Model of the Day: Hot Wheels 2006 First Edition '07 Cadillac Escalade...

I have mentioned before here on the blog that there are a handful of models that debut in some sort of stock deco, and I happily add them to the collection.  But starting the next year, that same models stays on the pegs.

There are several reasons I might do this.  One is because I might like the real car it represents, but may not love it, and I would rather use the extra space on something else.  Another might be because I only like the car in stock deco, and have no interest in other versions.

The Hot Wheels Cadillac Escalade kind of falls into both categories.  I would not consider myself a huge fan of the real car.  I have never really liked big lumbering SUV's, and the Escalade represents a lot of reasons why I have that opinion.  Big, gaudy, somewhat pointless.  There are a million other cars I would consider before paying 70K for a guzzler like that.

But -

I love Cadillac's design queues, and they sure used those queues to spruce up what is essentially a Tahoe or Suburban.  The truck looks good.  Not good enough for me to collect all versions of it, but throwing the two FE's into the collection makes sense.

Plus, the Escalade represents a previous era.  It is now much more of a suburbanite fake Louis Vuitton-bag toting soccer mom machine than an urban status symbol.  In my travels, if I come up on a black Escalade, I will most likely find a trying-too-hard blonde mom toting around a handful of kids glued completely to the Disney DVD of the Day on the small flat screens.   But I was around just a few years ago when it was the ultimate status symbol, the rapper's choice of transportation, complete with 27's that cost more than most cars.  We have all moved on for the better (except for the Molly the Blonde Soccer Mom), but I am allowed to get a little nostalgic now and then.

That is why I keep the black and white versions of the Hot Wheels Escalade in the collection.  They may not be my favorite car, but they do represent an era, whether I like said era or not.

Lastly, the casting is really well done, and to me one of the precursors to the current batch of VERY realistic models we have seen hit the HW pegs of late.  It has fairly realistic proportions, side mirrors (although they were ditched on future versions), and nice out of proportion rims.

So let's get our bling on and celebrate an icon of the previous decade...

(And yes, everyone needs at least the black Escalade in the collection, including you.)


Hot Wheels '07 Cadillac Escalade (2006 FE):