The odd duck of the 2017 #Walmart Exclusive, #Hot Wheels Racing Circuit series is certainly the #Deora II. In a series where 9 of the 10 vehicles are American (Chevy/Ford/Buick/Pontiac) #Muscle Cars, this #Unlicensed Hot Wheels “surf truck” casting definitely stands out. Now, I know there were certainly a few collectors that weren’t too happy with the Deora II breaking up their muscle car party, but believe it or not, there were quite a few collectors that were happy to see this one re-emerge with #Hot Wheels Race Team graphics.

The #Deora II is pretty much in the realm of classic Hot Wheels casting. It made its debut in 2000 as part of the 2000 First Editions and was made into a real, 1:1 truck in 2003. It was driven by the star of the animated Hot Wheels HWY 35 World Race movie, Vert Wheeler, and has had several premium releases including Toy Fair, #HWC and as a Convention Exclusive “Dinner Car” that honored its designer, Nathan Proch.

However, for the last 10 years, the casting has kind of faded into the background as it has been relegated to the Hot Wheels basic lines. Though the #Hot Wheels Racing Circuit release doesn’t fill the void of premium releases over the last decade, it is nice to see the #Deora II with this superb Metalflake Race Team Blue paint and the high-quality #Hot Wheels Race Team tampos that it seems only the Hot Wheels Thailand plant can produce.

Hot Wheels Deora II from the 2017 Walmart Exclusive, Hot Wheels Racing Circuit series (rear view)

The #Hot Wheels Racing Circuit #Deora II dons the #8 since its is #8 of 10 in the series. This release is obviously missing the #Surfboards it normally features, however, the painted bed cover more than makes up for it, giving this car some next level Hot Wheels Race Team graphics. As a collectors of both the Deora II casting and the #Hot Wheels Race Team (in blue), I was very elated to hear that this casting would be part of this series. The excitement increased when I learned that it would be 1 of only 2 cars to be the Race Team Blue that I collect. It almost seems like someone at Hot Wheels was listening to me because every time a “cars you would like to see in the Hot Wheels Race Team” thread pops up on HotWheelsCollectors.com, I suggest this casting.

Since it was included as part of the #Hot Wheels Racing Circuit in this “odd duck” scenario, it almost seems like it was included as a last minute addition. Its quite possible that the series originally included another American muscle car, but after what could have been a licensing or tool issue, it was replaced by the #Unlicensed Hot Wheels #Deora II. Whatever the situation may have been, this collector was extremely excited to finally get this classic casting in #Hot Wheels Race Team graphics.

RELEASE DETAILS: Metalflake Race Team Blue Body (metal). Light Blue Windows. Chrome Interior. White-Rim, Black Open-Hole 5-Spoke (OH5) Wheels. Black Base (plastic). Made in Thailand. Toy# DWC59. Released in 2017 as #8 of 10 in the Walmart Exclusive, Hot Wheels Racing Circuit series.

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