Showcase: Hot Wheels Car Culture Silhouettes

This was a surprise, for several reasons.

For one, everything I heard was that the latest mix from Car Culture, Silhouettes, was going to drop in May. It is definitely not May.

Second, when word did get out that they were hitting around here, I figured it would be hard to get my hands on a full set. The RWB and Skyline would undoubtedly be popular, and the Monza was packed one-per-case.

Third, my good friend Mike, like me a collector nerd here in Utah, found a set at a Walmart near him. And knowing I would want to showcase it, met up with me at lunch today and handed the set right to me. He didn’t need to do that, but it was super nice, and now I can showcase the set for you.

Of course Mike is getting a set back from me as soon as I can replace it, and I might have added something cool to the return pile.

Nonetheless, this set fantastic. Thanks to Mike, you can have a looksie.

Enjoy:

24 Replies to “Showcase: Hot Wheels Car Culture Silhouettes”

  1. If there’s a god, that god would put the RWB on the mainline. Not even gonna wish for the DR30 Super Silhouette, even if I’d like to see it there, too.

  2. two keepers out of 5 . Not going to bother with the rest . Is this beginning of the end for Car Culture ? Is the team just putting all their eggs into one basket and pushing out stocking fillers to complete a set …

  3. Awesome car culture silhouettes you got, you open up, and you reviewed congrats. 👍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. 👍

  4. I’m a little surprised at the lukewarm reaction from the comment section so far…I think these look great. I’ve never really cared for the Monza personally, but I’d love to grab the other four. And the card art….good lord, they’ve really been nailing the art for Car Culture. My ability to get out there and hunt has been severely hindered by a 4-month-old infant, but I’m hoping to be able to score these nonetheless.

    1. Also, the PPG Porsche is indeed an authentic livery. There are a very limited number of actual pictures of it online, but it did exist.

      1. Yeah, I happened to find out that the Monza looks based of a real livery … the Alan Moffat Racing Monza! I assumed wrong, based off my previous post, but I still would like a more vibrant paint scheme to best honest!

  5. I think this set is getting a lukewarm reception because for the majority of current collectors, only two of those cars are desired.

  6. While this set is good, I’m not a fan of the Skyline Super Silhouette or the RWB. I’ve never been a fan of RWB and the rims on the Slyline don’t fit the casting (which is good for me, since chances are those will be the first to go). I’ll definitely look for the other 3 though. Group 5 needed some representation in the 1:64 diecast world beyond Tomica, and this set represents it well.

  7. Wow!! Hot Wheels really needs to add you to their payroll. Your showcases do it to me every time. Prior to this showcase I was only interested in the two Porsche’s, but wow this set looks great! Honestly the Skyline is my least favorite. Not really a fan of the body kit used on it, or is that a specific Skylline model that i’m not aware of? Anyhow, I do love the colors of it and the wheels.

    The RWB Porsche is amazing. I do wish they kept the rims all black though but it is still killer.

    That Corvette is fire! Maybe my favorite of the set. Love the colors.

    Definitely going to try and get a full set, and at the very least both Porsche’s and Corvette.

    Thanks again for your showcases.

    1. The Skyline in this set is the R30 RS Silhouette Formula race car. It raced in the Fuji Super Silhouette Series in 1982 and 1983 under 4th-gen FIA Group 5 regulations. Other Group 5 cars include the Ford Zakspeed Capri, Ferrari 512BB LM, BMW M1 and Lancia Beta Montecarlo. The Porsche 935, Chevy Monza and Greenwood Corvette in this set also raced in the same category.

      Also, it’s worth pointing out that the rims on the Skyline aren’t accurate to the real car. It used wire mesh wheels at the start of its lifespan and aerodynamic turbo-fan-style wheels at the end of its lifespan.

  8. This is a cool set. 2 out of 5 are must haves for me obviously, the RWB and the Skyline. The 935 and Monza are nice too. The Corvette is the only one I’m not hugely interested in but it is also a nice model regardless. And I’m happy to see most of them getting real life liveries.

    My only complaint (it’s not really a complaint) is the RWB is the odd one out, as all the others are race cars. They should have added an actual race car in its place and release the RWB in another set. I’m actually not a huge fan of RWB in general but in this group of cars that it is my favourite.

    P.S. – John, you asked in the video if this RWB has a name like the others. Yes this is based on the RWB Stella Artois.

  9. This line is fresh & new .. cars of different cultures from multiple eras.
    It’s hard to compare the Greenwood ‘Vette & the 935-78 Porsche with the offerings from the 2012 Racing line. Those were the pioneers in their own right & truly better in execution, hands down. But, the newer versions are pretty good in their own right though. The blue wheels look a little plasticky on the Porsche IMO.

    I like the Monza & I can be a bit picky with the colors, they are indicative of the times and though that metallic copper(?) looks best suited for a production car, it kinda’ dulls down the racing funk this car gives off.

    The Skyline is pretty neat and it’s acceptable with the white wheels, i’d rather it have gold mesh or crosslace wheels to really set this thing apart.. or compliment the red & black. RWB Porsche 930? it’s ok.. it doesn’t explode or grab your attention so I have to see it in person to make a determination of visual impact.
    Nice set to hunt for!

  10. Not my cup of tea so I will be giving all models in this set a miss. But for those on the hunt, I hope you all find what you’re after 🙂

  11. Actually I like the Skyline wheels the most. Wire mesh looks a lot like euro speed wheels that come in chrome and gold previously. But the TE37 comes with deep dish at the back and all with the SAME size 10! Something I hope that Mattel will implement in the future, not that cartoonish 12 back tires…

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