The second wave of the #2019 Hot Wheels #Fast & Furious premium line is here! If you watched the video I posted on the OTD YouTube yesterday, you can see that I have been waiting for these cars for a long time — 18 years to be exact. You’ll also hear me mention the card art — how it was done by Senior Packaging Designer, Julian Koiles — and how I think it may be his best work yet! Together, all five cars from this #Fast & Furious / Original Fast series form a panoramic photo of the original crew from The Fast and The Furious (2001), sans Vince and his ’99 Nissan Maxima (A32). Bested by the buster, again!
Hot Wheels Fast & Furious / Original Fast series (package art): Nissan 240SX (S14), ’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse, ’95 Mazda RX-7, Volkswagen Jetta MK3, and Nissan Skyline GT-R (BCNR33)
In this #Fast & Furious / Original Fast series we get three brand-new castings in the #’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Nissan 240SX (S14) and the Volkswagen Jetta MK3; as well as the debut of the other two castings (#’95 Mazda RX-7 & Nissan Skyline GT-R R33) in a Hot Wheels premium line (with metal bases). To top that, all five of these #Fast & Furious cars have never been done by Hot Wheels before, bringing to total number of unique F&F #Movie Cars to: 37. In a landscape where a good chunk of them are black, the color these five bring to the collection brightens things up a little.
Hot Wheels Fast & Furious / Original Fast series (loose): ’95 Mazda RX-7, Nissan 240SX (S14), ’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Nissan Skyline GT-R (BCNR33) and Volkswagen Jetta MK3
My collection of diecast consists of 99.9% Hot Wheels as I have a few “other brands” serving as placeholders here and there. Thankfully, Hot Wheels FINALLY made the #’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse so I can retire the one made by Racing Champions in the early 2000s.
Hot Wheels ’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse from the 2019 Fast & Furious / Original Fast series with the older Racing Champions casting
If you compare the two versions of “Brian’s Eclipse” from up-above, you’ll notice quite a few differences. First, the Hot Wheels casting #Mark Jones Designed has a wider body which is a significant improvement over my placeholder. Also, the headlights and the hue of the green paint on the Hot Wheels car are superior. If you’re looking for a more accurate #Movie Car replica however, the Racing Champions Eclipse has the sponsor logos Hot Wheels omitted, which aren’t totally noticeable past the giant Modern Image logo on the hood. Past that though, I really like the Hot Wheels version better as that paint color makes a huge difference. Also, since I am from Arizona, I loooooove that the Hot Wheels #Eclipse has the old-school Arizona license plate on it, as seen in the movie (see photo below).
I applaud whoever’s decision it was to put the older #Real Riders 6-Spoke Wheels (RR6SP) on the Hot Wheels #Eclipse as I am sure it won’t be the popular consensus over the new #Real Riders 6-Spoke MAG Wheels. And sure, the MAGs probably would have looked better, but its the original RR6SP wheels that more closely resemble the style of the 7-Spokes used on the #Movie Car.
Hot Wheels ’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse from the 2019 Fast & Furious / Original Fast series … comparing old Real Riders 6-Spoke Wheels with new Real Riders 6-Spoke Mag Wheels
Overall, the original crew consisting of: Letty’s Nissan 240SX (S14), Brian’s #’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Dom’s #’95 Mazda RX-7, Jesse’s Volkswagen Jetta MK3, and Leon’s Nissan Skyline GT-R (BCNR33) is a sure-fire hit with nostalgic #Fast & Furious collectors. The set has only been released through a few online dealers and has been found at a couple grocery stores across the U.S., but “gotta-have-it-now” fever has hit and collectors are paying upwards of $70 for this set online. That will surely come down as this second wave hits at mass retail, but it goes to show that this set has been a long-time coming.
Hot Wheels Fast & Furious / Original Fast series (rear detail): Nissan 240SX (S14), ’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse, ’95 Mazda RX-7, Volkswagen Jetta MK3, and Nissan Skyline GT-R (BCNR33)
…and despite the outdated brightly-colored cars with crazy, abstract graphics schemes, there probably has been no better time over the last 18 years for these cars to have been released as the import #Tuner / #JDM collector base is as large as its ever been. These are the #Movie Cars the newer generation has come to call “classics”, and it all starts with the neon green #’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse which was seen outside Dodger Stadium at the beginning of The Fast and the Furious (2001).
RELEASE DETAILS: Neon Green Body (metal). Tinted Windows. Black Interior. Black Spoiler. Chrome Real Riders 6-Spoke Wheels. Matte Black Base (metal). Made in Thailand. Toy# GBW81. Released in 2019 as #2 of 5 in the Fast & Furious / Original Fast series.
Categories: Showcase
ORANGE TRACK DIECAST 
I’ve been waiting so long for this. Thank you Hot Wheels!
Too bad the orange Supra is missing.