And here begins the Hot Ones’ successor. Why the Hot Ones was discontinued and the Flying Customs started is not something I know. That may have been the plan all along, or maybe it is to inject something into the line. At this point I see little difference between the two lines, outside of the card artwork. Both lines have a nostalgic feel, will include nostalgic tools, as well as new or current tools in nostalgic clothes.
It took awhile, but the Hot Ones really grew on me. It might have helped that the later batches included several castings I was very excited about, namely the Honda CRX, ’87 Toyota Truck, ’82 Supra, and Subaru BRAT. The problem was all those models came late in the series, and as of now most haven’t even appeared in stores. We discussed this issue in an earlier post, and now with Flying Customs already out, the future of these late-issue models in up in the air.
Of course the Flying Customs have only been sent to dealers at this point, so it could potentially be awhile until they show up in stores, giving them a chance to stock the last Hot Ones. But the chances of that get slimmer and slimmer as time goes on.
But let’s focus on the positive. The positive here is that the Flying Customs line is shaping up to be a great one. Over on HWC, Hot Wheels designer Steve Vandervate released a partial list of what is to come. The list can get pretty much any HW collector excited:
‘77 Plymouth Arrow
Dumpin’ A
’74 Chevrolet Vega Pro Stock
‘76 Chevy Monza
’69 COPO Corvette®
Custom ’42 Jeep® CJ-2A
Tyrrell P34
’73 Ford Gran Torino
Sheriff Patrol
Amphicar
‘57 T-Bird
Hare Splitter
’86 Ford Thunderbird Pro Stock
Volkswagen Baja Beetle
Camaro® Z28
El Ray Special
‘71 Mustang Funny Car
Porsche 914-6
Porsche 935/78
Texas Drive ‘Em
Turbo Mustang
’69 Camaro®
‘65 Mustang
‘82 Toyota Supra
‘55 Lincoln Futura Concept
‘70 Ford Torino
T-Bird Stocker
’78 Corvette FC
‘81 Ford Fairmont
Custom Volkswagen Beetle
Porsche 917-K
‘57 Chevy w Engine
Datsun Bluebird 510
‘69 Mustang Boss 302
‘76 Chevy Chevette
Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R
Porsche 930
Jeep CJ-7
It appears every type of collector is represented: Muscle, VW, Euro, Supercars, JDM, you name it. If you know me, you know that the words “Bluebird” and “Skyline” caught my eye first, but there are many others that excite me.
One of those is already out. The ’69 COPO Corvette is my favorite classic Vette casting (well, it was until the
Greenwood Vette
blew everything else out of the water), and I have
every version done so far
, outside of the Toy Fair model. One day I might try and get that one as well.
So have a looksy at the new COPO, as well as three other Batch A releases. It looks to be a great series. But then again, so was Hot Ones.
Hot Wheels ’69 COPO Corvette (2013 Flying Customs):
’74 Chevrolet Vega Pro Stock:
Dumpin A:
’77 Plymoth Arrow:
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I wish i could get all of these Porsches…
Stores want something new on the pegs all the time, and if a theme wasn't selling, they'll want something else to fill that peg space, or someone else will get the space. And so, Hot Ones becomes Flying Colors–it occupies the same space on the peg, but because it's “new” stores will buy it. Collectors know it's the same thing, but people who buy for the retain chains don't particularly care–it's new, it's fresh, it'll sell for a couple of waves.
Why not more Hot Ones? You said it yourself in the Subaru post: big retail wasn't taking them anymore because of slow sales. (Ignore for the moment that white Roll Patrols and pink BubbleGunners are the reason why they're hanging … ) So, something new had to be created to take the space. Flying Colors to the rescue!
As Jeff mentioned, 'Flying Customs' is new, 'Hot Ones' is old as far as retailer buyers are concerned. It's basically the same reason that 'Garage' was ended and 'Boulevard' started.
A lot of people have been complaining about this mix, which, IMO, is mildly weak. I'm not big on the colors used for the Dumpin' A, and the Plymouth Arrow just blends with the 2 from Hot Ones. But the COPO Corvette and Vega (along with the Monza, which you didn't get) look great to me. I was excited when Van posted the list on the boards. The Front Runnin' Fairmont, Thunderbird Stocker and Turbo Mustang are returning, the TDE will now feature CT wheels, the Porsche 935 will receive a common release after the scarce Road Racing set, and numerous other cars that have me excited. Hopefully it will go well at retail, and if not, as long as the online retailers get their share the collectors should be fine.
-doomus
Porsche 917? Awesome!
Chevy Chevette? Awesome!
Texas Drive 'Em? Totally freakin' awesome!
Nice list! Love the Corvette. Looks cool in silver. Btw, does the body of the dragster stay up-right on it's own? It appears to be too simple to me.
– Black Wind, Swiftysgarage.