So it appears the Retro Entertainment series has been a success so far. Outside of a couple of models, these don't stay on the pegs very long. And my guess is Mattel will keep pushing in that direction. We see two or three entertainment-related cars in the basic range each year, and the Retro Entertainment takes it even further. If this line continues to do well, one would have to think that we will see more in the future. Thinking about the potential models can elicit a certain amount of excitement.
Some of the excitement comes from the model itself, or better, the car it represents. For example, I have little nostalgic connection to the original Italian Job, but from the looks of it, those Minis are fantastic. Movie or not, I want them. Some other models are purely nostalgic. The car may not be anything to get excited about, but I remember the movie and I want the car. The Ecto-1 falls into that category.
And then there are those that satisfy both. The upcoming Ferris Bueller Ferrari is one, and so is the new model we are featuring today, the '71 Plymouth Satellite from the Brady Bunch.
In good retro family fun, Mike and Greg had the cool cars (i.e. the convertibles), and Carol trucked the kids around in the wagon. But wasn't that the same for all of us? At least those of us Gen Xer's and older who grew up in wagons. We would sit in the back-back and let dad slam on the breaks enough to throw us into the back seat. As we got older, the soft spot for wagons continued, and then we saw how cool and sporty modern wagons could be, even removing the nostalgia from the equation.
And that is why I think Hot Wheels did a nice mean muscle version of the Satellite. It is less Carol Brady and more mopar-rific. It can be the Brady's wagon today, and a nice mean road machine in the basic range in the future.
Which has lead to a mini celebration of the station wagon at Mattel. We have seen several great wagons come from both of the Mattel brands, Hot Wheels and Matchbox. The classic (Olds Vista Cruiser), the sleek (Audi RS6, Cadillac CTS), the mean (Chevelle and GTO wagons), and super-cool (Datsun 510). Thankfully there is a lot of love for wagons in the Mattel Design Center, and we all benefit because of it.
(Find the Plymouth Satellite and other Hot Wheels Retro Entertainment Batch D
at Wheel Collectors...)Hot Wheels '71 Plymouth Satellite (2013 Retro Entertainment):
Some of our favorite Mattel wagon castings:
(Find Hot Wheels
and Matchbox Wagons
on ebay...)
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