It doesn’t disappoint. The new Hot Wheels Bugatti Chiron is in hand and truly spectacular.
The Chiron was undoubtedly going to cause a frenzy when it was first unveiled by Ryu Asada and the Hot Wheels Design Team. A Bugatti is a big deal in all aspects, large or small. The king of hypercars has obviously graced the Hot Wheels pegs before, 10-15 years ago when the Veyron hung and hung and hung on the pegs.
But times change. The subpar Veyron casting was mercifully retired 10 years ago and then took on a life of its own, going from perennial pegwarmer to a must-have for so many, and prices skyrocketed. I took mine from the loose car dump bin in the storage unit and put them in storage cases, treating the Walmart and Speed Machines versions like the gold they have become.
But that doesn’t change the fact that the casting was pretty badly executed. Hot Wheels needed a Bugatti do-over, and it is here. The photos for a HW Veyron-Chiron comparison post are done, but for now, let’s give the Chiron a full showcase.
It surely deserves it, because it is fantastic.
There isn’t much to say here. Hot Wheels basic models have never been better. The details are crisp, the construction tight, and most importantly, the proportions spot on. The window piece is also the rear, creating a nice break and would not look nearly as good if it were part of the diecast body.
Some have complained about the large rear wheel. I get it, but as it has been described, putting the same size wheel on the rear would actually make the proportions look off more than the large wheels. Hot Wheels works with standardized wheel sizes, and the Bugatti does have a larger rear wheel in real life. While the difference between sizes is more subtle on the 1:1, the size difference here adds to the proper dimensions. One thing I have learned since doing this blog, and getting to know some of the designers, is that shrinking a car to 1:64 is not as easy as it looks. Angles are very difficult to replicate, plus playability, cost, and safety for a $1 Hot Wheels all have to be taken into account. Surely Hot Wheels has add a rake and large rear wheels on models that didn’t need them – the 240Z comes to mind – but in this case I see why it was done. And frankly, on its own, the models looks great.
This will obviously be a hit. It already is. It is a significant model for Hot Wheels, thankfully beautifully executed, and easily a front runner for model of the year. I have said it before, but this year’s Best Basic New Model category in the Lamley Awards will be a heavyweight fight. There are some doozies.
Veyron v Chiron post coming next.
Glad to see Bugatti is back in the HOTWHEELS family.😎article. Will be on the lookout for this Most Wanted “ BADBOY “”.
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
I’ve always felt that supercars have been kinda neglected by HW and collectors alike, especially in recent years due to the rise of JDM and re-emergence of muscle cars, but with the McLarens, Porsches and Lamborghinis we got in the last 2-3 years culminating with the Chiron this year, it’s fair to say supercars are finally getting their due. And I’m holding out hope that HW will take it one level above with a Car Culture set (or two) dedicated to supercars and hypercars (Chiron included). We’ve seen JDM sets, we’ve seen muscle car sets, now it’s time we saw an exotics set.
Coming to the Chiron, it looks brilliant! Ryu did a great job on this one. My only complaint (yes, I have one) is the lack of side mirrors. It’s a tiny but important detail that marks the difference between a 9/10 rating and a 10/10 rating. Anyway, hope to see the Chiron in a premium version soon.
YES! I’ve been begging for a Car Culture Exotics for awhile. I think it’s eventually coming. Agreed Hot Wheels has been stepping up their Exotics game of late.
Amazing Car, casting, and photos. Would love to see you do a tutorial/blog/video on your photography setup.
Can’t wait to get my hands on this one, and can’t wait to see what re-colors they do as well as hopefully premium versions.
“The king of hypercars…” Pagani and Koenigsegg would like to have a word with you.
Ok, in all seriousness, this casting does look stunning. I would’ve liked a black and blue two-tone and/or painted lights, but it’s not a big deal (and will be remedied whenever the premium lines get a hold of it). The proportions are almost spot-on as well, so that’s always a plus.
That new 2016 Bugatti chiron is very awesome. 👍I will definitely be on the hunt for this one and I can’t wait to add this one to my hotwheels collection. 👍
Who knew losing the Ferrari license would open the floodgates of smashing headline exotics from everyone else? The Chiron is here, the Aston Vulcan is coming, and potentially more could be out soon. Now if only we got some from Koenigsegg…Agera R/S, One:1, Regera or Jesko, anyone?
Hot Wheels said at the last convention that they have the Koenigsegg license again so I’m guessing we will see something from Koenigsegg in the near future.
So when is Koenigsegg or Zenvo
There’s really nothing to say about the execution of the casting…it’s just fabulous, full stop. BUT, if they were already doing front tampo anyway, why leave out the headlights? I just don’t understand. This isn’t even a complaint about the “two-pass” rule, I get why that exists, but they just straight up didn’t bother to do the headlights on this one, it’s baffling. On the debut, no less. Still love it, and will absolutely be hunting for one, but that’s a disappointing detail to leave out.
The lights area is much too narrow for the level of detail needed to render the headlamps, so I reckon the better choice is to make it (and the taillights) part of the windscreen.