Whats to not like about the #HW 50th Originals Collection? Classic all-metal castings, #Spectraflame Paint, and #Redlines… these scream nostalgia. The intent of the series was to place five neo-castings that resembled five of the Original 16 castings, and place them in “Replica Redline” packaging. While these will not carry the 1968 pricing of under a buck, they are well-worth the $5.49 in 2018 dollars.

The #HW 50th Originals Collection is being referred to as “Replica Redlines” by collectors ever since it was unveiled at the LA convention last October. The series has a street date of 5/19/2018 however, retailers in France have put the series out already, as well as Fry’s Electronics in the United States. I scored a set of these from my local Fry’s Electronics on Wednesday, and have freed them for your viewing pleasure.

HW 50th Originals Collection “Replica Redlines” (Group Shot Loose) … ’68 Cougar, ’67 HEMI Barracuda, Volkswagen Beetle, Custom ’67 Mustang and ’67 Camaro

Its quite the colorful array of #Spectraflame Paint contrasted with matte black roofs and accents — even #Opening Hoods on two of the castings. Add that to the metal/metal castings, #Redlines and #50th Anniversary roundels and this series screams, “Happy Birthday Hot Wheels!” …its kind of what you could have expected for an anniversary line.

Of the five cars in this #HW 50th Originals Collection, you have to have a favorite, right? Well, I don’t specifically collect any of the castings so if I have to choose, its the #Volkswagen Beetle. I’ve always liked the casting, but throw the #Spectraflame Purple on it, with those matte black fenders & #Redlines and this may very well be its best release to date! Yeah, I understand that the Hot Wheels Volkswagen Beetle casting has been around for nearly 30 years and has well over 100 variants — thats how cool this one is!

Hot Wheels Volkswagen Beetle from the 2018 HW 50th Originals Collection aka: “Replica Redlines” (with other four cars in background)

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Hot Wheels #Volkswagen Beetle casting, its front headlights are part of its metal base, creating a nice color break, which really eliminates the need for those to be tampo’d. The taillights on this release are painted red so thats a nice touch as many of its releases don’t have that. Another cool aspect of the #HW 50th Originals Collection is that they come on that replica redline card complete with button. Each of the cars in the series have its image on the metal button and the color of the car matches the color of the car in the packaging. I believe these will be one-off releases, so don’t expect to see each car in a wide-array of spectraflame similar to how the #Hot Wheels Classics were released.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen Beetle from the 2018 HW 50th Originals Collection aka: “Replica Redlines” (top-right view)

Hot Wheels Volkswagen Beetle from the 2018 HW 50th Originals Collection aka: “Replica Redlines” (side view)

Hot Wheels Volkswagen Beetle from the 2018 HW 50th Originals Collection aka: “Replica Redlines” (rear view)

Hot Wheels Volkswagen Beetle from the 2018 HW 50th Originals Collection aka: “Replica Redlines” (in packaging)

Speaking of #Spectraflame Paint, take a long look at the spectraflame on these #HW 50th Originals Collection cars. You’ll actually see it next year as part of the 2019 Hot Wheels mainline. Word is, that this was a new spectraflame developed at the Hot Wheels Malaysia plant, and that it will be used on all of the 2019 Super Treasure Hunts.

Look for this #Volkswagen Beetle, and the rest of the #HW 50th Originals Collection, in May when its released at mass retail for the Hot Wheels 50th Birthday celebration the week of the 19th.

RELEASE DETAILS: Spectraflame Purple Body (metal). Light Blue Windows. Purple Interior. Redlines Wheels. Unpainted Metal Base. Made in Malaysia. Toy# FTX85. Released in 2018 as #2 of 5 in the HW 50th Originals Collection.