Twins! Hot Wheels Heritage Redlines Nissan Skyline H/T 2000GT-R has been unveiled...

We all knew it was coming, and now we know what it looks like.

Images of the upcoming Hot Wheels Redlines Kenmeri Skyline have emerged, and we like what we see.

If you think you have seen that deco before, it is because you have.  This one racing livery matches the Redline Hakosuka Skyline, only the colors have been reversed:

How cool is that?  The Redline portion of the Heritage hasn't been the most exciting for me, so making these models match does make it a lot more interesting.  It will be fun putting these two together.

Look the Kenmeri the batch after next...

Just Unveiled: Hot Wheels Heritage Real Riders BMW 2002...

There are a lot of models in the Hot Wheels Heritage premium line that I have been looking forward to.  None tops the BMW 2002.  And now we have a first gander at what is coming.

The Heritage line, so far, has been a success.  Most of the first batch doesn't stay on the pegs long, and that is bound to be the same case with the second batch, considering the ever-popular Hakosuka Skyline and '55 Gasser are included.  But it will be interesting to see if the lack of Real Riders in the second batch has any effect.

I personally prefer the Real Riders, so I was very happy to see that the BMW 2002 was included in the RR segment.  And now that I have seen it, my mind hasn't changed at all.

Hot Wheels went with a simple racing livery over silver for the 2002, and most importantly, sat it on perfect wheels.  The colors may not pop, but the model most certainly does.  Now the question is whether or not front and rear tampos are included.  That will be a big factor for how much we ultimately like this model.  But so far, so good.

Your thoughts?

Hot Wheels Heritage: A return to form?

So have we made it?

We have talked a lot here on Lamley about how Hot Wheels figured out the Boulevard line a little too late, and since then we have been waiting for something similar to return.  Hot Ones and Flying Customs were too "Hot Wheels Nostalgic" for newer collectors, and the Cool Classics looked nice, but lacked realistic liveries and colors.

So when Heritage was announced, many collectors started licking their chops.  Something tasty might be on its way.  The caveat?  The batches would alternate between real riders and nostalgic redlines, so theoretically one batch would be realistic, and the other nostalgic.

Well, the first batch is out, with six models sitting on real riders.  And after one batch, what do you think?  Are we back?  Would you put these on par with models like the Boulevard 510 Wagon, Porsche 993, and Jeep Wagoneer?  Not yet.  This batch is nice, although a tad underwhelming.

Two Datsuns will, at least at this point, get the masses going, so kudos to Mattel for starting off strong.  The 240Z wins from our perspective, with a simple, retro racing style that would do very well down the street here at the Bonneville Salt Flats.  The 510 is ok, but doesn't pop.  The VW is too Cool Classics-like, and we have no opinion on the two unlicensed models.

The most interesting model is the Greenbrier.  Would we have preferred it stock?  Of course, but you can't expect that from Hot Wheels.  Instead it should be super creative, and it most certainly is.  This one is definitely a must have, even if it gets some grief form those who would have preferred stock.

There is still a lot to see from Heritage, so the jury is still out.  We still miss Boulevard...


Hot Wheels Heritage Batch A:

The brand new Hot Wheels Heritage series and the latest Retro Entertainment models are now out at Wheel Collectors...

Another heads up for everyone.

Wheel Collectors spent yesterday sifting through a massive delivery of pallets yesterday, and now have listed a bunch of highly anticipated Hot Wheels.

First up is the much ballyhooed Heritage line.  If you remember, each batch will alternate between Real Riders and Redlines, and the first Real Rider batch is now out.  Fanboys will go bonkers for the two Datsuns, and of course we will add both to the collection (the Bonneville Salt Flats-ready 240Z being the highlight), but the real treat is the Chevy Greenbrier Wagon.  We are always game to a new van, especially a classic like the Greenbrier, racing style or not.  You can find the batch here:

Hot Wheels Heritage Batch A

Next is the next batch of Retro Entertainment.  Some fantastic models here as well, but it is all about the two pickups, the Friday Night Lights '83 Silverado with a wonderfully stock deco, and the Ford F-250 from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ready to take on any task in its wonderfully simple livery (and on steelies to boot!).  The Silverado is especially a must-have, as it will sit beautifully next to the RLC version coming out soon.  All the Retro models can be found here:

Hot Wheels Retro Entertainment

Hako! Kenmeri! 510! 2002! 2015 Hot Wheels Heritage lineup announced...

Ever since the demise of the Boulevard line, we have been waiting for the next great Hot Wheels premium series.  It may have finally arrived.

We have talked extensively about the Boulevard series from 2012 and 2013.  It seemed that by the time Mattel had figured out how to make it successful, it was already considered a failure by the big box stores.  The 2012 lineup was way too large, way too varied, and not collector-oriented enough.

Then came the 2013 lineup, with was much smaller and full of fantastic new castings or real cars.  Models like the Jeep Wagoneer, Datsun Wagon, and Porsche 993 were huge hits.  But by the time that line had arrived, most stores had cancelled their orders, and these fantastic models were relegated to stores like Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx.

Soon after Mattel cancelled the Boulevard line, and turned their attention to Retro Entertainment and Cool Classics, to mixed results.  Retro Entertainment continues, Cool Classics is done, and now we have the Heritage line.

It looks like Mattel has learned some lessons.  The Heritage line will come in 6 batches of 6 models, alternating between Real Riders and Redlines.  And they will be released every two months starting in May.  This appears to be the right move.  Not too many models to clog the pegs, and released far enough apart for each batch to sell.

And most importantly, the models included are collector faves.  Whether they be muscle, classic, Euro, or JDM, there will be a lot of collectors that will want them.  We at Lamley included.

The lineups:

Mix 1 (Real Riders - released May 2015): Hare Splitter Datsun Bluebird 510 Datsun 240Z Custom Chevy Greenbrier Sports Wagon (New tool!) Altered Ego 1980 Dodge Macho Power Wagon  Mix 2 (Redlines - released July 2015): ’49 Ford F1 ’55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser ’68 Dodge Dart ’70 Chevelle SS Wagon Copper Stopper Nissan Skyline HT 2000GT-X  Mix 3 (Real Riders - released September 2015): ’56 Flashsider ’71 Plymouth Satellite ’07 Chevy Silverado Off-Road BMW 2002 Ford Transit MK1 Supervan (New tool!) Porsche 917-K Mix 4 (Redlines - released November 2015): ’56 Custom Ford Pickup ’69 Mercury Cyclone ’70 Camaro Z28 ’84 Mustang SVO Bone Shaker Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R Mix 5 (Real Riders - released January 2016): ’68 Olds Cutlass Convertible ’69 Chevy Camaro Coupe Aston Martin 1963 DB5 Backwoods Bomb Neet Streeter Texas Drive ’Em Mix 6 (Redlines - released March 2016): ’64 Chevy Nova Wagon Chevy Blazer 4×4 Corvette C6R Custom ’66 GTO Wagon Long Gone Mig Rig Not a bad lineup eh?  JDM nuts like us have two redline Skylines, a 240Z, and the Datsun 510.  Euro geeks (also like us) have the BMW 2002, the Hare Splitter, and the Porsche 917.  Wagon nerds (like us) have the Plymouth Satellite, Nova, Chevelle, and GTO Wagons.  Truck heads (like us too) have the Macho Power Wagon, Texas Drive 'Em, and Silverado 4x4, and it goes on and on. It seems to us Mattel has planned this line to succeed.  We really hope we don't have to look at those last two batches and wonder if they will see the light of day.  Fingers crossed that this series does well.  We know we will be buying a few...