11 Years of Hot Wheels Replica Entertainment: Batman Is King

With that in mind, Mattel has yet to try to ride the trend. I expected more than the simple livery on the Mainline Skyline GT-R R33. So I quickly looked over the Replica Entertainment and Pop Culture series to see if there was anything there I had missed. There was no sign of the Japanese monster inside any of the two. But there's one piece of information some of you may be interested in knowing.

After running in parallel for over a decade, Mattel has merged the two into one collection for 2024. It would be the perfect moment to do a retrospective for future reference. Today, I'll start with Replica Entertainment, which some of you may also know as simply "Entertainment" or "Retro Entertainment" from the past. One thing I've noticed here is that Mattel has used a lot of repeat models over the years.

That's sometimes frowned upon by collectors, but what can we do? Since 2013, we have had 50 mixes, each containing four, five, or six models. For today's analysis, I will ignore the three 5-packs, which generally have the same cars inside but with different packaging. Pop culture enthusiasts will notice multiple themes and media franchises within the Replica Entertainment series.

Naturally, some have better representation than others. Some of the ones I like but are pretty rare are The Flintstones, Beverly Hills Cop, Miami Vice, Ghostrider, and Gumball3000. Each one of these has had two or three representatives within the series. Shockingly enough, you'll only find one vehicle from the Matrix here. KITT cars were the first below the line for today's story, with nine appearances in 11 years. But without further ado, let's get down to business.

James Bond: 15 cars

It is no surprise that James Bond sits at the round table here. Ian Flemming's fictional character has been around since the early '50s. Sean Connery was the first actor to take the role in a movie back in 1962 (Dr. No.). Roger Moore took over in the '70s and '80s. I grew up watching Pierce Brosnan in 007's shoes, and somehow, I have never enjoyed Daniel Craig's portrayal of the British spy.

Cars have played a significant role in these movies, and Aston Martins have a special place here. Still, the first time the name came up in the Replica Entertainment series was for the '71 Mustang Mach 1 that appeared in Diamonds Are Forever. You'll need to spend between $20 to $50 for one of these collectibles. The Aston Martin DBS from Casino Royale showed up in Mix 4 for 2014, alongside vehicles from Knight Rider, Fast & Furious, and The Karate Kid. Mattel introduced the Lotus Esprit S1 Submarine casting that year, and we haven't seen it since.

I have only spotted a few on eBay, and the most expensive one had an asking price of $100. In Mix 6 of 2014, the diecast manufacturer finally used the 1963 Aston Martin DB5, appearing a few more times later in the series. A complete Replica Entertainment/James Bond analysis would need an entire story. I will list some castings you should look for: the Toyota 2000GT Roadster, the '80s Corvette, and the Aston Martin DB10. Of course, this scratches the surface on Hot Wheels James Bond cars. So, I'll return to the topic shortly after revisiting the series.

Fast & Furious: 15 Cars

The same conclusion is valid for the Fast & Furious line-up. Mattel has an insane line-up of these vehicles. It has reached a point where you can shop for two different Fast & Furious series: one that offers cars with Real Riders wheels and one with a more accessible price range. Today, I will only focus on the Premium models from the Replica Entertainment line-up.

Strangely, the diecast manufacturer began with the '08 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in 2014. It's a great casting, but not necessarily the most memorable car in the movie franchise. The people in El Segundo were well aware fans were eager for more. So the '70 Dodge Charger R/T popped up in Mix 4 that year.

You can still pick one up for a decent budget of less than $30 if you buy it from the right seller. It wasn't the first Fast & Furious replica of Brendon Vetuskey's casting. But it did mark its Premium debut that year. Collectors must have lost their minds when Mattel developed the Metalflake Blue Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) in 2017.

It's not Paul Walker's most famous GT-R, but it's good enough. That may explain why prices have yet to go past the $60 mark. In 2022, Mix 3 was a Fast & Furious exclusive, with five cars inside, including Brian's '99 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning. Mix 5 was even better, as it had his Eclipse from the first movie and the GT-R from the second one. But it also featured Letty's and Leon's two Nissans. Ready your wallets!

Back to the Future: 16 cars

Doctor Emmet Brown and Marty McFly just barely finished in front of Dom and the family on this occasion. The Back to the Future franchise has made 16 appearances in the Replica Entertainment series. The Time Machine appeared in Mix 3 for 2013, rolling on Turbine Real Riders wheels. You'll find two more similar iterations of it in the 2016 and 2020 collections.

Marty's dream 1987 Toyota Pickup was next in 2014, and we all wanted one growing up. Manson Cheung designed this casting, and this was the first time it featured the BTTF theme. The Preferred Series Off-Road Real Riders wheels are perfect for this black truck, and I love the Wrangler Goodyear logos on the tires. It is funny but realistic that Mattel used the Ford Super De Luxe casting with manure inside.

That should teach Biff Tannen a lesson! If you'd like a less visually gross situation, that pile of cow dung is perfectly detachable to suit your needs. Two more variations of the DeLorean followed suit, and the one I like most is the Hover Mode model: "Where we're going, we don't need roads!" Can you think of any other memorable vehicles from the trilogy that haven't been part of Mattel's line-up yet?

Batman: 21 cars

I have never counted all of Mattel's Batman-themed cars. And I'm afraid even to launch myself into this endeavor. There are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of releases across multiple series. One day, I will muster the courage to do an official count. But until then, I'll quickly swift through the Replica Entertainment vehicles.

Batman has been part of it since day one, as the Classic TV Series Batmobile popped up in Mix 1 for 2013. Buying one for less than $30 is perfectly feasible. This theme has been part of the series 21 times in 11 years. The Batman Returns Batmobile marked its second appearance as part of Mix 6 for 2014. It was the first Premium iteration of the Rob Matthes-designed casting, and you'll find several in Replica Entertainment.

I didn't think much of the Camouflage Version of the Tumbler, but some people might feel differently. Besides that, you might enjoy the Batwing casting if you don't mind that it doesn't have wheels. The 2022 Mix 1 Batmobile is slightly more down to Earth, and I just realized I haven't even seen The Batman movie yet.

Forza: 21 cars

You'll find a mix of Forza Horizon and Forza Motorsport cars in the Replica Entertainment series. One of my close sim-racer friends isn't all that happy about these two games, but he's a hardcore racer at heart. Surprisingly, Forza vehicles are much more prominent than Gran Turismo ones, but I won't try to assess why that is the case. This theme is a late bloomer, as it first debuted in 2016.

Mattel unveiled an entire Forza Mix right after the Gran Turismo one. Neither was spectacular, but you might have a different perspective. I'd say the three most exciting vehicles in the Forza set were the '73 Ford Falcon XB, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA, and the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera. The diecast manufacturer surprised us with a second Forza-exclusive set with Mix 5 of 2017, and this one was slightly better.

I'd buy that Light Blue Porsche 356 Speedster any day of the week. The entire set of five vehicles will cost around $65. It became apparent that Forza would dominate Replica Entertainment as the third all-exclusive set appeared in 2018. The diecast manufacturer knew that adding a JDM car like the Nissan Silvia S15 would up the ante and attract more collectors.

I have seen some of these going for over $100 on eBay. The most recent release was the Forza Horizon Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, which was part of Mix 4 for 2022. I still remember it vividly, and it had some intense competition facing the Cyberpunk Porsche. That's about it for my first ample take on the Replica Entertainment series. There's still much more digging here, so expect a different angle next time.