For the auto-obsessed minicar collector, Hot Wheels yearly release of holiday-themed models has not been something to get too excited about. Since the series debut in 2006, the decos have been fun, the packaging clever, and the theme festive. But casting-wise, it has been slim pickins for those who like castings of real cars.
With one stellar exception: 2011. That year, we saw a wonderfully diverse mix of castings representing cars from all over. Cadillacs, Vipers, Lamborghinis, Datsun Z's, and on and on. In fact, look for a feature on those later in the month.
It was a great year for the holiday series, but sadly it was an anomaly. Like it was before 2011, the Holiday Hot Rod series has mainly been a release of generics that doesn't generate too much buzz.
But 2013 seems to be a slight improvement. Yeah, Hot Tub and Spider cars don't excite us, but take a look at the list:
Seems to be somewhat the same fare, with two glaring exceptions. Yes, Hot Wheels can't be Hot Wheels without Camaros and Mustangs, but at least we have two excellent castings of real cars in the lineup. We know the Rodger Dodger, or Dixie Challenger, is a collector fave, and we know that currently collectors are obsessing over the Sandblaster TH, but the two models that stand out are the '85 Camaro and '12 Mustang. So let's show them off, get a few of you excited enough to buy a few, and maybe Mattel will continue to put real cars in the holiday lineup...
(If you like what you see, you can always find the 2013 Holiday Models here
Hot Wheels '85 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z (2013 Holiday Hot Rods):
Hot Wheels '12 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca (2013 Holiday Hot Rods):
