Lamley Awards 2023: Doomus RLC’s Top 10 and 10 of 2023!

It’s that time of year again… Time for all us stagnant Lamley writers to come out of the woodwork and go over our top 10 releases (and in my case, top 10 past gets as well) of the year! I know I keep saying it but I really got to get back to doing pics and writing… but anyway…

This is my 4th end-of-year article I’ve done since being part of the Lamley team. As always, it’s my top 10 favorite 2023 releases along with my top 10 items obtained this year that were released in the past, in no particular order (it’s basically just in the order in which I took the pictures, haha). A fun little twist on the usual top 10s that close out the year from every facet of life. So without further ado…

Doom’s Top 10 Releases of 2023

Hot Wheels 1970s Dodge Tradesman, Red Line Club exclusive

Originally planned as a 2022 release but was pushed to 2023, this was high on my “oh man I can’t wait for this” list when the first shot of the casting was shown. I’m still mildly disappointed it didn’t get the deep dish NEO classic wheels originally planned, but that doesn’t take away from how awesome this thing is. Four opening doors, all that van-life detail in the interior, classic rake, this thing is just awesome. Brendon Vetuskey did a great job on the tooling, and Steve Vandervate knocked the final presentation out of the park. Can’t wait to see what else is in store for this in the future!

Check out this RLC van on eBay!

Matchbox 1980 AMC Eagle, basic line

This is a car I’ve been practically BEGGING Hot Wheels or Matchbox to make (well, at least some form of the Eagle). You know in the movie Toy Story when Sid runs into his room exclaiming “IT CAME, IT FINALLY CAME” when he got his explosive? That’s how I felt when this got revealed. And honestly I’m happy it was done by Matchbox and not Hot Wheels because I don’t know HW could have done this car justice. This thing is PERFECT. AND IT’S A BUCK (and change).

Check out this release of the Eagle on eBay!

Auto World 1986 Mitsubishi Starion, AutoWorldStore.com exclusive

Definitely an unexpected casting when announced. But indeed a welcomed addition to the AW fold. Actually didn’t see many of these when I was a kid, or at least not that I noticed. But being a compact, rear drive Japanese personal sport(y) car, these should be way more popular than they are. The brand knocked this one out of the park, and this AW store exclusive version with the silver side striping just sets it apart from the 4 normal releases of the year (under both the Dodge Conquest name and the Mitsubishi badging). Honestly this kind of makes me want to find one to own, haha (though knowing me, I’d want to find one with a blown engine and drop in a engine like what was in the Lancer EVOs, but that’s another story). And yes, I like this more than that 1982 Toyota Supra the brand came out with later in the year.

Check out this and the other Starion releases on eBay!

M2 Chevy C1500 – 1992 454 SS, Walmart Exclusive and Auto-Thentics R66

OK, cheating but it’s because I couldn’t pick and didn’t feel like flipping a coin. But this is my list so I’ll do what I want, haha. This casting has been a huge hit since the casting debuted at the end of 2022 for SEMA and a release or two of the Coca Cola series. Much like a lot of my love for diecast, these are pure nostalgia for me as this era of the full-size GM pickups were EVERYWHERE when I was a kid. The black one here was part of the Walmart-exclusive 6 truck set, complete with lowered stance, cowl hood and billet grill. The one on the right was from Release 66 of the Auto-Thentics line, with an added bed cap and paint straight out of the 1990s Truckin’ magazine. I actually didn’t notice the paint was metallic until I had it in hand, which really made it pop. Yes, we all know M2’s QC can be lacking at times, and these haven’t been an exception (as evidenced by the taillight on the black one… which I didn’t notice until I was trimming these pics). I can sometimes look beyond those issues, however, if minor and I can easily fix them myself (I know I shouldn’t have to, but still). No, I haven’t been picking up every release of this casting (the normal stance ones generally don’t do much for me, and the Coke ones I haven’t bothered with for similar reasons), but the more they do ones like this, the more I will indeed get. Much like the square body they have, I’m hoping for a crew-cab and dually versions in the near future. We shall see!

Check out this and other M2 C1500s on eBay!

MiniGT/Kaido House Datsun 510 Wagon, Safari version, in red

Of course I love this thing. How can I NOT?! Lifted Hot Wheels castings were always some of my favorites, like the Monster Vette. What Jun Imai has done with this series has been absolutely fantastic. He seems to be given free reign, and he RUNS with it. And he’s really hitting his stride this year, where this, the R34, the R33 and the Silverado all have their own unique flair. I love how they’re moving toward these detailed bases as well, instead of just the rainbow Kaido plate. This wasn’t the first release of the casting in this manner, but I do like this one more than that first one (and am impatiently waiting for that light blue one that should be out soon I believe, which honestly likely would have toppled this one to be on the list had we all received it by now). If I were to be critical over something, it would be that the fenders weren’t opened up to accommodate the wheels a little better.

Check out this and the other Kaido House 510 Safaris on eBay!

MiniGT/Kaido House 1983 Chevy Silverado, red public debut

So I believe this was supposed to be the general public/hobby debut of this casting, but some special ones I think hit the market first, But whatever. Don’t have the white one yet, but I think I still like this one a bit more. More absolute fun from Jun’s Kaido House line. I know many people are probably all “ENOUGH OF THE SQUAREBODIES!!” but think about it, his ’83 Silverado is one of his most iconic HW designs, so of COURSE he was going to do one of these. And it’s another stunner. Absolutely gorgeous. Can’t wait for the dually version that should be out hopefully soon after the new year. Also hope for a crew cab.

Check out this and the other Kaido House Silverados on eBay!

Johnny Lightning 1964 Ford Country Squire Wagon Zinger, AutoWorldStore exclusive

Doomus put an Auto World bodied JL Zinger in his top 10s. Shocker right?! if you know me, you KNEW this would be here. One of the AW castings I’ve been hoping to get a JL Zinger release, and we have it! (I want to say the tooling was first revealed at the Las Vegas super convention in 2022). This AW store exclusive ended up coming out a bit before the 2023 Street Freaks Release 1 actually got to dealers and collectors (gotta love delays…). Dressed up like in the 1964 Ford police car brochure, this one received the rarely used “real wheels” for the Zingers. Definitely a welcome addition! (And as a bonus in the pics, I was able to get one of the White Lightning chases from the Street Freaks release).

Check out this and the other Squire Wagon Zingers on eBay!

Hot Wheels Boulevard 1993 Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Another “well, DUH” addition for this list. The only real downside is that damn dot-matrix look to the deco (these are done in Thailand, but the Pop Culture stuff coming out of Indonesia is done by the same process I believe but MUCH cleaner). This is a fantastic new tooling, and looking forward to many more to come. Maybe a good candidate for the Target retro Ultra Hots line? Maybe? Yes? Please?

Check out this Escort Cosworth on eBay!

Hot Wheels Team Transport ’72 Chevy Ramp Truck and ’61 Chevy Impala

Is this thing hanging in practically every Target store across America still? Yep. Do I care that it became a pegwarmer? Not in the slightest. This is the PERFECT licensed transport vehicle to pop into the line. Yes we have that Ford C-800 truck casting, but it can be a bit cumbersome. But this? This is what you’d see back in the day, and even now running to the dirt track. This truck doesn’t feel too undersized like some of the TT haulers do. And in truth? They could likely pair this ramp with other truck cabs to make new ramp trucks. Ford F-series? Dodge Power Wagon? Here’s hoping they go in this direction. Oh and that Impala, in its simple, classic oval track livery? *Chef’s kiss*

Check out this and (eventually) the next of this Team Transport release on eBay!

Matchbox Moving Parts Bollinger B2

Don’t you love it when a diecast brand does a release of a vehicle you know NOTHING about and it makes you want to dig more into it? The way the Matchbox team built up this casting is awesome, the double opening part up front being the key focus. Honestly I don’t have much to say other than this just looks awesome to me. A definite must-have.

Check out the Matchbox Bollinger B2 on eBay!

Johnny Lightning hobby exclusive 1967 Cadillac Eldorado Zinger, Ed Roth Rat Fink

OK a bonus one for 2023 because I wasn’t totally sure this would show up before Christmas (literally got it a few days before), and I couldn’t think of what to cut. So whatever, my list, yadda yadda. And of course, it’s an Auto World-bodied Johnny Lightning Zinger. This tooling was supposed to debut in 2023 Street Freaks Release 2 but got delayed like most of the JL stuff the last couple years. Thankfully it is catching up, and this hobby exclusive ended up hitting in December. And I’ll DEFINITELY be picking up more when my local hobby dealer Maze gets his in. I have plans for this one haha. Anyway, once Round 2 started doing the AW bodied Zingers with the Chevy squarebody truck a in 2020, I’d been hoping for certain castings to get the Zinger treatment. This Eldorado was at the top of the list (once the Kingswood was done). And now we get it in this sort of pimped out Rat Fink look? This is ridiculous and I LOVE IT. A few more castings left that I want to see a Zinger base for, so we shall see…

Check out this Zinger Eldorado on eBay!

Doom’s Top 10 Acquisitions of 2023

Johnny Lightning Street Freaks 2017 Release 1 ’59 Impala Zinger, Version C

Finally added this loose teal one to have the full set of these ’59 Impalas Zingers. Had the full set carded for a while but it took a long time to get a second of the version C to have a loose one because, well, less than 1300 were made. It just doesn’t pop up often. But patience paid off, and, well, I’m just damn happy to finally have it, haha.

Check out these and other Zinger Impalas on eBay!

Toy Zone Tom Daniel 1:43 scale line, Tijuana Taxis and Paddy Wagons

Last year I got both releases of the Ice T that was done in this line. A classic Tom Daniel kit design from the 1960s, done in 1:43 scale, with some great detail. They were the first of these Toy Zone releases I had, and I just had to get more. Tom’s designs were always wacky, incorporated into many different brands over the years such as Hot Wheels and Johnny Lightning. These Toy Zone releases I think are from 2010? Maybe earlier? Either way this was a great line and wish I got these when new. Some don’t pop up often, and are not cheap. The Tijuana Taxi is one of my favorite Tom Daniel designs, so I had to get that pair for sure, and the Paddy Wagon is one of his most well known. The details on these are amazing, it’s like they took the 1:24 scale kits and just scaled everything down for 1:43, keeping all the little parts and pieces. Still one of the Taxi to go (the red line tire one from the 6 car set) and one Paddy Wagon to go (the normal single release). Many more castings to get in the future, and if I get anymore in 2024 (especially the Cherry Bomb), you’ll definitely be seeing more on next year’s list.

Check out these and other Tom Daniel releases from Toy Zone on eBay!

Johnny Lightning 2020 Street Freaks Release 2 Chevy G-20 Van, ‘Blacked Out’ 3

A very simple add here. The G20 is my favorite Johnny Lightning van casting, I didn’t have these Blacked Out ones yet, and I was able to get them. Super slick releases! And a tricky one because often that one with the white trim gets mistaken for a White Lightning chase (the WL traits for this mix were a white base and white interior, so unless it had a white base, you didn’t find the chase). Plus our Lamley Group member Champion DJK got a shout-out on the rear of one!

Check out these and the other Street Freaks G20 vans on eBay!

Johnny Lightning 1982 Ford Mustang, Street Freaks 2019 Release 3, Version B, Projects in Progress

I’ve mentioned before (or at least I think I have on here) how the Fox body Ford Mustang holds a special place in my heart, a lot due to the fact my dad has owned a 1985 GT since I was 5. To add to that, the Projects in Progress sub-segment of Johnny Lightning’s Street Freaks line is my second favorite behind the Zingers. So once I was able to add this “before” version to my collection (because I was way behind the 8 ball on JL’s return), it was automatically in my top gets of 2023. I threw in the “after” one for good measure on the pictures.

Check out this Street Freaks Mustang on eBay!

Hot Wheels 1968 Cadillac Eldorado, 1:50 scale Custom Classics, 2008-ish

Another series that I just wasn’t paying attention to when new, so I’m about 15 years too late in realizing how much I like this line. The 1:50 scale castings from Hot Wheels were always oddly proportioned, sort of a style at the time in the car world and in diecast. But they were bigger than normal Hot Wheels and, well, I was just getting back into collecting after my college years. And man do I regret not paying attention to these as I was coming back into the fold. I came across a cheap lot of a bunch of G-Machines and Custom Classics on Mercari earlier this year and was hooked. Got every one of these Cadillacs, hands down my favorite casting of the 1:50 lines, throughout the year. I’m down to just one left to get, which I missed by minutes over the summer. I’ll get it eventually.

Check out these Hot Wheels Custom Classic Cadillacs on eBay!

Johnny Lightning 2005 Ford GT, Street Freaks 2017 Release 1, all 4 versions

And with these Ford GTs loose, I have all of Johnny Lightning Street Freaks 2017 Release 1 loose except for the Surf Rods Corvette which I’m not in a hurry to get, if ever. The 2005 Ford GT is a real car I’d love to own (and pair with a 2017 Ford GT) at some point but for now I’ll dream of it and enjoy these little miniatures. These “Black with Flames” ones are just cool, and it just took a long while to get the version A (yellow flames) to finally have one to open up. And why did it take a while you may ask? Less than 1700 of each version were made (I think version C and D were under 1300). I will always welcome a new release of this casting from JL.

Check out these JL 2005 Ford GTs on eBay… if you can find them!

Hot Wheels Dodge Viper GTS, Collectibles 1998 35th Anniversary Of The Shelby Cobra set and 2000 Gone In 60 Seconds set releases

These complete the black box editions of this casting for me. Still need the 2003 Preferred series ones loose, as well as a Viper Club of America exclusive, but they’ll come… eventually. What is odd is that all the black box releases of this casting received those PC6 wheels, they aren’t even the series-specific “real riders” that many cars got. I’m guessing it’s because they didn’t have any other cars they would have used such large wheels on? And no this wasn’t the only tooling to receive those wheels in this premium line. It was just odd it was the only wheel used, other than that Viper Club one (normal deep dish RRs, not fancy capped ones) and the Preferred ones (which received one of the new RR5sp wheels that debuted that year). The darker one was paired with a Shelby Daytona Coupe for that Shelby 35th Anniversary set, the lighter one being from the Gone in 60 Seconds set. But for what it is, these complete my set of the black box releases, so I’m perfectly happy with that!

Check out these and many other Hot Wheels Viper GTS releases on eBay!

Hot Wheels ’92 Mustang, 2008 Modern Classics, black

FINALLY added this loose one to the collection. I’ll be damned if I ever add the antifreeze one, haha. The 2008 Modern Classics was Jun Imai’s baby for Hot Wheels, with many new designs by him debuting. The ’83 Silverado, ’77 Firebird, Custom ’07 Mustang, ’80 El Camino, and of course this ’92 Mustang. Not the most loved Fox Mustang tooling out there, many feeling it’s too bulbous, but I love it, and not sure it ever looked better than this one.

Check out this Modern Classics Mustang on eBay!

Revell Lowriders 1963 Impala… not actually sure of the specific release

A surprise find for me, I had to include it. Many know these Revell Lowriders fetch a premium on the secondary market. Another case of them coming out at the wrong time for me and just blowing up later on. I would have grabbed several of this line when new, but oh well. This one was the steal when I found it, however. It’s mint and was part of a 3 for $10 deal. I’ve actually bought a lot of great deals under that from the same place (even a Hot Wheels Car Culture chase release), and I keep going back. But this, for me, was the best find in there.

Check out this and more Revell Lowriders on eBay!

Hot Wheels Since ’68 Purple Passion, Originals 10 car segment

Cheating again because I didn’t open this, but don’t care. The Since ’68 line is probably my all time favorite series from Hot Wheels, and like most of the series of the timeframe, many late mix releases were quite scarce. This gold Purple Passion is one of those. They don’t come up for sale often, and for a long while fetched a decent premium. I was at a toy show over the summer and as I was leaving something caught my eye on a table. Obviously it was this car. Asked the price, guy running the table gave me a price, and I gladly gave him the money. Honestly never thought I’d get this in my collection already. I will need a second to open, however, as this is one series I’m wanting a full carded and loose set, despite moving away from my carded collection.

BONUS: What would have been on my top 10 of 2022 if I had gotten them in time…

Matchbox Collector series 1990 Toyota MR2 – ALL 4 VARIATIONS

This was my most highly anticipated new model from Matchbox last year… and they took FOREVER to hit hobby dealers. The mix (which also had a GT-40, modern Bronco and the retooled Lamborghini Diablo) hit Target for the Christmas holiday surge and then quickly vanished. A few months into 2023, hobby dealers finally got them with both Wheel Collectors posting the cars individually on their site and A&J Toys selling cases the same night. I decided to buy 4 of the MR2 from Wheel Collectors and a sealed case from A&J (actually saw the A&J post after I already put the Wheel Collectors order in). Knowing the tooling variations that Matchbox did on the MR2 (LHD or RHD, along with headlights up or down), I got SUPER lucky that I ended up with each variation from the Wheel Collectors order. I love how the Matchbox team has been doing this, as a few different vehicles (or trailer) have a tooling variant like this. It definitely adds to the fun of the hunt. The A&J case remains sealed next to my sealed 2013 Flying Customs mix 5/E case.