This could be the most interesting Lamley Awards Poll of the year.
Hot Wheels Basics had a stellar year. The signature line has taken a bit of a backseat in recent years, with the emergence of HW Premium and the resurgence of the RLC, but not this year.
While Premium was diving deeper into its themed lines, Basic seemed to get a bit more adventurous. The variety of models expanded, and the line seemed more playful. Custom cars, always a Hot Wheels staple, got more fun, from a wild 68 Camaro to a winking Supra. And the true replicated cars were surprises. Classics like the ducktail Porsche and a proper first-gen Viper, as well THE 80’s Mercedes.
The point is there was a lot to like. Add to that the HW team used their nice large Fast & Furious budget to releases other basic models outside of the mainline. So they are included here as well.
So here we are, ready to pick the best, and figure out which model disappointed us the most. As always, the best is easy to define. But because there are so many, you can select up to 3 models that you thought were the best, and the model that gets the most votes will emerge the winner.
For most disappointing, it has become a yearly tradition to explain what that means. IT IS NOT THE WORST! It means the model that you were looking forward to the most that didn’t live up the expectations. I always think this is a more interesting vote, and helps define things more.
For that reason, I have eliminated HW Originals – or fantasy models – like I awlays do, as well as motorcycles. And this year the Tooned models are out as well. That means the F&F Charger, Supra, and Porsche. There are essentially normal proportioned castings of those, and the Tooned style can skew the vote. So we are keeping it to licensed “realistically” proportioned cars. If that makes sense. And of those, vote for the model that disappointed you the most.
So let’s do this. Watch the video, check out the photos, and vote below. This should be a good one.
Wow… That vote for best new basic model is really tough. There are many models that stand out. Like the Bugatti Bolide, the Ducktail and the ’92 Dodge Viper RT/10, which are three out of four cars I bought twice(one carded and one loose). The other one is the ID. Buzz. Or the 928S Safari which pairs really well with the Matchbox 911 Safari from the 70th Anniversary series. Or the Escort, even though it has a nice first colour, a nice but not-for-Europe(let alone Greece) second colour and a bad third one given the side graphics. Or the legendary Pajero which may need some rear detailing that may never get. However, the car that got my vote is the McLaren Solus GT, with the Rimac Nevera being really close. Both of them look really nice without tampos and the increased plastic gives them more detailing, which is something I like. As for the most disappointing model, it’s easily the 507. Like the 850 brick wagon for 2020, it has a bad detailing choice.
Ah yes! Here we have possibly the most fun and significant poll of them all! (and I’m horribly late to the show).
For the best new model, it was a bit difficult to choose 3, not because I had too many cars to choose from, but because I had already decided my top 2 favourites months ago but couldn’t decide whether the Viper or the GTV6 would get the 3rd spot. I eventually chose the Alfa Romeo because a) that’s more my style of car, b) it’s refreshing to see an Alfa of this sort in the lineup, and c) I think the casting is really well done and even the first edition “vintage road rally-esque” livery is very nice. However, I do hope this casting goes premium and we get to see it in its pure blood red glory, with no graphics and only vital details, as well as proper wheels. And I wish the same for my no.1 and no.2 choices – the Murciélago and the 560 SEC. The 560 SEC is a no-brainer – an iconic 80’s car done absolutely perfectly, and the only thing that can top the first edition in black, is an exact spec-to-spec replica in premium. No more explanation needed. The Murciélago though, that was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me, so much that I choose that as my no.1 favourite (although the “best model” award still goes to the SEC). The way the casting is done – with the LP 640 bodykit and the SV wing – and finally having that low-slung stance that the original one missed, is just brilliant imo, and the only points I deduct are for the lack of side mirrors and perhaps a replica of the Affolter rear wing instead of the SV wing *although that’s just me* (could someone please retool it just once more and add side mirrors? it would be perfect then), but despite that, the Murciélago still emerges as my favourite model of the year. I desperately want to see it in premium though. This casting is sooo ripe for a Car Culture Exotics set and I’m disappointed that HW used the Reventón in the new set instead of this, but eh, it is what it is. I’m eagerly waiting for the premium version, and just more releases throughout the lineup in general.
As for the most disappointing new model, I have a very unpopular choice: the Mitsubishi Evo IX. And I have reasons why. Firstly, yes there were other models that didn’t live up to expectations, but the Evo was the one that I was personally extremely excited about and it just about fell short. I’m a little disappointed by the fact that the bodykit is slightly off – the front splitter being needlessly big, the rear wing also not right and the exhaust not big enough, although I do like that it has the movie-correct Evo VIII front bumper. However, I’m largely disappointed by it not being RHD. This casting was made for Fast & Furious and making it LHD while the movie car was RHD is just bizarre (and wrong) imo, and even without the movie, it’s still a Japanese car and should’ve been RHD anyway. I also didn’t like that the initial Tokyo Drift release had the old 5 spoke wheels and not more modern wheels like PR5s or 10SP (those old 5 spokes do not belong on any sports car or street car made after 1980) but that’s a fixable issue, and again, I hope this casting goes premium so not only will the wheel issue be sorted but we’ll perhaps see the model in much nicer, sharper clothes so it can shine a bit better.
Anyway, that’s my post-graduation-spec dissertation finished, and now I shall show myself out.