Tag / 1992

by marcboz

1992 and 1994 Hot Wheels Thunderstreak Variations

This Hot Wheels open-wheel racer casting was first released as Formula Fever in 1983, then was renamed Thunderstreak for the 1985 Real Riders series. The original die included a low wing as part of the unpainted metal base, but an alternate version with a larger, higher wing attached to the upper body was created in 1992 for the Pro Circuit Racing series. Between the two, there have been about 35 different variations produced.

I found these two higher-wing Thunderstreak variations in the $1 tub at J & J’s Treasures. This yellow model with Pennzoil racing livery is the Collector #153 that was released in 1992.

Hot Wheels | 1992 | #153 | Thunderstreak | yellow with black and red Pennzoil 4 racing tampo, yellow interior, unpainted metal base | Malaysia | blackwalls

In 1994, there were two variations of Thunderstreak used for an Aquafresh promotional. Both are turquiose with Aquafresh racing graphics, but one has the Aquafresh logo on the rear wing, while the other has the Water Pik logo, as you see here.

Hot Wheels | 1994 Aquafresh promo | 9545 | Thunderstreak | turquoise with red, blue and white Aquafresh 61 Water Pik racing tampo, Water Pik on tail, turquoise interior, unpainted metal base | Malaysia | blackwalls

Other examples of the Hot Wheels Thunderstreak in my collection include the 1989 Ziploc Promotional model, a loose Kraco racer from 1988 and the other Aquafresh promotional model from 1994. I also have a carded version of the 1988 Kraco Park ‘N Plates release.

by marcboz

1992 Hot Wheels Pontiac Fiero 2M4 on #181 Collector Card

The Pontiac Fiero, which featured composite panels and hidden headlamps, was the first mid-engine sports car mass-produced by a U.S. manufacturer. It was built by GM for the 1984-1988 model years. The Fiero was on Car and Driver‘s Ten Best list and was also named the official pace car of the Indianapolis 500 in 1984.

The Hot Wheels Pontiac Fiero 2M4 made its debut in the 1985 Hot Wheels The Hot Ones series. It has been produced in about 27 variations up to as recently as 2013. The 1992 Collector #181 was light green with gold glitter flakes and could be found with either Ultra Hot wheels (click here to see my example) or with Hot Ones wheels as you see here. I scored this example back in February when I picked up several Collector Number Hot Wheels from a local seller on the Facebook Marketplace.

Other Hot Wheels Pontiac Fiero 2M4s in my collection include a Hong Kong casting from 1985, the 1987 red, white and blue version and a black variation of the Collector #114 from 1991.

Hot Wheels | 1992 | #181 | Pontiac Fiero 2M4 | light green with gold glitter, yellow interior, unpainted metal base | Malaysia | Hot Ones wheels

by marcboz

1992 Hot Wheels Construction Crew 5-Pack Oshkosh Cement Mixer

Earlier this year, I was looking through my Hot Wheels and I realized that I was still missing the Oshkosh Cement Mixer that I needed to finish my loose collection of the 1992 Construction Crew 5-Pack. I had acquired the four other models back in 2019 in a large lot of cars that I picked up on the Facebook Marketplace and I decided it was time to finish the job. So I found a nice example on eBay and made it mine.

The Hot Wheels Oshkosh Cement Mixer was first released in 1992 and, in that first year of release, the Collector #144 is identical to the variation that went in the Construction Crew 5-Pack. (The Oshkosh Cement Mixer in the 1993 Construction Crew 5-Pack is a yellow and black model that is identical to the blackwall Collector #269 from 1995.) A total of 21 variations were produced up until the casting was included in the 2002 Final Run series.

Hot Wheels | 1992 Construction Crew 5-Pack (or #144) | 3871 | Oshkosh Cement Mixer | white plastic and blue metal with red plastic drum, blue plastic base | Malaysia | blackwalls

by marcboz

1990 and 1992 Hot Wheels Big Bertha Variations

There are about a dozen different variations of the Hot Wheels Big Bertha, if you count the redline-era releases as Tough Customer and the 1982 Megaforce Series version called Battle Tank. I picked up two more of them in my recent score from R&S Resale. This first example is the dark green Collector #79 from 1990.

Hot Wheels | 1990 | 79 | Big Bertha | dark green with light green, burgundy and tan camouflage | MY

Next we have the gray-brown Collector #159 from 1992.

Hot Wheels | 1992 | 159 | Big Bertha | gray-brown with brown, black and white camouflage | MY

Other examples of this casting in my collection include a nice Tough Customer from 1975, the 1985 and 1988 versions of Big Bertha and the 1997 example of Tough Customer.

by marcboz

1992 Hot Wheels Pontiac Fiero 2M4

The Hot Wheels Pontiac Fiero 2M4 was first released in the 1985 Hot Ones series and has been produced in about 27 different variations. This light green model with gold glitter and Ultra Hot wheels is the 1992 Collector #181 and is another score from my Wichita eBay friend. I’ve recently acquired a few of these ’90s Hot Wheels with glitter paint, such as the 1993 Mercedes 380 SEL and the 1994 Limozeen.

The other example of the Hot Wheels Pontiac Fiero 2M4 in my collection is the red, white and blue variation from the 1987 Speed Fleet.

Hot Wheels | 1992 | #181 | Pontiac Fiero 2M4 | light green with gold glitter | MY | uh

by marcboz

A $4 Bag of Assorted Toys

I think most collectors really enjoy a chance to rescue treasures from among somebody else’s cast-offs. This was the case back in November, when I saw a lot of assorted toys for sale on the Facebook Marketplace. While most of the toys looked to be well played-with, I spotted what appeared to be some blackwall-era Hot Wheels among the bunch. Since the photo was lacking clarity, it was difficult to determine the condition of the items or even if they were what I thought they were. But since the entire lot was only $4, I took a chance.

In the bag of toys, I found 8 items that I will call keepers. The items I’m showing here are duplicates of models I already have in my collection and/or they are missing parts. The others I will show in separate posts.

The Hot Wheels Airport Rescue was first released in 1981 and was only produced in four different variations over the next few years. It’s a very heavy casting and I suspect this is the reason it was phased-out fairly quickly. This example is in comparable condition to the one I already have (the tampo is actually a little better) but it is unfortunately missing the forward plastic hose cannon.

Hot Wheels | 1981 Workhorses | 1699 | Airport Rescue | yellow with dark orange and black trim, missing front hose cannon | HK | bw

The Hot Wheels Peterbilt Dump Truck was first cast in 1983 and has been produced in about 21 different variations, most recently included in the 2003 Work Crewsers series. This red paint/red dumper version from 1989 is identical to the only example of this casting I already have in my collection, but this one is missing the plastic tailgate.

Hot Wheels | 1989 Workhorses | 1560 | Peterbilt Dump Truck | red with red dumper, missing tailgate | MY | bw

In 1978, Hot Wheels released the Army Funny Car, based on the Plymouth Arrow, which featured a hinged body that opened to reveal the engine and cockpit cast into the metal base. The same casting was used in 1979 for the Human Torch and in 1982 for the Pepsi Challenger. In 1985 and 1986 the casting was called Screamin’. In 1982, the Firebird Funny Car was released and it was produced in over two dozen variations up to the 2002 Final Run series. Though the Firebird Funny Car had a different body, it used the same base as the Army funny car.

This Hot Wheels funny car base could be from any one of several releases of either casting that featured blackwalls. But since the model was cast only in Hong Kong up until 1982, we can narrow down this Malaysia-cast base to that year or later. I’ll keep it handy in case I ever come across a funny car body that’s missing its lower half.

Hot Wheels | 1982 or later | Funny Car base only | MY | bw

by marcboz

1992 Hot Wheels Gleam Team Aeroflash on #191 Collector Card

The Hot Wheels casting that would eventually be called Aeroflash was first released all the way back in the 1975 Flying Colors series. Designed by Larry Wood as, apparently, an electric vehicle, it was originally called Large Charge and was decorated with lightning bolts and a circuit board. Also later called Silver Bullet, the model has been produced in about 39 variations and most recently was included in the 2011 Color Shifters series.

This Collector #191 Aeroflash which I got in my score at the Haysville Trailer Park is from the 1992 Gleam Team Edition. This series featured cars with super-shiny textured (sometimes color-tinted) chrome plastic bodies.

I have a few other Gleam Team cars in my collection, including the #190 ’57 T-Bird and the #192 Corvette Stingray.

Other examples of this casting that I have in my collection are a 1979 variation of Large Charge, a 1985 Ultra Hots Silver Bullet, a 1988 Silver Bullet Color Racer, a 1994 Color FX Aeroflash, and a 1998 30th Anniversary replica of the 1975 Large Charge first release.

Hot Wheels | 1992 Gleam Team | #191 | Aeroflash | pink chrome textured | MY | uh

by marcboz

1992 Hot Wheels Shock Factor on #141 Collector Card

The Hot Wheels Shock Factor was first released in 1992 and has seen about 19 variations, last appearing in the 2009 Connect Cars series. This example of the Collector #141 first casting is from my recent finds at the Haysville Trailer Park.

The other example that I have in my collection of this Larry Wood designed off-road racer is a China-cast blackwall-wearing model from 1998.

Hot Wheels | 1992 | #141 | Shock Factor | black with blue, red and yellow trim | MY | ct

by marcboz

1992 Hot Wheels Gleam Team ’57 T-Bird on #190 Collector Card

During 1992, Hot Wheels released a segment called the Gleam Team. The series were cast in a textured chrome plastic which gave the models a real flash. There were 5 different castings, with color/wheel variations of most, creating a total of about 10 different cars. This ’57 T-Bird, which came in my recent Facebook Marketplace score, is the second Gleam Team model I’ve added to my collection.

The other example in my collection from the Gleam Team is the chrome Corvette Stingray.

Hot Wheels | 1992 Gleam Team | #190 | ’57 T-Bird | gold chrome textured plastic | MY | bw

Other examples I have in my collection of the ’57 T-Bird include the two variations of the 1978 first-casting.

by marcboz

1992 Hot Wheels Roll Patrol Trailbuster on #161 Collector Card

This Hot Wheels casting was first released in 1991 – considered a retool of the Jeep CJ-7 from 1982 – as Trailbuster. It can be found in around 40 different variations as recently as 2012, mostly called Roll Patrol but sometimes Trailbuster, occasionally with the word Jeep included.

This carded #161 Roll Patrol that I picked up recently on the Facebook Marketplace is from 1992 and is one of 4 variations from that year alone: it could be found with construction tires, black construction tires (as here), black blackwalls, or a different tampo with black construction tires.

The other example of this casting that I have in my collection is a turquoise version of the 1991 Trailbuster, which you can see by clicking here.

Hot Wheels | 1992 | #161 | Roll Patrol Trailbuster | light gray-brown with black interior, black, light brown and white trim | MY | black ct