September 25, 2023 by marcboz

2022 Hot Wheels Classic TV Series Batmobile 1:50 Scale Variations

batmobile, Hot Wheels
1:50, 2012, 2022, Classic TV Series Batmobile, collectible, die-cast, diecast, Hot Wheels
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The Hot Wheels Batman 1:50 Scale Series originated in 2008 and ran until 2012. In 2016, the series made a return and has continued through 2022. This line of vehicles features a wide variety of different Batmobiles (from cartoons, TV shows and movies) with an occasional vehicle from one of Batman’s allies or an enemies. There are at least 12 different variations of the Classic TV Series Batmobile in this series, although only a few of them seem to have obvious differences outside of the packageing. My friend and fellow collector, Brad, sent me this 2022 release. This larger scale allows for some nice detailing and these models feature chrome plastic wheels with rubber tires. To add to the fun, this Batmobile has a tow hook to pull the Batboat, which is one of the other vehicles included in the series.

The back of the package shows some of the other vehicles available in the 1:50 series.

I have one other loose example of the Hot Wheels 1:50 scale Classic TV Series Batmobile, and, although it has a different county of origin, it is appears to be identical to the 2022 release. It does have the X4033 code stamped on the base, which I believe identifies it as the 2012 release.

Click here to see a bunch of my 1:64 scale Hot Wheels 1966 TV Series Batmobiles. Click here to compare to the Playart 1966 Batmobile from my childhood. And click here to see my Corgi Juniors 1966 Batmobile.

April 1, 2015November 11, 2023 by marcboz

Hot Wheels ’68 Chevy Nova Variations

Chevrolet, Hot Wheels, Nova
'68 Chevy Nova, '68 Nova, 1968 Chevy Nova, 1968 Nova, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, Chevrolet, Chevy, collectible, die-cast, diecast, Nova, Real Riders, redlines
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This page lists all of the Hot Wheels 1968 Novas, with a photo of each one that I have in my collection. The name of each car that I have links to a page with more information and photos. As I acquire the remaining cars in the list, I will add photos and links to this page.

img_6590-sm Hot Wheels | GJX00 | 2020 Flying Customs (Target exclusive) | ’68 Nova | metalflake green with yellow & light green trim | MY | ho

DFL85 | 2016 HW Camouflage Series | 1968 Chevy Nova | matte dark red with camouflage trim | black MC5

X6999 | 2015 Hot Wheels Various Multipacks | 1968 Nova | anodized gray with yellow & black trim | chrome & black MC5

Y2088 | 2013 Hot Wheels Easter (WalMart Exclusive) 5/8 | ’68 Chevy Nova | black & red with purple gold & beige flames | 5SP

V5576 | 2012 HW Racing #01 | ’68 Nova | black with silver, red & yellow trim | chrome MC5

V5475 | 2012 HW Racing #01 | ’68 Nova | metalflake blue with white, red & yellow trim | red MC5

V3691 | 2011 Easter Eggsclusives (WalMart Exclusive) | ’68 Nova | metalflake dark blue & gray with silver & black trim | 5SP

T8309 | 2011 Hot Wheels Garage GM Series 15/22 | ’68 Chevy Nova | red and metalflake gray with red, gray and silver trim | RLRR5SP

R7936 | 2010 Happy Birthday | ’68 Chevy Nova | orange with black & yellow trim | yellow & black OH5SP

P2456 | 2009 Faster Than Ever #10 | Chevy Nova | metalflake copper with black trim | FTE

P2456 | 2009 Faster Than Ever #10 | Chevy Nova | black with gold trim | FTE

P2456 | 2009 Faster Than Ever #10 (KMart Exclusive) | Chevy Nova | metalflake blue with white trim | FTE

N4608 | 2008 Hot Wheels Top 40 Set | ’68 Chevy Nova | metalflake silver with gray & black trim | RLBW

M1562 | 2008 Since ’68 Series 13 of 40 | ’68 Nova | pearl yellow with black, gray & red trim | RL

M6894 | 2008 Team: Muscle Mania #4 | ’68 Nova | red with white, yellow & silver trim | black OH5SP

img_6597-sm M1810 | 2007 Walgreens 3 Pack Exclusive #4 of 12 | ’68 Nova | spectraflame aqua with black & white trim | RL5SP

L0749 | 2007 Hot Wheels Classics #21 | ’68 Chevy Nova | spectraflame magenta with pink & white trim | RL5SP

L0749 | 2007 Hot Wheels Classics #21 | ’68 Chevy Nova | spectraflame dark orange with black & white trim | RL5SP

L0749 | 2007 Hot Wheels Classics #21 | ’68 Chevy Nova | spectraflame gold with black & white trim | RL5SP

K3385 | 2006 HWC Neo-Classics #3 | 1968 Nova | spectraflame blue w/blue flames | RL

J3424 | 2006 Red Line Series #3 (KMart Exclusive) | 1968 Nova | metalflake green with Red Line Series tampo on sides | RL5SP

J3424 | 2006 Red Line Series #3 | 1968 Nova | metalflake purple with Red Line Series tampo on sides | RL5SP

K3818 | 2006 Nationals | ’68 Nova | silver and black with red and checkerboard trim, convention logo on roof | RLRR

J4237 | 2005 sELECTIONs #4 7950 produced | ’68 Nova | spectraflame steel blue with black trim, RLC logo on sides | GYRR

G5553 | 2004 Nationals Ticket Car | ’68 Nova | metalfake dark burgundy with black & white trim, convention logo on roof | RR

B3532 | 2004 First Editions #5 Zamac Limited Ed. | Nova 1968 | unpainted with white trim | 5SP

October 6, 2013January 10, 2023 by marcboz

Hot Wheels ’68 Chevy Nova

Hot Wheels, Nova
'68 Chevy Nova, '68 Nova, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, Chevrolet, Chevy, collectible, die-cast, diecast, Nova, redlines
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When this Hot Wheels casting came out in 2004 the floodgates opened for me as a collector. I had grown up around several of the third generation Novas – 4 of my older brothers drove them at various times. The first car I bought for myself was a 1973 Nova 2-door hatchback and it was my daily driver for 10 years. I don’t have every version ever made, but I have quite a few and I’ve managed to collect some interesting variations along the way.

This is the one that started if off, and still one of my favorites. I love the metalflake steel blue of this 2004 First Editions casting.

B3532 | 2004 First Editions #5 | Nova 1968 | metalfake steel blue/white | 5SP

In those early days, I was still taking a lot of my cars out of the package, so I only have this Motor City Muscle version loose. It really shines in metalflake antifreeze green and Real Rider tires.

C2642 | 2004 Hot Wheels Affinity Motor City Muscle (3/4) | ’68 Chevy Nova | metalfake antifreeze green w/magenta & white trim | RR5S

Here’s another loose variation from the 2005 Robo Revenge 5-Pack.

G6916 | 2005 Robo Revenge 5-Pk | 1968 Nova | metalfake brown w/white, orange & black trim | 5SP

The casting looks pretty fine in redlines!

J3424 | 2006 Red Line Series #3 | 1968 Nova | metalflake purple w/Red Line Series tampo on sides | RL5SP

I saw the 2006 Neo-Classics version when it was first offered on the Hot Wheels collector’s website, but by the time I was able to try to by one, they were sold out. Fortunately, I picked one up not too much later on eBay.

K3385 | 2006 HWC Neo-Classics #3 | 1968 Nova | spectraflame blue w/blue flames | RL

The Hot Wheels Classics is one of my favorite series. Even though it seems like cheating to put a 2004 casting into a series that celebrates the original Hot Wheels releases, I’m glad they included the ’68 Nova. I have two of the three colors that were released.

Package variations are always fun. Here’s the 2008 Team: Muscle Mania Nova on both the regular and short cards.

M6894 | 2008 Team: Muscle Mania #4 | ’68 Nova | red w/white, yellow & silver trim | black OH5SP

M6894 | 2008 Team: Muscle Mania #4 (Short Card) | ’68 Nova | red w/white, yellow & silver trim | black OH5SP

The Since ’68 series is another one that the Nova casting doesn’t seem to belong to. But I love this variation because it reminds me of the yellow Rally Nova that my brother used to own.

M1562 | 2008 Since ’68 Series 13 of 40 | ’68 Nova | pearl yellow w/black, gray & red trim | RL

The 2009 Faster Than Ever Nova came out in at least two colors, including the black and copper versions shown here. I also have the copper version on a snowflake card, shown below.

P2456 | 2009 Faster Than Ever #10 | Chevy Nova | black w/gold trim | FTE

P2456 | 2009 Faster Than Ever #10 | Chevy Nova | metalflake copper w/black trim | FTE

P2456 | 2009 Faster Than Ever #10 (snowflake card) | Chevy Nova | metalflake copper w/black trim | FTE

The ’68 Nova has made appearances in several multipacks over the years, sometimes with unique decoration.

There is also an alternate tool (which I actually prefer), with the hood from the Nova SS. This was found in the 2010 10-pack in several color variations.

The 2010 Happy Birthday Nova is a striking orange, black and yellow variation.

R7936 | 2010 Happy Birthday | ’68 Chevy Nova | orange w/black & yellow trim | yellow & black OH5SP

In 2011, the ’68 Nova got a 427 and some special speed bunny stripes for the Easter Eggsclusives release.

V3691 | 2011 Easter Eggsclusives (WalMart Exclusive) | ’68 Nova | metalflake dark blue & gray w/silver & black trim | 5SP

Also in 2011, the alternate tool version appeared in at least two sharp colors in the Street Beasts series.

Another fun variation from 2011 was the Racing Kits 2-Pack which included a yellow ’68 Nova, a section of road in disrepair, a cone, a barricade, and a Nissan Skyline to race.

For 2012, the ’68 Nova was part of the HW Racing team in two color variations.

V5475 | 2012 HW Racing #01 | ’68 Nova | metalflake blue w/white, red & yellow trim | red MC5

V5576 | 2012 HW Racing #01 | ’68 Nova | black w/silver, red & yellow trim | chrome MC5

The ’68 Nova was once again featured as an Easter car in 2013, this time with a flamed-out paint job.

Y2088 | 2013 Hot Wheels Easter (WalMart Exclusive) 5/8 | ’68 Chevy Nova | black & red w/purple gold & beige flames | 5SP

The alternate tool version showed up again in the 2013 Retro Entertainment series as Eddie Murphy’s beat up Nova from the Beverly Hills Cop movie.

And finally, another tooling of the third-generation Nova – this one a 1970 model cast with an opening hood, came out in the 2008 40th Anniversary 100% series.

M1679 | 2008 100% Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary | ’70 Chevy Nova #13 | gold |RR

January 14, 2013January 10, 2023 by marcboz

2012 The Mystery Machine

I got a nice package in the mail last week, courtesy of a friend from the Hot Wheels collector’s message boards. I’d been unable to find the Mystery Machine locally, so I was pretty happy to get ahold of not just one, but both of the package variations. I don’t know the story behind the two different packages (anyone?), but the second one is identical to the look of the 2013 cars, even though it’s emblazoned with “NEW FOR 2012.” The only difference that I can see on the cars is that the bottom of the first is stamped “E25” and the second is stamped “E30”.

2012 New Models | The Mystery Machine | teal with The Mystery Machine trim | Orange J5

HW Imagination – 2012 | The Mystery Machine | teal with The Mystery Machine trim | Orange J5

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things was waking up on Saturday mornings to watch Scooby Doo on television. When my little boy was younger, we found some of the early episodes on DVD (remember when the gang met Batman and Robin?) and bought it for him. Just like that, the love of Scooby Doo was passed on to the next generation. At some point, we picked up these action figures at a garage sale and when I found out there was a Mystery Machine to go with them, I hunted one down on eBay. It’s been one of his favorite toys ever since.

December 31, 2012February 13, 2023 by marcboz

2012 Mars Rover Curiosity

Chevrolet, Hot Wheels, NASA
2012, collectible, die-cast, diecast, Mars Rover Curiosity, NASA
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When I went to Target the other day, the pegs were almost entirely covered with 2013 cars. So I was pretty surprised to finally find my Mars Rover, which I had mostly given up on. I scanned through the rest of the 2012s, hoping to find the elusive Mystery Machine as well, but I was pushing my luck there.

I recently read in the newspaper that the Curiosity had logged less than a mile on the Martian surface since it landed in August. This is a little surprising when you realize it travelled 350,000,000 miles through space to get there! But soon, Curiosity will get moving and set off on an expected 9-month journey across the Gale Crater to Mount Sharp.

Hot Wheels | 2012 New Models | Mars Rover Curiosity | white with gold, black and NASA logo | OH5

October 15, 2012March 11, 2023 by marcboz

2012 Hot Wheels DC Universe Wonder Woman

Hot Wheels, Wonder Woman
2012, collectible, DC Universe, die-cast, diecast, Wonder Woman
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When I was a kid, Linda Carter played Wonder Woman on television. I don’t think I really need to say anything else about this.

2012 DC Universe | Wonder Woman | transparent red and clear

May 27, 2012January 10, 2023 by marcboz

2012 Hot Wheels Muscle Mania – GM ’62 Chevy

Hot Wheels, Impala
1962, 2006, 2008, 2012, Bel Air, bubbletop, Chevrolet, collectible, die-cast, diecast, Hot Wheels Classics
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Here’s another bubbletop Chevy, the ’62 Bel Air hardtop, which first appeared in the Hot Wheels lineup in 2004. Though technically not an Impala, I can’t resist including these striking Chevys in my collection. I have several, and this gold beauty is one of the nicest.

2012 Muscle Mania – GM | ’62 Chevy | metal flake gold with red and silver stripe | MC5 wheel

[Four months later] I wandered into a Dollar Tree earlier this week and picked up the metallic blue version of this same car. Also, below you can see photos of a few other ’62 Chevys from my collection. And, I changed my mind. I decided the spectraflame blue version below from the Hot Wheels classic series is the nicest of the bunch. Which one is your favorite?