Model: X-34 Landspeeder
Line: 2021 Hot Wheels mainline. 12/250
Buy the 2021 Hot Wheels Landspeeder on eBay
Details/Why it’s in my collection: Hot Wheels is bringing a little piece of that galaxy far, far away to our very own planet with the new 2021 Landspeeder from STAR WARS.
The Landspeeder first showed up in the original 1977 Star Wars film as Luke Skywalker’s main mode of transportation. According to the Star Wars Fandom page, the Landspeeder:
“…was a ground transportation vehicle capable of hovering slightly that enabled transit at relatively high speeds.”
Back here on Earth, the Landspeeder would probably be equivalent to Luke’s first car. It was a bit of a beater: it was an older model, with a missing engine cover, had dents, and the paint was less than perfect. It got the job done as a daily driver, but there were newer models that aged the X-34 — causing its resale value to take a dive, as we found out when Luke sells his X-34 for 2,000 galactic credits in order to hire Hans Solo to fly him and his crew to Alderaan. All those traits gave the Landspeeder a well-loved look on film, and Hot Wheels has captured those same details while transforming them into 1/64th scale.
Before we dive into the actual model, we have to address one of the absolute COOLEST Easter eggs hidden the card art….can you spot it?
THEY PUT A TIE FIGHTER IN THE SKY ABOVE THE HOT WHEELS CITY!
Seriously — how cool is that?! It’s such a small detail but it speaks volumes on how much Star Wars has impacted the team at Mattel (and millions and millions of other fans too). It’s little things like the change in card art that makes you appreciate this release even more.
While I’ll admit I am nowhere near a diehard Star Wars fan as some, I am an avid Hollywood vehicle enthusiast…making the Landspeeder exciting to see — especially at the $1 mainline price point. A more detailed Landspeeder was released in the Star Ships line, but turning it into a mainline cements a casting’s staying power, overall versatility, and says a lot about its popularity.
As far as this new mainline version goes, it’s pretty rad. They nailed the overall shape and look of the Landspeeder and like I mentioned before, did a great job replicating the paint defects and wear areas. They even molded and painted the engine detail where the missing engine cover is.
The body is cast in zamac and the base is plastic, but it feels high-quality — especially compared to some other non-car castings like the Batman the Animated Series Batwing or the Jetsons Capsule Car. The interior is nicely detailed and the plastic from the interior mold is also used on the rear ports, trim around the front, and parts pod on the “hood” area.
The chassis has four mini-wheels to aid in hovering action…I am personally split on the wheels. Half of me says it’s nice to have wheels (it is a Hot WHEELS after all) to roll around and play, and the other part of me says no to wheels so I can “play” hover it around without having those pesky wheels get in the way. What would you prefer: wheels or no wheels?
Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, the Landspeeder is an important casting. It marks the first time a vehicle from the iconic franchise has been included in the Hot Wheels mainline and is a casting that people from outside the Hot Wheels hobby will want to collect. It’s not often non-Hot Wheels buyers crossover and buy a HWs vehicle, but when they do, it’s almost always for some type of Hollywood vehicle. The Back to the Future Delorean, Ghostbuster Ecto-1, and Rick and Morty vehicles are all strong castings outside of the 1/64th car collector’s market.
This also means that the Landspeeder may be a little harder to find than some castings, as Hot Wheels collectors and Star Wars fans alike will both be after one. And who can blame them? The Landspeeder is a great casting from one of the biggest movie dynasties of all time!
Check out the unboxing video below to get a closer look at the X-34:
The Landspeeder may be in one of the first batches of 2021 releases we’ve seen so far, but if it’s any indication of where the 2021 mainline is headed in general, we’re in good shape.
Pretty cool that Mattel is putting this casting in the mainline. Quite a bit of detail here for a $1 toy. As an avid Star Wars fan, I’m so glad to have found one. Looks great on my shelf!