Coming off of the fresh disappointment that the 2013 New Model “raked” ’69 Dodge Charger Daytona casting was not a return of the 1996 First Edition “standard” ’70 Dodge Charger Daytona casting (which had been final run’d in 2003), many collectors chose to pass up on the 2014 HW Workshop / Muscle Mania Series release when the red colorway first appeared. Call it a boycott, call it dislike for the Hot Wheels rake, call it whatever … the red colorway sat on the pegs. Shortly after, the metalflake light green colorway came, and many collectors were quick to dismiss the “Christmas color scheme” with the light green paint and red-rimmed wheels. Then, came the #Walmart Exclusive #ZAMAC colorway showing off the beautiful lines of this classic race car casting. Many collectors, myself included, were quick to turn around and grab any remaining red and light green colorways off the pegs as this #Jun Imai designed casting had started to grab the attention it deserved.

Hot Wheels ’69 Dodge Charger Daytona from the 2014 HW Workshop / Muscle Mania Series (All 3 Variations)

Sometimes, as collectors, our tendency is to focus on what a casting “is not” overshadows everything that a casting is. If you’re not in this group, kudos, but I am willing to bet the majority of you are. At one point or another in your collecting tenure, you’ve come across a #First Edition of a casting, put it back, only to see the beauty behind it down the road and run back to the pegs hoping its still there. For some of us, this transition happens in a matter of hours, for the others it can take years. I regretfully fell into the latter grouping with this casting.

At this point, I really should know better when shunning one of Jun’s castings as his design style is often years ahead of the average collector’s vision. For me, it was the disappointment that this casting was rolled out as Dominic Toretto’s ’69 Charger Daytona from the Fast & Furious 6 (2013) movie. The movie car did not have the rake as both front and rear wheels were the same size. So while this casting may not have been a great replica of the car used in the movie, I was that collector that let the one little spoil ruin my love for all things classic #Dodge #Charger.

Fortunately, I realized last year that I wanted to complete the casting collection of this casting, so I had to resort to waiting to find a good deal on the red and light green colorways online — when I passed on them at retail, countless times, for a buck.

RELEASE DETAILS: Red Enamel Body (metal). Clear Windows. Black Interior. Chrome Muscle-Car 5-Spoke (MC5) Wheels. Chrome Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# BFF11. Released in 2014 as #4 of 10 in the HW Workshop / Muscle Mania Series.

RELEASE DETAILS: Metalflake Light Green Body (metal). Tinted Windows. Black Interior. Red-Rim, Chrome Muscle-Car 5-Spoke (MC5) Wheels. Chrome Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# BFG63. Released in 2014 as #4 of 10 in the HW Workshop / Muscle Mania Series.

RELEASE DETAILS: ZAMAC Body (metal). Tinted Windows. Black Interior. Chrome Muscle-Car 5-Spoke (MC5) Wheels. Chrome Base (plastic). Made in Malaysia. Toy# BFG79. Released in 2014 as #4 of 10 in the HW Workshop / Muscle Mania Series (ZAMAC colorway is a Walmart Exclusive).