We are going to go back a few years for today’s Model of the Day…
15 years in fact. And I will be honest. I know absolutely nothing about the models from this era. Collecting was the furthest thing from my mind as was two years returned from some time overseas and was fully engaged at college. And fully engaged. I was married in late 1998.
But I have this nice-looking model for one reason. It looks quite nice next to the latest BMW E30 M3. I know that makes for a poor writeup, but maybe the introduction of this model to the collection will expand my horizons a bit. I actually hope not, because collecting the current stuff is satisfying enough.
I am a bit of a fan of the lace wheels, and I thought they were such a good choice in gold on the BMW, and I wanted something else from roughly that same era. These Mercs came to mind, so into the collection this one goes. And yes, I am very happy to see some 90’s era models getting some love…
So I have nothing interesting to write. Sorry about that. At least both models make a nice German pair.
(Find the various versions of the HW 380 SEL here…)
Hot Wheels Mercedes-Benz 380 SEL (1998 Mainline):
And the pair:
If I remember correctly, there's a mold of a little dog in the back seat.
Always loved that about this casting. Nice writeup!
You are correct, there should be a little dog molded into the back seat.
This was a casting I've liked a lil more each year. Still not that big on it, but it is nice. You should seek out the Final Run version of this casting, nice details and 2-piece wheels.
-doomus
That is absolutely magnificent! The term “The Golden Era of Hot Wheels” will fit this perfectly. And paired with the BM, they look like some real classic sports saloons from the Autobahn country! You are very lucky to have this one. I envy you mate!
– Black Wind, SwiftysGarage.
This is one of my favorite castings. I love Mercs of this era, and I think I have all but 1 of the versions it was made in.
great casting, i think i'll have to pick one up.
Oh my god. I just bought that one during springtime of last year. This is by far my favorite variation of this casting. And now here yall decide to write about it. Never in a million years would i think of seeing that one on this blog.
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I know this is a 5-year-old post, but I don’t know where else I could ask this question.
I’ve had the first edition of this casting ever since my childhood, and I’ve kept it in pretty neat condition. Then last night, I got another one from a friend’s friend who apparently found it while rummaging through his old stuff. First I thought the paint was rusted, but after attempting to polish it, I realized the paint was almost completely gone from the top surfaces and the metal was exposed (while the sides and back syill mostly kept the original paint). I was thinking of destroying the rivet, disassembling it, removing the paint altogether and then repainting it as close to the roginal colors as possible… until I noticed it didn’t have clear windows, but yellow-tinted ones instead,
I haven’t been able to find any references to a variation in these colors (metalflake silver body, black base, gold rims) with yellow-tinted windows, which may make this one a rarity. This has stopped me from going on with my plan to repaint it. Does anybody have knowledge of such a version?
Ugh, I just noticed those typos… it should read “still mostly” and “original colors”,of course.