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Stock #28736 |
CB's Die Cast Review: December 3, 2000 |
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2001 First Editions #2
At the dawn of
the new millennium, there are Hot Wheels changes afoot.
The new campaign has brought forth a design change to both the logo and the
blister pack. The upper left corner has gone from a diagonal cut to a
sweeping curve, with the five-digit stock number printed above the hook.
The new embossed logo is minus the Mattel seal on the lower right. The
new car on the front is a blue Sho Stopper riding on a carpet of flame.
The model year and collector number are in a dark oval under the logo on the
left. The best feature is the relocation of the series and car names to
the lower right side edge of the card, which will make it easier to look for
cars on the pegs without knocking them all to the floor. Many of the
2000 cars are surfacing in the new packaging. The first `01 cars
also are appearing, including the initial First Edition of the 21st century,
the Surfin' School Bus.
Surfin' School Bus is a great design. I hope that this will not be the best
of the lot, but it will be hard to top this one. There are a few other First
Editions I'm looking forward to seeing, such as the `71 Plymouth GTX and the
Panoz LMP. But a year from now, this model could stand as the signature
vehicle of the series.
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Surfboards always have been a part of Hot Wheels lore, due to the original 1968
California Customs theme. They appeared on models during the 1960s,
and were revisited over the last few years. Mattel has revived the
combination of surfboards and buses with the release of this wild design.
Surfin' School Bus actually appears to be based on a General Motors
transit bus from the 1940s, and consists of a number of parts. The
die-cast body is coated in deep yellow enamel paint, and has many details
including all the running lights and roof relief. The sides feature
simulated wood paneling tamped in brown and tan. The fenders and front
bumper section are black plastic, and also include the interior seats.
The chassis is gray plastic, yet it is thick, solid and sturdy as is the chassis
on Dairy Delivery. It features the lower detail of a pair of rear
ten-cylinder powerhouse engines that are visible from the side and underneath.
The upper portions of the engines are part of a chrome plated plastic component,
which also includes quad exhausts and three propellers in a housing on the back
end. The glass is the dark magenta tinted plastic, and includes four roof
vents. There are six surfboards hanging out of the rear window that are part
of this piece. The car rides on standard small five-spoke wheels up front,
and medium five-spoke slicks in the back. The vehicle sports the new version
of the Hot Wheels logo, tamped in black on the body behind the front right fender.
The vehicle was manufactured in Malaysia.
Wow. Surfin' School Bus is some model. It was impressive when
pictures of the new casting started showing up on the Internet, but you have to see
it in person to really appreciate it. A lot of work went into the design of
this bus. Although it features the usual five components, it appears to consist
of more parts due to the design. The GM wings emblem on the nose is part of the
chassis. The glass is dark with little ability for light to shine through,
but when the vehicle is held up to a strong light, you can see the interior detail,
as well as reflected light through the skylights and surfboards. The bus is well
balanced, and rolls forever due to the weight of the body. I don't know how well
the bus will perform through the stunts, but it will run extremely well on the straight strips.
