1,499 ARTICLES
Do, or Do Not. There is no try!
10 Feb 2024, 14:54 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I am my father's son. And we're both collectors. He's into old coins; I'm into diecast cars. Whenever we have important guests, we pull out boxes of collectibles to give them "a tour" of our hobby. And we each have our...
10 Feb 2024, 10:46 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Winter is almost over. And you know what that means! Racing season is upon us! The first meet of the year is just around the corner. And I'll attend my first track day in the RX-7 in either March or April. But I've also considered a ne...
10 Feb 2024, 08:46 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / A good friend returned after living outside the country for over ten years. I invited him over for a session of Gran Turismo 7. And he offered to bring over some of his old rap albums. In high school, he taught me so many things about the genre. ...
6 Feb 2024, 10:15 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / The other day, I spotted my former RLC Skyline GT-R on the Hot Wheels market. The guy who had bought it from me listed it for the same price. One year after the purchase, he sold it for the same amount. He just wanted to get rid of it as fast a...
5 Feb 2024, 13:45 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Reliability is of crucial importance for people who are thinking about buying a new car. A vehicle that won't need unique parts for several years will help save some money. But finding the most reliable one can be an immensely challenging miss...
4 Feb 2024, 19:09 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Godzilla: Minus One is one of the hottest movies of 2023. It reached a gross worldwide of over $100 million. And it has an Oscar nomination. That's a first in Godzilla movie history! Some people even said it's better than Nolan's Opp...
3 Feb 2024, 20:56 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I've just moved from the city I had lived in for the past 15 years. I am starting a new life in the countryside. That means I had to carry all my diecast collection across almost 200 miles (321 km). Even though I had sold half of it before ...
3 Feb 2024, 12:34 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Most car manufacturers will build and offer a vehicle in different trim levels. You could think of it as repackaging. But each trim provides various options to suit different people. Meanwhile, Mattel has a different approach to things. It'...
3 Feb 2024, 11:18 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / There were two major news in the F1 world this week. F1 rejected Andretti's application. And that's sad. But most people were even more shocked about Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari. Wouldn't it be epic if he scored one final W...
3 Feb 2024, 08:46 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / One of my favorite animated sitcoms, Family Guy, celebrated its 25th anniversary a few days ago. I've only been watching it for about ten years now. But my history with South Park goes back to circa 2005. The show has had its challenging momen...
31 Jan 2024, 20:49 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / We live in strange times. Thirty years ago, smartphones weren't even around. Twenty years ago, the thought of an all-electric automotive industry seemed like a page from the distant future. And now, here we are, facing the wonders and dangers ...
31 Jan 2024, 19:34 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I have driven hundreds of vehicles in the past 15 years. The slowest only had 45 horsepower. The fastest had over 500. But I vividly remember the second-generation Suzuki Swift Sport. It was a relatively slow car but rewarding at the limit. I ha...
31 Jan 2024, 18:10 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I recently test-drove the new Mazda MX-30 R-EV. Its top speed is lower than you might think. But it gets there really fast. That raises a question. Do we need to drive at 200 mph (320 kph) to have fun? The answer to that is straightforward if y...
31 Jan 2024, 16:40 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I was recently walking through a toy store when I saw something shocking. There was a cashier play set on sale for $40. Is this what kids these days aspire to? Or is this what companies aim to teach them from a young age? I realize we all have d...
31 Jan 2024, 15:20 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / A friend asked me something unexpected the other day: "Can you teach my seven-year-old son how to become an influencer?" I didn't know whether I should be humbled or appalled. So many kids think this is the way to go, but I'm st...
31 Jan 2024, 13:53 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Last night, I noticed an interesting post on a Hot Wheels Facebook group. Someone noted that the new Porsche sets had arrived in several toy stores around town. I drove there this morning only to find someone had bought them all. After a certai...
28 Jan 2024, 19:06 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Please repeat after me: building a project car is a neverending process. Buy one with that in mind, and you'll be less miserable at the end of the day. It will be easier if your bank account looks like your phone number. Just think of it th...
28 Jan 2024, 17:51 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / Recently, Richard Rawlings posted a video of the ultimate Humvee on his Instagram account. Not only did it have a Hellcat engine, but it also had six wheels. The slammed look only made it better. And this could easily win the Hot Wheels Legends Tou...
27 Jan 2024, 21:22 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I have only found two Super Treasure Hunt cars in my years of collecting Hot Wheels. The first was the HKS Honda Civic Type R. The second was the Lotus Evija. I sold both vehicles for about $120 combined, so I'm not upset about letting them go...
27 Jan 2024, 15:59 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / I have decided to slow down my Hot Wheels collection. I won't buy any new Mainline models except rotary-powered ones or Porsches. And I will be focusing on premium vehicles instead. But first, I still need to sell about 50 more collectibles. ...