There are little conversations in our hobby every week. Last week it was all about the Target Exclusive ’55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser.
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It is so cool to see Target doing exclusive a la the Walmart Zamacs, and going with a red theme makes perfect sense. The Corvette and Firebird are no slouches at all, but it is the Gasser that has gotten all the attention. Is it because it is so much better looking than the other two? No, although the white gasser with red flames is pretty dope.
It is because it is the Gasser. Everyone loves the Gasser. Doesn’t matter how you label yourself in the Hot Wheels world, you want the Gasser. And that has been the case since Brendon Vetuskey designed it and released it a few years ago. Since its matte grey debut, it has been a crazy popular Super Treasure Hunt, a zany-looking Zamac, a HW Heritage model, a recent Car Culture model, and the Candy Striper.
Sigh. The Candy Striper. Dare I say that is the best RLC release, ever? Prices suggest it might be, but whether or not the Candy Striper is a must have. Spectraflame pink, a Mooneyes logo, and an amazing amount of detail. It is one of the most memorable releases in the last few years, and probably a major factor in making each subsequent release so popular.
We aren’t done with the RLC Gassers either. Brendon gave the model a slight redesign to make the front end look a little better, and as soon as Mattel can figure out the paint issues (grrrrrrrrrrrr) on the black release, we will see the membership gassers in red, blue, and black chrome.
That means we will have seen the Gasser in pretty much every type of release outside of a Convention Exclusive, and I would bet that is only a matter of time.
For now, ask a friend for the Target exclusive (first person there typically gets them all), save your money for the Candy Striper, and make sure you get the RLC models when they are finally released. You are going to want them all…
i may have a Gasser i dont know its at the point that outside of a year i dont know what have anymore
Really?
You say everyone wants one
Meh not my thing ae
I'm one of the few people that doesn't go crazy over the gasser. It does make good trade bait though.
Whether you're crazy for it or not, this very notion of using it as trade bait is likely what this article means when collectors go crazy for it. As you can see, perceived value makes people go batty!
Who is responsible for the tampo design on the Redliners gasser? I would like to buy him a beer.
What got modified on the front end? Or was it just small tweaks? Hopefully it'll carry over to non-premium releases if it hasn't already.
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My favorite one is the matte black one with 'handwritten' text on it, it looks so authentic. It may even be my favorite mainline Hot Wheels from the past 5 years or so (sorry BMW CSL, Aston DB5, Toyota 2000GT, etc…)
Of the later versions I probably like the red '55' one the best.
Everyone loves the Gasser i guess according to him you are nobody