#tranquilcollecting
 I love guest posts. For starters, it is because I don't have to do one. But even better, I can bring in an expert to share their knowledge with all of us. That is why was thrilled when collector Reece Brennan, a well-known variation collector out of Australia, agreed to do a complete rundown of …
J Cases have just started hitting at Walmart. I only say this because it serves as a nice prep case for K, which just hit hobby dealers. Yes, using the word "loaded" to describe a basic 72-count Hot Wheels case might be stretching a little, but I will at least say there are a lot …
Part 3 of the Preview videos I shot with the Hot Wheels Design Team at Hot Wheels Nationals in Chicago last month. This time all Premium. Jimmy Liu and the Team brought a plethora of premium models in all kinds of states, from totally complete to "first shot" prototypes. And we walked through them all. …
For those of you who like your case broken up in photos, here they are. As always, our friends at Wheel Collectors grabbed a case off the pallet, snagged a camera, and snapped away. But keep in mind they grabbed a different case for the short unboxing video they shot as well. And the contents …
Funny how things work out. I didn't plan on taking a couple of weeks off from the the blog and channel, but after a day or two, it was clear to me that it was the right thing to do. And it felt great. Surely a few things arrived in the mail, but nothing too …
Remember when collectors were complaining that most of the Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunts were red? It was true. A lot of them were. Things have changed a bit. Hot Wheels introduced a new spectraflame paint for Supers this year, and not only does it look good, but it has allowed for more colors. Browns …
Part 2 from the Hot Wheels Preview series I sold at Nationals earlier this month. This time Designer Brendon Vetuskey walks us though some of the upcoming models for the 2019 RLC Series, in various states of completion. Brendon is the epitome of a collector-friendly designer, and was very cool to walk through all these …
Continue reading "Hot Wheels Designer Brendon Vetuskey previews upcoming RLC models for 2019"
I can't promise that I'll eventually stop writing about Hot Wheels Car Culture Silhouettes. These are too good. Silhouettes is to me easily one of the best Car Culture mixes in its three-year history. Two new models, two others that have never been in Car Culture, and all sporting real racing liveries or "tributes". It …
Let's call this Part 1. Let's also mention that this is not a "vs." post. Comparisons are obvious - these are both premium Porsches - but these two are just awesome together. Plus, I may have already done the "vs" thing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwJadU5h_9X/ Back to this being Part 1. Part 2, whenever it happens, …
Continue reading "A Tale of Two: Hot Wheels Silhouettes RWB Porsche 930 & RLC Magnus Walker 964"
So let me describe the setting. A room full of boxes, literally stacked from floor to ceiling, with old tables laid out for whatever the current task requires the volunteer staff's attention. The room is in a constant state of flux, with carts moving in and out for the next event. It is essentially an …
Continue reading "Previewing upcoming Hot Wheels Basic Models with the HW Design Team"
This was a surprise, for several reasons. For one, everything I heard was that the latest mix from Car Culture, Silhouettes, was going to drop in May. It is definitely not May. Second, when word did get out that they were hitting around here, I figured it would be hard to get my hands on …
Continue reading "Showcase: Hot Wheels Car Culture Silhouettes"
Mainly because I am curious. Hot Wheels Nationals in the spring and the Convention in the fall always produce some of the most sought-after Hot Wheels of the year. The 2019 Nationals was no exception. So, what was the best one? Vote below and let me know. Photos below the poll: https://poll.fm/10289663
There was a lot of fire at the Hot Wheels Sneaks Presentation last night. To truly see it all, watch the video first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t__VC16lYk Of course my job was to stream this thing, so I wasn't able to take good pics of slides. Thankfully, my good friend Mario likes a lot of the same things …
Continue reading "Some highlight slides from the Hot Wheels 2019 Sneaks Presentation"
As you read this - provided it is Saturday Night and the Finale just happened - folks have just seen Mattel's Sneak Peek Presentation and have now made their way up the front of the ballroom to see the goodies brought to preview. Mattel brought a variety of items, in various forms of completion, form …
Watch it, study it, watch it again, screenshot it, do what you want. Here is the Sneaks Presentation by Jimmy Liu and the Hot Wheels Dream Team. Enjoy. https://youtu.be/6t__VC16lYk
The doors have opened and the crowd is getting its first look at the last exclusive of this year's Hot Wheels Nationals, the Dodge A100 Finale Exclusive: That makes it five models for the convention: The A100 is rad, right? It looks even better opened. I know because I had Julian Koiles from the Hot …
Continue reading "Your Hot Wheels Nationals Finale Exclusive: The ’66 Dodge A100."
For the kajillion folks NOT at the convention asking, the answer is "tonight". The Hot Wheels Team is here at Nationals and will be presenting a slew of upcoming models from Basic, Car Culture, RLC and more tonight. The slide presentation is scheduled to start around 7pm local time, and I have the stream linked …
While some of the Hot Wheels Design Team frolics around Lombard, Illinois at the Hot Wheels Nationals Conventions, others are still toiling away at the Design Center in LA. It isn't all bad, though. They remain near the beach like they always do, and they get to post new product as it rolls in. Like …
Continue reading "Meanwhile, in LA, the Hot Wheels Dream Team unveils the new Jaguar Project 8"
This is over 90 minutes long. There are a lot of questions asked. I can't pinpoint a particular highlight, but a lot of issues I have seen discussed among collectors are addressed here. Every convention the Hot Wheels Team will do a full Q&A session. A little different than the presentation on Saturday night (streaming …
Continue reading "From Hot Wheels Nationals: Q&A with the Design Team"
One day - at least for me - in the books. Many have already been here for a few days. But I flew into Chicago this morning and have been the Westin Lombard experiencing the Hot Wheels Nationals Convention ever since. The first highlight was surely the dinner honoring Designer Manson Cheung. Manson went through …
Thanks as always to A&J Toys, a 2019 Hot Wheels J Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UexX8lGu1N0
The Hot Wheels Nationals Convention kicked off today in Lombard, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Nerds from all over have been grabbing their exclusives and started going room to room. This nerd will join them Thursday, just in time for the Dinner that night. I will be there through the Finale, and I plan on …
Continue reading "Hot Wheels Nationals has begun. Here is what to expect on Lamley."
If you go out at night, raiding the pallets for new cases of Hot Wheels, I would say luck is not as big a factor. More power to you, honestly. If that is how you want to spend your nights, go for it. For the rest of us, finding a Super is about luck, or …
Continue reading "2018 was a dry year for finding Supers. 2019 has been the opposite."
Rapid Unboxing: Done. Case Report: Done. Super Showcase: Not Done. Full Unboxing: Not Done. We are getting there. Here is the Case Report, photographed, as always, by Wheel Collectors from a random cased pulled from their shipment. Pick a fave. Or don't. Follow the link below. Or don't. Hot Wheels 2019 Batch J at Wheel …