Drag Bus, '67 Camaro, Chevy Panel, Dairy Delivery be damned. The Blown Delivery is now the king of Hot Wheels.
Right now there is no model that sends the RLC crowd into a fervor more than the affectionately named "BD" by the typing-challenged collector. And for that reason there are many reasons to love and hate it.
Why do we love it?
I don't know. It's big. It is a very creative design, made by the godfather of these types of models, Phil Riehlman. It has a large side panel that can house all kinds of creative decos, from the extremely busy (Dream Halloween) to the stunningly simple (this very HW Racing version). And let's be honest, it is beautiful, whether you are into this era and type of cars or not (personally, I'm not).
Why do we hate it?
Two reasons.
1. Because so many people spend too much time complaining about its (lack of) availability. And all that whining over at HWC creates an atmosphere that frankly makes it hard to enjoy perusing the forums. The HWC forums are still the premiere place to get good Hot Wheels info, from HWC Van's sneaks, to the variation forum, to who is finding what where. But more and more the forums are dominated by this type of chatter about who can't find or buy what, while any mention of our site and other fan sites gets deleted by moderators.
Rules are rules, but it is kind of a bummer. We hope sites, blogs, and channels like ours, T-Hunted, Racegrooves, Memo's Toys, and others help create that appreciation for these great models, while HWC is mired in an onslaught of complaining that is hard to filter through. There are great people on the HWC, starting with the designers that make themselves available and many great collectors, but it is getting harder and harder to filter through the muck to find what they have to say. Models like this fantastic Blown Delivery are great to have, but not at the expense of what was once a great forum.
2. It is nearly impossible for collectors overseas to get one. I have mentioned it several times before, but the biggest eye-opener for me since starting the Lamley Blog has been the enthusiasm about Hot Wheels from collectors in areas like South America and Asia. They are embracing the brand, doing amazing customs, and these collectors are young. They were kids who loved the brand, and now are young adults still embracing Hot Wheels as collectors. There is a future here, but they are being ignored when it comes to collector models. I understand logistics make it very difficult, but I hope Mattel can figure out a way to get these models to overseas collectors soon. They deserve them.
Alright, the soap box has been put away. Back to the BD.
I have two versions of this casting. The blue selections from a couple of years ago, and this brand new version in HW Racing deco. Consider the new version to be our favorite by a mile. How interesting is it, that after several years of all kinds of models in this red, white, and blue Hot Wheels Racing deco, the largest, most premium of premiums is sporting the simplest?
Less is not always more, but it sure is here. I have seen a few comments about how this model needs more. But look at your iphone. When IOS7 was introduced, what happened to those app icons? And look at the Hot Wheels basic cards for 2014. Notice the false "depth" on the logo and art is gone? This is where visual design has evolved, and how great is it to see it on the Blown Delivery?
A little work of art, this Blown Delivery is...
(ebay is saturated with these things right now
Hot Wheels Blown Delivery (2013 RLC Series 12):
No comments:
Post a Comment