5 Hot Wheels Custom Diecast Artists That Are Inspiring to Watch

Well, the moral is simple. If you're fed up with the standard designs and repeats in the Hot Wheels line-up, start making your diecast cars. Building one from the ground up might be tricky if you don't at least own a 3D Printer, but you can always buy an existing casting and modify it from there.

We've featured plenty of custom diecast cars in the past few years, and it's always exciting to see what these artists will come up with next. So today, I'm listing five Hot Wheels Custom Diecast Artists that are inspiring to watch.

Jakarta Diecast Project

I'll start with Jakarta Diecast Project, which is one of the most famous people in this industry right now. In the past five years, this man has created hundreds of original designs, based mainly on Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Majorette, or Tomica products. For his most recent project, he chose the Jun Imai-designed '92 BMW M3. He ditched the Polizei livery for a Jagermeister racing design, complete with a custom wide body kit and an awe-inspiring set of rims.

This is just days after he's revealed a murdered-out, black-on-black Chevrolet Camaro. It shows how far these 1/64th-scale cars can go with the correct tools and skills. It has reached a point where, if you want to pick up this hobby too, you can order plug-and-play body kits for your Hot Wheels cars. So, if you can summon the will to start, you can have your collection of unique vehicles at home.

Tolle Garage

I interviewed Theofelus in 2022, as his work was equally inspiring. Back then, I pointed out that he brings joy to the world, one custom Hot Wheels at a time. Since that time, Tolle Garage has created at least a dozen more original items, including a tricked-out Bugatti Veyron, a Time Attack-spec Corvette C6, and an Ayrton Senna NSX tribute custom. Lately, Theofelus has enjoyed working almost exclusively on American Muscle cars.

I'm sure that even Dominic Toretto would approve of his turbocharged Dodge Charger R/T. With these skills, you could restore a Hot Wheels casting to its former glory, not just build custom ones. Most of the castings that came out before the '90s are beat up today, so a restomod project could render itself quite profitable.

Ashkan Diecast

Ashkan Diecast is a new player in the industry but is quickly making a name for himself with several exciting projects. He recently finished a Pagani Zonda R project that now features opening doors, hood, and rear section. Even with the Hot Wheels Red Line Club exclusive, you'll only see one of those elements on the car, but not all together. I was surprised he doesn't always choose Mainline items for his work.

The 2021 Pop Culture: Speed Shop Garage Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus was already an awesome collectible with its ZAMAC finish and Real Riders wheels. But Ashkan transformed it into a pink six-wheeler that reminded me of the RLC-Exclusive '70s Dodge van. You'll even see him tackling the Team Transport series, which sounds like a great way to emphasize two different items at the same time. His recent "Mona Lisa" S15 will be sure to leave you amazed due to the high level of detail both inside and out.

Aki Husodo

If you need another reason for picking up this hobby, learn that it can serve as an investment, too. If your work doesn't look appalling, you can sell part of it to other custom fans, and prices for 1/64th-scale cars can go up to hundreds of dollars. Aki Husodo is also based in Indonesia, like the first two artists. And even though he's worked on several American projects before, he recently shifted more towards Japanese and European vehicles. In his most recent video, you can see him designing a diorama for the BMW M1 Procar, which you'd certainly want to do at this level.

After all, a realistic background will help enhance the accuracy of your work. You can tell how much work goes into these tiny projects just by looking at the before and after photos. It's no wonder Mainline Hot Wheels cars cost $2 to $3, while the Ignition Model 1/64 RX-7s will go for $110. Speaking of which, this is the only artist I've seen so far with a replica of the new Liberty Walk RX-7. That's something I'd love to have on display at home.

DR Customs

The work of a custom diecast artist is never easy, as it takes more than just modifying your tiny cars to make it in the industry. People who are also good at showing off their projects will rise to the top, and it's always nice to see a good presentation that includes figurines, dioramas, and other cars. DR Customs offers that exact type of content, and his work once again makes me think of a 1/64th-scale SEMA Show. Given the scarcity of Hot Wheels RWB cars, he has built one from a standard '96 Porsche Carrera.

His most recent work started from the 2022 variation of the Honda Civic EG. That's already an excellent item to have, given its affordability. But the artist quickly revealed the meaning of going from zero to hero with his vision. Watching him work on the engine is a test of patience, but building the body kit seems equally complicated. A painted roll cage, rear-mounted twin radiators, and the pedal box assembly reveal that this man is a professional at what he does.

And you'd think that he builds actual cars for a living. Even though the Civic didn't get a wild paint job, using carbon fiber look-alike parts is enough to put this car in the big leagues. It's the kind of car you'd expect to run into one random night at Daikoku Futo in Japan. If you like seeing these tiny custom Hot Wheels cars, I'll be sure to dig for more artists in the future and report back with what I've discovered.