Thank goodness Hot Wheels and Ferrari remain a happy family. Lately, if Ferrari unveils a new car, you can rest assured that a Hot Wheels version won’t be too far behind. And it also means we can look forward to a Ferrari 5-pack every year.
So yes, the Hot Wheels/Ferrari pairing has been fruitful, producing a lot of models. That is a good thing. The bad thing? A lot of those models are hideous. There are a lot of Ferrari from the late 90’s/early 2000’s that could benefit from retirement (512M anyone?), and thankfully many worthy models to take their place.
The best reflection of that is the Ferrari 5-pack. Some years the pack goes 5-for-5 in great-looking models, other years it is plagued by old ugly models that have seen better days.
This year? 4-for-5. A good number.
If we start with the good, we have to mention two models that have become 5-pack staples, the 430 Scuderia and 612 Scaglietti. As real cars, they are on both sides of the spectrum. The Scuderia was generally praised as a fantastic car, and from my perspective ushered in another Ferrari golden age, and led directly to the fantastic 458 Italia. The Scaglietti, on the other hand, was a bit of a bland tourer, and gave way to the much more interesting FF (which is one of my favorite Ferraris).
As Hot Wheels models? Both are fantastic. The castings are clean, nicely proportioned, and quite good-looking. Both are mainstays in the Lamley collection, and these two have a place. Hot Wheels has stuck to the signature center stripe on the Scuderia, and it looks fantastic blue. And I am always a sucker for pearl white, and that makes for a very good looking 612. (We have to pair it with an earlier pearl white 5-pack model, the GTO, in a future post.)
Hot Wheels Ferrari 430 Scuderia (2014 Ferrari 5-pack):
Hot Wheels Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (2014 Ferrari 5-pack):
Now lets go back for a moment. We mentioned this pack went 4-for-5, and that there are some castings that could benefit from retirement. Exhibit A: the Ferrari F40.
All we will say is this casting debuted in 1988. It may have a metal base, and maybe there are some that think its age makes it a nostalgic. We say it needs to go or get a complete top-to-bottom makeover. No, scratch that. It should just be completely redone by one of today’s designers. We could use more classic Ferraris in the lineup, and the F40 is surely a classic.
We will let the photos to the talking on what a disaster this casting is. We have done our best to close the rear. What you see is what we pulled out of the pack:
Hot Wheels Ferrari F40 (2014 Ferrari 5-pack):
Pretty bad, eh? Contrast that with the model we consider the cream of the crop in this pack, the 458 Spider. Yes, there are a few flaws in the 458 Italia and 458 Spider castings, but the actual design on this one is fantastic. Understated pinstriping on both the sides and hood, and while we aren’t huge fans of the Y5 wheels, they work so much better than the OH5 wheels this model normally sports. They fill the awkward wheel wells so much better, and the model looks better proportioned.
The 458 is easily one of the best-looking cars on the road, and here is a model that exudes that. This is the best looking HW Ferrari since last year’s Zamac F12 Berlinetta.
Hot Wheels Ferrari 458 Spider (2014 Ferrari 5-pack):
Lastly, the one that gives us a mixed opinion. Without seeing the model, just knowing that the Enzo Ferrari was in the pack would have made it a 3-for-5. The Enzo is WAY overused, and the casting has some real flaws, starting with its height.
It seems we get an Enzo every year, filling a spot that could have been taken by Hot Wheels Ferraris we love like the 250 trio (GTO, LM, and California). Hot Wheels has done some fantastic classic Ferraris, and there is room to do a TON more, whether new models or new versions of existing castings. But it seems we always go back to the Enzo.
But we can give it a pass when the model looks this good. Metalflake black, great center pinstripe, and nice red-lipped wheels. We’re buyers on this one, but let’s hope this is the last we see of the Enzo for awhile:
Hot Wheels Enzo Ferrari (2014 Ferrari 5-pack):
All-in-all, one of the better Ferrari 5-packs we have seen. Your thoughts?
(And in case you are curious, you can find a load of previous Ferrari 5-packs for sale on ebay…)
I actually like the F40 better than any other model in this pack. It has opening parts, which is seldom found in modern Hot Wheels. I think it's better left alone. But I would rather have it in red with just the Ferrari logo as its tampo. If it is redesigned, the first thing to go would likely be the opening parts due to Mattel's penny pinching
my f40's rear can close perfectly. But, the rear paint job is hideous. the paint isn't neat and it left some nasty holes. I think the F40 should be replaced with something like Ferrari 599xx
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That was the original release. Red with an oversized prancing horse on the hood.
Other than several Ferraris having ridiculous ground clearance and bulky bumpers, the casting itself ain't bad, namely the Enzo, FXX, F50, as well as the F430 Spider and Laferrari respectively.
The F40 does indeed need a rear boot makeover.
The 430 Scud is made pretty damn well, and the 599XX needs to see more releases. We can't possibly end it at 2012 All Stars only. The Speed Machines and the $TH are still in high demand. Any new releases now will make good profit for Mattel.
I agree that the F40 needs to be retooled, but I would also hope that they will keep the rear engine hatch. My Boulevard F40 also suffers from this problem, where the wheels are caught with the engine hatch and barely rolls, but on the other hand my 2001 mainline blue F40 does not suffer the same problem.
Something fishy about this Ferrari 5 pack. I don't know why the purpose of Hot Wheels is for sleek designing, sporty too, but the Y5 wheels on the 458 Spider look HORIBLE to me. How could you, Hot Wheels? No effience but it DOES. While I also agree with others and you too John, that I am dissapointed with the F40 also. But just a shame this F40 needs a replacement now. I don't know why when you close the rear down, it just stand down like that instead of full laying down. I think that's an error. Or correct me if I'm wrong, okay?
The Enzo, ah. We're all at the same point. We're back to the Enzo. After this machine was named after Enzo Ferrari, it's back to our world. I like it's deco right now. After all, who wouldn't care anymore about the Enzo. I like Enzos. So I'm really looking forward to a redesigned version in the future or otherwise, the Enzo will stay back in 2000 – 2005 till I'm worried about one of my favorite Ferraris.
The 612 Scaglietti. I love this casting. And I mean, A LOT. Because there is a sunroof on the roof top. I like cars that include a sunroof such as the 2006 Honda Civic Si coupe, or the 11' Dodge Charger RT too. So the Scaglietti reminds me of something like sunroofs on Civic LX, EX models and Charger SXT, RT models.
The Scuderia. Also one of my favorite Ferrari castins too. Blue fits on this, and is the model that reminds me of this guy in the 2012 Regular TH. So if any of you like the Scuderia, kick your city car outta your garage haha.
Well dammit no Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano anymore, waahh! That was such a great model, and now it stops. Heh, also the 599XX. Yep I agree with Andy Truong about more releases with that that stunning Frrari model.
I agree, the F40 is one prancing horse that needs to be put out to pasture. I would also like to see it redone, even though I still collect the current casting.
My favorites in this pack were the 430, 458, and the 612. I could do without those Y5 wheels on the 458, but that car makes them look better. And say what you want about the 612, but it looks pretty elegant in pearl white. The Enzo looks badass in black and red. And in my opinion, they hit another homer with the Scuderia. The Rossa Corsa Nazis will whine about it being blue, but it rocks that color mighty well.
Overall, a great 5-pack. Can't wait to get my hands on it.
I think this is a great 5-pack. To me, not nearly as cool as the new Matchbox exotics 5-pack but apples/oranges. Sure the F40 is dated but it is heavy, goes down the track fast (if you dare subject select versions of your $1 HotWheels to such 'abuse' 😛 ) and has an opening feature! So I say leave it alone for now… I'll buy 1 of these for sure. Much more tastefully done than previous Ferrari 5 packs.
The issue with the F40 is the large rear wheels. Make the casting ASW and you'll see a different boot.
–TheAfghanTwilight
I wanted to add another thing I failed to mention: the F40 hatch has a tendency to be pretty loose on the casting, and it just jiggles everywhere. In the worst case scenario, it can fall right off the hinges. That's what happened when I opened one of my Boulevard F40s last year, and no, that was not a defect, because I remember that the same thing happened when I had one years ago as a kid. I'm thinking that can pose a safety hazard to really small children. And besides, as much as I like it, the casting is not really all that accurate anyway. So yes, that F40 needs to be retooled, in the worst way, and I disagree with whoever says otherwise.
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I love the F40 in this pack
I just bought this 5 pack today and I love it! But I only have one complaint, the back door of my F40 it's very loose! Is anybody having the same problem? or does anyody know how to fix it?