2009 Hot Wheels

Here in Canada we collectors can usually count on new boxes of our favorite toys arriving weeks or months later than in the U.S. With that being said, it is mid October 2008 and I have just found a slew of cars in 2009 packaging. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to be able to start thinking ahead to what 2009 has to offer us in Hot Wheels. What is left of the 2008 First Editions will still be fun to find. The only one '08 first edition I haven't seen yet is #39 of 40 - the '65 Volkswagon Fastback. I hope its not a matter of it never making it here.

Wal-Mart sale on Hot Wheels

This week Wal-Mart is having their anniversary sale. Hot Wheels are $0.68 and so its that time when I take inventory and decide to get some doubles of cars I picked up previously and maybe get a few I would otherwise leave behind. As a collector who likes to mostly keep them in their packages, I'm not a big fan of the "sale bin" and how they get dumped in 2 feet deep. Its hard enough going through them with people on either side throwing packages around but spotting one you like just to find it has a bent card is not ideal. And as usual, the stories are told of the guys who show up just as the doors open and fill shopping carts with all the prime picks - oh well, thats the price I pay for a day job.

Another recent article

I was featured in another newspaper article recently. Like a few weeks ago, this one is from a local paper based on an interview done at my home. They ran a fairly big picture of me too - here is the article:


Hot for Hot Wheels
A Ferrari five-pack ignited a life-long collecting passion
Shane Buckingham
Published on Aug 22, 2008

After a long day at work, Jason Norton sometimes finds himself uncontrollably drawn to a department store he hasn't visited in a while.

He'll pull over to a Wal-Mart, Zellers, Toys R Us or whatever store he's spotted that day, with one thing in mind - finding Hot Wheels to add to his collection.

Now, Norton is the first to admit he's not the biggest collector out there, and he hosts only a modest collection of about 6,000 cars in boxes stacked to the ceiling.

"I'm just your average collector. I couldn't afford to collect them all," the Smithville resident says.

While some people collect as an investment, he says he simply does it for fun. His collection is continually evolving, he says, because he tries to add each year's first addition cars to it, not to mention their variations, which are released by Mattel shortly after.

"They've got you. Mattel knows they have diehard fans out there that have to get every variation. That becomes an expensive prospect," he says, adding he doesn't take it to that level.

"There are people out there and give them credit they go that extra mile, but I've got a day job. To be honest, I don't know how they do it," the 32-year-old design draftsman says.

He admits his hobby quickly turned into a habit, but why not when a Hot Wheels car costs only about $1.

"Always in my mind they've seemed more valuable than that," he says. "So some people might get a daily coffee; I'll go grab a car."

Describing one of his many stops to a department store, he began to expand on what goes through the mind of a collector as he or she starts the "hunt."

For example, driving his Mazda Miata with Hot Wheels printed on the license plate, Norton spots a department store and pulls over.

Sometimes he's just stopping to browse around, but other times he's looking for what brought him to become an avid collector in the first place - red Ferraris.

Norton says he started out as a collector at a young age, but as time wore on he began to lose interest until one day when he was 17 he spotted a five-pack of red Ferraris.

"I picked up that five pack, and that's what reignited the passion," he says. "It got me back into it, and I haven't looked back since."

Returning to his stop, he walks down the aisle of the department store, and sees children run around the corner of a display. He looks directly above it, noticing he is now in the toy department.

As he proceeds toward the Hot Wheels rack, he sees another person rummaging through the toy cars. He soon realizes it's another collector. Norton feels there's no need to be pushy or horde, for he's only in this for the love of the hobby.

Still, he thinks there might be a Treasure Hunt addition car somewhere in the mix.

He knows Treasure Hunts are released sporadically by Mattel, and to find one is rarity occurring once or twice a year, but still he waits.

"Because of the rarity and the value, a lot of collectors will have somebody on the inside and basically (Treasure Hunts) don't even make it to the pegs," he says.

Once the other collector has finished looking, Norton moves forward scoping out what the store has to offer, and soon discovers what appears to be a Ferrari, not to mention it's red.

"That's the best, red Ferraris. They don't have to be red but that's the identity of the Ferrari."

He snatches it up as he carefully scans for other gems. Looking through the rows of first editions and special series cars he notices something special - a Treasure Hunt.

"There's a certain euphoria to it. Once you finally find that car, I can tell you any collector's heart will be going quickly because of that thrill of the hunt."

Getting over the surprise, he then proceeds to the checkout after a job well-done.

Once at home, he adds the one or two cars he's found to his collection with certain sense of pride and satisfaction.

On average he purchases one or two a week, he says.

Norton says his three-year-old son Bladen also loves Hot Wheels, almost as much as he does.

"You try not to steer your kid, and have them develop their own personality but it turns out he is naturally a car guy. Without the hot wheels influence he's a car guy regardless," Norton said with a smile.

So whether it's watching the Pixar movie Cars, playing with hot wheels or scouting out different vehicles that drive by on the road, the two have a lot of fun with their cars.

"It actually surprises me (Bladen) can spot cars, and he'll know what they are. He'll see a car and tell us there's a Corvette or a Mustang."

Just because Norton takes pride in his collection doesn't mean he doesn't like to share it with others.

Norton sometimes gives his cars away to inspire others to become collectors or simply to oblige a request to have a really cool car.

"Every once in a while somebody will remind me of something or somebody will say hey I really like that car so I'll slip them a Hot Wheels."

To see Norton's Hot Wheels, or to get tips on collecting, log on to www.morehotwheels.googlepages.com or www.hotwheelsferraris.googlepages.com.

The Ferrari 288 GTO is finally here!

I have been waiting for this one for months and I have to say I am not dissapointed! The detail is very nice and the colour/smoked glass and tampos are well done. Classic 5 spoke rims are a natural choice but I would like to see this model with a few of the other 5 spoke variants such as the PR5's. Of course red is the way to go with all Ferrari's, all other colours are tied for second place.

2008 First Editions

I thought I would share some of the First Editions from this year. It has been a great year for new castings, Mattel seems to have outdone itself regarding quality and detail. The variety of new cars for 2008 is quite good too. Exotics, muscle cars, tuners, fantasy cars, trucks and classics are well represented. And its always a great year when not one, but two new Ferrari's come around.

I've been featured in a newspaper article

I was contacted by a reporter from The Waterloo Region Record earlier this month. She did a short phone interview and wrote this nice article I thought I would share:

Hot Wheels fan can't wait for museum visit

Jason Norton is always on the lookout for another exotic car for his collection.
The 32-year-old design draftsman has been playing with Ferraris, Porsches and Camaros since the mid-'90s.
He tries to keep most of them in their packaging.
"But I don't mind a few to zip around on my desk," he said.
It's become a bit of an obsession, he admitted.
Norton's not sure how many tiny Hot Wheels cars he has, but there are "many thousands," he said. He scopes out department stores and will buy up to 200 of the $1 or $2 toys every year.
"I don't consider it an investment," he said by phone from his home in Smithville in the Niagara region. "I think of it as more of a special treat."
It might be the lifelike mini car models or it could be the way they fly across toy race tracks with ease. But there's something about Hot Wheels that's attracted generations of boys for 40 years.
"It's so iconic at this point," said Nancy Modrcin, a marketing manager for Mattel Canada. "It's a toy that's been around because kids play with it, and they keep playing with it."
Kids -- and their parents -- will have the chance to play with the toys when a life-size Hot Wheels car rolls into town for two weekends in August. It will make a pit stop at the Waterloo Region Children's Museum in Kitchener on Aug. 7 to 9 and at the KidSpark festival in Victoria Park in Kitchener on Aug. 17.
Modrcin said she's not surprised many adults still adore the toys. With more than 200,000 registered users of Hotwheelscollectors.com, the cars are a vehicle for nostalgia. "It's like a generational toy -- it gets passed down."
She said although the core target market is three- to six-year-old boys, there are lots of young girls and adults who like the cars, too.
"It becomes quite the family experience," she said.
The Hot Wheels car and interactive trailer will have "really awesome tracks and challenges," she said. They'll also give away free toy cars.
The Hot Wheels brand has been around since 1968, when Mattel recruited designers from real car companies to develop miniature California hot rods. Now, more than 800 models and 11,000 variations have been released.
Norton, who hosts two websites and a blog about his passion, said his wife and three-year-old son are "very supportive" of his hobby.
"I've always been a car guy," he said.
He drives a Mazda Miata with HOTWLZ on the licence plate.
"It's my own little Hot Wheels car for real life."

Looking forward to more Ferraris

I am finally getting around to blogging again. Recently I have been directing most of my on line activity to my other Hot Wheels websites. I have revamped the Hot Wheels Ferrari collection site and I hope to have a new addition to it soon. The Ferrari FXX has been seen in a few different colours for 2008 and it is pretty cool. What I am most looking forward to though is the near future release of the 288 GTO. That one happens to be one of my favorite car designs of all time. I will make a point to get some pics posted as soon as I find one.

2008's So Far

March is almost over and the 2008 models are well represented on store shelves. I have personally seen about half of the entire mainline at stores over the past few months. Some 2008 First Edition models worth noting are the Corvette Grand Sport, the Ferrari FXX, the Audi R8 and the 69' Dodge Coronet Superbee. Mattel are continuing the trend of releasing multiple colour variants for most First Editions models and keeping collectors on their toes. I look forward to seeing the rest of them as they come along. I am trying to keep up with the latest local releases on my website, check it out for a more thorough run down of what I find.