And here begins the Hot Ones' successor. Why the Hot Ones was discontinued and the Flying Customs started is not something I know. That may have been the plan all along, or maybe it is to inject something into the line. At this point I see little difference between the two lines, outside of the card artwork. Both lines have a nostalgic feel, will include nostalgic tools, as well as new or current tools in nostalgic clothes.
It took awhile, but the Hot Ones really grew on me. It might have helped that the later batches included several castings I was very excited about, namely the Honda CRX, '87 Toyota Truck, '82 Supra, and Subaru BRAT. The problem was all those models came late in the series, and as of now most haven't even appeared in stores. We discussed this issue in an earlier post, and now with Flying Customs already out, the future of these late-issue models in up in the air.
Of course the Flying Customs have only been sent to dealers at this point, so it could potentially be awhile until they show up in stores, giving them a chance to stock the last Hot Ones. But the chances of that get slimmer and slimmer as time goes on.
But let's focus on the positive. The positive here is that the Flying Customs line is shaping up to be a great one. Over on HWC, Hot Wheels designer Steve Vandervate released a partial list of what is to come. The list can get pretty much any HW collector excited:
‘77 Plymouth Arrow
Dumpin’ A
'74 Chevrolet Vega Pro Stock
‘76 Chevy Monza
'69 COPO Corvette®
Custom '42 Jeep® CJ-2A
Tyrrell P34
'73 Ford Gran Torino
Sheriff Patrol
Amphicar
‘57 T-Bird
Hare Splitter
'86 Ford Thunderbird Pro Stock
Volkswagen Baja Beetle
Camaro® Z28
El Ray Special
‘71 Mustang Funny Car
Porsche 914-6
Porsche 935/78
Texas Drive ‘Em
Turbo Mustang
'69 Camaro®
‘65 Mustang
‘82 Toyota Supra
‘55 Lincoln Futura Concept
‘70 Ford Torino
T-Bird Stocker
'78 Corvette FC
‘81 Ford Fairmont
Custom Volkswagen Beetle
Porsche 917-K
‘57 Chevy w Engine
Datsun Bluebird 510
‘69 Mustang Boss 302
‘76 Chevy Chevette
Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R
Porsche 930
Jeep CJ-7
It appears every type of collector is represented: Muscle, VW, Euro, Supercars, JDM, you name it. If you know me, you know that the words "Bluebird" and "Skyline" caught my eye first, but there are many others that excite me.
One of those is already out. The '69 COPO Corvette is my favorite classic Vette casting (well, it was until the Greenwood Vette
blew everything else out of the water), and I have every version done so far
, outside of the Toy Fair model. One day I might try and get that one as well.
blew everything else out of the water), and I have every version done so far, outside of the Toy Fair model. One day I might try and get that one as well.So have a looksy at the new COPO, as well as three other Batch A releases. It looks to be a great series. But then again, so was Hot Ones.
(Find the Flying Customs at Wheel Collectors
...)
...)Hot Wheels '69 COPO Corvette (2013 Flying Customs):
'74 Chevrolet Vega Pro Stock:
Dumpin A:
'77 Plymoth Arrow:
