As Hot Wheels designer, Phil Riehlman broke onto the scene in 1993 when he re-designed the Twin Mill and the Silhouette (along with Bruce Baur). His “big break” came in 1996 when his VW Bus casting became an instant hit with collectors and as a promotional piece. Phil continues to design Hot Wheels to this day.
Here’s a great lesson for collectors new and old. “Gotta-Have-It-Now” is a sickness. It goes around like the yearly flu and even I, a collector of 20 years, have caught the bug from time to time. One story I have of it comes from August of 2012. The big box […]
2011 was the last year before Super Treasure Hunts went into hiding…also known as the “green stripe removal of 2012”. In the 5 years prior (2007-2011), the 2-tier Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt system consisted of 12 to 15 castings that each had a Regular Treasure Hunt and a […]
December is here which usually means, so are the Hot Wheels Christmas cars. While in the past there have been Holiday Rods, Holiday Hot Rods, and other cars of the Christmas variety, it was the Holiday Rods from 2004 to 2009 that proved to be the most collector-friendly. […]
Sometimes designers of an unlicensed casting are the best suited when it comes to overall execution of that casting. Back in 2004, the Hot Wheels casting, Rapid Transit, seemed to jump right off the pegs and into my hands. I thought this Phil Riehlman designed car was super cool given […]
10 years ago, the AcceleRacers debuted much to the dismay of the Hot Wheels collecting community as it was a followup to the Highway 35 World Race of 2003 that featured a lineup of first edition unlicensed fantasy castings. Where the HWY 35 World Race succeeded in telling a […]
The Monte Carlo Concept Car was designed by Hot Wheels designer Phil Riehlman and was based off of the Monte Carlo “Intimidator” show car. The show car itself, was built in 1997 by GM and featured a glimpse of the 6th generation Monte Carlo styling that was used […]
Anyone remember K•B Toys? Remember when they used to be in your local mall? The stores were always a tease as they carried a limited number of mainline Hot Wheels at the $1.29 price point which led to the stock rarely rolling over. Ultimately, this small-scale failure [pun not intended] […]
North Dakota, eh? No, we will not proceed with a handful of Fargo references. However, we will talk some more about this very hard to find ’70 Chevelle SS and the meaning behind some of these North Dakota graphics. Veteran collectors will know that this vehicle was part of […]
We’ve reach the summit of #Night Breed Week here at Diecast Motorsports. This series has been great and has spawned several other future ideas. We conclude #Night Breed Week with the car I feel is the pinnacle of the Night Breed 5-Pack, the Toyota Celica. I eluded to […]
A lot of Hot Wheels unlicensed cars are based off of real cars. To this collector, its always fun to discover which ones are based off of which ones. The Hot Wheels Fandango was designed by Hot Wheels designer, Phil Riehlman, and is based off of the 2000 […]
ORANGE TRACK DIECAST 