2018 Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt Cars Review Part 2 Reveals the Best Car of the Year

But let's talk about personal collections some other time. For now, let's focus on part two of the 2018 Super Treasure Hunt series as there are still 10 more items to look at before moving on to 2017. We'll start with Mix F and the Indy 500 Oval. This Legends of Speed item is reminiscent of the race machines used in the 2011 Indycar Season.

Collecting is more than just buying objects

Hot Wheels even released a Dan Wheldon Commemorative Edition of this casting to honor the driver who passed away during one of the races. The Baby Blue version from 2018 wasn't half bad with the Gulf Livery going on, but an upgrade to Spectraflame Aqua Blue took things to the next level.

As you don't get to see Open Wheel race cars in Hot Wheels sets that often, this one is nice to have on display. Worst case scenario, it will cost you about $60 to get one. But you can get it for half that price if you don't need it to be carded.

Now, you'd expect a 1968 Spectraflame Gold Ford Mustang to be nothing short of spectacular, but you shouldn't make a rush judgment of things. Hot Wheels used a Tooned casting for the Super Treasure Hunt inside of Case G. Needless to say, this was voted as the second worst STH of the year by Lamley Awards voters.

Meanwhile, the Indy 500 was fourth on that list, albeit with 17% fewer votes. The Tooned Mustang first appeared in 2003 and was on the market until 2012. A retool came up in 2017, and you'll find plenty of variations if you don't mind the odd shape. As for the STH model, you shouldn't have a hard time acquiring it for less than $30.

No man is really happy or safe without a hobby

But there was some hope on the horizon with the appearance of the Spectraflame Green Camaro ZL1 in Case H. The base model looked decent enough as it was, but it's always nicer to see a 1/64th scale replica with Real Riders wheels instead of the boring standard ones.

You'll find plenty of options for this STH item online, with prices ranging from $50 to $400. Someone is also willing to part with both a Short and a Long card for just $300, so that sounds like a slightly more reasonable option.

Case J delivered the second consecutive Chevrolet model, but this time it provided a trip down memory lane. The '52 Chevy kind of reminds us of the La Troca casting, and there's a Metalflake Magenta one going around as we speak. Larry Wood designed this casting for its 2007 launch, and there were four versions that year. And all of them were painted with Spectraflame colors while having a metal base!

The first true premium model came up in 2008 and had a Christmas tree in the back! In 2018, the STH Chevy had Real Riders Steelie wheels and a Spectraflame Pink paint job. It didn't generate all that much interest for collectors, so they're quite decently priced today, ranging from $50 to $90.

Hot Wheels collectors never get old

When the Aventador Miura Homage popped up in Case K, few people realized it would be the only modern exotic STH for 2019. Mattel went through 10 basic variations of this casting since 2012 before deciding it was time for an upgrade.

And everyone was excited to see that the STH was a significantly improved version of the standard car. This Lamborghini is the third most popular STH of the 2018 series, so there are a few people out there trying to take advantage of that. We found a loose one going for $49.99, but a mint, carded model might fetch as much as $145.

The King Kuda landed in Case L in 2018, and it was part of the Checkmate series. This is also a classic casting for Hot Wheels, as it was first used way back in 1970. Naturally, an update was needed and the retooled version popped up in 2002.

Even though it has been around for decades, this casting has only had less than 30 variations so far! Some of the rarer King Cudas on the market might cost you up to $1,500, but the STH version is considerably more affordable with prices ranging between $15 to $110.

All those cars were once just a dream in somebody's head

Hot Wheels launched the '17 Audi RS 6 Avant with a bang in 2018. The First Edition model was red and featured 5-spoke wheels, and the Super Treasure Hunt version came up at the same time. It featured a darker Spectraflame Red paint job and Real Riders Aero wheels, and it instantly got everyone's attention. This was voted the best STH casting for 2018, so it's surprising to see that most of them are going for less than $80.

What goes up must come down. So after the resounding success of the RS 6, Hot Wheels came up with the Fiat 500 STH. Perhaps it was the livery or the poor choice of colors that influenced this being voted as the worst STH for 2018.

Things might have worked out better if this were an Abarth version with a clean design instead of the overly crowded graphics on the side. Some people are willing to part with this model for $20 or less, and that further proves how bad it all went for the European hatchback.

The '70 Ford Escort RS1600 that arrived inside some of the P Cases featured a similar livery to the one we saw on the Bone Shaker. The decals also further remind collectors that this is a 50th Anniversary item. Prices for this item can go as high as $150, but if you'd rather have a cleaner version of this casting we'd recommend the 2020 Car Culture: Door Slammers edition.

The last item on today's list is a replica of Cruella's car from the movie 101 Dalmatians. This Case Q STH is one of four variations for this casting, and it happens to rank second on the list of Worst STH models for the year 2018.

This is the kind of Super Treasure Hunt most people will buy just to have a complete collection, so it's a good thing it will only cost $20 to $30 in most cases. And that's a wrap for our review of 2018's STH line-up, we'll be back soon with our analysis of the rare mainline items that were released in 2017.