Showcasing unannounced, hidden series here at Orange Track Diecast seems to be the motif of this week. This time we are looking at the #Chinese New Year Hot Wheels as we are at the half-way point of the Year of the Monkey. The Year of the Monkey started on February 8th of this year (2016) and lasts until January 28, 2017 … the beginning of the Year of the Rooster.

Since an un-numbered release of the Rodzilla in the 2012 mainline, Hot Wheels has released a car for the Chinese New Year all but one year (2013) — the list of these can be seen below. So far, they have all been #Unlicensed Hot Wheels and the last three releases have featured custom graphics that have consisted of that year’s animal, the year in the form of a racing number, and Chinese characters (type).

Hot Wheels D-Muscle from the 2016 HW Digital Circuit series (rear shot) … Year of the Monkey

This year’s edition was the Hot Wheels D-Muscle from the #HW Digital Circuit series — a series that featured castings that are good on track and also unlock special features on HotWheels.com. The D-Muscle itself is a relatively new casting as it first appeared last year as a 2015 New Model in the HW City / Performance series. Just like many other #Unlicensed Hot Wheels, it takes its styling cues from many modern #Muscle Car concepts from the likes of the #Mustang, #Camaro and #Charger. Being that it is unlicensed, no licensing approvals are needed outside of Mattel when a new release is imminent. This usually makes for a quick-turn on a graphic design such as this one that goes beyond the abstract car graphics scope.

RELEASE DETAILS: White Enamel Body (metal). Dark Tinted Windows. Red Interior. Chrome-Rim, Black Open-Hole 5-Spoke (OH5) Wheels. Dark Red Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# DHP60. Released in 2016 as #9 of 10 in the HW Digital Circuit Series.

List of #Chinese New Year vehicles:

1. Rodzilla … 2012, Year of the Dragon
2. Horseplay … 2014, Year of the Horse
3. Carbonic … 2015, Year of the Goat
4. D-Muscle … 2016, Year of the Monkey
5. Turbo Rooster … 2017, Year of the Rooster
6. Hotweiler … 2018, Year of the Dog

NOTE: There was no release for 2013, Year of the Snake.