A Brief History of Hot Wheels Premium Collector Sets

Over the years, Mattel has tried many packaging styles with its diecast products. The orange tracks have worked well, and it's a great way to experience the speed of your 1/64th scale vehicles. Adult collectors would make things more realistic rather than hyper. There comes a moment in a man's life when he decides using or building a diorama for his diecast collection is the right way to go.

You'll find many solutions online regardless of your choice, some more expensive than others. And Mattel wanted in on the action, too. Clients will come waltzing right in if your product can solve two problems simultaneously. The Hot Wheels Premium Collector set is a great way to kickstart a new collection: each set has three vehicles and a hauler. And you get a basic-level diorama in the background to highlight them. The series started in 2020, and we've had four sets coming out each year since.

Things are sometimes flawed, and most sets contain repeat models from other collections. That's one way of getting rid of unsold stock. But you'll see the same strategy throughout the company's portfolio. At the rate they're shipping cars, developing a new design every time would be impossible. So, let's focus on the remarkable aspects of the Premium Collector Sets instead.

Most popular manufacturer

I hope to bring you some insights directly from Mattel HQ this year. But until then, I'm left with analyzing information from the outside and drawing conclusions. I've done this with other series such as Car Culture, Boulevard, and the Super Treasure Hunt line-up. I'm always curious to see which car manufacturers are best represented in these to understand what the company is aiming at.

Since the start of the series, Mattel has released 16 sets, which adds up to 64 vehicles (plus the rally trailer). Most haulers are not licensed castings, but we'll get there in a minute. Out of the remaining 48 items (16 are haulers), Nissan and Ford are battling it out for first place with nine collectibles each. If you add the Datsun 510 Wagon to the equation, the Blue Oval would fall to second place. It doesn't come as a surprise, as there are three Nissan-exclusive sets to look for.

You'll only find six Mercedes-Benz vehicles in all the releases so far. Chevrolet ranks lower than in the Super Treasure Hunt series, with only four cars in the Premium Collector Sets. Dodge and BMW are at the same level with three collectibles each, and Toyota is up next with only two. In the battle between the continents, Europe emerges victoriously with 19 representatives spread across 12 manufacturers. But let's get another perspective on this series.

Collector Set Haulers 

Across the 16 haulers, you'll notice a range of 10 castings. As noted earlier, most are unlicensed models. But that's not a problem, as these aren't purely fictional designs, as you'll see in cheaper series.

I bet over 90% of adult collectors will choose the 1955 Mercedes-Benz "Blaues Wunder" as their favorite design. Mattel launched this casting with Jay Leno's Garage set, and I hope we'll see it in Team Transport soon. The Ford C-800 is the only other licensed hauler in the series so far, and it was part of the Ford Race Team set from 2021.

But the Carry On leads the scoreboard in terms of number of appearances. It showed up in 25% of all the sets, marking as many releases as the Aero Lift and the Retro Rig combined.

Five Most Exciting Vehicles

The third chapter of this story is a subjective one. I expect older Hot Wheels collectors to opt for a mix of Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge items. But my list looks like this. I'd first go for the Nissan Laurel 2000 SGX that showed up in the debut set of the series, focused on the Japanese manufacturer. I came close to purchasing the silver Sauber-Mercedes C9 from the 2021 Mercedes-Benz set, and I regret hesitating.

There are only two variations for this vehicle, but a third one is coming up with Team Transport in 2024. Mattel used the 2022 Japanese Tuners set to launch the '91 Nissan Sentra SE-R, and it's still a rare casting. Seeing the '84 Audi Sport quattro in the Track Day set alongside the Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz was strange, but it was still the best car.

I have a bunch of mainline iterations of the Sport quattro on display, but I need one with Real Riders wheels sooner rather than later. And I'll go for another rally car legend for my last choice: the white Ford RS200 in the Group B set, which came out last year. It's one of only six variations from El Segundo since its debut in 2020.

Pricing and Availability

Let's talk about pricing and availability for these sets. Unlike the Red Line Club or Super Treasure Hunt collectibles, you won't have a hard time here. Purchasing the entire collection is feasible if you know the financial and time implications. I've studied dozens, if not hundreds, of online listings to evaluate the market.

And I hope this information will help you if you give the series a chance. As expected, the 2021 Nissan Skyline GT-R set is the most expensive. I have yet to see one for less than $120, while the upper limit is set at around $200. You get that when you stack the holy trinity (R32, R33, and R34) under the same "roof." I'm not entirely sold on the white-on-black look, but younger collectors will buy anything with a GT-R badge. Many of the more expensive listings come from sellers in Japan, who have a habit of exaggerating at times.

Ten out of 16 sets have a maximum selling point of over $100. But if you're smart enough, you can get 14 for less than $40 each. The GT-R set is one of the two that doesn't abide by that rule. And the "Fast and Furious" collectible is the other: it ranges from $80 to $128. And that's still decent, considering it features Brian's Supra, too! But let me give you the overall calculations. The Premium Collector Set series will cost between $585 and $1,714. That's a bargain if you compare it to the outcome of my Super Treasure Hunt review.

Future Sets

I've already seen a sneak peek of the upcoming release from Mattel. It's another all-European affair, with three Porsches and one Volkswagen inside. The latter is a new hauler appearance for this series but has been part of the Team Transport line-up in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The new "German Racers" set features an all-new casting and a vehicle just stepping up to the Premium class. I won't spoil the surprise yet, but I expect a full reveal soon. Other than that, a man's allowed to dream, right? What would your ideal Premium Collector set look like?

I would love a GT1-themed one with the 911 GT1-98, the Murcielago GT1, and the McLaren F1 GTR inside. The latter is already a highly popular casting over at Mattel. The other two make a formidable incentive to convince people to buy into the idea. I know I would!