Photo: Mattel
I have recently been talking to a few junior athletes about sponsorship chasing. I told them how important it is to give it your best outside the racetrack, not just when they're in their cars or bikes. The more aces up your sleeve, the better.
After years of collecting Hot Wheels cars, you start to notice things. New castings are more likely to get good sales if they follow a certain recipe: it has to be a licensed model (ideally a replica of a car with a cult following), and it needs a cool paint job and a decent set of wheels. And the more exclusive it is, the more it will attract larger crowds into buying.
Numbered items seem to be a thing of the past these days. But there's one more factor that will drive people crazy. I'll get to it in a minute, so please be patient. In November of 2023, I quickly analyzed Hot Wheels McLarens. I discovered that the company's portfolio included 12 castings, one of which never made it into stores.
Choosing my favorite five castings meant including the F1 and the F1 GTR. These are two vehicles I will never let go of. I always have two Orange F1s on display, and I think Mattel hit the Jackpot with its upcoming release. It's better than the Car Culture: Exotic Envy F1 in Dark Burgundy. And it's also one step above the NFT Garage Series 5 model in Spectraflame Silverstone Green.
The new Red Line Club exclusive McLaren is a casting that Brendon Vetuskey collaborated with Ronald Wong on designing. After gawking at the Real Riders 5-Spoke Modern Wheels for a few moments, you realize the color on this car is a replica of McLaren's famous Yquem paint job. That may also remind you that TAG co-owner Aziz Ojjeh is the man who commissioned Chassis 075, the 64th and final road-going F1 car.
But that's a story for another time. The opening butterfly doors are the cherry on top for the F1, and it's bound to send collectors into a buying frenzy on April 2, 2024, at 9 AM PT, despite the $35 price tag (initial announced price was $30). The purchasing limit is set at one item (initial limit was two) per RLC Member, so it's safe to assume that the F1 won't be a numbered collectible.
Even so, it's bound to sell out in less than 60 seconds, so I'm not even going to fool myself into hoping I can buy one straight from Mattel. When was that ever a problem, though? Online markets are teeming with listings for this unreleased model (it ships on or before April 19), and prices are already out of control.
Someone is asking $125 for his allocation, and you'll see several more items with a three-digit figure next to it. With any luck, we'll see a new recolor within the next 12 months.
Numbered items seem to be a thing of the past these days. But there's one more factor that will drive people crazy. I'll get to it in a minute, so please be patient. In November of 2023, I quickly analyzed Hot Wheels McLarens. I discovered that the company's portfolio included 12 castings, one of which never made it into stores.
Choosing my favorite five castings meant including the F1 and the F1 GTR. These are two vehicles I will never let go of. I always have two Orange F1s on display, and I think Mattel hit the Jackpot with its upcoming release. It's better than the Car Culture: Exotic Envy F1 in Dark Burgundy. And it's also one step above the NFT Garage Series 5 model in Spectraflame Silverstone Green.
The new Red Line Club exclusive McLaren is a casting that Brendon Vetuskey collaborated with Ronald Wong on designing. After gawking at the Real Riders 5-Spoke Modern Wheels for a few moments, you realize the color on this car is a replica of McLaren's famous Yquem paint job. That may also remind you that TAG co-owner Aziz Ojjeh is the man who commissioned Chassis 075, the 64th and final road-going F1 car.
But that's a story for another time. The opening butterfly doors are the cherry on top for the F1, and it's bound to send collectors into a buying frenzy on April 2, 2024, at 9 AM PT, despite the $35 price tag (initial announced price was $30). The purchasing limit is set at one item (initial limit was two) per RLC Member, so it's safe to assume that the F1 won't be a numbered collectible.
Even so, it's bound to sell out in less than 60 seconds, so I'm not even going to fool myself into hoping I can buy one straight from Mattel. When was that ever a problem, though? Online markets are teeming with listings for this unreleased model (it ships on or before April 19), and prices are already out of control.
Someone is asking $125 for his allocation, and you'll see several more items with a three-digit figure next to it. With any luck, we'll see a new recolor within the next 12 months.
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