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.
The run on #2016 Hot Wheels continues here at Orange Track Diecast. With so many new and exciting releases, its hard not to focus on them! One of the newest, that’s garnered a lot of interest, is the Hot Wheels Time Attaxi. If you’ve ever seen a drifting […]
Turns out the Custom Volkswagen Beetle from the newly released Volkswagen 5-Pack wasn’t the only variation found in the pack. While it was surely the most noticeable, the Volkswagen Type 181 from that same 5-Pack received a more subtle casting modification. The VW Type 181 on the left […]
The BMW Series was released earlier this month at Walmart stores worldwide. In this 8-Car Set — which is not to be confused with the 5-Car mainline series of the same name — each of the eight BMW vehicles came on a black blister card with unique illustrations of each vehicle. […]
The Datsun Bluebird 510 might have been known to be the “poor man’s BMW” but it is certainly the rich man’s Hot Wheel — with this release being the crown jewel of modern day Hot Wheels collecting. Yeah, I went there. With prices soaring to the $200 range […]
The Hot Wheels Bread Box casting was first released as part of the 2010 New Models Series. It was first released in white and was succeeded by red and blue colorways. It was designed by Hot Wheels Designer Jun Imai and is modeled after the Jeep FJ-3 Fleetvan. […]
WOW! Gulf Race Team products have been selling like hot cakes over at HotWheelsCollectors.com (HWC). When HWC first released a 4-car series of Gulf cars in 2013, cars like the Porsche 917K and the Ford GT-40 sat for days in the Hot Wheels Shop whereas the Volkswagen Drag […]
The Stars & Stripes series is one of the hottest modded series that I can remember. Exclusive to Walmart stores in the United States, this isn’t another pop-up series like the ones that have been appearing in the dump bins as of late. The Stars & Stripes are […]
The Volkswagen Type 181 was originally manufactured for the West German Army, but also sold to the public from 1968 to 1983. It was meant to be a small off-road military vehicle but its “uniqueness” created enthusiasts that cherish this car to this day. Known by many names, the […]
Hot off the assembly line is the brand-new, Super Treasure Hunt ’69 Dodge Charger Daytona from the 2016 Muscle Mania Series. This hot ride is first starting to show up at retail however that hasn’t stopped Malaysian online sellers from distributing these for a premium. Its unclear as […]
Trucks have long been popular in the Hot Wheels line. These days, any truck with Real Riders seems to fly off the pegs. I’m sure some people wonder why Hot Wheels trucks are so popular considering the Hot Wheels brand was built around the “fastest metal cars in […]
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