You might have noticed that Instagram caught fire last night. Blame Team Transport. The Hot Wheels unveiled “The Board” last night at the RLC Party at Nationals, and while there was a lot to talk about, Team Transport grabbed the attention.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhQKw9oF2_U/?taken-by=thelamleygroup
The Hot Wheels Team will always bring some goodies with them to the Conventions, and display them on the board. It is usually a mix of premium and basic models, in several states of development. Among the sneaks were some early First Shots of the Mazda 787B, Nissan Skyline R32 and others, as well as upcoming RLC, Car Culture and Basics. But the main attraction was the first mix of Team Transport, due this summer.
As they did at the last Convention, the HW Team granted me a few minutes with the board before they unveiled it, allowing me to shoot a series of preview videos with Jimmy Liu in marketing. I will show those in the future, but I can show some of the pics I took now. And we might as well start with Team Transport.
I will let Jimmy get into all the details in the upcoming videos, but suffice to say this set is a doozy. It is actually hard to believe these were actually done.
Here are a few other items I photographed. I didn’t shoot all of them, just a few that are a little further out in development.
Car Culture Shop Trucks Mix:
Upcoming premium models. The S15 Silvia, Mazda 787B, and Acura NSX GT3 are First Shots (paint and wheels are only used for testing), and the Charger is new.
Lastly, the removable engine cover on the 787B, due later in Car Culture:
More details coming. Thanks to Jimmy and the HW Team for letting me shoot these. Stay tuned for more Nationals coverage coming. For kicks here are some other quick shots of the board:
The transport proportions are terrible. The cars being hauled are bigger then the trucks. Great idea, poor execution.
Agreed. Disappointing. Why is it so hard to make things to accurate scale?
The Skyline and Silvia don’t look so so bad, but yeah, that Porsche is waaaaaayyyy off. I know the T1 isn’t big IRL, but the 356 is tiny. Still gonna get it, though.
Because that isn’t what Hot Wheels focuses on?
Haters will be hating , I luv them ( Team Transport )
What’s there to hate on. I haven’t looked foward to retail releases with this much excitement in quite a while.
Hate, disappointment and criticism are different things. I too am a little disappointed with the scale thing, but I don’t hate these models.
Will most likely never see them in store why bother!
Ok, poopy pants. I’ll go get you a pillow to cry on.
Look at all those Silverados!
It’ll be interesting to see those team transport in person when they hit the stores as the pictures already look interesting. Curious to know if the box truck will be metal or plastic. Any idea what will be the price point and the packaging style? Also I see the Alfa is coming with new livery. Can’t wait.
I have mixed feelings about the Transport models, and it’s because of the proportions. I’m okay with the cars being a tad big in relation to the trucks for the Advan and GReddy pairs, but the VW/Porsche combo is laughably bad. If they had their hearts set on a Volkswagen Transporter/Porsche 356 pair, they really should have done a bigger VW casting from scratch. I think this would have been worthwhile from a cost perspective too, I think they could’ve gotten many future versions out of it. It pains me, because that combo could be so killer, but I just can’t get excited for it as is. Complaining aside, the other two pairs look very tasty indeed. I’d hazard a guess of about $15 retail each?
Is anyone else getting a big-time “Hot Wheels Delivery” flashback from the Shop Trucks assortment of Car Culture? Absolutely awesome!
I think the VW/Porsche proportions are spot on. Remember, those cars were built on essentially the same pans. At least they added onto the VW’s bed with tow platforms
They’re never gonna put the NSX GT3 and 787B in the mainline, are they? The Silvia has a chance, but please give me even just the NSX. More GT3 cars need to be on the dollar menu.
The NSX may come to the mainline in the future, yes, but only after it gets a plastic base and normal wheels. The 787B, however, won’t.
Highlights for me from these photos:
Mazda 787B with removable engine cover!!! Holy fuck!!! I pretty blown away by the fact that they’re actually doing a model with a removable part in this age! Can’t wait to see the final version!
Honda NSX GT3 looks sharp. And knowing it’ll sport the Advan livery it’ll make a great companion to the old NSX race car we saw in Car Culture last year, and also the upcoming Audi R8 LMS (another model I’m very excited about).
Both the Nissan Silvia S15 and Skyline R32 have my attention. I’ve always wanted a stock version of both and I can’t wait to see how they’ll look in their final form. I’m hoping they’re not ruined by some racing liveries though.
And lastly, the new Demon is also surprisingly looking pretty good. Fatass large rear wheels again but it’ll probably work better than most other cars. The D100 truck is going under the radar here. Was expecting a stock truck (like the 83 Silverado) in a plain colour but this is neither. Its not bad but not what I thought it would be either.
Did Mattel not show the MOMO truck with the racing Porsche that I thought was going to be part of the same wave or is that one of those items you’re not allowed to show yet?
Car Culture Team Transport – great idea, unfortunate result. I’m fully aware I am in the minority here and these will sell more than just OK, but as is, I will pass. The most exciting set here for me is the Porsche 356/VW Transporter, but due to the laughable fit of the car on the bed, I just can’t spend my money on this. I suppose I could display them separately, but unless this set is priced lower than the others, it is going to be a horrible value. You’re basically getting 2 cars with this set, while with the others you get a car and a nice sized truck.
My second Team Transport pick would be the GReddy Skyline. I love the deco and the car is nice enough, but I just can’t get over those teeny tiny lowrider wheels! I just can’t do it. As with all of these, I wish there were a few more modern options. The Advan Skyline Wagon does nothing for me. Again, a bit too vintage for my interest and I can’t stand the tucked under lowrider wheels.
Shop Truks – Ugh, pass!
I’m excited for the Silvia! That one’s long overdue. I’ll have to wait to see the NSX painted, but overall I am all for more GT3 cars. I can’t wait to see the Mazda 787B painted. That will be a nice addition to my growing GTP stable.
Love, love, love the Audi rally car! What is that, an RS3? Oh, wait! Is that supposed to be an R8 LMS??? Great idea, but I sure hope the real thing turns out far less short and stumpy than how this appears in the photo above, i.e. doesn’t look like a compact hatch. Love the Project Cars Mercedes and BMW. Can’t wait! I do wish that every last Porsche we get these days didn’t have to be an Urban Outlaw. There is an entire world of Porsches beyond that Mattel. I’ve always loved the Alfa Giulia casting. I have both the white and silver Car Culture releases and am hard pressed to choose a favorite. While this green may be period correct, it’s not endearing me to this car. I may pass this time around and be good with what I’ve got.
Daniel V
The reasons of the inaccuracy on the scale on the haulers, reside firts on the wheels, because Mattel has a limited range of wheel’s diameters and models to combine, even with the fact that Mattel bring some 4 new designs on wheels for the mainline range and on the Real Riders only in 2017.
If Mattel starts to work on accuracy of scales, then they should work harder on the wheels itself, and the logistics would increase production costs and then, the prices would rise to the stars.
I accept the sets aren’t perfect, they aren`t scale models, they are “fine toys” and considering the brutal competition from M2, Greenlight and Tomica, the response isn’t dissapointing.
Personally, the Mazda 787B, with a removable engine cover is absolutely fantastic.