New 2010 First Editions - Mazda Furai

The Mazda Furai Hot Wheels 1/64 scale model is fun to look at. It is a First edition car (#31 of 52) for the 2010 model year. The actual car this is based on is a Mazda concept car with the underpinnings of an American LeMans race car from a few years ago. Unlike the Hot Wheels car, I have never seen the real car in person, but I would like to. It seems to me that the flowing lines would be best appreciated up close. The name Furai means "the sound of wind" in Japanese.

New 2010 First Editions - '71 Maverick Grabber

The Ford Maverick was a compact car produced in the '70's. The early years of the car coincided with the tail end of the muscle car era. Though the Maverick was not really a muscle car, there was a "Grabber" trim option available in 1971. "Grabber orange" was the name of Ford's bright orange paint. The graphics, spoiler and hood were what set a "Grabber" apart from a normal Maverick. This car was ahead of its time in many ways when you think about the phenomenon of custom graphics and tacking some aftermarket hood and spoiler onto a compact car to make it look more like a bigger faster sports car. Like any good Hot Wheels car, this one is a celebration of small things trying to be bigger faster things and imparting some of that 'larger-than-life' feeling to whomever holds it in their hands.

All Time Favorite List - 2002 First Editions #25 - Lancia Stratos

Yes I am a fan of Italian Exotics of all types. The big names are more familiar: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati; but this 'Lancia' is not as well known. The Lancia Stratos was a purpose built rally car - and quite successful at that. It first appeared in the 1972-73 race season and won a number of championships throughout the '70's. I had always admired the originality of the design. It was wild and different, styled by Marcello Gandini at Bertone. That might not mean much to some people, but others will recognize the name of the man responsible for the styling of some of the most beautiful cars on the road. A short list of his other works include the Alfa Romeo Montreal, Lamborghini Miura, Countach and Diablo.

So as is usually the case, a beautiful road car makes for a beautiful 1/64 scale replica, but there are other things to consider with the Hot Wheels version. The colour of this one is a very nice shade of red, characteristic of the "Italian passion" for the automobile. The details are well represented, pop-up headlights, hood vents, fender flares and all.

I truly appreciate the aesthetics of this car and I would have a place in my dream garage for this piece of automotive history. Having a Lancia Stratos in my pocket is a good compromise.

2010 Hot Wheels Poster

Click the picture below for a huge .jpg of the 2010 Hot wheels lineup poster. For all of the collectors out there, this is a great guide for what to expect for the rest of the year. It is a fun look at the entire 2010 main line of Hot Wheels cars. Each series is listed and most of the cars are shown in their final form, or if that was not available at the time of the posters creation, a rendering is used for some of the first editions. Enjoy:

New 2010 First Editions - April 2010

It has been a few weeks with nothing new on the pegs but now its a flood of awesome cars. I am saving a few choice models to show here later. Those are the ones that deserve their own post. Until then check out these:
Cadillac CTS-V

Citroen C4 Rally

 

Formula Street

Tegray

Snow Ride

All Time Favorite List - 1998 First Editions #6 - Jaguar D-type

Another favorite from the collection: a classic racing Jaguar D-type from the 1998 model year. This one is based on the legendary Le Mans race car produced in the mid 50's. This Hot Wheels model is a fantastic scale recreation. The detail is great, but not over-done (I like the molded gray side exhaust). The car feels heavy in the hand due to the die-cast metal on top and bottom. The seam is higher up than typical models which adds to the unique look of the race-car. Dark blue metal flake paint is striking and compliments the elegant shape of the car.The tampos are true to the period and very evocative of 50's era racing with the large numbers and front stripes. Trivia fact: the #4 Jaguar D-type was not the winner of the 1957 Le Mans, but came in 6th position. The #3 D-type was the overall winner that year.

All Time Favorite List - 1993 Collector # 238 - Zender Fact 4

I have begun to dig in to the earlier pieces of my collection and pick out some of the cars I find particularly awesome. What you are looking at is the 1993 Zender Fact 4. An actual supercar produced in Germany in the late 80's as a concept car. the proportions of the car are not the best match to the real version, but still I appreciate the distinct style, reminiscent of the Lamborghini Countach. What grabs my attention with this one are the understated tampos, the UH rims and the blue metal flake paint. I have tried to photograph it in such a way as to show it off but my camera skills are not the greatest so the image does not do it justice. It is a beautiful shade of blue, offset with the dark tinted glass bits. Now that I am looking at it again I have to say it is the coloring  that makes this one so striking to me.