HW Goal Series World Cup Cars

Football isn't my favorite pastime or anything, but it's hard to deny the fervor that the World Cup evokes,  surpassing even the Olympics in worldwide followers! I may even have one more HW Goal rolling around here somewhere, and there are a couple others I've seen on the pegs, but these five make my engine purr...

Yur So Fast (representing the Netherlands)

Fast Fish (representing Spain)

Scoopa Di Fuego (representing Mexico)

The Fast Fish may be my favorite of these due to it's vac metal gold interior and red and black body...

Hyundai Genesis Coupe (representing South Korea)

Audacious (representing the Brazil)

While South Korea has never held the championship title, I love this purple coupe!  In contrast, Brazil has taken the Cup five times- more than any other country in the history of the FIFA.  The Audacious was the first of these I picked up, and because of that and it's fantastic design and colors, perhaps my favorite of them all...

See the 2014 Hot Wheels lineup at HotWheels.wikia.Com!

Make It FAST- Make It FUN!

HW City Backsliders

I liked this Backslider so much I bought two! The vac metal gas tank and windows, gold rims, and metallic purple cab looks snappy!  The Backslider's special feature is of course it's shifting loader bed, which can haul other Hot Wheels cars- I like collecting color variants among the line, which I'll be able to haul together on the pair...

The Backslider has no problem hauling the Hiway Hauler that came with my Hot Wheels City Pit Stop Station...

... or they could be used to haul my Batmobiles... or each other!!

Make It FAST- Make It FUN!

Hot Wheels X-Pandables Garage

This Wal-Mart exclusive has a 2012 date on the box, so it's nothing new to you experienced drivers out there, but I liked the spinning turntable and magnifying glass features. Another novel feature of this X-Pandables Garage is it's extreme portability, folding up into self contained case not much larger than a Walkman- much smaller than the HW City Pit Stop Station I reviewed earlier. It's size limits it in some ways, but it was cheap enough for me to pick up for use in my Hot Wheels photography as a backdrop for future car posts...

As I said, it doesn't occupy a great deal of table real estate, but one can display two or three cars at a time on the garage, pictured here with my X-Raycers Hi-Tech Missile up top, and the set's included orange Nerve Hammer...

I have several X-Raycer Series Hot Wheels already in my collection, so the orange Nerve Hammer fits right into the Super Fun Hot Wheels fleet...

Along with rooftop parking, cars can be inspected on the dial operated turntable below, then rolled onto the diagnostic platform for a tune-up using the robotic arms...

Cars can be launched off the diagnostic platform using the spring loaded parking arm, onto the retractable ramp hidden in the case body...

The garage rooftop is propped up by a foldout kickstand, which could could have been improved by a tighter clip that actually locks into place, but I do like the sculptural details on the back wall of the playset...

The magnifying glass is somewhat small, and armature features are somewhat limited in their articulation range, but I like the dynamic colors and sculpt of this set overall. While I assume there were other sets in this"X-Pandables" line, I've only seen this one, which makes a nice, inexpensive display for my photography.

Make It FAST- Make It FUN!

2014 X-Raycers Chevelle

I love the big, clear orange wheels and exaggerated features on this '69 Chevelle! Like the Hi-Tech Missile in my last post, this is from the Hot Wheels X-Raycers series, featuring a clear body that reveals the engine and interior of the car. The futuristic, light blue tampos down the doors and rear quarter panel, and black and silver trim are attractive and neatly applied. I've said before I prefer a die cast undercarriage, and this one has the added bonus of the metal extending from the rear bumper, through the pipes and front grill. I'm sure this treatment isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm a fan of the wild color combo on this car- it's rad!

X-Raycers Hi-Tech Missile and '69 Chevelle...

Make It FAST, Make It FUN!

2014 X-Raycers Hi-Tech Missile

New to Hot Wheels collecting but longtime fan of transparent, colored toy molds, I am very attracted to the X-Raycers! While I'm a fan of the traditional, realistic Hot Wheels car models and paint schemes, I found several of the X-Raycers in the last week worthy of my dollar. This racer's gold vac-metal interior and copper rims really do it for me, and though the chassis is plastic, it has a die cast undercarriage, which I prefer.  By no means an expert on race cars, and the card back claims it's a 2013 Hot Wheels creation, this looks a lot like the Audi R18 to my uneducated eye...

Make It FAST- Make It FUN!

Hot Wheels City Pit Stop Station

In addition to the Turbo Hauler and 100 Car Case for organizing my Hot Wheels, it also became apparent I would need a playset or two to make my diecast car photography a little more dynamic. These miniature Hot Wheels City playset are affordable, include a vehicle, and occupy a very small footprint. They also fit together with the Hot Wheels Track Builder sets, so I can expand later if I choose to do so. With so many Track Builder sets available, one could fill an entire room, a fantasy that appeals to me but would take some strategic arrangement in my apartment. One must have goals in life to attain achievement, and watching the Race Grooves videos on YouTube stirs my imagination! Boy, does that guy know how to have fun! After carefully applying a few stickers, I easily assembled the nine pieces that make up this nice little Pit Stop Station...

This playset comes with a basic vehicle, appropriately being the Hiway Hauler, which I quite like. The cargo door does not open, and only the cab is diecast, but it's a snappy little truck...

The main play feature on this modest set is of course the lift, which is manually operated by a tab on the side...

The restaurant facade is hollow as you'd expect, which makes a nice parking spot for the Hiway Hauler...

Aside from the lift, the other play feature is the dumpout drive-thru ramp, activated by a small blue button on the curb...

Make It FAST- Make It FUN!