July 13, 2013

Quick Review: Hot Wheels Scion FRS

A very common piece of advice that seasoned collectors give to new Hot Wheels collectors is to never go to the stores thinking they will score a jackpot. Although that's a pretty pessimistic way of life, it sure does save you some disappointment when things don't work the way you envisioned them.

However, today I did the opposite. This morning I drove 30 minutes to a Walmart that supposedly had the 2000GTs that I have been waiting for since they were first leaked on the internet. It seems that this week all Walmart stores in my area discounted the basic Hot Wheels down almost 40 cents and had restocked with J cases to carry out the sale (in my area, G and H cases were still circulating in June).

Up until this morning, I had visited 3 different Walmarts for that model but came out with nothing. I would find the laughably terrible Prototype H24 Treasure Hunts, but absolutely zero 2000GT's. Are these really such a hot item that they would sell quicker than the THs?!

But I'm glad I made the trip out. Even though I was in a hurry to make a meeting in another city, I managed to locate the dump bin I was tipped on and grabbed a few 2000GTs to handle trades and keep for myself or customize.

But in my rush, a particular deep red car with stripes on the side caught my eye...



...a Scion FRS on a short card! I was somewhat expecting to see this, because I spotted several N case cars on these compact packagings along with the long card J cases being put out, such as the Mustang 2+2 fastback (designed by Alec Tam).

Now I would open this up for some detailed photos, but being a car that I can only get more of in about 3 or 4 months time, AND with the possibility that there might only be 1 per case or if stores skip the case completely, I have to keep it sealed for the time being. For now, I tried to capture the most of the car as I could despite the complex shape of the blister causing all kinds of reflections:



The car I came for, the mercilessly beautiful Toyota 2000GT.


Here they are united. Looking at the two together, you can see for yourself how the FRS's styling was inspired by the timeless lines of Toyota's vintage supercar.


Thanks for reading! Do stay tuned for a build log (possibly separated into 2 sections) of my latest customized Hot Wheels - a widebody Mitsubishi Starion.