The Hot Wheels Swamp Buggy was almost the casting that never was. Originally slated to be part of the 2008 Hot Wheels Turbo Driver line (seen in a promotional shot below), the Swamp Buggy never saw retail as the line was cancelled before the Swamp Buggy “car-tridge” was released. In fact, only 8 of the 12 vehicles shown below were released. This was also the first sighting of a closed-roof Bone Shaker.

Swamp Buggy that was never released in the 2008 Turbo Driver line.

Just like the closed-roof Bone Shaker, the Swamp Buggy would make its debut in 2010. As part of the Race World • Jungle segment, the Swamp Buggy was released with two wheel variations. The 5-Spoke wheel variation shown below was the more common of the two. The harder to find Off-Road 5-Spoke (OR5SP) wheel variation proved to be more difficult to find. This would be the #First Edition of the Swamp Buggy.

The Hot Wheels Swamp Buggy casting has a very amphibious look to it. Beyond the fact that this release was green, like a frog, it has these large side ports which one can assume are there to expel water. Combine that with the “super shocks” that protrude its external skin/body, and this vehicle looks like it was made for a jungle landscape — which explains its inclusion in the Race World • Jungle Series.

Its still unclear as to the reasoning behind the two wheel variations on the Swamp Buggy in this series, but since this initial release, the several versions of this casting that were released since, all feature off-road wheels. So if you’re a Hot Wheels racing enthusiast and you want to try the Swamp Buggy on the orange track, this initial release with 5SP wheels is the best suited version of this casting to fulfill that desire.

RELEASE DETAILS: Metalflake Green Body (metal). Yellow-Tinted Windshield. Chrome Interior. Chrome 5-Spoke (5SP) Wheels. Chrome Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# R7644. Released in 2010 as #3 of 4 in the Race World • Jungle Series.