Stock #B2202
 

CB's Die Cast Review:  July 2, 2003

HWC™ Series Two - Flying Customs™ #3
Dairy Delivery™

The second “Series Two” release this year is Dairy Delivery, featured in the Flying Customs segment.

The Flying Customs segment is also known unofficially as the Heavyweights segment, due to the four castings all having considerable heft in their all-metal renditions.  The segment also expands on the original Flying Colors theme, which initially was decorative graphics tamped over enamel paint and is now fusion graphics applied over metallic paint.  HWC has tapped four of their strongest HW graphic designers to produce complex decorative schemes for these castings.  This first offering features artwork by Wayne Scott, and uses the modified casting first used for last year’s Halloween car.

The standard plastic chassis of Dairy Delivery is thicker than normal in order to help support the beefy die cast body.  The HWC version has the thick chassis cast in metal, which adds even more weight to the model.  The body is covered with a coat of red metallic paint, followed by the fusion graphics decals and a thick glossy clear coat to protect them.  The graphics are extremely detailed and printed with four-color processing, featuring flames that fade from dark rust to bright red with every shade in between, along with black and cream highlights.  The artwork also features intricate designs on the front of the roof and hood, as well as in the headlight areas.

The chassis is nickel-plated, and the interior is molded in black plastic.  Curiously, the clear plastic glass has an orange rather than red tint.  This is more noticeable in photographs for some reason, as the orange glass gives the illusion of being more opaque than it actually is.  When viewing the actual model, the orange tint is not as noticeable, and actually appears red from some angles.  Tamped on the rear windows is the designer’s monogram.  There is no HW logo visible anywhere on the body, and no vanity plate to disrupt the flow of the artwork.

The truck rides on rubber-tire chromed wheels borrowed from the 100% Hot Wheels line, chosen when it was discovered late in production that the retooled RSWs were too small and the axles too weak to support the model.  Interestingly, the model rolls incredibly well on these wheels, a marked improvement over the operationally challenged Real Rider wheels.  The model was manufactured in China.

The HWC website photos failed to show the various nuances in the fusion graphics artwork, so it was indeed a surprise to see this version of Dairy Delivery in person. With VW Drag Bus, Surfin’ School Bus and a resurrected Super Van rounding out the series, it should be an interesting showcase for the designers.