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Photo: eBay/User huskambek
Recently, I started looking for a rotating display for my Hot Wheels collection. A friend of mine offered to borrow his. And when we met, he also brought a very special RX-7. But more about that in a future story.
Meanwhile, another buddy of mine started sending me pics of his collection. I thought he was just showing off. He just wants to buy a new phone, and selling some of his Hot Wheels is an easy way to get the cash. He has said no to buying Mainline models for two years now. He thought that would be a good way to stop spending so much on diecast cars.
But it just pushed him to buy more Premium models, and now he owns a room full of them. I always give him one or two cars from my "stash" to thank him for his help over the years. And with Case L coming up, I spotted a few more cars I will be on the lookout for.
Treasure Hunt
Photo: Ministry of Diecast
You can never know what to expect from Mattel's Treasure Hunt series. It's either an almost interesting car or fantasy casting. The only one I bothered buying this year was the Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400.
The '47 Chevy Fleetline from Mix A was quite good, too, but other than that, did you notice anything memorable enough? We have seen reviews and previews of the first ten cases for 2024. Six of the TH items were fantasy vehicles. And I genuinely hoped Mattel would even the playing field by coming up with another licensed car this time.
But I guess the Car-de-Asada will have to do. I'm a big fan of Mexican food and Ryu Asada's work, but the Quick Bite van was the only Fast Foodie collectible I ever enjoyed. So, I will give Case L's Treasure Hunt a hard pass for now.
Super Treasure Hunt
Photo: Ministry of Diecast
The 11th Super Treasure Hunt for 2024 is on its way. It will take us back to the USA, as the past four cases paid tribute to cars in Europe and Japan. Here's some interesting information: Mattel last used a Pontiac in the STH line-up over a decade ago. The '64 Pontiac GTO showed up in 2011, while the '69 Pontiac GTO came before it in 2007.
In my previous analysis of this collection, which spans almost 20 years, Pontiac had the same number of STH collectibles as BMW, Cadillac, Studebaker, DeLorean, and Tesla. Jun Imai designed the '77 Pontiac Firebird for its 2008 Modern Classics release. I'm a big fan of the 2013 Retro Entertainment: Smokey and the Bandit version, which uses Gold Turbine Real Riders wheels.
The diecast manufacturer used it in the NFT Garage Series in 2022, which is now a $200 collectible. But I have mixed feelings about the new Super Treasure Hunt Version. It's not bad, but the competition is fierce this year. And I'd much rather have the Mazda, Audi, or Mercedes-Benz instead. You'll find plenty of loose options on eBay, cheaper than $50.
Case L Highlights
Photo: Ministry of Diecast
With those items out of the way, let's see what else we can expect in Case L. It starts with a bang, featuring a car quite close to my heart. I sat in the passenger seat of many drift-spec BMW E30s before, and one of my best friends also owns one. The fact that it's yellow further adds to the excitement, and I'm certainly buying two or three of these once I spot them in stores.
Jun Imai's casting has been around since 2012, and the last time we saw it was in the 55th Anniversary Black and Yellow. But if you want something special for your collection, I'd suggest you search for the 2021 Modern Classics release. Koenigseggs are rare in the real world, and you won't see them often over at Hot Wheels either.
You can look for the Agera R, the Gemera, and the 2020 Jesko. The latter is back after a one-year hiatus, and I'm almost disheartened to see it rolling on OH5 wheels again. It's the same rim design as the past five iterations, and this car deserves a Premium release already. I thought I had seen it all with the '94 Audi RS2. The First Edition was great in Nogaro Blue, the Super Treasure Hunt was decent, and we saw one in red earlier this year.
The ZAMAC model might cause mass hysteria among collectors, but I will be just as happy with the new blue variation. Oh well, there goes my plan to avoid overspending. Regardless of my passion for RX-7s, I'm not excited to see the latest variation of the SA22C. It just feels like lazy editing at this point, using the same livery as the previous iteration but with a switch of colors.
Photo: Ministry of Diecast
If you care about Hot Wheels motorcycles, you'll notice the new look on the Ducati DesertX. But I'm more interested in analyzing the Pagani Utopia. I saw a sneak peek of this casting several months ago, and it's nice to have one more of Horacio Pagani's creations on the 1/64th scale.
Ronald Wong designed this one, and it's a real beauty in that special Grigio Rinascimento (Renaissance Gray) finish. I can already imagine ditching the 10-spoke wheels for a set of Real Riders, but let's hope Mattel plans to use it in a set like Exotic Envy sometime soon. You're in for a treat if you're an Open Wheel racing fan. You might forget about the Formula E Gen3 car once you see the '67 Lotus Type 49, but that's perfectly natural.
The latter is Fraser Campbell's doing, and I can't help but wonder if the diecast manufacturer plans to bring back more of these iconic racing cars. It all goes downhill from now on if you don't mind seeing more recolors. The Deora II has been around for over 20 years; how does this casting still work today? At least it's only the second time we get to see the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, even though it's not as good as the yellow one.
I'm more surprised to see the Chevy Silverado returning after several years off the market. Overall, Case L is pretty good, but not "I must run to the nearest store to buy them all" good. But let me know if you feel otherwise.
