We’ve seen movie delays before, and thanks to COVID-19, the whole motion picture industry is still scrambling to get a hold of things. Movie theaters are still not opened, and it doesn’t appear they will open any time soon — and somehow drive-in movies became a thing again. Some motion picture companies decided to release movies straight to on-demand streaming services while Universal decided to delay Fast & Furious 9 (F9) until 2021. As with any movie delay, the product associated with that movie is — in most cases — delayed as well.  Of course, that is easier said than done as there are a lot of factors that go into the creation of product for these movies. Take, for instance, Mattel. Lead times, contracts, production scheduling, and shipping all play a factor.

Hot Wheels generally works 18 months in advance and produce individual product in the tens/hundreds of thousands. They have been able to make adjustments in the past but with how fast our lives were impacted by COVID-19, apparently, there wasn’t enough time to slam on the brakes for this latest wave of #Fast & Furious Premium titled “Full Force”. It appears the #’17 Acura NSX and this #Jaguar XE SV Project 8 were slated for some kind of role in the upcoming film which was originally slated to be out by now.

Given the history of the Hot Wheels #Fast & Furious Premium line, we don’t know the extent of which these will be featured in F9. The NSX and #Jaguar XE SV Project 8 could be “hero cars” — cars that actually play a role in movies — or if they will be cars we see for a split-second in some establishing shot. Based on the original trailer, it looks as though parts of the movie take place in London, which of course makes sense for a British car like the #Jaguar. Could this be a villain’s car? I mean, after all, Jaguar once had a commercial stating all Brits play villains in Hollywood movies. Oh man, I kind of hope it is…

Despite the #Jaguar XE SV Project 8 and the NSX being new F9 movie cars, the new #Fast & Furious / Full Force lineup does appear to have some concessions. The obvious one is that Dom’s #’70 Dodge Charger R/T and #’95 Mazda RX-7 appear in the series. The Charger has appeared three times in the #Entertainment line before, and is currently being released concurrently in the Premium Box Set for Fast & Furious — albeit that one is gloss black. The RX-7 was released just last year in Fast & Furious Premium the same exact deco. These have to be substitutions, right? As far as the GTX… no idea where that is from, the movie isn’t listed on the back of the blister card (for this series) like it had in previous ones. Maybe it was an attempt to hide that these cars would be in the new movie? No idea. I just can’t get over this #Jaguar! It is my runaway favorite for this series.

Find FAST & FURIOUS / FULL FORCE on eBay, NOW!

The metalflake blue paint, that fully-detailed front (and rear), those cool Project 8 graphics, those #Real Riders 10-Spoke Wheels — wow!  Speaking of the wheels, I’ve heard a few complaints regarding them, and their fit on the casting. Maybe its the fact that they are all-black, but I don’t feel like the criticism is justified as they seem to only enhance the car’s muscular stance, but I digress…

So hero or villain, screen-time or lack thereof, this #Fast & Furious #Jaguar XE SV Project 8 looks great regardless. Out of the package, there is no telling that this car is even part of the movie. That certainly bodes well for those that are seeking out cleaner representations of this car for their casting collections.

This is one casting that I saw last year — when it made its debut — and knew I had to collect. I haven’t collected a #Jaguar since the #Jaguar XJ220, but this casting screams awesomeness. In the four releases we’ve had of it thus far, we’ve had some pretty cool colors in metalflake dark orange, blue, dark green, and the more metallic blue found on this release. There is at least one more colorway of the mainline release coming out before the end of the year. That one will be silver. This is really shaping up to be one, nice casting collection; and with a premium version of the car now, it should open the door for some really cool releases going forward.

CATCH UP on the JAGUAR XE SV PROJECT 8, NOW!

UPDATE!

Since this article was published, F9: The Fast Saga was released in 2021. The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 talked about in this article actually had a minimal role in the movie. The car was driven by Otto and is involved in a short driving sequence.

Catch the F9 Trailer below! Which of the cars in it do you think we’ll see in Hot Wheels form? Pontiac Fiero with a rocket strapped to the top, perhaps?