Jun Imai studied at Art Center College of Design before joining Hot Wheels in 2004. From 2004, until he left Mattel in 2018, he has designed hundreds of cars for the diecast lines.
In 2012, he left diecast to lead HW Innovation and RC Design, and returned in summer 2014 as Manager of HW Diecast Design.
A few of his favorite designs include: Mad Manga, Nissan Skyline GT-X “Hakosuka”, Nissan Skyline 2000GTR “Kenmeri”, Datsun 510, ’71 Datsun Bluebird Wagon, Mazda RX-7, Toyota 2000GT, Datsun 620, BMW 2002, ’66 Dodge A100, ’69 Mustang Boss 302, ’77 Pontiac Firebird T/A, ’83 Chevy Silverado, Porsche 935/78, Porsche 911 (993) GT2, Driftsta, Datsun Fairlady 2000, Custom Datsun 240Z “Fugu Z”.
Aside from HW’s, he enjoys spending time with his family, running 5K’s, skateboarding, and tearing up L.A. streets with his modified Datsun 510 Wagon, 260ZG, and Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2.
There was once a time when I had a solid collection of Hot Wheels #Police Vehicles going — this was many years ago. I never really got rid of them, but haven’t collected the livery per se. Back in the day, Hot Wheels had some pretty cool police […]
If you went to GameStop this past weekend, chances are you were seeking out the almighty super treasure hunt, GameStop Exclusive colors, and/or just some new 2020 Hot Wheels. I, like many others, ordered an event exclusive 36-count case online from gamestop.com the week prior but that didn’t […]
Here is a Hot Wheels casting that I never thought I’d collect: the #Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R. I can’t recall ever seeing a real one on the road, and when the #First Edition of the casting was released as part of the #2011 New Models, I didn’t even know […]
The Hot Wheels #Driftsta is one of those #Unlicensed Hot Wheels — ala “Fantasy Cars” or “HW Original Designs” — that I’ve been drawn to. Its a relatively new casting as it made its debut in the #2015 Hot Wheels mainline. My acclaim for it grew when I […]
If there was ever a Cinderella of a Hot Wheels casting, it would be the #Datsun Bluebird 510. Designed by former Hot Wheels Designer, Jun Imai, the 510 made its debut in the mainline as part of the 2009 New Models. Its initial three colorways (blue, black, and […]
A car that had been at the top of many collector “wish lists” for years, the #Nissan Skyline Silhouette finally makes its Hot Wheels debut. Its been a long time coming, and it appears it may have been difficult for Hot Wheels to produce. But that doesn’t really […]
The evolution of the Red Line Club continues with another casting getting the #Opening Feature treatment: the #Custom ’72 Datsun 240Z. If you recall, this casting made its debut just two years ago in the mainline as part of the 2017 Factory Fresh series. The FuguZ was tied […]
The #2019 Hot Wheels #Speed Blur #’92 Mustang Super #Treasure Hunt seems like its been a long time coming. Why, you ask? Well, we will get to that in just a moment. First, I wanted to address the new #Spectraflame Paint that has been used on the 2019 […]
There are a lot of fans of the Hot Wheels #Skylines these days. Its evidenced by every time there is one inserted into a series or line, its always among the first to get snagged at retail. Personally, I like Nissan Skylines but they don’t resonate as deeply […]
Leave it to Hot Wheels to take the #’69 Nissan Skyline Van, and wrap it in nostalgic #X-Men graphics. This car ranks among the best #JDM castings that Hot Wheels has to offer, and they slapped some American super-hero comic by #Marvel on it. Thats how Hot Wheels […]
ORANGE TRACK DIECAST 