By Gary Barnum
If you love cars, we’re about to rev you up – upscale, that is. While our beloved 1:64 automobiles fit in the palm of your hand, the larger scale is more than a handful. Our electrifying new Premium line of 1:43 scale die-cast vehicles is rolling out in June.
Heavily demanded by Hot Wheels collectors, car enthusiasts, and auto-makers alike, these collectibles provide hobby-grade editions big enough to allow our designers to pack in a mind-blowing amount of detail. Constructed with a hefty die-cast body and chassis with Real Riders wheels, each car uses at least 15 – or as many as 30 or more – separate production pieces for amazing authenticity. “Some of the chassis even have a separate ABS part for enhanced detail like exhaust, suspension, and drivetrain,” added designer Phil Riehlman. With so much room for a high level of graphic decoration, look for accented elements on areas like the interior, brake rotors, and more.
These are all-new castings, and we’ve assembled some of the most groundbreaking automotive machines ever put on the pavement. Riehlman said, “Variety is king. We selected super-cool vehicles from the Muscle, Exotic, Sport, Racing, Import, and Off-Road genres.” We’ve only chosen on-trend vehicles with global appeal to join this line. (See below for the mixes planned this year.)
Holding to our time-honored tradition of Hot Wheels packaging that elevates the collector experience, we’ve not only developed a product you want to display, but one where you don’t have to choose between being an “opener” or a “card collector.” According to package designer Julian Koiles, “The artwork is created to sell the fantasy of each vehicle and show them as they would possibly appear in an advertisement or auto enthusiast magazine.” His illustrations position the vehicle at an angle which maximizes visible decoration.
Koiles also said he views the cards themselves as collectible, such as a baseball card or a poster. In order to capitalize on that aspect, each vehicle features a full-sized card within a Kar Keepers clamshell case. The vehicle itself is nested into a shape-molded piece to secure it without glue. The clamshell holds everything together – which allows you to open the clamshell and remove the car and the card if you wish without destroying the card. You can then replace them in the clamshell for display, storage, and protection.
For 2023, we’re beginning with three mixes, showing up first at Target.
Pre-production images only. Final production design, colors and textures may vary.
Hot Wheels Premium 1:43 Mix 1:
- ’23 Corvette® Z06
- Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4
Hot Wheels Premium 1:43 Mix 2:
- Ford Mustang Mach 1
- Jeep® Wrangler 392 Rubicon
Hot Wheels Premium 1:43 Mix 3:
- Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR34)
©2023 Mattel. All Trademarks not owned by Mattel are the property of their respective owners, and are used with permission. Items and dates subject to change. Production items may vary from the photos shown. Mattel reserves the right to modify the color, decorations, scale, body, and wheel type. Product subject to availability.
General Motors Trademarks used under license to Mattel, Inc.
The “Lamborghini” and “Lamborghini Bull and Shield” trademarks, copyrights, designs and models are used under license from Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, Italy.
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