Phantasy Feature: Matchbox 2014 Food Truck

This feature will be a change of pace for our regular readers. While the bulk of this blog discusses Hot Wheels related models, it's certainly not the only thing we will discuss. Today, we have the Matchbox 2014 Food Truck. Done in a bright and catchy purple, the Food Truck is mocked up as a traveling ice cream truck. More specifically, it's The Caramel Club! The Food Truck was a new design for the 2013 Matchbox series, so it has only been released twice. With the first release, the tampo made it look like a hot dog vendor. The Food Truck is a great addition to the Matchbox family and should see lots of use in the coming years. Food trucks have become such a popular means of grabbing a meal in recent years. Certainly, the Matchbox Food Truck can mirror all the different types of cuisine one can find on four wheels. The Caramel Club is an appealing design, featuring a large caramel man mascot. I'm quite pleased with it... and I think you would be too. Add one to your collection today!

On The Horizon: 2014 Hot Wheels 'N' Case

The 2014 Hot Wheels Mainline set is almost complete. As we come closer to the end of this year's series, the gems just keep on coming! 'N' Case has some mighty fine fantasy and unlicensed models in it. Be on the lookout for the following.

• Bread Box
• Rig Storm (Blue Recolor)
• Poison Arrow (Regular Treasure Hunt)
• Let's GO (Green Recolor)
• Bone Shaker (Black Recolor)
• Skate Punk
• Eevil Weevil
• Audacious
• Fly-By (Red Recolor)
• Knight Draggin'
• F1 Racer
• Sting Rod II
• Carbonic

I'm very eager to finally see the Knight Draggin', with its wavy body shape and cool mounted knight. Also, I'm extremely glad to see the Sting Rod II in a color scheme I actually enjoy. The Eevil Weevil is also highly anticipated by me - anything from 1980's Speed Demons series is something I will always drool over. Happy hunting!

On The Horizon: 2014 Hot Wheels 'L' and 'M' Case

I decided to feature the 'L' and 'M' case assortments together since they'll both be hitting store shelves really close to each other. It's a high likelihood that you'll see both hanging on the pegs at the same time. That being said, here are the unlicensed and fantasy castings you can expect from these two upcoming cases.

• Imparable (also was in 'K' case, missed that last time!)
• Screamliner (purple recolor - very nice)
• Fast Fish
• HW Poppa Wheelie (very odd... and cool)
• Yur So Fast
• Scoopa Di Fuego
• Howlin' Heat
• Arachnorod
• Tomb Up (chrome recolor)
• Twin Mill III
• Land Crusher
• Fast-Bed Hauler (red recolor)
• RRRoadster
• MR11
• Arrow Dynamic
• Ice Cream Truck
• Twin Mill (red recolor)
• Two Timer
• Buzzerk
• Rapid Response
• Rev Rod
• Hammerhead
• Ryura LX (black recolor - very classy)
• Double Demon
• Baja Truck
• Surfin' School Bus
• Fig Rig
• Off Track (regular Treasure Hunt)
• Mountain Mauler (blue recolor - much nicer looking)
• So Plowed (blue recolor)
• Off-Duty

I'm most excited for the Double Demon, Screamliner (my pick for best fantasy/unlicensed car of 2014) and Two Timer.  These two cases are chock full of great castings, especially for those of us whom like to customize cars with our own paint jobs. Be on the lookout my friends!

On The Horizon: 2014 Hot Wheels 'K' Case

Indeed, Hot Wheels' 2014 'K' Case has arrived. Check your local retailer for the following fantasy and unlicensed vehicles!

• HW Pursuit
• Let's Go (LEGO Minifigure Compatible!)
• 24/Seven
• Hi-Tech Missile
• Torque Twister
• Monster Dairy Delivery
• Project Speeder
• Max Steel Motorcycle
• Audacious

'K' Case is light on fantasy and unlicensed vehicles, but that doesn't mean there's not some great pieces to be had. The prize in this case is probably the Monster Dairy Delivery. It's just so much fun and is easily customizable. I plan on pulling a few apart myself and painting it in multiple custom colors. Also of note is the newest LEGO compatible vehicle, the Let's Go. Be on the lookout my friends!

Phantasy Feature: Hot Wheels Easter 2014 Nash Metropolitan Metrorail

Pictured above is the latest Nash Metropolitan 'Metrorail'. We are lucky enough to have it released as part of the Hot Wheels Easter 2014 series! In my opinion, this year's Easter series is one of the best released in recent years, with eight fantastic cars that are all worthy of spotlight. I had a hard choice in selecting which casting I wanted to cover, but finally settled on this stylish Metrorail. Originally released in 2000, the Metrorail (or Nash Metropolitan, the names are used almost interchangeably) has seen many releases in multiple lines since then. It's a great little casting with a lot of character, to which you can thank designer Mike Nuttall for! Of note on this latest release is the highly detailed tampo on the car itself. Check out that bunny face that stretches from the front, all the way over the hood. How neat-o is that?! The Metrorail is one of those odd castings that blurs the boundary between fantasy and licensed castings. In all honesty, it is a little bit of both. Either way, it's right at home here at the Phantasy Fleet blog. Be on the lookout for this Metrorail at your local Wal-Mart during the Easter holiday season.

Phantasy Feature: Hot Wheels 2014 First Edition Screamliner

We've been waiting anxiously for the Screamliner to hit the pegs. And now... we finally have it. All I can say is WOW. What a magnificent casting the Screamliner is. Incorporating sleak, sexy curves and stance so low that you can barely see the wheels, the Screamliner is my favorite new release of the 2014 series (so far). Designed by the legendary Larry Wood, the Screamliner is a die-cast collector's dream. The top is metal, while the base and chrome trim are plastic. There's a million different custom paint schemes I can't wait to apply to the Screamliner -- I've bought a dozen of them in anticipation of my customization plans. The Screamliner is an obvious ode the 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe (seen below). If you haven't already added the Screamliner to your collection, what are you waiting for?! Hopefully, we'll see this released in a few variant colorways before the end of the 2014 series (and perhaps as an HWC premium if we're lucky).

1925 Rolls Royce Phantom I Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe

Phantasy Feature: Hot Wheels 2014 First Edition Ryura LX

The brand new Ryura LX is a marvelous vehicle. This is a completely original design by Ryu Asada (hence the name) made to mirror the modern luxury sedans of our time. With a metalflake red paint job and a sleek, curvy body, the Ryura LX looks almost like a real car! I'm quite impressed with this design. The low squattiness of the body gives the impression of speed and masterful handling. On both sides is a white pinstripe with the word LIMO in tiny letters - you'll almost miss it if you don't look close enough. This might imply that the Ryura LX is a high-end town car for the regal jet-setter elite. Either way, this is a fantastic new edition that deserves a home in your fantasy / unlicensed collection!

On The Horizon: 2014 Hot Wheels 'J' Case

We've just seen the release of the 2014 Hot Wheels 'H' Case. Now, here comes the 'J' Case! This case is chock full of some superb fantasy and unlicensed castings. Be sure to look for the following.

• Repo Duty
• Back Slider
• Ice Cream Truck
• Avant Garde
• Super Van
• So Plowed
• Turbo Turret
• Snoopy (this one will be HARD to find for sure)
• Fast 4WD
• Twinduction (regular Treasure Hunt)
• Nitro Doorslammer
• Rig Storm
• Nerve Hammer
• Bone Shaker

As stated above, the Snoopy casting is sure to be very popular and will likely be gobbled up entirely (just like the Homer from a few cases back). I'm personally excited for the new Back Slider (it's purple) and the ingenious So Plowed. The Rig Storm is also a potential gem, but I won't know until I can find it. Good luck!

On The Horizon: 2014 Hot Wheels 'H' Case

It's time for another batch of fresh Hot Wheels to roll off the assembly line and into your local department store. Be on the lookout for the following fantasy/unlicensed vehicles in the 2014 'H' Case.

• Star Trek USS Vengeance
• Twin Mill (both standard and Super Treasure Hunt)
• Stockar (regular Treasure Hunt)
• Screamliner
• Sharkruiser
• Quick N' Sik
• Formul8r
• Fly-By
• Fig Rig
• Carbonator
• Bone Shaker
• Baja Truck

Personally, I'm excited for the Carbonator in the new purple and neon green deco, as well as the Twin Mill Super Treasure Hunt. It's also nice to see the Fig Rig (one of my favorite new 2013 castings) make an appearance in the Hot Wheels Race Team subset. Though, the real gem in this case assortment is certainly the Screamliner. This is a new design from the masterful Larry Wood and will definitely be featured here in an upcoming article.

Phantasy Feature: Hot Wheels 2014 Fangster Treasure Hunt

As a fantasy die-cast collector, it's always an overjoyous feeling when the fine folks at Hot Wheels decide to employ a classic unlicensed casting as a modern Treasure Hunt. In 2014, we were lucky enough to receive the superbly menacing Fangster! As part of the 2014 Treasure Hunt series, it has the special 'flame circle' logo stamped right on the rear. If you're like me, then you've heard more times than you care to recall how horrible this casting supposedly is from the strictly muscle car collector segment. Boy... those collectors couldn't be more wrong. Dripping from the metal teeth of the Fangster is a rich past, filled with fond memories from '80s collectors (both young and old). The Fangster made its debut in the superstar-filled 1986 Speed Demons series. It's only seen a handful of releases since then, making the Fangster a rare appearance in a mainline series... much less as a Treasure Hunt. For this release, I'm quite fond of the blazing orange eyes on the dark silvery-blue body. It makes the reptilian face really pop! As a child, the original Fangster was one of the first Hot Wheels I can recall purchasing with my own money. I'm glad the casting is still alive and well. If you happen to know whom designed the Fangster, leave a comment below. Thanks!

Phantasy Feature: Hot Wheels 2014 Dragon Blaster

We've seen the Dragon Blaster released nearly a dozen times since its inception in the 2010 Color Shifters Creatures line. It's an interesting casting and certainly appealing to fantasy die-cast collectors, but I feel the Dragon Blaster just never got it right.

Until now...

This is the Dragon Blaster we've been waiting for. Jet black with neon green wings and highlights... WOW! This beauty screams forth with a venomous howl! I just can't get over how dangerous and menacing this version of the Dragon Blaster is. By far, this is my favorite version. It's also one of the fantasy standouts from the 2014 'G' case. Make sure you pick one up before they're all gone. Fantasy-geared collectors are definitely going to snap the new Dragon Blaster up!

If you happen to know whom at Mattel designed the Dragon Blaster, leave a comment below. Thanks!

News Wire: 2014 Hot Wheels Red Line Club sELECTIONs

Those of you readers whom are members of the Hot Wheels Red Line Club should take note. The 2014 sELECTIONs polls are up and ready to go. If you're a member, you're allowed to vote! There are eight vehicles to choose from, divided into four different head-to-head ballots. Your vote is important!

• Custom AMC AMX vs. Classic Cord
• 1931 Ford Woody vs. Classic Nomad
• '67 Pontiac Firebird 400 vs. 1968 Cougar
• Continental Mark III vs. DeLorean DMC-12

While all of the selection choices are based on real-life or licensed vehicles, they're still great castings. Though fantasy and unlicensed castings are the focus of this blog, our love for all die-cast vehicles will surely shine through as well.

Click here to trek over to the Hot Wheels Red Line Club forum (members only, of course).

On The Horizon: 2014 Hot Wheels 'G' Case

It's about time for the latest batch of Hot Wheels 2014 cars to show up at retail. The following fantasy / unlicensed vehicles should be appearing within the next few weeks.

• 24 Ours
• Vanster
• Circle Tracker
• Super Blitzen
• Dragon Blaster
• Classic TV Series Batmobile
• Altered Ego
• F1 Racer
• Cloud Cutter
• Time Tracker
• Tomb Up
• Ryura LX
• Rescue Duty (Regular Treasure Hunt)
• Wattzup

Which vehicles are you most excited to find? For me, it has to be the Dragon Blaster (best version yet in black and green), Cloud Cutter (part of the awesome Night Storm subset) and the Tomb Up (mummies rule).

Phantasy Feature: Hot Wheels 2014 Covelight

What better way to kick off the Phantasy Fleet blog than with the Covelight? From Hot Wheels 2014 series, the Covelight epitomizes everything that we love about fantasy cars: the ingenious design, the sleek curves, the unique wishbone windshield, the bold color contrast of the purple and pink. And to top it off with a set of glow in the dark wheels? Wow... the Covelight is quite simply superb.

Designed by Jun Imai for the 2005 AcceleRacers series, the Covelight has seen only a handful of releases since then. With the 2014 release, I believe they've crafted the finest Covelight yet. 

The Covelight has a plastic body on a metal chassis. While many collectors like to complain about plastic body vehicles, it seems to do this particular Covelight some justice. It makes a great track car in due part to the plastic body, as well as being fairly light and long in presentation. Plus, the solid purple plastic really makes this vehicle stand out.

Speaking of those glow in the dark wheels, this Covelight is part of the 2014 Night Storm subset. I'm certain other cars from this subset will be covered on Phantasy Fleet (I'm looking at you Hypertruck).