9/11/2023 — The Singapore Diecast Expo (SDE) was this past weekend and it sounds like the event was better than ever! The Hot Wheels team sent package designer, Matt Gabe out, as he was the guest of honor. He roamed the convention floor, signed autographs, took pictures, and the SDE team honored him with a special dinner.

Matt didn’t make the trip alone. He brought with him some sneak peeks that were showcased at the event in an enclosed display case along with a couple prototypes for the charity auction. Many thanks to @grunty_diecast — who has been a steady contributor in the OTD Power Ratings segment — for snapping these pics for you.

The first sneak peek is the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. This new casting makes it debut in #Car Culture in the unknown series that currently has a working name of “Dust & Dirt”. This new Land Cruiser is full off-road and features a topographic style map design, along with sponsor logos of Eibach, Black Rhino, and Rigid.

To the right of the Land Cruiser was the #BMW 320 Group 5. This casting will be a sure-fire hit and will first come as part of a BMW racing 2-pack alongside another brand new design of the ’73 BMW 3.0 CSL Race Car. Two brand-new releases in a Car Culture 2-pack seems unheard of these days, so I guess we can consider ourselves lucky.

Scrolling to the right here, the next model to be shown was the #Nissan Silvia S15 which carries “NISMO R-Tune Proto” in its name this time as a #2023 Hot Wheels #Boulevard release. This car is #85 in the line, and features a reverse graphic design on the other (not shown) side. From what I can tell, this design is based on that of a popular RC car which makes perfect sense considering Hot Wheels Marketing Director, Jimmy Liu is a huge RC nerd.

The Hot Wheels Ford RS200 is back, wearing a very Ford racing inspired design…

You’ve probably already seen photos of this rally-themed Premium Display set that also features the MG Metro 6R4, Lancia Delta Integrale, and HW Rally Hauler, but if you haven’t, see below. In the United States, these Premium Display sets are exclusive to Walmart stores. This one should be out very soon!

Our first look at a 2024 Hot Wheels car came in the form of the Proton Saga — a Malaysia-built automobile — which had previously been revealed at the 1st Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention in Malaysia back in July. Here is the first release of it in red on the “New for 2024” card as part of the Compact Kings mini collection.

Lastly, we got a packaged look at the upcoming #Mitsubishi Car Culture 2-Pack that will feature the #Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI and the #’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Lancer Evo VI looks to be a re-release of the initial Car Culture / Modern Classics release from 2021, whereas the ’95 Eclipse will be in all-red and be the first time we see this casting NOT in its green Fast & Furious deco.

Since these were in an enclosed display case, many convention goers were unable to get a picture of the backside of the Car Culture 2-Pack which conveniently showcases the other sets in this mix. @southern_diecast — on the other hand — was able to get a quick peek and appropriately branded his image. We see that the BMW 320 Group 5 from above will be released alongside the ’73 BMW 3.0 CSL Race Car in a BMW racing set. We also see the #Mitsubishi set. Australian collectors however, are jumping for joy as there will also be a Holden set which will feature a re-release of the ’73 Holden Monaro GTS from 2022 Boulevard and a brand-new deco on the ’77 Holden Torana A9X.

I, for one, have made it my goal to make it out to Southeast Asia for one of these events in hopes of meeting many of our fine collectors in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and of course, Singapore.