The Great Super Treasure Hunt Experiment of 2014: My most rural find yet...

There has been a Hot Wheels Wagon Super that has been getting just a bit of hype lately, well before its release.  Honestly we don't know if we have seen a higher amount of anticipation about a Super TH than what the Datsun 510 Wagon Super is getting.

Lost in all that, however, is the too-cool fact that there are two (TWO!!) Wagon Super Treasure Hunts in the 2014 line.  That fact alone makes the 2014 lineup of Supers one of the best yet.  Off-hand, we can think of three wagon Supers previous (Morris Wagon, Chevy Delivery, and Chevelle), so two this year is awesome.

And while we all watch the prices of the Datsun Wagon fly high, and as we watch the frenzy that will be Kdays in September, let us all pause and give some love to the other wagon, the '64 Chevy Nova Station Wagon.  There have been a lot of good-looking Supers this year, and this is surely one of them.  Yes, flames are kind of the universal symbol of Hot Wheels over-decorating their models, but there is a way to do it right, and this is surely a great example.  The brown works so well, and the flames are simple.  Definitely the less-is-more approach to flames.  And the perfect choice for wheels is the steelies.

We have an example here for our Lamley features, but the Nova Wagon was definitely a Super I wanted to find on the pegs, especially as part of my attempt to find all 15 Super TH's on the pegs during random daytime visits to stores.  The batch came and went at Walmarts and Targets, so smaller stores would be the best place to find one.

And it finally happened.

For me, while finding a Super is always thrilling, finding one at an unlikely location is even better.  I have found them at grocery stores, rural Walmarts, a gas station, and even by my neighbor on her first visit to the pegs (imagine when she texted me a photo of the Toyota 2000GT Super asking if that was the model I was looking for).

Today's story may be the best location-wise, because I found it in the most rural of rural areas.  I have mentioned several times that my work takes me all over a huge chunk of the state of Utah, from essentially Salt Lake south.  All the way to the southwest corner in St George, just north of Las Vegas, as well as southeast to Moab and the Four Corners.  This Super find happened in the town of Blanding, Utah.  You can look it up.  It is 70 miles south of Moab, and north of the Four Corners area.  It is a small town.  And like a lot of small towns, it has an Alco:

I don't know too much about Alco stores, but they seem to be small general stores, and only in small towns.  Here is the view from the parking lot:

I have been to this Alco in my travels before, because they do have a small toy section, and I have always wanted to find a Super at a store like this.  A collector I have run into near my home mentioned he had found a Super at this exact store several months ago while he was traveling, so I have held out hope.

At about 5 pm I had just finished a meeting with a client when I hopped in the car to start the 4-hour drive home.  On a whim, I decided to give the Alco a quick look, considering I am not down this way that often.  So a quick stop I made.

I arrived at the pegs, and they looked well picked-over (I took this photo after my find, but you get a sense of what the pegs looked like):

The cards were sporadically placed, suggesting employees were spreading the models out as more models were purchased.  The Snoopy suggested that while these pegs had been passed through many times, maybe no collector in the know had gotten to them.  So I perused.

Only a few pegs had more than 2-3 models on them, including that lower one in the middle.  From the left I noticed the rear model was a Nova Wagon that seemed a darker shade of brown, and a walk around to the right verified my hunch:

Yep, those are flames on that hood.

Finally, the Super I have really been hoping to find, and in a location I have really wanted to have some success.  It didn't make this exhaustive one-day trip worth it, but it did make it more tolerable.

My makeshift Alco checkout counter photo studio:

Isn't she pretty?  I am very happy to have this one.

So, the update on my Super TH attempt:

Chevrolet SS - Found at a rural Walmart at 11:30 am
Sand Blaster - Found at a nearby Walmart around 4:30 pm
Camaro Special Edition - Found at neighboring town Walmart around 3 pm
'71 Mustang Mach 1 - Found on a Saturday afternoon grocery run at Harmon's Market (I found two)
'07 Mustang - no luck
'55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser - no luck
'70 Chevelle SS - Found at two different Walmarts on the same day (one at 10 am, one at 5 pm)
Twin Mill - Found at a rural Walmart at about 3:45 pm
'64 Chevy Nova Wagon - Found at 5 pm at a rural Alco
'83 Silverado - Found at Target at 1 pm
'76 Greenwood Corvette - no luck
'69 Corvette - no luck

8 out of 12.  Not too bad, considering there has been no pallet raiding for me.  I have accepted the fact that the '07 Mustang and '55 Gasser are probably not going to happen, but you never know.  Plus there should be plenty of chances to find the last two Corvettes, and we will see if I have any luck.  And the Impala is around the corner, with the Harley Davidson and Datsun Wagon looming.  

Back to the hunt...

Just Unveiled: Matchbox Gathering Dinner and Early-Registrant exclusive Toyota Tacoma...

Just a few minutes ago the cat was let out of the bag, and we can finally show the 2014 Matchbox Gathering Dinner Model, the Toyota Tacoma.  Because time is short, here are a couple of pics to let you see how great the model is, and look for a full showcase next week.

Keep in mind there are two models.  The actual Dinner Model, and the Early Registrant Variant.  The first model is the Dinner Model.

The second model is the Early Registrant variant, with only 75 produced for the first 75 attendees to register.  You can see the difference between the two is on the hood and roof.

There are several stories behind this dinner model, including Lamley's involvement in its design.  We are very proud to see the design idea we threw out at Mattel, an homage to classic Toyotas, included in the model.  We will give you the full story when we give it First Look treatment next week.

Just Unveiled: The Hot Wheels RLC Datsun 510 BRE is getting a brother, the BRE 240Z...

Maybe Hot Wheels is trying to steal a little Matchbox thunder this weekend, and maybe they succeeded.

Posted on the RLC sneaks this morning is none other than the upcoming Datsun 240Z in BRE livery, ready to join its very popular Datsun cousin. We will let Japanese Nostalgic Car give you the rundown, but rest assured the run on these will be quick.  We don't know when they are out, but you won't get one if you are not an RLC member and ready to reserve one the second they are made available.

E-sheet sneaks are up on the RLC site, but they ask for us not to show, and we will comply.  So we will use this fabulous custom by our friends at Madworks Kustom to give you an idea.  Just imagine spectraflame red with Neo wheels, same as on the 510:

First the 510, then the Toyota 2000GT, and now the 240Z.  It is definitely worth being an RLC member these days.  Who is excited?

Just Released: Tomica Limited Vintage BMW 325i 4-door in both black & white are now available at Japan Booster...

I have settled in to my hotel room here in Albuquerque for the Matchbox Gathering, ready to get my orange on.  The drive was long (9+ hours), and I have spent the last hour photographing auction prepros from Mattel and the Gathering Exclusives. (Wait until you see them.  Unveiling is Saturday night.)  It is now time to turn in and get some rest before hitting all the in-room trading later.

But before I do, it is necessary to put Matchbox aside for a couple of minutes to pass on the news I just got from Japan Booster.  The brand-new BMW 325i 4-door from Tomica Limited Vintage is now out, and it is available at the Japan Booster ebay store.

The 325i accompanies the 318i 2-door that was released by TLV last month.  I guess I will need to withhold judgement once I get them, but I think I might like the 4-door even more than the 2-door, especially in black.  But let's wait and see.  Ours are on their way.

In the meantime, head over to Japan Booster to grab on or both.  They are offering them separately or as a 2-car lot, and you can add one of the brand-new Daihatsu Midgets to get the total over $50 and qualify for free shipping.  Go grab them while you can:

TLV at Japan Booster

Just Unveiled: North American variants of the Tomica Limited Vintage Nissan IDx Nismo & Freeflow coming later this year, plus more new TLV...

We look forward every few weeks to the unveiling of new models in the Tomica Limited Vintage line.  A few models are released each month, some new versions of existing castings, and others brand new.

Well yesterday the news got out of what TLV is producing for November and December of 2014, and there was a very interesting surprise.  It turns out that TLV is once again producing the Nissan IDx Nismo and Freeflow, but this time in their North American versions:

If you are not familiar with the North American versions, it is really just a change on the grill.  The IDx was unveiled at the 2014 Tokyo Auto Show, and then the concepts were shipped to the US to get car nuts here excited.  Before they arrived in the US, Nissan changed the front grill to align with the latest Nissan North America V-shaped design queue:

Tokyo:

North America:

Hopefully you can see the difference.  There might be other differences, but at this point the grill is all we know about.

So with such a small difference, will we be buying these two?  You bet we will.  If you are interested as well, just keep an eye out at Japan Booster.

As far as we know, both the Japan and North American IDx's will be produced in the same numbers, but if you don't have the current IDx's, now is the time.  They will be drying up very quickly.  You can still find them at Japan Booster, with free shipping.

Besides the IDx, there are more models coming, including a couple of fantastic Japanese vans.  Here are the sneaks provided by Tomica:

Toyota Town Ace Van:

Daihatsu Delta:

Seibu Keisatsu Super Z

We will try and get all of these over to Lamley once they are released.  In the meantime, head over to Japan Booster to check out the Tomica Limited Vintage available now...

The Great Super Treasure Hunt Experiment of 2014: An old batch at a rural Walmart...

The Hot Wheels year is getting closer and closer to the end.  Batch N is in hobby stores, Batch P is on its way, and Q is waiting in the wings for its August/September release.

That means that my attempt to find all 15 Super Treasure Hunts in the store in the middle of the day just might turn up short.  I have been unlucky on a handful of batches, and the further away from previous batches we get, the more unlikely it is that I will ever see new cases.

But even if I fall short, I must keep going, and I had a small victory yesterday.

I had one of my rural days at work yesterday, where I wander through an array of small towns visiting clients in the center of the state.  At about 3:45 in the afternoon I found myself near a small Walmart that serves several small towns on a long stretch through a mountain valley.  I try to stop by when I can, as I have had some luck in the past.  If I remember correctly, I have found four Supers at this store during my travels: the Ferrari 599XX, Chevelle Wagon, Corvette ZR1, and Buick Riviera.  This store rarely has dump bins, so all have been found hanging on the pegs, and all in the middle of the day.

I haven't had much luck there lately, as the last Super I found was last year's Riviera.  When I got to the pegs, they were not too full, but the cards looked crisp, and I noticed a few Star Trek Enterprises hanging on the shelf.  The third peg I checked also yielded an x-racer Chevelle Regular Hunt, so it seemed worth checking all the pegs.

Collectors in the rural towns tend to leave Regular Hunts behind, so finding the Regs doesn't mean a Super could be nearby.  But it does mean it is worth looking.  On about the third row, I passed by a Twin Mill that was 4-5 cards back.  I went right past it, but decided to return, as it did seem a little darker than the green I had seen on the Twin Mill before.  I am glad I returned:

Not the most exciting Super to find, but it is definitely one of the 15 I have been looking for.

I happily grabbed that, plus an extra Morris Mini in red, and left everything else there, including those two to the right of the Super:

Speaking of leaving behind, we have always said that the Regular T-hunts are not for collectors, but for kids, and we have implored our fellow collectors to leave the Regulars behind unless they are truly a fan of the casting.  The Stockar is not a favorite, so it remained behind.  As did all of these during my rural swing yesterday:

Another small-town Walmart

Small town Kmart

Another small town Kmart

It was hard to leave the Subarus behind, but I already have one loose and one carded, and that is good enough for me.  The Homers stay behind too.

But the Supers, yeah, they will always come home with me.  So where do I stand now, with only three Supers yet to hit stores?

Chevrolet SS - Found at a rural Walmart at 11:30 am

Sand Blaster - Found at a nearby Walmart around 4:30 pm

Camaro Special Edition - Found at neighboring town Walmart around 3 pm

'71 Mustang Mach 1 - Found on a Saturday afternoon grocery run at Harmon's Market (I found two)

'07 Mustang - no luck

'55 Chevy Bel Air Gasser - no luck

'70 Chevelle SS - Found at two different Walmarts on the same day (one at 10 am, one at 5 pm)

Twin Mill - Found at a rural Walmart at about 3:45 pm

'64 Chevy Nova Wagon - no luck

'83 Silverado - Found at Target at 1 pm

'76 Greenwood Corvette - no luck

'69 Corvette - no luck

I still hold out hope that some older batches could produce the Nova Wagon, Greenwood Corvette, and '69 Vette, but I am guessing I am out of luck on the '07 Mustang and Gasser.  But I will keep looking...

Just Unveiled: Hot Wheels Porsche 934 Turbo RSR...

The second-to-last major unveil of 2014 is here, and it is a doozy.

2014 has been a great year for Hot Wheels New Models, but with all due respect to the Aston DB5, Datsun 620, Honda Civic EF, and the upcoming 2015 Mustang, the Porsche 934 takes the cake.  We have been waiting with bated breath to see it, and photos have finally emerged:

Batch Q is clearly going to be great.  Yes, we are as excited as any to snag the 510 Wagon standard and Super, but we may be more excited for this one.  The detail and proportions appear to be right on.   The model looks so well designed, and will be a perfect companion to the recently released 993.  Hot Wheels has not always hit home runs with their Porsche castings, but there is nothing to complain about here.

What does everyone think?

Just Unveiled: Hot Wheels '71 Datsun 510 Wagon Super Treasure Hunt on the card...

Can the hype get any more frenzied?

Probably not, but it is bound to surge up a bit as the first image of the Datsun 510 Wagon Super has emerged.  And we thought we would pass it on:

Yep, she's a looker.  Just seeing it on the card makes me want to get all the sleep I need now just to be ready to hunt this one down when it is released in August/September.

And maybe doorwarming and whatever other techniques are used won't be necessary for some, as there is a VERY good chance this will be the Super at Kmart Days in September.  We don't know for sure, but we do know this is the last Super for 2015, and typically the last Super of the year is in Kday cases.  As soon as we know, we will be sure to pass it on.

So anyone excited?

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?