First Look: 2014 Hot Wheels Ferrari F12 Berlinetta in yellow...

Last week we passed along the news that Mattel and Ferrari were parting ways, at least when it came to the 1:18 scale line.  We still have not heard if that will impact the basic range.  Honestly, we don't think it will, but we don't know until we know.

If it is, there is a good chance Ferrari models will be gobbled up and guarded, and prices will rise.  At that point we will be very happy we were diligent in collecting a few favorites.  One of those is the Ferrari F12, which was released last year.

We have seen it in red, zamac (an all-time favorite HW Ferrari), grey, and now yellow.  Not a dud in the bunch, and it is nice to see Hot Wheels release a few with no side stripes or deco.  The car is too pretty for pinstripes.  And yes, it does have a pretty extreme case of large-rear-wheel-itus, but with its stance and details, it doesn't bother too much.

So hooray for the F12, we just hope we see a lot more versions in the future...

(Find the F12 Berlinetta on ebay...)


Hot Wheels Ferrari F12 Berlinetta (2014 Mainline Recolor):

Has Hot Wheels made its last Ferrari? The Mattel/Ferrari exclusive licensing agreement ends this year...

We were very surprised to see this announcement today, wherein Hot Wheels has officially announced that its licensing partnership with Ferrari will come to an end on December 31, 2014.  It was accompanied with this statement:

That is the date that Mattel’s current contract with them expires and has been mutually agreed not to renew it. 

What does that mean?  This announcement was made by Hot Wheels Elite, so we could assume that the relationship with HW Elite, Mattel's 1:18 scale brand, is the only brand to which this announcement pertains.  But in the announcement, Mattel is mentioned, not just Hot Wheels Elite.  Could this mean that it will effect the basic range models as well?

If you are not aware, since 1999 Mattel has had exclusive licensing rights to Ferrari cars.  No other diecast maker was allowed to produce a Ferrari model.  You might be asking, but what about those Kyosho 1:64 Ferraris you show here on Lamley?  Those are technically not diecast models.  Kyosho found a way to skirt around the agreement by technically making their 1:64 Ferrari "model kits", meaning they came unassembled, and the buyer is required to put it together.  This is how they come:

So with Mattel's contract expiring, and not being renewed, this could mean that Kyosho could now release Ferraris assembled.

But the bigger question is what will happen to all these Hot Wheels Ferraris?  Ferrari has been a signature part of the basic range for years, and it easily a collector fave.  Does the end of this contract mean that Hot Wheels will still produce Ferraris, only not exclusively?  Or is this the end of Ferraris on a blue card for good?

If this is the end, this is really sad.  It will create an enormous gap in the mainline, and could sadly signal Mattel's push for Hot Wheels to go in a more fantasy direction.  That would obviously disappoint quite a few of us.

But thankfully this is all speculation.  We don't know what this means.  If it only pertains to Hot Wheels Elite, that is fine by us.  If it means the end of any Hot Wheels Ferrari, that will leave us a little sad, as well as incentivized to go grab those Ferraris we have wanted but yet to pick up.  What if  HW Ferraris started going up in price like the recently retired Bugatti Veyron casting?  Ouch...

We will wait to see what Mattel says, but welcome your thoughts.  What do you think?

First Look: Hot Wheels LaFerrari in metalflake grey...

Uh-oh.

We know its blasphemous to dis on a red Ferrari, but man its been shown up badly here.  Hot Wheels (almost) always debuts a new Ferrari casting in red, and it should.  It is as signature as it gets, and in most cases just looks the best.  What's the point in driving a Ferrari if it is going to melt into its surroundings?  You have a Ferrari and the world better f*#%ing know!

But maybe the LaFerrari is SO over the top that a little subtlety in color is a good thing.  Or maybe it is only the case with the Hot Wheels version.  The Hot Wheels LaFerrari is a little too boxy, a victim of its overly large rear wheels.  But in grey the lines on the rest of the model are highlighted, combating against that clumsy rear panel.  It makes it a little easier on the eyes.  And when you photograph it at the right angles (see below), ooooh la-la...

And that means we can like this one a little more.  It is still not the best Ferrari Hot Wheels has done in the last few years (F12 Berlinetta, even with its large rear wheels, wins the current car contest just over the FF, 250 GTO wins it overall), but it sure is better in grey.

We will let the pics do the rest of the talking, and then make sure to head over to Wheel Collectors to grab Batch M...


Hot Wheels LaFerrari (2014 New Models recolor):

The Customs of Ernest Li: Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, Ferrari, Honda, etc...

Just like we welcomed back our friend Rikmun Lim a few weeks ago, we were thrilled to hear from another customizer who has been with us since the early days.  Like Rikmun, Ernest Li spends most of the year hunkered down in his university studies, but summer is here and he has reemerged with some amazing customs.

So we asked him to send over pics of what he has been working on, and as usual, each piece is fantastic.  His write-up and pics are below.

Enjoy...

(Thanks Ernest.)


It's me again and I haven't been posting on Lamley here for months already. I have made many customs in these months, mostly super cars. Ferrari Laferrari, Lamborghini Veneno (Roadster version too!), Koenigsegg CCX, CCXR, Agera, One:1, etc. Those Koenigsegg CCXs were from an unknown Chinese manufacturer, well, I would say look better than those from Hot Wheels. You could see some fancy livery on supercars, like, dubai police, Alitalia, nyan cat.............

Something special this time is the Lamborghini Urus, made by an unknown Chinese factory too, was converted from a toy to another toy. I guess it looks better now and I hope one day I will see the real thing on road.

Not only supercars, something JDM too! JTCC civic, Civic converted to CR-X, etc.

Enjoy!

Ernest