Let’s get this out of the way. I am not a big fan of the decos on these five cars. The colors are a bit dated, the graphics as well, and in many ways they take away from the cars they are plastered on.
But that doesn’t matter in the least. A) because who cares what I think and B) this is the way they are supposed to look. They are replicas of five of the cars in the original Fast & Furious, and these are the decos they sported.
And even with the opinion I have about them, I am sure thankful for them. Because if we don’t have this series, or this film franchise, or these decos, we don’t have a Hot Wheels S14, ’95 Eclipse, or Jetta.
And that is what is key. I have mentioned numerous times that the most fun I get out of the Fast & Furious movies is watching them with friends the way the human and robots watch old corny movies on Mystery Science Theater 3000. They are goofy, ridiculous, and nonsensical. And I get while many argue they have ruined many aspects of car culture as much as helped it.
But what can’t be argued is that while the Fast & Furious movies have moved from a testosterone contest to Ocean’s 11 with muscles, a lot of cool cars have made appearances. And that is why Hot Wheels taking the Car Culture premium approach to their Fast & Furious line is so exciting. It has brought us some fantastic Hot Wheels.
First, Fast Imports gave us a stock jet black R32. It barely showed up in the movies, but enough for Hot Wheels to do one, and it is the best model of 2019 so far (IMO). You can see what they did there. Not because it was FnF, but because it gave them an excuse to do a jet black R32. In the same vein we now have a stock, premium Escort RS1600.
And that goes with castings. The S15 Silvia debuted in the Forza line, but my guess is Mattel’s plans for the casting in the Hot Wheels FnF line is what got it made. The deco on the FnF Silvia is wonky, but the casting now exists, and I am sure we will see it looking awesome in future releases. Same with the three new castings in the Original Fast mix. Make no mistake, the S14 and Jetta are true gems, and will undoubtedly be released elsewhere, maybe in more stock looks. The Eclipse looks good too, but that color, deco, and horrible shoes really disguise it. I can’t wait to see it in another outfit.
But all this perspective comes from me, and I think I have made it clear enough that I am happy these Entertainment-type lines have brought us so many cool cars, not cool cars from entertainment, if that makes sense.
And I may be the minority. I realize MANY of you are after this set purely for the fact that they ARE Fast & Furious cars, and it is you guys that Mattel had in mind for this set. They just found a way to make us all happy. And you should be, and based on the feedback, are completely thrilled with this set.
And clearly the Hot Wheels Team went all out. The art for this set is tremendous. The idea of making the five cards form one racing scene is genius, and even Brian’s floor panel is flying off the Eclipse if you look closely.
So whether you are a car nerd like me, or an FNF nerd like a billion people, or both, this set is a hit.
Photos coming soon. Enjoy the video:
Finally, a premium batch that I can bypass completely! It seems that in pretty much every premium set release, there’s at least ONE model I have to be on the hunt for, but I’ll be saving my money by not going after a single one of these. Not even the superb RX-7 or Skyline castings are salvageable with these eyesore decos.
Man I can’t wait for this set! I love everything about it, the cars, the artwork, the premium treatment! Much better than the first set. To me, the first one was a hit and miss. Some were great like the R32 Skyline and Silvia, but I don’t get the Gallardo. I don’t recall seeing that car a whole lot in any of the movies, so why is it worth getting used? Also it’s ugly. Same with the R32. I know it’s a great casting but when did it show up in any of the movies? They could’ve used a car with more screen time. But anyway, I’m just thankful for this set. I’m crossing my fingers I can find this one!
I love them all. Brian’s Eclipse is one I have wanted HWs to make for a very long time. I wished they could have been more accurate on the wheels and “sponsor” stickers but I understand as that would be cost prohibitive. I can’t wait to see the Eclipse in the mainline so I can start customizing with it. A+ set!
Awesome fast & furious orginal fast premium cars you found, you open up, and you reviewed congrats. 👍They’re all my favorites. 👍 I will be on the hunt for all 5 of those and I can’t wait to add all 5 of those to my hotwheels collection. 👍
I agree about 90% with the analysis here. Awful decos ruining great cars. But the casting now exist. The Jetta and Eclipse casting are awesome.
I actually like the Eclipse as I remember it fondly from the movie. And it bring me a car I always loved (the late 90s Eclipse).
Now Hot Wheels. Maybe make a Car Culture batch with only clean cars? Maybe a clean 510 wagon (would be the first with full deco as the Blvd did not have that), a clean 510 sedan (would be a first), a clean Jetta, a clean Eclipse, a clean RX-7, a clean BMW M3, BMW 2002, Audi RS6 Avant etc. I’ve exceeded five models, but there are so many HW models I’d want to see clean (i.e., more stock) and premium. Or maybe just have Matchbox do more premium models…
Finally, once they go premium, the eclipse, silvia, and jetta will appear in the mainline with better color and tampo. Can’t wait to customize them. Glad I didn’t buy any of that Jada crap..
hope they made the replica not only in the premium line but also the basic, because the number one reason for people collecting hot wheels is of course because of their affordable price….
I just can’t with these. When you say the decos don’t matter in the least, I’m glad you are able to look past it and see the castings underneath, but I cannot. For me, they ruin otherwise [mostly] nice looking castings. I’m not a big fan of the F&F-inspired body kits of the 90’s, but those I may be able to look past if at least the deco’s weren’t such eyesores. To my eye they are so utterly hideous and representative of everything that was wrong with car culture in those days.
As far as being grateful for F&F as a gateway to getting these castings made and released in other, better, cleaner, desirable decos, I just don’t know. I’m not all that hopeful that we’ll see all of these models in premium form again. At least not anytime soon. I’m am most skeptical about the Jetta and Eclipse. Possibly the RX-7 in the mainline someday, likely the Silvia and of course we already have the Skyline.