Car Lamley Group: SEMA

Showing posts with label SEMA. Show all posts

First Look: Hot Wheels HW Ford Transit Connect...

It eventually came, even if it wasn't at SEMA.

Hot Wheels got collector's wheels turning when they unveiled the special HW Edition of the Ford Transit Connect at SEMA in Las Vegas back in November of 2013.

With it came this mini version:

The unveiling made many think that Hot Wheels had another SEMA exclusive, and Hot Wheels-collecting attendees were searching every corner for plexiglass goodness. It turns out, however, that this was a hand-made version, made to sit next to its 1:1 counterpart. So while all the exclusive-hunting collectors went home, Hot Wheels announced the Transit was in fact coming to a blister near you, only in Spring 2014.

Well it is Summer 2014, but we are not complaining. The Transit is here, and it looks fantastic. We found a seller

with an early P Case, and we decided to jump.

It looks great. Matchbox collectors have been a little up in arms about Hot Wheels doing the Transit, when that would traditionally be a model right in Orange's wheelhouse. We get that. But we give this all a pass considering Ford wanted to add a little oomph to the Transit, a car that is mainly known for hauling medical supplies and paper. Putting a Hot Wheels logo on the side and customizing it for SEMA is clearly an attempt to do that. Whether or not that worked, I guess we will see if the only time we see the new Transit is in front of medical buildings with its hazards on.

So whether or not this model gets its street cred is not our problem. We will just enjoy the mini version. It is nicely detailed, mimicking the custom as opposed to the standard Transit. There are some details missing on the mass-produced model, but that is to be expected. It has the deco it needs to make its point.

We don't know what the future will be for this model, but we assume we will see it with a wide array of decos and graphics in later releases. We will wait and see. For now, we are in on this one. Are you?

Hot Wheels HW Ford Transit Connect (2014 New Models):

Lamley News: Updates on the Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect, Matchbox 60th Brush Fire Truck, and Flying Customs Skyline...

A quick update on three Lamley posts from this week...

Flying Customs Nissan Skyline Interior Variation:

After our post this morning, many of you have let us know what you have. So far, we cannot tell if one is more rare than the other. It looked like the earlier-produced models (F22) were the racing interior and the later (F28) were the standard. That is until our friend Rick let us know that he has both variations with the base code F28.

Our friends at Wheel Collectors will count theirs tomorrow to see how many of each they have. I would grab them now while they are Lamley Deals of the Week

Hot Wheels SEMA exclusive Ford Transit and Rip Rod:

We were wondering when this set that was shown at Ford's release of the new Ford Transit Connect would show up on ebay or with attendees at SEMA. There is a good reason why we haven't.

From HW designer Steve Vandervate via HWC:

That set is a one-off hand-painted 1:64 display model. We didn't do product for this year's show.
For those who can understand what does in to something like this, glad you do, and glad you like it. I'll let the team know.

So it is a one-off. Hopefully there is a mold for that Transit Connect, and we will see it soon...

Matchbox 60th Anniversary International Workstar Brush Fire Truck:

We wanted to know why a few Brush Fire Trucks had appeared on ebay in the last few days. They did in fact come from several Mattel Store locations. Some lucky buyers were able to buy a few, and now they are on ebay.

We thought that would be the ultimate fate of the Brush Truck, but it appears Mattel still has plans for it. From Lamley reader Ben:

I just got back from the Mattel store in Fort Worth and thought I'd share a story with you. I saw your post about the International brush truck at the Mattel store and thought I'd check if mine got them in too. They are having a warehouse sale for Christmas so the warehouse is open to walk around. I saw a full pallet of boxes of the brush truck, with one box open to know that's what it was. Next to it was a small dump bin with a sign that said "Brush Truck, $2.79". I figured they were getting ready to put them out so I asked someone. They checked with someone and they said sure go ahead and sell them. I asked how many I could take and they said 5 boxes of 10. Right as I am getting to the register the warehouse worker came up telling me to stop. They got a memo saying they couldn't be sold after all. They said they were told on Friday to put them on the floor but hadn't done it yet, and this morning the memo said they had to be shipped back. She said Toys R Us decided they wanted them back after all and had to be shipped back. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but maybe that means there's still hope for everyone else, although I was rather disappointed to get so close and not get them.

A terribly frustrating story, but it appears we still don't know where these will appear. At least you know you can get one now via ebay. Here is the link:

Matchbox 60th Anniversary Brush Fire Truck

We bought two, and they just arrived. A stunning model in beautiful packaging. Look for a First Look on Lamley early next week...

Just Unveiled: New Hot Wheels Ford Transit Connect at SEMA...

This week the auto world is in Las Vegas for the SEMA show, and once again Hot Wheels has made its presence known. They have joined forces with Ford to help the oval spruce up its Transit Connect. You can read about it here.

Soon after pulling the cover off the real Transit Connect, look what else unsurprisingly appeared:

How great is that? The Transit Connect as a new Hot Wheels model, along with a Matchbox-esque trailer carrying an exclusive version of the recently released Rip Rod. While these castings may not excite us individually, this may be one of the coolest exclusive giveaways Hot Wheels has ever done.

We haven't seen packaging, and we have no idea if we will see a similar version of the Transit Connect in the mainline (we think we will, but it is just a guess), but we know this set is being given away. But you have to earn it. From what I have heard from a friend attending the show, SEMA attendees must wait in line for a shot to win one via a slot machine. He told us he waited in line for 20 minutes and didn't see a single winner. I guess we wait and see what others report...

Model of the Day: Hot Wheels SEMA exclusive '12 Camaro ZL1...

I should probably have done comparison pics with the new Special Edition Camaro that came out this year. Even better, I should have done comparison pics with the exclusive given out at SEMA this year. But alas, Mattel has not seen it fit to just send me one for free. Jerks.

So I am left to photograph this lonely little spectraflame Camaro. It sure looks terrible, doesn't it? It sure doesn't pop off the screen. The green is as bland as a mayo sandwich.

So I apologize for showing this bland, boring, ridiculously fantastic model. I am glad Mattel made it so difficult to acquire, because there is no one who would want one. Maybe you can grab one

to give to your favorite enemy.

(Holy cow this model is tremendous.)

Hot Wheel '12 Camaro ZL1 (2011 SEMA Exclusive):

First Look: 2013 Hot Wheels Special Edition Chevy Camaro (and a few comparisons)...

There has just a bit of talk about the first 1:1 Hot Wheels production vehicle. Personally I was hoping it would be the Mad Manga, but I guess a Camaro is ok.

I have a few friends at SEMA, and maybe one will return with the Special Edition Camaro

they are giving away there (the 1:64, not the 1:1) so I can show it off here. But from what I have seen, the only differences are a few more tampos and true spectraflame paint.

This project obviously was born from the green spectraflame Camaro we saw at SEMA last year, and I love the idea of the Special Edition. And it makes this new casting, which is essentially the ZL1 casting with the ZL1 trim removed, make a whole lot of sense.

The ZL1 has been my favorite Hot Wheels version of the current Camaro, mainly because of its stance and angry face, so this new Camaro easily becomes #2 with its similar looks. I don't know what the future of the model is (will the 1:1 be offered in other colors?), but I will happily add it to the collection.

And a couple of cool details. The center stripe is nicely detailed with gloss black surrounded by matte black (I don't know how well that comes off in the photos), and if you look closely you will see the ghost pinstripe on each side. A very cool detail.

Is this a little redundant? Of course. But based on what it represents, this is a great New Model, and a significant addition to the plethora of Hot Wheels Camaro castings