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Stock #28738 |
CB's Die Cast Review: January 29, 2001 |
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2001 First Editions™ #5
One of the latest cars
to surface in the northeastern continental United States is the Super Tuned, a
vehicle that appears to be a lowered beefed-up Nissan pickup truck. The common
theme among many of the new castings this year is what Mattel is calling a strong "tuner"
influence. According to Mattel, tuners are "... souped-up (usually Japanese)
vehicles are today's hot rods. Gone are the days of the American muscle car,
replaced for the new millennium by turbo-charged, low-riding, tricked-out tuners."
This casting is the first of these tuners to appear.
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Super Tuned consists of four basic components. The die-cast body, the only metal
component, has moderate detail throughout. Strong relief includes the hood lines,
door lines and the pair of side mirrors. Details that are merely suggested and not
emphasized include the third brake light on the roof, the hood scoop air intakes and the
front grill. It is painted in the standard Hot Wheels blue metallic, but does not
feature any Hot Wheels Racing markings. Markings for the fictional sponsor "Phat Racing"
are tamped boldly on the hood and sides in white, red and black ink, with "Phat" meaning "good"
I assume, a reference to the slang term. The chassis is molded in gray plastic, with
drive train and exhaust relief, and axle mounts situated high in the frame to allow for a
ground-hugging appearance. The wheels sit in a bit to avoid rubbing against the fenders.
The interior is red plastic, and includes the rear deck and spoiler. Features inside
the cab include inner door sides, a dashboard with suggestions of gauges and buttons, a pair
of bucket seats and a center console, all with moderate detail. The windshield and
rear cab window are smoked clear plastic. The truck rides on the new five-spoke wheels
and is manufactured in Malaysia.
The appearance of Super Tuned is that of a hulky pickup due to its close proximity to the ground.
With the low center of gravity, it should perform well on the strip track and through jumps and
curves. I don't see it handling the loops without bottoming out since it rides about 1/16
of an inch above the ground. I was hoping that the headlights and grill would be tamped
in white and black respectively, as they were on the pilot model pictured on the poster.
A black plastic chassis would have made the larger lower grill opening more appealing.
And hopefully, a couple of these tuners will have a die-cast body and die-cast chassis before the
year is through. Overall, the kids will like it because of both the graphics and the fact
that it is based on a contemporary vehicle.
