with quirks and idiosyncrasies.  They are also pretty tiny.  They aren't as tiny as this toy version from Kinsmart.

Kinsmart Fiat 500 Pullback Car

This version is based on the original designs for the Fiat 500 from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. It's a sharp looking little racer.

Rear View of the Kinsmart Fiat 500 Pullback Car

Hot Wheels Corvette C7 Z06 Convertible

If you want a Corvette C7 Z06 Convertible, it helps to have $60,000 to $80,000 available.  If your budget can't accommodate it, you can downsize your Corvette dream to a more manageable $1 or so for this Hot Wheels version.

Since this pocket-sized version doesn't have a 6.2 liter V-8 pumping out 650 horsepower, it sits easily atop the gas pump.  The full-sized version would get about 13 miles per gallon in the city and 23 miles per gallon on the highway.

No matter what size your Corvette comes in, it always looks fast!

My Hot Wheels Volkswagen Käfer Racer

This is my Hot Wheels Volkswagen Käfer Racer.  In yellow, it's a fantastic little car that really stands out in any Hot Wheels collection.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen Käfer Racer.

Amazingly, according to the Hot Wheels Fandom site, this car was inspired by real life race cars that competed in the Fun Cup, custom V-8 Volkswagens, and a Porsche race car.

In my night time photographs, I like the way this Hot Wheels combines whimsy and menace in one little package.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen Käfer Racer.

Hot Wheels Photography Tip: 

If you want your car to look like it would in a well-lit parking lot, take your photo in a well-lit parking lot.  Streetlights provide awesome lighting for Hot Wheels photography.

My Matchbox 1935 Ford Pickup Hot Rod Visits The Tire Shop

I took my latest Matchbox car to the tire store recently.  It's a Matchbox 1935 Ford Pickup Hot Rod.  I took a few photos while getting a tire on my car patched.  As the sun was climbing in the early morning sky, it provided some nice lighting for a couple of quick photos.

Matchbox 1936 Ford Pickup (profile)

While the silhouette in the rising sun conveys a feeling about this model, a photo from home does a little more justice to the details of this miniature masterpiece.  This car model is number 5 out of the 20 cars in the MBX Construction series and number 21 out of 100 for 2019.

At the garage, the tires on display provide an interesting background and automotive theme for photographs.

Of course, with a Matchbox car, it's easier to throw the truck on the back of a tire than to throw a tire in the back of the truck.  What an amazing level of detail!

While this little Matchbox model isn't made to run on any kind of plastic track sets, it does have a mean face to show the world.

This morning sun photo provides enough light and shadow to show even more detail on the cars front end.  I love the drab rat rod style paint color.  I can imagine this car starting out as a barnfind for sure!  This is a well-done Matchbox car!

From any angle, the Matchbox 1935 Ford Pickup is a winning model!

Matchbox 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood: The Cadillac of Summer

The Matchbox 2019  MBX Roadtrip '55 Cadillac Fleetwood has to be the official Cadillac of Summer.  It's a pink dream parked alongside a tasty treat from Baskin-Robbins.  It is the perfect pink Cadillac to conjure up the Ghost of Elvis and the good times we've been missing this Covid kaboshed summer.

This car is very nicely detailed for a Matchbox car with hot pink colors set off with serious tires and rims.  It's number 15 out of the 20 car MBX Road Trip series and car 11 out of 100 for 2019.  This Cadillac may be pink, but it is perfect for any collection of little die-cast cars.

If you like this pink Cadillac, you should see the other Pink Cadillac in my collection!