Let’s get this out of the way. I am not a big fan of the decos on these five cars. The colors are a bit dated, the graphics as well, and in many ways they take away from the cars they are plastered on.
But that doesn’t matter in the least. A) because who cares what I think and B) this is the way they are supposed to look. They are replicas of five of the cars in the original Fast & Furious, and these are the decos they sported.
And even with the opinion I have about them, I am sure thankful for them. Because if we don’t have this series, or this film franchise, or these decos, we don’t have a Hot Wheels S14, ’95 Eclipse, or Jetta.
And that is what is key. I have mentioned numerous times that the most fun I get out of the Fast & Furious movies is watching them with friends the way the human and robots watch old corny movies on Mystery Science Theater 3000. They are goofy, ridiculous, and nonsensical. And I get while many argue they have ruined many aspects of car culture as much as helped it.
But what can’t be argued is that while the Fast & Furious movies have moved from a testosterone contest to Ocean’s 11 with muscles, a lot of cool cars have made appearances. And that is why Hot Wheels taking the Car Culture premium approach to their Fast & Furious line is so exciting. It has brought us some fantastic Hot Wheels.
First, Fast Imports gave us a stock jet black R32. It barely showed up in the movies, but enough for Hot Wheels to do one, and it is the best model of 2019 so far (IMO). You can see what they did there. Not because it was FnF, but because it gave them an excuse to do a jet black R32. In the same vein we now have a stock, premium Escort RS1600.
And that goes with castings. The S15 Silvia debuted in the Forza line, but my guess is Mattel’s plans for the casting in the Hot Wheels FnF line is what got it made. The deco on the FnF Silvia is wonky, but the casting now exists, and I am sure we will see it looking awesome in future releases. Same with the three new castings in the Original Fast mix. Make no mistake, the S14 and Jetta are true gems, and will undoubtedly be released elsewhere, maybe in more stock looks. The Eclipse looks good too, but that color, deco, and horrible shoes really disguise it. I can’t wait to see it in another outfit.
But all this perspective comes from me, and I think I have made it clear enough that I am happy these Entertainment-type lines have brought us so many cool cars, not cool cars from entertainment, if that makes sense.
And I may be the minority. I realize MANY of you are after this set purely for the fact that they ARE Fast & Furious cars, and it is you guys that Mattel had in mind for this set. They just found a way to make us all happy. And you should be, and based on the feedback, are completely thrilled with this set.
And clearly the Hot Wheels Team went all out. The art for this set is tremendous. The idea of making the five cards form one racing scene is genius, and even Brian’s floor panel is flying off the Eclipse if you look closely.
So whether you are a car nerd like me, or an FNF nerd like a billion people, or both, this set is a hit.
Photos coming soon. Enjoy the video:
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