Just Announced: Hot Wheels Toys R Us Mail-In Exclusive '88 Jeep Wagoneer...

This may not have the stop-in-your-tracks impact that the RLC Toyota 2000GT announcement had, but this is another announcement we are pretty happy about.

Mattel has given RLC members a little sneak peak of a model to come, and this time it is the Toys R Us Mail-In promotional model, and it is the fantastic '88 Jeep Wagoneer that was released last year in the Boulevard line.  Once again, we will adhere to Mattel's request that we not show their images (they are for RLC members only), but just imagine this model:

...with this deco (and a #4 instead of a #1):

The model looks fantastic.  The rims are the same on the Wagoneer pictured above, only red, like the Chevelle.  We are loving that Hot Wheels is branching out in the models they use for promotions.  We really liked the Chevelle, are ok with the '69 Camaro, but LOVE the Wagoneer.  There are still two models to be unveiled, and we are excited to see what they are.

We don't know the details of the promotion, but we assume it involves buying 20 models and sending in receipts and card backs.  We haven't participated in the TRU promotion before, but we surely will now.

Who's in?

Just Announced: Hot Wheels RLC exclusive Carroll Shelby SCCA Toyota 2000GT...

In the Lamley minicar world, this is a biggie...

On the heels of last year's release of the RLC Exclusive BRE Racing Datsun 510, comes news that another Japanese racing classic will be an RLC Exclusive in 2014.

RLC members were treated this morning to the first E-Sheet images of the Carroll Shelby SCCA Toyota 2000GT, which will be released to RLC members later this year.  We will adhere to Mattel's request that we not show RLC sneaks, but this one is not a hard car to picture in your head.  Just imagine this car in this exact livery on Hot Wheels NEO wheels (that same that are on the RLC 510):

This marks a full-circle return for the Hot Wheels Toyota 2000GT.  In 2012, Mattel had a great idea for an adult collectible series that focused on many different racing vehicles.  Each mix focused on a specific racing series.  Unfortunately due to price point, bland early mixes and over-ordering, the Racing series met its demise before the last two mixes could be made.  One was a mix focused on rally racing, the other on the SCCA racing series.  One of those vehicles was to be Shelby's Toyota 2000GT and was supposed to be the first release of the new casting.  But due to the aforementioned circumstances, it never made it passed prototype stage, and the casting didn't debut until the following model year in the mainline (and as a Super TH).

But it is back in the livery in which it was intended to debut.  And it should be popular.  Like the BRE 510, it appeals to JDM fans (obviously), but American racing fans as well.  Carroll Shelby is an American icon, even when he was racing a Japanese sports car.

While we are thrilled about the release of this model, be warned that it will be in very limited numbers.  We assume the numbers will be in the 3000 range, so expect a sellout.  And if you are not an RLC Member, and live in the US, now is the time to join.  RLC memberships are limited, and they are selling out quickly.

You can get the membership details here:

Hot Wheels 2014 RLC Memberships

What do you think?

Just Announced: Hot Wheels BRE Datsun 510 RLC exclusive goes on sale this Tuesday...

Well, that was fast.  Just a few days after unveiling the BRE Datsun as an RLC exclusive, the HWC site has just announced that it will go on sale this Tuesday, October 15th, at 9am West Coast Time.

We have also learned a little more about what it will look like.  Frankly, a lot like the Vintage Racing model from a couple of years ago.  With some slight differences, the deco will be the same to replicate the actual John Morton 510, but the red on the RLC model is now spectraflame, it will have a mirrored chassis, and of course, Neo-Classic Redlines in place of real riders.  A comparison:

So who is in?

Of course that is a question that is not as simple as it appears.  I think a lot of Lamley readers are in.  Our love for j-tin is shared by many, and we are sure a whole hell of a lot of you are as excited as we are.  But getting one will not be easy for a lot of you.

First off, you have to be a member of the Redline Club.  Memberships for 2013 are closed, so if you want to join, the earliest you can is 2014.  More importantly, memberships and the RLC exclusive models are only available to collectors in the United States.

I understand that opening memberships to overseas collectors is a bit of a logistical nightmare for Mattel, but I hope they figure out a way to do it.  We at Lamley love our overseas friends, and to be honest, I think the passion about the brand and the hobby by collectors on other continents far exceeds what we see here, and Mattel can embrace that more.

But unfortunately that hasn't changed, and this fantastic RLC model is not available to everyone who wants one.

For that reason, if you are a US-based RLC member, and are only interested in one, or not interested at all in the BRE, we ask that, if possible, you buy your max of two.  Then contact us here at Lamley (lamleygroup@gmail.com) and let us know you have an extra, and we will put you in contact with a collector who wants one and is willing to cover your costs and then some.

And Lamley friends overseas, email us as well to let us know you are interested in a BRE Datsun.  We will keep a list on a first come, first serve basis, and if we are able to get a hold of extras, we will put you in contact with the collector that has them.  All we ask is that you be ready to cover the cost of the model ($9.99), shipping to the RLC member (usually $5-$6), shipping to you (whatever that cost is), and a little extra ($5) for the seller's troubles.  If you are willing to do that, shoot us an email.

We hope at least a few of these can get into the hands of the collectors that want them, no matter where they live.  This is a bit of an experiment, so we ask for patience on all fronts.  Plus, we have NO IDEA when this model will actually ship.  Almost all RLC models have been backordered, so we may have to wait as long as sometime next year.  But we will keep the list until that point.

What do you think?