Stock# 21062
Collector# 915
CB's Die Cast Review: March 12, 1999
1999 First Editions #4
1970
Chevelle
SS
We have waited a long
time for this one - 1969/70 A-Body muscle sporting a nifty scheme and Mattel's flame
logo. The last beautifully proportioned and highly sought after Hot Wheels car
to fit in that category was the 1971-release Olds 442, based on the 1969 Cutlass
performance car. Now, 28 years and a generation later, collectors are scrambling
to see if this year's 1970 Chevelle SS is a worthy successor.
The white tampo stripes match the 1970 prototype scheme. On my sample, because of
the relief on the hood and cowl induction scoop, the large tampo is slightly fuzzy at the
front of the scoop and on the curvature of the nose. The common HW logo is
incorporated into the trunk stripes, and also is distorted slightly due to its placement
on the curvature of the trunk. It would have benefited from being located closer to
the rear window. The car was manufactured in Malaysia, and rides on the standard
five-spokes, with small-sized wheels up front and medium-sized wheels in the rear.
The 1970 Chevelle SS is a beautiful car, and probably we will see it in various
limited editions for years to come.
Thoughout the 1960s, the Super Sport option package turned the Chevelle into a muscle
machine. But, the pinnacle was achieved for one year in 1970 when the LS-6
Chevelle SS was released. This powerful Chevy sported a 454 cubic-inch engine
rated at a whopping 450 horsepower and easily was grouped amongst Detroit's fastest
performance cars, traversing the quarter mile in just over 13 seconds at a mind-blowing
107 mph! Prominent features of the LS-6 included a cowl induction air scoop,
which provided cool air to the engine and increased performance. Considered by
many to be one of the greatest muscle car engines of all time, the LS-6 454 engine was
discontinued after only one year due to tightening emmission standards, rising insurance
costs and increased safety concerns. The total 1970 production run of the LS-6,
including Chevelles and El Caminos, was 4,475.
One noticeable characteristic of this 1999 First Editions model is that it is
heavy, courtesy of a solid well-detailed chassis. The chassis carries a
well-proportioned metal body painted in that metallic blue over black paint that was
introduced on the Jaguar D-Type, simulating the prototypical 1970 Fathom Blue
color. The detail on the body is extensive, including hood screws, door handles
and keyholes, raised window trim, headlights and intricate marker lights.
However, one oddity on the hood is that the edge definition lines do not extend totally
to the front edge. The bumpers, front grill and rear panel are part of the chassis
casting, and are well-detailed also. The parking lights and license plate mount
are defined on the front bumper. The front grill detail includes the "SS" emblem
plate. The back end details include dual exhaust extensions, the offset "SS"
plate and ribbed tail lights.
The plastic flush-mount glass has a blue tint, reminding Spectraflame collectors of the
old Hong Kong customs. The white plastic interior has moderate detail, but it is
a disappointment to see the design is of the one-piece variety that shows the metal
chassis under the steering wheel. Defroster vents are on the top of the dashboard
and there are inner door sides present.
It might sound as if I am disappointed with the car, but that isn't the case. The
tooling on the body and chassis is outstanding. The car is well proportioned, and
matches up extremely well scale-wise with the Olds 442. It is all-metal and
has some weight to it, which is really nice. I have only a couple of minor
complaints. The first is that more detail should have gone into the interior, and
it should have had the fold-up dashboard and solid floor. Second, I don't like the
oversized slicks in the back. Small wheels all around would have looked better, in
my opinion. The smudges in the tampos don't bother me, as it is difficult to tamp
that large a decoration cleanly over such varied surface relief.
