Guardians of the Galaxy - RD-08 (DWD79); 8 of 8

Here is the final car from the Hot Wheels' 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy 8-car set. It is the RD-08 (DWD79). I like this casting as it has a great "futuristic" vibe to it, regardless of the markings.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Rocketfire (DWD78); 7 of 8

Hot Wheels recently released an eight car set to commemorate the upcoming release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. This is the seventh car of the series - Rocketfire. It represents the Milano, Star Lord's ship. Nice color scheme, and the Rocketfire seems an appropriate choice.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Quicksand (DWD80); 6 of 8

Hot Wheels recently released an eight-car series to commemorate the upcoming release of the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. Quicksand (DWD80) is the sixth car of the series. The first five cars represented an individual guardian. This car seems to represent the team as a whole.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Solar Reflex (DWD77); 5 of 8

Hot Wheels Solar Reflex (DWD77) - the fifth car of the new 8 car series released in conjunction with up-coming Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. This is the car representing Groot. The Solar Reflex was an inspired choice - the tampos look great and the solar panel adds to the theme.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Fast Fish (DWD75); 3 of 8

Hot Wheels recently released an eight-car set celebrating the new movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. As the castings for these series tend to be non-licensed models, the popularity seems mixed among collectors. The card art and tampos seem to be the big attraction. Rocket Raccoon is represented by the car Fast Fish (DWD75). According to the Hot Wheels Wiki, "the name & general appearance suggest that the casting was inspired by the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda".

Guardians of the Galaxy - Scorcher (DWD76); 4 of 8

Here is number 4 of 8 from the 2017 Hot Wheels Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 series exclusively at Walmart. It is Gamaora's car, the Scorcher (DWD76). The combination of colors of the car and reflective black surface made the camera go crazy - auto-focus and color seem off. This was the first time I've tried this set-up, and will definitely need to experiment to get the photos to look better.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Rivited (DWD73); 2 of 8

Here is the second model of the Guardian of the Galaxy series out now at Walmart. This is Rivited (DWD73), representing Drax. Reminiscent of a '70s era muscle car, it seems fitting for Drax the Destroyer, where nothing gets over his head.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Sling Shot (DWD74); 1 of 8

Hot Wheels just released an eight-car series at Walmart to coincide with the upcoming release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. As it pretty standard for these series, the cars are all unlicensed models designed by Hot Wheels. Here is Sling Shot (DWD74) representing Star Lord. I've always liked this model for its futuristic styling.

Happy Easter! - Hot Wheels Easter Cars (3 of 6) - Overboard 454 (DWC01)

Here is number 3 in the 6 car Easter set from Hot Wheels - Overboard 454. I think that these decals are the best of this series, and really capture the look of an Easter Egg.

Happy Easter! - Hot Wheels Easter Cars (2 of 6) - Yur So Fast (DWC00)

Here is the 2nd of 6 cars from the 2017 Easter set - Yur So Fast (DWC00).

Happy Easter! - Hot Wheels Easter Cars (1 of 6) - Torque Twister (DWB99)

My local Walmarts finally got the 2017 Hot Wheels Easter cars in stock (never did see the 2016 Christmas cars). The card art is OK - colorful, but not the best that I've seen for the holiday cars - and the car selection is all unlicensed models. In my order of preference, the best is Chill Mill, followed by Maelstrom and then Flight '03. For an additional $3 I completed the set, but really don't care as much for the other 3, including this model, Torque Twister (DWB99). The back drop is the Sto & Go playset that is a current Target exclusive.

Hot Wheels 1970 Pontiac GTO (DWC42) - 2017 American Muscle series

Hot Wheels recently released another set of cars exclusive to Walmart. The cars cost about twice what a mainline offering goes for, and retail around $2. The card art is nicer, and the graphics are a little nicer, too. The wheels are just regular offerings. There are 10 cars in this set, and all look good. 9 of the 10 are licensed models, which is great. I am partial to convertibles, and while the tampos aren't very realistic, but I like the overall looks. This is 1 of 10.

M2 1959 Volkswagen Double Cab Truck - USA Model - Walmart exclusive

M2 Machines has done an admirable job with its Volkswagen Double Cab series sold through Walmart. Here is the 1959 Volkswagen Double Cab Truck USA Model. Looks great with its stock rims and the authentic paint scheme. Would have loved to have found one of the chase pieces, but no such luck.

M2 1959 Volkswagen Double Cab Truck USA model - Walmart exclusive

M2 has released a new series of Volkswagen Double Cab trucks exclusively through Walmart. At almost $6 a pop, they are a little pricey (as compared to the basic Hot Wheels). But these models look really, really good. Here is the 1959 Volkswagen Double Cab truck with a customized look. The paint may be correct for the period, but the wheels are definitely not stock. This could be the cherry red with black, but I'm terrible at telling.

Hot Wheels Star Wars Planet Series - Tatooine

Here is The Vanster (DJL09), number 3 of 8 from the 2016 Star Wars Planet series. This series was another Walmart exclusive.  It was an 8-car series released around October of 2016. All of the cars in this series were non-licensed vehicles, so interest among collectors for the series for the cars themselves seemed limited. I've seen it said elsewhere that, while the card art was impressive, that was the only thing going for this series. I've liked all of Hot Wheels Star Wars offerings, including this one.
The Vanster has decos to commemorate Tatooine. This cost the same as a car from the basic line, so no special wheels, and no all-around tampos. I like the Vanster anyway, and like the tampos on it here. And the card art does look good.

Happy Fourth of July, part 4

Time to show off some patriot-themed die-cast.

Castline M2 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi - Walmart exclusive

I'm a big MOPAR fan, so was happy to add this model to my collection. M2 does a good job on this casting, but I would have preferred non-operational doors. The passenger side door especially seems out of whack. Don't know enough about drag racing to know if this is based on a real car - I think that SS/B means super stock B class, but not even sure of that.

Hot Wheels Walmart Camouflage Series - 1979 Ford F-150 pickup

Just picked up 3 of the 6 from this series, including this 1979 Ford F-150 pickup (DFL82). Out of the 6 castings offered as part of this series, this is the only model that 'works' as camouflaged. I got the '68 Chevy Nova and the Rodger Dodger more because I like the casting than the paint job.

Hot Wheels Marvel Avenger Age of Ultron series: 7 of 8 Buzz Bomb Thor

Buzz Bomb casting representing Thor. Seventh issue of 8-car series, Hot Wheels Marvel Avengers Age of Ultron. This casting is great for its representation of Thor's cape.

Hot Wheels Marvel Avenger Age of Ultron series: 6 of 8 Sting Rod Iron Man

This is my favorite casting of the series. Number 6 of 8, Sting Rod meant to represent Iron Man (CGB87). From the Walmart exclusive series Marvel Avengers Age of Ultron. I picked up a number of these for possible conversions.