CB's Die Cast Review:  March 8, 1999

limited edition cars of
Hills Department Stores

Many companies have offered numerous Hot Wheels limited edition cars, but few series cars have been more popular or sought after than those released annually by Hills Stores Company.  Hills is a 155-chain of department stores located in twelve eastern states, stretching from Illinois to Massachusetts, with 93 stores concentrated in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  In December of last year, with the company approaching bankruptcy, it accepted a tender offer from Ames Department Stores Inc. on 80% of it's stock.  As the eminent demise of the chain approaches, 1999 signifies the final year a car will be offered under a Hills Classic banner.  These cars are highly desired due to the intricate detail and limited availability.  These cars were not available though mail order, and could be purchased only in the stores. 

The `58 Corvette Coupe (stock# 14022) was the first car in the series, available in Summer 1995.  The car is finished in a beautiful coat of powder blue pearl paint, with white enamel accents on the sides.  The chassis is molded in a powder blue shimmering plastic matched closely to the pearl paint.  The seats and dashboard of the chromed plastic interior/grill/bumper piece have been masked and painted white enamel.  The headlights are painted silver, the tail lights red, and a red HW logo is tamped over a white rectangle on the back of the trunk.  The car rides on five-spoke Pro Circuit chrome wheels.  This offering is the first of this model to feature a working hood covering a normal-sized engine compartment, as opposed to the exaggerated blown chrome engine normally up front.  Made in Malaysia, the production was limited to 5,000 pieces.

The Summer of 1996 saw the release of the `67 Camaro (stock# 15929).  The popular casting is painted a light blue metallic with a white enamel gloss roof.  The engine compartment is painted silver, and the interior is white plastic with a detailed open steering wheel.  The bright zinc-plated chassis has the front grill painted flat black and the tail lights painted transparent red.  Fancy white "350" stripe tampos decorate the sides.  The car rides on chrome Real Rider wheels with Good Year tires.  A gold HW logo is centered on the rear window.  Always a favorite due to its ties to the original Custom Camaro casting from 1968, the car looks fantastic in this scheme, and is the first version to be released with all-chrome Real Riders.  The car was manufactured in Malaysia, and is believed to be limited to 5,000 pieces.

Hills stepped up the detail a couple of notches with the release of the `70 Plymouth Barracuda (stock# 17273) in Summer 1997.  The paint masking and tampos on this model are extremely intricate, the most of any of the models, and exquisitely done as well.  The car body is painted yellow enamel, and sits on a black plastic chassis riding on chrome Real Rider wheels with the tires carrying a special Good Year "Polyglass GT" tampo.  The roof and windows are one plastic piece. The non-glass areas are painted black semi-gloss enamel, while the window trimis silver.  The interior is black plastic, but the steering wheel is painted a reddish-brown, and the steering wheel and dashboard have decals depicting greater detail.  The bumpers and lights on the body are appropriately masked and painted.  A tiny multi-colored HW logo on a blue license plate is tamped on the rear.  Even the chassis has certain details highlighted in silver and orange.  The tampos on the fenders, shaker-hood and back end are prototypically accurate.  This might be the most detailed limited run scheme Mattel has produced on a HW basic-line casting.  The car was manufactured in China, and the production run was bumped to 10,000 pieces.  This car was the premiere of this casting, and was released two months before the First Editions convertible version appeared.  It is the only rendition of this casting to have a hardtop.

In 1998, the `67 Pontiac GTO continued its string of limited-only offerings when it was released in early Summer.  This model (stock# 20654) carries the most elegant scheme to adorn the casting - a forest green metallic body with gold stripe highlights and a flat black roof, housing a black plastic interior.  The chassis is chromed plastic, yet the entire underside of the chassis is painted flat black, with the details highlighted in silver and light blue.  The window frames are painted silver, the honeycomb areas of the front grill are painted flat black, and the tail lights are painted flat red.  The door handles, arrowhead hood ornament and windshield wipers are highlighted in silver.  The hood scoop intakes are painted black.  Silver "GTO" tampos are on the rear fenders and the trunk, while a gold HW logo is tamped on the rear window.  The car rides on chrome Real Rider wheels with redline tires.  Someday, Mattel will release this casting in the regular line, and when that happens, there will be a lot of happy people.  Made in China, the production run is believed to be 10,000 pieces.

This year's model is the `70 Mustang Mach I (stock# 22938), and was released this month as opposed to summertime due to the closing of the Hills chain.  This is another exquisitely detailed piece.  Utilizing the popular 1998 First Editions casting, the car is painted metallic red and has a black plastic interior.  The chassis is black plastic, and rides on chrome Real Rider wheels with the standard HW Good Year tires.  The body is decorated with a much more intricate version of the F.E. tampos.  The hood and rocker panel stripes are tamped in semi-gloss black.  The script "Mustang" lettering and a block-style "Mach I" are printed in silver behind the front wheels.  The rear panel and front grill are masked in flat black.  The tail lights and all marker lights are painted in the appropriate colors.  The window frames, door handles, hood screws, rocker panel and front grill trim, tail light and marker light trim, gas cap, reverse lights, headlights and bumpers are all meticulously painted silver.  A tiny silver "Mach I" logo is tamped on the trunk edge above the gas cap.  On the chassis underside, some of the details are highlighted in silver and Ford Blue.  Interestingly, no HW logo is tamped anywhere on the body.  The car was manufactured in China, which is tamped on the chassis instead of embossed.  The production run is believed to be 10,000 pieces.

In all five years, the Hills Classic cars were neatly packed in a black box with silver foil lettering and highlights, with silver foil sleeves inside on which the cars were mounted.  The cars were held in place with a vacuum-formed blister the first three years, and with wire tie-downs around the axles the last two years.  One noteworthy aside is that, with a $19.97 list price on each of the models, these cars didn't break your wallet, if you were fortunate enough to live close to a Hills store.  The cars have had better decorations in each year following and, if this is the end of the line, then it's been a hell of a great run.  Bravo, Hills, for offering some affordable quality cars.