One of the coolest Hot Wheels #Character Cars out there is the #Hulkbuster Iron Man. It made its debut in 2015 and was even upgraded so it could be released as a Red Line Club piece — #Spectraflame Paint, #Real Riders and a metal base, the works! It was one Character Car casting that I just had to have back in 2015, prompting me to buy the #Iron Man character car casting so I could see how well the fit was. The two went hand-in-hand, and I was impressed.

This year, with the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War (2018), a new Hulkbuster was released: the #Hulkbuster 2.0.

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (with Iron Man Mark 50) AND Hulkbuster Iron Man (with Iron Man) from 2015 (head-to-head)

Just like any sequel, this one banks on the popularity and innovation of the original. Both castings are these oversized, front-heavy #Flatbed Haulers presumably designed to fit an Iron Man character car casting. As you can see, the fit of both the 2015 #Hulkbuster Iron Man and the 2015 #Iron Man casting, is quite nice. The gold side panel on the Iron Man casting even resides within the frame of the same shape on the side of the Hulkbuster (above, right). Then, you look at the #Hulkbuster 2.0 (above, left) and see that Iron Man Mark 50 casting — which I assume was the casting designed to fit on the 2.0 casting — just doesn’t have that same, snug fit as the first.

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (package view)

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (rear view)

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (side view)

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (top-right view with Iron Man Mark 50)

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (rear view w/ Iron Man Mark 50)

I did notice there are some addition grooves on the top of the “rack”… does the Iron Man Mark 50 casting use these?

Check out the second picture below (right) and you’ll see that there definitely isn’t a clean fit there.

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (top of rack close up)

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (side view with Iron Man Mark 50)

Maybe I am missing the mark here and the #Hulkbuster 2.0 was totally designed to work with a different casting. If so, I am not sure what that is.

Aside from that, I really love the #Hulkbuster castings. They are big, blocky and can haul another vehicle. I think they are well-worth the $4 to $5 price point they carry at most stores. Speaking of which, have you seen the #Hulkbuster 2.0 casting at retail yet? It appears the Hulkbuster 2.0 may be one of the harder #Avengers: Infinity War #Character Cars to get. I’ve only stumbled upon it one or two times before — similar to when the initial casting came out in 2015. It came out in one of the later cases (after the initial wave) so you shouldn’t sleep on this one if you were looking to pick it up.

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (with Iron Man Mark 50) AND Hulkbuster Iron Man (with Iron Man) from 2015 (side-by-side)

Hot Wheels Hulkbuster 2.0 from the 2018 Character Cars / Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War series (with Iron Man Mark 50) AND Hulkbuster Iron Man (with Iron Man) from 2015

The #Hulkbuster 2.0 is at retail now. If you’ve passed it up in hopes you’d pick it up later and/or find it cheaper, now is the time to grab it, because, chances are, it won’t be produced again. These larger, “hauler type” #Character Car castings tend to see limited runs. You don’t need me to tell you to buy it, if you like it, grab it…. if not, leave it as I know there are some collectors and kids a like still searching for this behemoth of a Hot Wheels vehicle.

The only question left is: will we get a “trilogy” with a Hulkbuster 3.0? Time will tell, but if #Marvel continues at the rate they’ve been going, we’re likely to see it somewhere around 2021.

RELEASE DETAILS: Metalflake Dark Red Body (metal) with Gold accents (plastic). Light Blue “Reactor Insert”. Red Bed Liner (plastic). Gold-Rimmed, Black Off-Road 6-Spoke (OR6SP) Wheels. Gray Base (plastic). Made in Thailand. Toy# FLG61. Released in 2018 as part of Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War Characters Cars line.