Hot Wheels and Wrangler jeans are two iconic American brands. Both have teamed up to bring you the latest Mattel Creations #Collaboration: this #’85 Ford Bronco 4×4 — which drops tomorrow, August 6th, 2024. I was able to get an early sample direct from the Mattel Creations team to share with you. Below you’ll find some information about this release as well as a video with my commentary, and a look at the packaging.

Wrangler — not to be confused with the #Wrangler by Jeep — released their first jeans to the American consumer in 1947. The company immediately collaborated with rodeo cowboys to test and endorse their jeans solidifying the brand’s durability, quality, and authenticity. 21 years later, another American success story began as Mattel launched the Hot Wheels brand. Kids tested and endorsed Hot Wheels as spectraflame paint and redlines became household names. It was the performance of Hot Wheels on track that gave the brand an edge over its competitors at the time. Both Wrangler & Hot Wheels have collectors now that pay top-dollar for vintage releases.

To celebrate the similarities of these two iconic brands, Wrangler and Hot Wheels have collaborated with this release. It actually brings a third American brand into the fold: #Ford. This #’85 Ford Bronco 4×4 has a retro striping pattern reminiscent of gradient striping found on vehicles in the ’70s and ’80s. The Since ’47 and Wrangler logos adorn the vehicle along with the modern Hot Wheels flame logo.

Since photos of this release were released last week, Hot Wheels collectors have chimed in: mainly about the price. This collaboration will sell for $30 on Mattel Creations which is essentially the price of Red Line Club vehicles these days. Make no mistake, this #’85 Ford Bronco 4×4 isn’t an ultra-premium RLC casting. Instead, it is from the premium line. That shouldn’t deter you though as the casting is very nice, and is definitely one of the better castings in the premium tool bank. Also, the packaging is as high-end as it comes from a Hot Wheels standpoint. This release comes screwed to a standard Hot Wheels plinth like many of the high-end RLC and Toy Fair vehicles. An extra large acrylic case with custom rigid box cover tops it off. You can see what I am talking about in the video below. If you’re on the fence with this one, I wouldn’t wait as these are expected to sell-out quickly given the lower quantities that #Collaborations usually bring.

The Hot Wheels #’85 Ford Bronco 4×4 has been around since 2013 when it first debuted in the Hot Wheels Boulevard line. That release can be quite pricey to obtain, but given that it is really the only stock-looking color scheme on this casting, the price seems justifiable. I’ve attached an eBay link below if you’re interested in adding it to your collection.

QUICK LINK! Find the Boulevard ’85 Ford Bronco on eBay.

PLEASE NOTE THAT OTD IS PART OF THE EBAY PARTNER NETWORK (EPN). OTD WILL RECEIVE AFFILIATE COMPENSATION FROM THE EPN THANKS TO READERS LIKE YOU CLICKING ON THE ABOVE LINK AND PURCHASING ITEMS. THINK OF IT AS A GREAT WAY TO SUPPORT OTD!

I do not have that initial Boulevard release from 2013 so I brought out my next favorite release of this casting: the very underrated #Car Culture / Wild Terrain release in California Highway Patrol deco from 2020. It is a very comparable model to this Wrangler collaboration piece since both have the premium-level quality as far as the vehicle is concerned — despite Car Culture being made in Thailand and this collab piece being done in Malaysia.

Lastly, this piece wears #Real Riders 10-Spoke Bead-Lock Wheels — the same ones the RLC ’21 Ford Bronco Wildtrak wore for its only release (so far) in 2022. You can see from the side shot below that these tend to look great on any Hot Wheels #Off-Road Vehicle.

The Hot Wheels X Wrangler: ’85 Ford Bronco drops on Mattel Creations tomorrow, August 6th, at 9AM PST. If you’re interested in checking out previous articles on Mattel collabs, make sure to check out the #Collaborations tag.