First Look: Hot Wheels '76 Greenwood Corvette Toys R Us Mail-in Exclusive...

Ok, I am feeling a little overwhelmed.  Here is what is on the docket for the blog:

• First Look: Hot Wheels Simpsons Family Car
• First Look: Matchbox BMW M5 Police
• First Look: Matchbox Ford Cargo
• First Look: Matchbox Dodge A100
• First Look: Matchbox Everett Marshall Charities Exclusives
• A look at all the upcoming 2015 and 2016 Matchbox models
• A look at all the preproduction models donated by Mattel to the Gathering Auction
• An interesting history on the donated prepro that I won at auction
• Larry Scaduto's final Matchbox Ambassador Report and Gathering roundup

That is a lot.  And I leave for vacation today.  Yikes.

But I will chug along and get all of this out to you.  There is too much interesting stuff to keep you waiting, especially those upcoming Matchbox model pics.

Looking at what I need to get to, I see a lot of orange, and that is to be expected, considering I just returned from the Gathering.  But blue deserves a bit of attention, and they have provided a beauty that is definitely worthy of a full post.

That model is the latest mail-in promo from Hot Wheels, the Toys R Us exclusive '76 Greenwood Corvette.  I don't pursue all the Hot Wheels mail-ins, but when I do, it is because it looks like the Greenwood.

The Greenwood is a special model, and happily Mattel knows it.  I could argue that amid a sea of Skylines, Porsches, and that infamous Datsun Wagon, Jun Imai's true design gem is the Greenwood.  Who knows if it was Jun or another designer who chose the Greenwood for the HW Racing line a few years ago, but whoever did made an inspired choice.  It is a loud, over-the-top racing model, with enormous - ENORMOUS! - flared wheel wells, a huge nose, and something resembling headlights.  The result is an unforgettable Hot Wheels Corvette, that no one can complain about because it is based on the real model.

And this summer it became extra special.  John Greenwood, the legendary racer behind the car, passed away earlier this month.  We certainly pass our condolences onto his family and friends, and can think of no better way to remember him by showing the fantastic casting based on one of his most iconic cars.

If you were to only have one Greenwood Vette in the collection, it would still be the Hot Wheels Racing version, which sports the actual racing livery.  But it makes more sense to have all, and considering the premium treatment this model continues to get, that can be hard.  You need the Racing, two basics, a Super TH, the 2015 Nationals Finale Car, and now this mail-in.  Hard to do, but totally worth it.  All are handsome models.

This one is no exception.  The red and grey of this year's exclusive suits it very well.  We will let the photos do the talking...

Hot Wheels '76 Greenwood Corvette (TRU Mail-in Exclusive):

First Look: Hot Wheels Custom '56 Ford Truck Kmart mail-in exclusive...

4 out of the 5 are out, with only a drag Cadillac to go.

So what do you think?

Us?  We think it has been a decent set, with the burnt orange working some of the time.  Our favorite of the four remains the Jeep Wagoneer, but this is only because we like the casting so much.  We will say, however, that the newest model in the set, the just-released '56 Ford Pickup, is really nice looking.

So here it is, with its mail-in counterparts.

Your favorite?


Hot Wheels Custom '56 Ford Truck (2014 Kmart Collector Days Mail-in Exclusive):

Model of the Day: Hot Wheels/Toys R Us Mail-in '88 Jeep Wagoneer...

We may have 20 models to add to the Lamley "Trick or Treat" pile later this month, but at least we now have the mail-in Jeep Wagoneer...

We like these mail-in promotions that Hot Wheels does with retailers.  Kmart gets three, Walmart one, and Toys R Us one.  And the set of 5 all share the same theme and similar deco.  It makes for a pretty cool set.  As soon as the Kmart mail-in arrives, in fact, we will do a post on all of them.

But of the promotions, the TRU set-up needs the most improvement.  The Kmart mail-ins coincide with the Kmart Collectors Day event.  Buy 20 models and send in the receipt and card-backs.  That is easy, especially considering the Kday cases are full of exclusives or just-to-market cars.  Finding 20 to buy is easy.

The Walmart mail-in is even easier.  Photograph a Walmart receipt, upload the photo to special promotion website, and points are added.  Once enough points are accrued, you can order the special model and it is shipped without charging you shipping.

The TRU promotion?  Bleh.  There are exclusives in the TRU batches, but there are not that many, and are many times gobbled up by the first person who finds them.  Plus, this year at most TRUs the shippers containing the special TRU colors were put on the floor several days before the promotion started, meaning you could not use a receipt for the 20 models if the purchase was made before the promotion began.  I actually found the exclusives at my local TRU, but left them because the promotion had not started yet, and I could only use receipts from the specified dates.  When I returned after the promotion had started, all the models were gone.

I waited to see if ebay prices on the mail-in would settle, but they stayed high.  So a few days before the promotion ended, I returned to my local TRU, and bought 20 models I cared nothing for, returned home and opened them all, and sent in the cardbacks.  Those 20 models will now be given away along with a slew of other extras on Halloween.

As annoying as the promotion was, at least it paid off in the form of this fantastic Wagoneer.  I have said before that Jeeps rarely interest me.  Actually, no Jeeps interest me, except for the Wagoneer.  I have always had a soft spot for the wood-paneled Wagoneers, and I absolutely love the Hot Wheels version.

Nothing will beat the Boulevard version in black with wood paneling, but the mail-in is a worth runner-up.  It looks good in this year's exclusive deco, and it is thankfully fully detailed.

We assume those that wanted these already have theirs.  Those who don't, ebay is the best option now, as the promotion has ended...


Hot Wheels '88 Jeep Wagoneer (2014 TRU Mail-In):