Wasn't gonna post this but seeing another diecast post up, why not. Have you seen the new "First Editions"???? What were they thinking???? What a wreck!!!! I have finally made up my mind that I'm no longer a HOTWHEEL collector. 100 cars in a "First Edition" format!!!!! That's just insane!!!!! THey (Mattel) have realized that there's a CORE group of buyers with money to spend and are going overboard to market to only those committed to spending around $100 for just the 'regular' ones, not to mention that there's SURE to be Variants as always in addition to the Treasure Hunts mosta the HARDCORE guys have. SCREW THIS!!!!! I'm out. What eats me the most is that MOST of what I've observed of the '04's is NOTHING but rehash of previous models, FE or otherwise that they've FUCKED UP with ridiculous cartoon reproportioning! They couldn't even get the "Evil Twin" motors side by side this time, while the rear is squashed like a BUG! Then there's the ones where the WHOLE vehicle is SQUASHED, while it rides on something like 30" wheels!!! I liked the "Shift Kicker" AnYbody into rods will, and I got two others too, WHILE I LEFT the 30+ others that were there! But I'm not buying another damn thing that isn't something I'l open and play with or display. SCREW MATTEL... Sorry to rant on like this, but I've been into this hobby NON-STOP since childhood and have become disgusted with the dickwads I meet in the "Toys" dept and at the Toy Shows any more anyhow. Just like most of the rest of the world, from the people I talk to these days. Anyhow, not to SPAM but I've got alotta recent model stuff I'll be unloading if you wanna buy a collection or need a particular filler. I haven't been into it like I WAS for the last few years anyhow so I'm willing to take the loss to free up some space around here. NO Tresure Hunt's, just cars. By the caseload if you like. Really disgusted....MAtt
Not ALL the 2004 First Editions are cartoony...the 47 Chevy is KILLER, and the 68 Nova and 69 Charger are nice, too. I even liked the 2003 models that took obvious cues from the Muscle Machines...the 68 Mustang, 69 GTO, 69 Daytona and 41 Ford that have the huge engines!! (See the "Dragula Die Cast" post for a pic of the 47 Chev)
Rooster, I buy the one's that are in the $7.00 range and ignore the rest. To me, all of the new ones look like space age junk. I noticed the other night they dolled the Nash Metro up in another screwy paint scheme, don't want em. The last one I bought in Target was the Stone, Woods & Cook Willys, they still have the Alterds and Clay Smith / Mooneyes truck set in there by the dozens, I guess noboday wants to part with $20.00. Ty Warner did the same thing with Beanie Babies, they flooded the market with huge releases every other week and now, you can't give them away. Shoe
There's actually 4 different kinds of '04 FE's, in 4 groups of 25. That's why there's a hundred of them this year. The regular everyday ones, like the 64 Impala and Batmobile. The "HARDNOZE" ones with the stupid huge front wheels and tiny backs. The Evil Twin, the 49 Merc, both in this category. The "TOONZ" which are sorta normal, but cartoonish all the same. Shift Kicker falls here. Had a bunch of Enzo Ferrari Tooned around here. And the "BLING," which are the really distorted ones that are all wheels. Dairy Delivery is the only one I've seen of this kind. The local Wal-Mart is the only place to get newer HW's, and they only put stuff out every 3 to 4 months. 2 mondays ago they FINALLY put out the '04's and some 03's that I needed, but I was broke. 2 days later when I come back with money, ALL of them are GONE. ALL the 04's and new 03's. Only thing left was the shit that's been there for 8 months. I too have shifted towards the 100%'s and others. Found some sweet limited edition ones from the Custom Rodder mag series, an orangeish-gold 65 Rivi and a red 63 T-Bird, both with Halibrand-styled wheels and rubber tires. Picked up the new primer grey 32 Ford pickup in the "black box" 100%'s as well, it's hella cool. Also snagged the 4-pack of Gears N Grease, or Grease N Gears, I can't remember the name right now. Has a flat black 57 Caddy with seaweed flames and a flat black 53 Chevy with scallops. None of these were under $4.00 each. The 4 pack was $20. I guess my point is the really cool HW's aren't the 99 cent plain blister pack ones anymore.
Some background that may explain some of Mattel's actions: The decisions to make 100 FE's in 2004, and to make a lot of them in distorted proportions, are in response to competition. After many years in which HW had very little direct competition, the last few years have seen Johnny Lightning, Muscle Machines, Fat Boyz, Racing Champions and Dubs knocking off the market segments that HW had established (slightly caricaturized hot rods, customs, and race cars -- more recently tuner cars too, because that's where the kids are). Although Hot Wheels are clearly still the largest brand in the die-cast business, these competitive lines have come into the market at the expense of Hot Wheels' space. Hot Wheels designers are real enthusiasts, and have a variety of interests. Many of us would be delighted to do only traditional rods and customs, some are great at original/fantasy designs, and still others are tuner guys. Unfortunately for our personal preferences, Mattel still considers itself fundamentally a toy company with its primary audience in the pre-teen age range. Thus the direction regarding new model selection is to concentrate on the interests of kids, and to compete successfully with other companies entering the market. Most adult collectors seem to prefer the replica cars: rods, customs, muscle cars, trucks -- over any of the distorted stuff. You may no longer want to collect all the FE's, but there will continue to be a portion of the line that's more interesting to the older audience. Of course the 100% line is directed at the adult collector, but they sell in very small numbers compared to the $1 basic cars. You may see some similarity here to the situation in the magazine arena, where titles like Custom Rodder and R&C are moving in directions that are disappointing to us old farts. Publishers and toymakers are both in business to survive and make a buck, and to do that they must go where their markets demand. This probably won't make you deliriously happy, but it's meant to say "don't despair, there is still a candle burning at Hot Wheels for the traditional enthusiast".
I would like to say that I have also given up, but, that is just not true. I have always bought the hot wheels that I would not mind getting stuck which means that I have an incomplete FE sets. What ever happened to the days when you could take the labels off of malt o meals box and fish stick box's (at the store of course since I really dont eat that shit) and get a pretty cool hot wheel for FREE. Slick Willie
I gave up the addiction about 6 yrs ago when all the collector series and treasure hunts started coming out.. It was to crazy then...
<font color="purple"> I slowed way down, but not to a complete stop. A couple of years ago I decided that I have too many and now one buy what I like instead of trying to fill the series. I have started to go through my stuff to sell what I don't like or want. I have a lot of commons, but a lot of limited stuff to sell (HWs and others too). I have not found any '04s I want to buy, but I do want the 47 Chevy and the Batmobile. </font>
I'm not a collector, although I have several hundred of the cute little things. I'm not a collector for the same reason purple gave, I don't collect, or try to collect whole series' of them just because they are a series. I only collect one's I like which for the most part are realistic hotrods andsports cars and the "show cars" that appear to be mechanically possibly functional if real. I have a few of the motorized Radio Flyer wagons too, but only in red. If I like one I will buy several and open one and keep one sealed and trade one off or give them to friends as "birthday cards" since they are cheaper than Hallmark! Plus, I only buy them at Target, (with one exception). That way I get them for a buch which is probabaly more than they are worth, plus I don't secumb to the boosted prices the "more desireable" cars bring at shows. If I don't see it at Target, it don't exist in my world. After all, I'm not a collector! The only one I have that I paid more than a buck for is the 50th anniversary Grand National Roadster Show commemorative car I got at the show. One of my all time favorites is the Syd Mead design limosine.
You don't feel bad collecting something thats only a buck. But these new ones will lose as many customers as they think they will gain. IMO 100% car piss you off when the Toy Liquidators sell them for have price 6 months after they're released. Right now they have Custom Classic Trucks, ABR set Tunerz d'Agostino and others. All for around $8.00 a set. Now that pisses you off when they were $20.00 or so originally.
ok,i dont show just ANYBODY my hotwheels,,but since you seem alright,ill show you two of my favorites... ...the first is a RED BARON reissue for hotwheels aniversary,,i like it cuz its actually a GREEN BARON,,,,i wonder what its worth??? the other prize possion is the PURPLE PASSION,,,except its black,,hahaha,,,i bought it at the mattel factory store like 13 years ago(give or take a few years) for a dollar.... sorry for the shity pic(or pics)
<font color="purple"> I got the 50th anniversary at the show too. It's a keeper. I have some of the HW 25th stuff, just a few singles like that, and both 8 car packs. I thought it was funny that they started painting the Purple Passion other colors. It's a keeper too. My thoughts about the cartoon style ones is that they should have run them with their one cards, not on the standard card. Do more normal cars as same 'ol sale 'ol, the do a "HW Extreme" line. </font>
Everyone's got their own tastes, but this car from 2004 is awesome! Yea the wheels in front are stupid large, but I still love it. Dig the metallic green on black with pinstripping on the hood!
Here's their new 2004 47 Chevy Fleetline... <img src=http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid83/p2bf66f3b66f2da1f6a482bd9a0d1e962/fadd6b21.jpg> I used to be a fanatical collector, but now I just buy "the cool ones" and open them up to place in the HUGE Hot Wheels City down the basement for when my nieces and nephews come over. They play with 'em, smash 'em, and take them home in their pockets! There must be 400 Hot Wheels available for play at any given time...even Limited Edition and Treasure Hunts getting bounced around and played with...as it SHOULD be!! I found this Chevy at Toys-R-Us the other day, and it'll be in that basement pile by tomorrow when the kids get here!
Yeah, I still dig the ones like that 47 Chevy. I'll probly get it since I don't have that model yet in something else. The Rothesque stuff is classic Americana. Since growing up on monster shirts, I can accept them too. And Matchbox originated the scale versions with Monster Motored Cars the likes of the Piston Popper, Pie-Eye'd Piper, and Big Banger Mopars. The closest Hot Wheels came was the Roger Dodger and a few mini-monster motored cars till Muscle Machines moved into a currently unfilled niche in the market. Hot Wheels has tried to cover a little bit of it too now, that's cool. I don't care for that Merc tho. It's just stupidly proportioned. What's the point of making monster huge Front wheels? There's NO monster motor!?! Just don't care for that or the idea of 100 cars, in a FE series, nope. No more. Just the couple I Really like, and those will definitely be classic American Iron, or Rothesque ideas of it. I've not only collected the HW's and a few other series, but like alot of you I suspect, I collect for the sake of collecting a "type" of car, like HotRods, Customs, Trucks, Mustangs, Camaro's(did you forget I was formerly a mullethead?), And of Course Caddy's!!! That's what I'll stick to from now on.
[ QUOTE ] Trucks, Mustangs, Camaro's(did you forget I was formerly a mullethead?), And of Course Caddy's!!! [/ QUOTE ] A cut may get rid of a hairstyle, but to erase the mentality you need shock therapy. The answer is green. <font color="green"> THE FREAKIN' EGGS ARE GREEN !!!!!! </font> I grew up on Hot Wheels and Match Box but these days I perfer Johnny Lightning.
Guess i will alway s dig the diecast cars and trucks .The thing that really bugs me are the dealers and store workers.If you really want a popular car you have to either pay the big bucks to a dealer , or get a job stocking hotwheels .I have yet to find 1 store that has a treasure hunt on its shelf .About a year ago i had a k-mart worker ask me if i was looking for a specific car , i said i only get the old looking cars ,first ed , or treasure hunts .He said i may have what your looking for .WOW cool , i followed him to the back of the store ,where he had his own private stash that he was selling and high prices right outta k-mart .He had 5 t-hunts 30$ ea.WTF ! I went to the manager , the guy was fired , and since he paid for the cars he kept them and left .How is john q public supposed to get just one of each w/ this crap going on . I for one do not have the money to pay the high prices or bribe store workers , thats when i backed way off buyin hotwheels and so-called rare diecast .Asfar as the new cars or toon cars as i see them .To me it looks like they just ran outta ideas for this run .good luck collecting .
L I B ya gawt it!!! Dem egg queschins kin B mity tuff, huh? I'm bettin ewe hadda ask somebody who-wz ejemacated. Did they suggest you have some more shock therapy to speed up tha answers to such difficult questions?!?!?!?! I thought chartruse was a Great answer tho!!! Really! And if ya decide to show cheesy movies all day an night again sometime I'll bring ya them Keystones down for yer new project, Mulletmobile II!!!! "Attack of the MulleCamino" I got some semi stacks here if ya need em too! Actually I could getcha some vintage 60's/70's pipes similar ta mine even, if ya waaaant!!!
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