Results: Hot Wheels 1981 Delorean DMC-12

I had the front lip finished a few weeks ago but put it aside due to a busy schedule, but I picked it up again and finished everything in 2 days, hahaha. Part of why it took so little time was because I only had to polish the body and clear it, as opposed to an extra step of primer and paint.

The kit itself is inspired by the real-life optional ground effects, but the spoiler is completely original.

 And next to its almost-twin:

Results: Hot Wheels AE86-to-Widebody Starion/Conquest Conversion

(Build log here: Mitsubishi Starion / Chrysler Conquest TSi)

A 6-month long build (working on and off) finally comes to an end, and I'm very happy to be able to share the results...

Gotta have the Japanese Nostalgic Car inkan on there, in no other colorway more 80's than black and gold.

Can't have a turbocharger and not tell anyone about it.

And of course, some photos of it next to its former self:

Now if only there was an actual Hot Wheels Mitsubishi Starion; I would def hoard those and do tons of repaints. Until they do release it, or when 3D printing or milling becomes mainstream consumer appliances, its all up to my ghetto styrene, files and putty. Not that I want to build another one of these though.

Thanks for checking it out! More customs like this are on the way...

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.

Build and Results: Hot Wheels Datsun 510

So I've finally got around to taking pictures of my first custom painted Hot Wheels, a Datsun 510 coupe from the 2012 lineup. While I did upload one picture of the model on my Instagram yesterday (May 10) to celebrate '510 Day', I completely forgot to follow up with higher quality shots to be posted on here. What other day would have been more fitting...nevertheless here is a log documenting the rebuilding process and my thoughts along the way.

The build begins with a new paintjob. The original metallic blue paint has been stripped, and in its place is Krylon white primer, Krylon Almond Gloss for the basecoat, and finally Krylon Clear Gloss to top it all off.

Next, the grille was detailed through the following steps:

1. The original unit at the start.
2. Tamiya X-11 Chrome Silver applied to the grille slats and X-2 Gloss White on the Datsun emblem.
3. Tamiya X-7 Red and X-4 Blue painted onto the left and right hand edges of the emblem's diagonal section.
4. Tamiya X-2 Gloss White and X-8 was used to paint on the headlights and foglights respectively, using the chuck-end of a drill bit to maintain a uniform, circular shape. Also, the chin spoiler was painted XF-1 Flat Black.

Note: the particular drill bit size was chosen to expose the underlying silver paint in order to reproduce chrome headlight trim.

Vintage Japanese race cars from the 70s were the source of inspiration for decorating the interior. Their distinct styling cues were recreated with:

• Several light coats of generic flat black on the entire interior assembly,
• Yellow shoulder patches on the seat harnesses,
• Tamiya Chrome Silver on the harness buckles,
• Custom-mixed caramel-coloured paint to emulate a woodgrain steering wheel ring and shift knob, and
• Tamiya X-10 Gunmetal paint covering the rollcage that snaps on top of the interior tub.

Here, the car is temporarily assembled after the swapped wheels were painted gloss white, and the body received chrome silver drip rails and window trim, along with tailights and side markers painted in the same way the headlights were done to replicate chrome trims and bezels. In a similar fashion, flat black paint is exposed on the lowest portions of the license plate illuminators for the effect of rubber grommets installed underneath the metal units. Last but not least, both the front and rear bumpers were painted in X-10 Gunmetal to provide a contrast from all the brightwork against the light-coloured body.

The word 'temporarily' is key - I felt that the casting's lack of front turn signals under the grille (which are included in the card artwork) was hindering the effectiveness of all the other details on the car that I had spent so much time and effort on. To resolve this, pieces of Evergreen sheet styrene were carefully cut with a hobby knife and painted in a custom-mixed gloss orange color and glued into their respective places.

And with that, the custom Datsun 510 is complete. This build has taught me a lot about working on model cars, especially with which tools and supplies I absolutely cannot imagine building without, and new ways of detailing and finishing the model. To conclude this build log, here is a break from all the cellphone pictures posted so far:

Back!

Finally! I've found the time and concentration to sit down and make a post on here. A lot has happened since  my last entry and I figured today's get was the spark to lighting up this fire again. Behold: the 1987 Toyota Pickup from Hot Wheels' 2012 'Hot Ones' series.

This was a pretty surprising find as product lines outside of the usual Basic range either usually show up many months later than at retailers in the United States, or the store just decides to not stock them at all. When I first saw pictures of this model on the internet who knows how long ago, I was partial to it. But after just a glance of it in person, I knew I had to have it.

This model simply grabs your attention by the throat with its blood-red paintjob, garnished with very appropriately 80's style sunshine ray graphics that an SR5 model of this vintage would proudly wear.

The realism of this casting is astonishing. Check out the raised bolts on the fender flares, the window rain-visors, and the 2nd shifter to show that this truck is equipped with a transfer case. By now you should be convinced that the hardcore paintjob is backed up with some equally hardcore off-road capability. In theory, anyway.

To tie this short write-up all together, I grabbed an RN30 Hilux by Majorette out of storage for a side-by-side comparison at my favorite angle of these trucks. I'm a real sucker for retro design cues and the font on those tailgates just take the accuracy to the next level. I am very glad I bought this pickup today, and considering the casting awesomeness and the hefty weight to it (made by metal on metal construction), I feel it is worth every penny. And you bet I'll be snatching up a few more of these (in black) when the K-case makes it to my area!

***

As for the pictures of my custom Datsun 510 that I promised to show on here (from my Instagram): I originally had my shots ready but then I wanted to retake them after my addition of the turn signals underneath the headlights. I must have gotten sidetracked after that, but this time, they really will be up soon.

Procrastinating...

...and I changed my mind about posting my ancient C-case grabs, because this week's hauls turned out to be much more interesting. First, I started off at Wal-Mart, where I found the same 2012 mix of cars sold at different chain stores. Picked out a Furai for my friend and a 2013 SRT Viper for myself.

Just as I was about leave, a bright blue vehicle with yellow bits caught my eye among the sea of beat up 2012'ers...and it was the new blue Mad Manga, which was one of a quite a few cars that I'm wanting to pick up from the 2013 D-case. In my area they're just coming out now.

Several days later at another Wal-Mart, I found another on a worse condition card. Naturally this is what happened:

Based loosely off of a C230 Laurel, the Mad Manga shows off the staples of a typical Zokusha build: sharknose front, external oil cooler, cat eyes, bolt-on overfenders, ducktail spoiler, and some crazy paintjob to top it all off. Speaking of which, it seems like the designers went with a 90's Dayglo theme for this release, as opposed to the stars and lightning bolts on the original.

Can't forget the brightly-coloured takeyari exhaust either.

This car is easily my favorite one ever made by Hot Wheels. It's cool to see this large part of Japanese car culture included in the lineup, and I can't wait for more recolors or even...a Mad Manga II?

Dear readers,

Happy New Year! Hope everyone will enjoy the hauls and releases that 2013 and beyond has in store.

(I have some serious writer’s block right now, so I’ll just let this picture serve as the transition into the rest of the post)

Jada versus Hot Wheels

I am so glad to finally have the AE86 Corolla in my possession, all thanks to my friend who found it on a wall of rummaged pegs at a Toys R Us about 3 weeks ago. I didn't have much luck finding the Corolla until about a week after, when I stumbled upon a couple of C-cases set up at a supermarket.

Although I was never a big fan of Hot Wheel’s casting for this car, I couldn't pass up one with the “Hi-Tech Two Tone” paint scheme. There’s just some sort of charm or novelty in seeing Hot Wheels release an import presented with such authenticity.

Aside from its slightly-off proportions, I’m not particularly fond of the painting method either. Using tampos to simulate the two-tone and panel lines hasn't worked out for most of the AE86s I've seen on- and offline. It’s incredibly difficult to find one with the white paint even remotely aligned to the rest of the car.

I suppose Mattel runs their tampo equipment quickly and doesn't calibrate them very often, but this is understandable seeing as they have to maintain a decent profit margin on an item meant to be sold at a dollar apiece. Time is money!

Also, I came across this recolor of the car. It seems like a quick and easy job for a more realistic two-tone; just remove the black tampo paint while leaving the white basecoat intact, and then repaint the lower half of the car and the bolt-on flares yourself.

That's it for now! Next post I will put up some pictures of C-case cars I got from the supermarket mentioned earlier. Feel free to check out my Instagram (blistercards) in the meantime. Thanks for reading!