CB's Die Cast Review:  January 14, 2003

HotWheelsCollectors.com - Series One
The Year in Review

Last year was the second year of operation for the modern Hot Wheels Collectors’ club, and the first year since 1970 that an exclusive premium membership was offered that included a limited run vehicle for enrollment plus special privileges regarding future information and future club offerings.  Mattel had some ideas of how to proceed with this new Red Line Club, but had no way of knowing what the response would be.  After polling the general membership over a series of months in 2001, the RLC debuted in the spring of 2002 and promised exclusive cars manufactured to the old standards – i.e. with diecast bodies and chassis.  It was decided to use a broad group of castings and decorative schemes, in order to have something for everyone, and hopefully, it would be successful enough that the concept could continue the following year and beyond.  Well, the response was greater than anyone at Mattel could have imagined, and to its credit, the HWC staff tweaked and adjusted the plan throughout the year to reward the membership for their support.  The primary offering last year was the introduction of a line of limited editions called Series One, which had a handful of castings produced in modern style and the majority fashioned after the classic Spectraflame line with a modern twist.  Manufactured entirely in China, this new 14-car series was met with great enthusiasm and was an unqualified success.

Many of the cars in this series have been reviewed favorably in this section over the past few months.  The maximum effort in the design and production of this series was evident in each model released.  Unlike the hit-and-miss quality of the First Editions series of recent years, each model in Series One was manufactured to the highest standards.  While some of the casting choices have been questionable, none of the models were of inferior quality.

The first vehicle in the series was yet another VW Drag Bus.  Four decorative schemes on this casting are way too many in one year, but the design and execution of this model are first rate.  Patterned after the scheme used on the Super Van for the 1975 Toy Fair in New York, the model is chrome plated and crisply tamped in various colors.  The headlights and taillights also are detailed.  Real Rider chrome wheels are up front with the rubber tires tamped with a thin redwall.  The oversized rear wheels have chromed rims and thin redwalls tamped on the black plastic tires.

Surf Crate is the second vehicle in the series and was the first one offered for sale.  The decorative scheme for this model was designed as a companion to the scheme on the Reston Convention VW Drag Bus.  The body and chassis are zinc plated, giving the car a satin sheen and the appearance of armor plating.  A chromed surfboard hangs out of the back window.  The air scoop over the chrome-plated engine is painted black.  The car rides on chromed Real Riders with thin redwall tires.  Some members were disappointed with this release, but the car is well designed and the subtle yet intricate tampos are within register on the roof and sides.  Had the casting been finished in Spectraflame paint and old-style RSWs, it would be a hot ticket.  But for some reason, it doesn’t get the recognition it should.

Evil Twin was the first casting in the series to have its plastic chassis exchanged for a metal one, and the first to wear vanity plates.  The car has some heft finally with the all-metal construction, and the black/lime two-toned scheme suits the car well.  This is one of three Larry Wood creations in the series, with the other two being Mutt Mobile and Beach Bomb Too.  The car rides on chromed Real Riders with tamped redline wheels.

Deora II has been a popular choice of Mattel for many of its promotional items, and it made an appearance in this series as well.  Because it is plated with blackened chrome, many members thought the chassis is plastic.  But this version weighs substantially more than the standard model, and if the car is inspected out of the package it becomes obvious that the car is all-metal.  The body is chrome plated and masked in sections with transparent yellow paint.  All of the colors in this difficult paint scheme are within register.  As far as the wheels are concerned, this is the only car to deviate from the general redline theme, as it rides on chromed Real Riders with thin yellow lines tamped on the tires.

I know why Twin Mill was included in this series – because it is the first original Hot Wheels design.  Is this the best rendition of the Vintage casting?  Yeah, it's one of them.  Best Spectraflame version?  Probably haven't been many equals, nor any better.  That said, this casting has been produced ad nausea for five years, and enough is enough.  Still, good effort should be noted, and Mattel did a great job.  But other than the tiny prototypical tampos and the highly-polished zinc plating, this model looks like any other 35-year-old Spectraflame red Twin Mill in mint condition.  And there lies the problem - why buy this one when you can have a mint original for just a fraction more?

Spoilers redo Heavy Chevy looks great in the apple green paint.  This is the only model in the series that has the blue tinted glass, which is a tribute to the original Redlines manufactured in Hong Kong.  The model is decorated similarly to Light My Firebird, with the black striping and flat black engine compartment.  This modified 100% Hot Wheels casting looks much better in this configuration than it does as a standard 1967 Camaro with a hood replacing the blown motor.  But it is more detailed than the overused and worn out `67 Camaro casting in the basic line, so the more we see of this model the better.

Nitty Gritty Kitty sports shadow flames on the front fenders in similar fashion to King Kuda.  It would have been nice to see some additional markings on the car, but it does look sharp in classic Spectraflame gold.  As with Heavy Chevy, this beefy rendition looks better as a Kitty than as a 1967 Cougar XR-7.  But the casting has a lot of detail, so it’s nice to see it in whatever rendition it appears.

The success of Series One has allowed HWC to branch out regarding this year’s Series Two, which will touch on the Flying Colors and Super Chromes eras in addition to continuing the Spectraflame line.  All the cars will feature RSWs and torsion bar suspension, regardless of the era they represent, so they should be well received.  It also has persuaded Mattel to retool more of the old Redlines, which is a strong positive.  Mattel could not have asked for a better start to this endeavor, and we the collectors will benefit by having a more diverse group of products.