First Look: Hot Wheels '15 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat...

Yeah, it's a Hellcat.  But it is highly unlikely that the word "Hellcat" will ever find its way to a Hot Wheels car and cardbacks.

So with that out of the way, let's move on to the model.  I say Hellcat, you say 700 hp.  That is all you need to know.  But you already know that too.  You think about that like you would a ghost pepper.  Complete intrigue, and definitely a little fear.  The car is a monster.  Inside and out.

So of course Hot Wheels was going to make it.  (We assume the Charger will arrive one of these days too.)  And considering that, the next question was whether or not it would sport the large rear wheels. Collectors have a love/hate relationship with those backside behemoths.  Sometimes they make a good model great, other times a great model bad.  Other times you wish they weren't there, and others you just live with them.

But in the case of the Hot Wheels Challenger, from the Concept in 2007, to the SRT a year later, through the Drift version, I have not been a fan of the rear wheels at all.  The Challenger just doesn't look like the Challenger.  They are not an enhancement at all.  They make the car look like something completely different.

So we were very curious to see what would appear.  We now know:

Yeah, they are still there.  It is really too bad.  Seeing the rear sit level with the front would make this model darn near perfect.

But I will confess something.  I still really like it.  A lot of love was clearly put into this one.  The front grill area is fantastic.  The body is super clean, and the choice of red with black wheels gives it that Hellcat look.  And look, that front chin is perfect.

But as much as I like it, I will always look at with that "what could have been" sigh.  Thankfully, my recently acquired Holy Grail from Matchbox more than scratches that itch:

Too much of a difference, eh?  I would show that the Hellcat is an improvement over the last few Challengers, but I don't have any to compare it with.  I just have never been a fan.  I will keep this one though.

(Find the Hellcat at Wheel Collectors)

Hot Wheels '15 Dodge Challenger Hellcat (2015 New Models):

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Holy Grail acquired: The 2012 Matchbox Dodge Challenger SRT8 9-pack exclusive arrives...

Looks like I need a new Holy Grail...

If you remember, a few weeks ago I showcased the Matchbox that got away.  The 2012 Matchbox Dodge Challenger SRT8 in green was exclusive to one 9-pack, and while I bought one for my Lamley partner and showcased it on the blog before mailing to him in the UK, I totally forgot to get one for myself.  When I realized that, they were all gone from the store shelves, and nowhere to be found on eBay.

I have looked and looked ever since, in obscure stores and online, to no avail.  That is until I posted my article about Holy Grails, explaining what they were, and why the Challenger was mine.  Soon after I heard from a good friend on Instagram, @diecastme, who told me he had one.  We worked out a deal (he has something very cool headed his way), and the Challenger left Canada on its journey to Utah.

It is here, and it was worth the wait.  I have always liked the Matchbox Challenger SRT8.  No frills, realistic proportions, and great detail.  It looks especially good next to the Hot Wheels version, which has suffered from one of the worst cases of largerearwheelitis we have seen.  Its monstrous rear wheels distort the model so bad it doesn't look at all like the real thing.  Thankfully that is not the case with the Matchbox version.

The only problem I have had with the Matchbox Challenger is the wheels.  The first few sported the double 10-spoke wheels, which I have always loved, but not on the Challenger.  The casting was meant to sit on the MB 5-spoke wheels.

It finally happened with the lime green version.  The satin lime was a perfect color, and the 5-spoke wheels looked fantastic.  It was just hard to find.  The model was supposed to be the basic line, but a few snags with the Dodge license meant the models that were already made would head to 10-packs.  Some of us hoped we would see it on the basic card later, but that day never came.  Matchbox later released the purple version as a make-up for the gap created by the green Challenger, but no more greens were released.

And it is too bad, because it looks so good, especially now that I can take better photos compared to  the last time I had it.

Welcome home...

So what is my next grail?  No idea.  If nothing comes to mind right away, than I surely don't have one.  That could change very quickly...

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Meet Lamley's "Holy Grail"...

Yeah, "Holy Grail" in the diecast world is probably a bit misused.

The term has come to represent that one model on your want list that, no matter how hard you look, never shows up anywhere.  Sometimes it is that one model you need to complete a set, or a rare variation, or even a model that was easy to find at one point, but now it has all but vanished.

Of course when we say misused, it happens all the time.  I have seen it used with Super TH's that just aren't out yet (Oh, that Evo Super is awesome and it is totally my Holy Grail!), or with models that are just too expensive.

Those aren't Holy Grails.  If you want them, you can get them.  Holy Grails are what the Holy Grail mythically is.  That treasure that may or may not be out there, and even if you were willing to pay any amount, you just can't find it.

So we have seen people talk of many Holy Grails like the 2005 FTE Dodge Charger with flames, or the red-wheel Dieselboy, or the #1-46 John Morton-signed RLC BRE Datsun 510.  There are many more, and we would love to hear what yours is.

I have one too.  It isn't an epic variation, or a rare prepro, or a model that is always on everyone's want list.  It is a simple Matchbox 9-pack model from 3 years ago that, for the life of me, I cannot find.  Anywhere.

And even more annoying, I had one in my hand, and back in the day I passed by them all the time.

The 9-pack model I am talking about is the 2012 Matchbox Dodge Challenger in lime green.  It was only released in 9-packs, and I even featured it on the Lamley Blog (that is where these pics came from).  That particular model I sent to my Lamley partner David Tilley, and figured I would just pick one up later.  Of course I forgot, and when I went looking, the packs were gone.

So I look and I look.  Nothing.  I've asked, and friends either have one for themselves or never got one.  Ugh.  Hence, a common green Dodge Challenger, which is quite a nice-looking model, has become my Holy Grail.

Is this just a fun article or a plea for help?  We will let you figure that out (but if you have one you want to sell or trade, I can be found at lamleygroup@gmail.com.  Just sayin').  Just know we have a Holy Grail.

Do you?

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