Here we go again… another trip around the sun and another seemingly impossible task to accomplish. It is tremendously difficult to narrow down a whole year into these Top 10 lists.
I added just under 1,000 pieces to my collection this year. Narrowing down to approximately 2% of that to come up with the two top 10 lists was quite the undertaking.
I prepared throughout the year for this by painstakingly photo journaling pieces as they entered the collection, and that should have made it easier… but it didn’t.
So we have two lists here.
First, let’s look at what I think are the top 10 new toolings of the year. Now of course I’ll be missing a favorite or two of yours but I am limiting it to castings that I actually bought and added to my personal collection throughout the year.
The second list will be my top 10 acquisitions of the year. These of course can be old or new releases. This is a list of both achievements and sentimentals. Some of this list will be hard to find Auto World chases (shocker), and others will be some fairly hard to come across at a good price, Hot Wheels.
The lists are in no particular order. Ranking these in order was something that I had no interest in even attempting to do.
I should also mention before we get into it that of course I cheated a little bit… but just a little.. Ok maybe a lot on the first list haha…
Championdjk’s Top 10(ish) New Toolings of 2022
#1 – Kaido House x Mini GT Datsuns
Yep I’m bending the rules right away by mashing two castings together for one spot. The reason for this is that I was sure at the beginning of the year that the 510 wagon was going to get a spot. Then Z came at the end of the year to confuse things.
I’m a Kaido House x Mini GT fan. I don’t mind that they are a little larger than 1/64 scale which is the loudest complaint that I hear from other collectors. I also dig the style and the premium feel of these models.
I will say that if I must choose one over the other, the Z wins over the wagon. I love Z’s (both sleep and the cars). The 510 Pro Street sedan made my list last year and the wagon is a lot of the same. This Z does have a lot of the same Kaido House style as its predecessors but well, it’s a Z.
Check out some Kaido House x Mini GT stuff on eBay
#2 – Mini GT Bugatti Centodieci
The Mini GT Bugatti Vision GT made my list last year and marked the beginning of Mini GT tooling up Bugattis. This year, Mini GT released a couple more colors of the Vision GT along with 3 new toolings. The Centodieci is the one that sticks out to me.
I’m an enthusiast of Mini GT at large and there were a lot of new toolings that were released by them this year. I added a ton of Mini GT to my collection throughout the year as well. So, why the Bugatti over all of the others? To be honest, I am not really sure. It just pops out above the others and I cannot say much other than that maybe it is because no other brand does this car yet.
Check out Bugatti Centodieci’s on eBay
#3 – Para64 Cizeta V16T
Speaking of cars that no one has tooled up yet in 1/64, here is a doozy.
Para64 continues to stand out by making interesting choices and this oddball defines interesting for me.
I posted the picture below to Instagram as a love letter of sorts to the brand and this is the response I got in the comments: “Our approach may or may not work. But the alternative of playing non-stop covers of greatest hits is just not for us.”
That quote resonates with me. It reminds me of gigging in a band that plays all original music. Playing covers of greatest hits can be fun and lucrative, especially when done well. But, the passion behind trying to do something different, in my opinion, is far more respectable.
Find this and other Para64 cars on eBay
#4 – Greenlight M4 Sherman Tank
Another brand that marches to the beat of their own drum from time to time is Greenlight. Castings like this show that. Sure, some other brands have done tanks in the past but who else has made them even close to scale?
I was shocked when I found out they were doing this and it was not going to be in a higher price-point line such as the SD or HD trucks. This had to take some head scratching to be able to put this out in 1/64 scale and keep it within the budget of a “regular series.”
The casting has some plastic parts but is a lot of metal. The tracks are rubber and it sort of rolls. You really get a lot of bang for your buck with this casting and I hope they continue to do more military vehicles.
Find this tank from Greenlight on eBay
#5 – Matchbox ’72 Volkswagen Beetle Dragster
Here is a classic, remastered. I added this one to the list because of the excitement that I felt when it was announced. This is the first, and so far only, Mattel Creations Matchbox that I had to have. It is like a Drag Strip Demon version of the classic Matchbox Superfast casting and I dig it.
I have the original release of this car and sadly did not photograph it for this list. I also don’t know a ton about the original release other than that I have it and I like it.
For a far more thorough analysis of this model, I refer you my fellow Lamley contributor Graham.
Find this Matchbox Collectors Drag Bug on eBay
#6 – Tomica Limited Vintage Neo Ferrari GTO
This spot and possibly another should have been owned by the TLV Lambos that came out this year. However, the opening scissor doors proved to be a little too ambitious for the brand that otherwise executes near flawlessly.
Sad day, but this Ferrari almost makes up for it. In my eyes it is the most exciting Ferrari that they have released since F40.
It’s a Tomica Limited Vintage, and if you have any in your collection you understand. There is just something about the feel of these models that is different from any other brand, and with Ferraris in the line up of toolings, you can no longer argue that they only make boring cars. This thing is a gem.
Find this sweet Ferrari on eBay
#7- Hot Wheels Lamborghini Countach LP 5000 QV
Here is a Lambo that I had no problem putting on the list. Previous Hot Wheels Countach castings were mostly goofy looking in one way or another (save for the RLC model). This one is rad.
This was the first Car Culture chase model that I really worried about getting and I was super stoked to find it at my monthly local diecast swap meet for a measly $25.
The Countach was the poster car of my childhood and I think that a lot of people my age can sympathize.
#8 – Hot Wheels De Tomaso Pantera Gruppo 4
A Hot Wheels De Tomaso made the list last year with the release of the RLC Mangusta but the Pantera was really the one that I was waiting for. It simply is one of the most bad-ass looking cars of all time and the Group 4 racing iteration was the perfect choice for Hot Wheels.
#9 – The New Johnny Lightnings
You will notice that I don’t have any Auto World on this list this year. They are my favorite brand to collect but they really didn’t come out with much for new toolings this year.
Don’t fret though. Next year my top 10 list could very well end up being 10 different color variations of the upcoming Dodge Caravan tooling (don’t think that I am joking).
Anyway, yeah yeah, this is another two for one.. Sorry about that. Johnny’s of the past tended to run smaller than actual 1/64 scale. This newer approach of making them as close to true 1/64 scale as possible is a welcome refresh to the JL brand.
JL came out with a few new toolings this year and these two were my favorite.
The Ranger is near and dear to me because I used to own one. His name was Arthur. I got him at an estate sale for $500 with 260k miles on it. I adored that truck and it was my daily driver. However, when stuff started needing fixing, I just didn’t have the time to deal with it and sold it for $350 after owning it for almost 2 years. I miss that truck and considering what buying a “knock around” truck costs these days I think I did pretty good back then.
The Z well, I like Z’s. No fun story here but this casting is no slouch and it’s great to see JL do something like this to compliment the Mazda RX7 that they tooled up the year prior.
Or Find the Nissan 300ZX on eBay
#10 – The Innos
Ok we are really going off the rails for this last one.
Inno64 has made my list now for three straight years in a row, and for damn good reason. These four toolings that I have here are all fantastic.
I can respect when a brand sort of takes a step back, reassesses what they are doing, and adjusts to do something better. From what I have observed, Inno has done just that.
Inno didn’t grab my attention much in the beginning. They had some cool models that were very detailed however the majority were non-rolling static display models with plastic bases and very fragile parts.
Newer Inno toolings now have metal bases and for the most part they roll. They still have a ton of detail but they don’t feel as frail as the castings from their early days.
Of course, if I had to choose just one it would be one of the Z’s (did I mention that I like Z’s?) But these are all great and I was compelled to show these four here.
Alright, let’s move on to the next list.
Championdjk’s Top 10 Collection Additions of 2022
#1 – Tomica Limited Vintage Neo Skyline Super Silhouette
I’ve wanted a version of this casting since I first knew of its existence. Unfortunately the price of these on the second hand market was way out of reach of what I am comfortable sinking into one 1/64 scale car.
That is why this made it on the list. Tomica re-released the casting and while not cheap it is far less expensive than trying to acquire the versions that came out before it.
Snag this on eBay before the price goes sky high!
#2 – Hot Wheels “The Lost Cars of China” Hot Bird
Well, it is a casting I collect, of a car I collect, and it looks like an ultra red. Nuff said.
Actually this makes it on the list because dear friend Crazy Todd gave it to me last Christmas. Yeah last Christmas was in 2021 but it came too late for me to include it in last year’s list. So it is here.
It is a tough one to find cheap and it is probably one of, if not the best, looking Hot Birds that Hot Wheels put out.
Check out what this is currently going for on eBay.
#3 – Hot Wheels RLC Datsun 240Z
This is a car I had pretty much gave up on adding to my collection. I missed the boat on this one when you could get it on eBay for $50 or $60. It is much more costly now.
It is a desirable casting and it is very limited for a Hot Wheels at only 3500 made.
This was also a gift from a friend and I was floored when he said that he was sending me this car.
See what this one is going for on eBay
#4 – Hot Wheels Porsche 959 Valentine’s Day Target Exclusive
I had the white Walmart Exclusive Valentine’s Day release for a long time. For some reason this Target one was the far more elusive exclusive.
This is a casting I collect so I would have been glad to add it to the collection regardless of how hard it is to find one on a budget.
However, it came to mind for this list because of the deal I got on it when I found it on a Facebook seller’s page. Let’s just say I got it for less than it costs me to pick up Starbucks for my wife and I on a Saturday morning.
#5 – Hot Wheels Porsche 930 in Sparkly Green
This 1995 mainline sure is purdy ain’t it? Why is this on the list? I don’t know… just that I kinda like it. I didn’t even know it existed before I laid eyes on it for the first time.
Seeing it for the first time gave me that little charge of excitement. You guys/gals know what I am talking about. That “woah WTF is that? I need that” moment.
Like the aforementioned Porsche 959, I got a pretty good deal on this one. It was on a pretty crispy card too. “Was” being the operative word.
If you find this on eBay it will be pricy.
#6 – Biante Minicars Holden VU ‘SS’ Utility
Here is a weird one for you. This one gets a spot on the list for two reasons. One reason is that it was a generous gift, and the other is that this is a brand of 1/64 diecast that I had never heard of before.
I appeared on the Diecast Breakdown Podcast and one of the hosts Twyce Diecast sent this and a couple other cars to me to check out.
Biante is an Australian brand. Other than that I don’t know much about them. I can tell you that the models are pretty high quality and if you check them out on eBay they can be expensive to get here in the US.
Good luck finding it on eBay but it might pop up
#7 – Auto World Ultra Raw Caddy from 2021 Release 2
Ok, on to Auto World, starting with the Ultra Raws.
I talk about my buddy Crazy Todd a lot on my youtube channel. He is always looking out for good deals on Auto World chases for me. This was one of those. He scooped this up immediately when he saw it for sale because he knew it was good deal and that I would want it.
No matter how it is acquired, an Ultra Raw is the ultimate chase car for me. Not only do I love the brand, these are among the most limited chases in all of diecast collecting. Being limited to 10 pieces is insane.
I am a bit of an AW completionist, but I know I will never have a complete collection of these. My goal is to have one Ultra Raw of every tooling. This is a nice one to check off of the list.
#8 – Auto World Ultra Raw Challenger from 2017 Release 4
The second Ultra Raw that I got this year was found at my monthly local diecast swap meet. My friend Jeremy found this on the pegs back in 2017 and he had been holding onto it since.
In the last year or so he purchased some land way up in the north woods of Wisconsin and shifted his priorities to making that his family’s getaway haven. As a result, he was in the process of pairing down his collection and this raw was now available for sale.
I ended up selling a ton of stuff that I was getting rid of at one of the local swap meets and had enough to snag this from him. It is much easier to spend that kind of money when you look at as more of a trade. At least that is how I justified purchasing it.
Find AW Ultra Raw Chases on eBay
#9 – Rare Ultra Red Chevelle
Raws are way cool but believe it or not I was more excited to add this Ultra Red to my collection.
Why is this one special? Well it is from Licensed Premium Release 3. If you’re not a diehard Auto World collector that may mean nothing to you, but let me try to explain.
Even the non-chase cars in this release can be a bear to find. You cannot just throw money at the problem as they often cannot be found on eBay. This release came out around 2015 and was made in fairly limited quantities of 2006 pieces. That makes the Ultra Reds limited to approximately 120 pieces.
This Chevelle was the last one that I needed to complete the set of six cars and that makes finally getting it extra sweet.
I should also mention that I got an amazing deal on it. I bought it from Bob Fellows who is someone that is well known in the AW collector community. Thanks again Bob!
You can watch the video I did on the complete release here.
#10 – Auto World Hobby Ultra Red Squares
We are bending the rules again for this last slot. Here we have a few Ultra Reds from my hobby dealer friends. All of these guys supported my YouTube channel this year by providing content. Hobby Exclusive Ultra Reds are among the most limited of Auto World chases. All of these are cherished components of my vast AW collection.
The first four pictured are exclusives from SURPLUSgoodies. Surplus had a great year this year and put out a bunch of exclusive trucks by teaming up with some other hobby dealers. They released the latest installment of the Barn Find series (which is my personal favorite), and then introduced two other series: “Muddin’ USA” (w/ LOT57 Supplies) and “The Heartbeat of America” (w/ LBE Exclusives).
The next is from Jcar Diecast. He had one exclusive truck this year and it was a good one. The packaging of this one was awesome. It came with a collector tin and the artwork was done by Nuclear Mindz Design.
Next up is from 1Stop Diecast. They finally concluded their Racing Legends series of trucks this year. This was an excellent series of trucks, especially if you like old school drag cars. All of the trucks featured deco from iconic drag racers. It is a fantastic set of 12 trucks.
Lastly, is one of the Ultra Red chases of the trucks released by B&B Farm Toys. These are just straight up nice and clean lifted trucks.
To see pictures of all of the non-chase versions of these trucks head over to awcollector.com.
That wraps up 2022.
It was a good year again for 1/64 collectors. We are still in the golden age of 1/64 scale. There is so much variety available to collectors that you will never run out of vehicles to add to your collection.
As always if you want to see what I pick up every week, catch up with me on YouTube. You can also find me on Instagram.