New Hot Wheels Premium Set Is a Match Made in Heaven for Drift Enthusiasts

Drifting is everywhere I look at these days. The most recent example comes from McDonalds in Japan. The company partnered with Toyota Gazoo Racing for a commercial featuring Kalle Rovanpera and Ken Gushi! Ken will compete in this year's Formula Drift using a GReddy Toyota GR86 with a 3.2-liter 2JZ crate engine inside.

North America's premiere drifting series is changing things up for 2024, eliminating the classic qualifying format. I recently saw a sneak peek of a Premium Hot Wheels set of five cars centered around drifting. But I somehow missed the Premium Collector Set, a GReddy-special collectible. I don't remember seeing a Hot Wheels item with a GReddy livery in stores in recent years.

But I can't forget the two 2016 iterations of the '96 Nissan 180SX Type X: I had both for a while. Right now, the best GReddy vehicle in my display is the Car Culture: Race Day Porsche 962, something I will never likely sell. I think this is an interesting direction for the Premium Collector set, and let's hope we'll see an Advan theme next. Until then, I'll discuss the four vehicles inside the GReddy set.

Pandem Subaru BRZ

The Pandem Subaru BRZ is slowly becoming one of my favorite Hot Wheels casting. I don't have a single variation in my collection, though. It was a Premium-exclusive model with three iterations between 2019 and 2023. The first and the third were identical, while the second was slightly more complex with a Falken livery.

What they all had in common was some form of GReddy logo, either on the rear or on the sides. The Premium factor was gone with the release of the 2024 Japanese Car Culture Themed Multipack, but I'll talk about that in a different story. Mattel nailed the color combo on the latest release, and it looks like a genuine drift car!

It's nothing like Ken Gushi's 2024 FD challenger, but that's not bad. It's the first time this BRZ features Real Riders Aero wheels, unlike the previous six or ten-spoke designs. It's the highlight of this Premium Collector Set, at least in my books.

Nissan Maxima Drift Car

Collectors were enthusiastic about the Nissan Maxima Drift Car when it debuted in 2022. The Ivory and Red Motul paint scheme was pretty decent, but the following two iterations were equally as exciting.

The Fraser-Campbell-designed 3-spoke wheels fit the picture perfectly, and it's a shame we don't get to see more of these at car shows worldwide. The GReddy set marks the Maxima's Premium debut, as it finally features a metal base and Classic 4-Spoke Real Riders wheels.

Despite being a huge fan of yellow cars, I'm not entirely happy about this car's livery. It's not as clean as the one on the BRZ, but I might feel different about it once I see it up close.

Custom Datsun 240Z

The oldest casting in the set is the Custom Datsun 240Z, a replica of Sung Kang's Fugu Z. After debuting in 2016, its first Premium appearance was in 2017. We have seen a few good iterations since, but neither has a metal base or Real Riders wheels.

So, I guess fans of this casting are happy to see it back where it belongs. With all these GReddy castings rolling in, we're witnessing a revival of this theme, which may lead to even more models soon.

I don't think any of these Zs have a chance of becoming peg warmers; on the contrary! But if there's one thing I could complain about, it would need that slammed-look to become truly fantastic.

Fleet Street

As with all Premium Collector sets, the final item is the truck that can carry one of the cars to a fictional race track, mountain pass, or any event. Seven iterations of Fleet Street have been released since 2022, and they have alternated between the Car Culture: Team Transport series and various line-ups, such as the Nissan Collector Set or the Japanese Tuners Collector Set.

I'm surprised but happy that Mattel didn't use the Sakura Sprinter for the job. This hauler featured a Greddy livery in 2018 for the first-ever mix of the Team Transport series. With Fleet Street, you can admire the car on the bed, which is impossible with the Sakura Sprinter. The paint scheme feels like a perfect match for the Pandem BRZ or the Datsun 240Z, and less so when talking about the Maxima Drift Car.

The new wheel set-up is identical to what we've seen with the 2023 Legends Tour and the 2022 Team Transport iterations. I think the Double 7-Spoke Real Riders and even the Steelies are a better fit for this truck, but Mattel needs to change things once in a while for diversity. Overall, the GReddy set feels very tempting, and it will probably arrive in stores by the end of this month.