| Hot Wheels has some of the quirky out-of-the-leftfield concepts that have been part of the brand identity. In all honestly, some of the designers don’t take themselves too seriously and Mattel has given them the freedom to design something real-world car designers won’t be able to do. The ideas inspired by nothing or something hilariously funny can be turned into a Hot Wheels car.
This same idea was the ingredient that late great Ryu Asada concocted back in 2016 thinking of ordinary objects that can be turned into a racing vehicle. This turns out to be the Roller Toaster, a sort of panel van inspired by a toaster with wheels turning up to compete in the 24-Hour Lemons from the imaginative mind of Asada. |
Of course, the casting's first debut was in the 2016 mainline basic assortment under the Legends of Speed followed by a pair of releases under the Experimotors subline up to being part of the Fast Foodie theme in 2020. Its latest incarnation appears now under a new theme called Sweet Rides along with “food-related” inspirations.
There are nine colour variations with different deco/liveries that adorn the little panel van that brings the bread literally to the Hot Wheels Original concept. Of course, the original debut wasn’t as bright as its current version being a little subtle to be even recognized as a toaster with wheels.
 |
 |
A Ride of Sweetness
The 2023 card back retains the usual Hot Wheels motif of blue with the logo having an overlap version instead of just an empty background against the product image art with its latest incarnation in green. The new subtheme “Sweet Rides” colour code comes in pink with a noticeable thought of sweetness to the concept that most of the cars with this theme are entirely sweet in shape and form.
Its only real vehicle in the series is the Quick Bite based on the Good Humor Truck has been constantly retooled in the last decade. The Roller Toaster doesn’t go out of place with the inclusion of this classic casting dating back to 1984. But this very rounded home appliance on wheels still stands out for its unique design that there’s another vehicle under the same theme that can complement its design ques.
Nutty of Jelly Goodness
For all that past deco/liveries that inhabited this casting, it does make sense that it is a toaster that serves Peanut Butter and Jelly. The toasted goodness is evident too with the sandwich that’s being cooked is very much brownish at the same time you get an idea of how that would smell in a real sandwich once you toast it.
You gotta appreciate the colour combination of the plastic body and the purple-tinted windows is certainly a match made in creating branding for its livery. The red version that was released before this did not stand out that much as the bright green that shows the bread popping on its back is brownish toast that makes you think this is a brand new casting coming out this year that it was six years old.
Comparing Toasties
Looking back at the original release and the current one for 2023, there’s no difference in the casting as it has been the same body type that kept the plastic body over a metal base with a functioning gimmick that lets you pull down the spoiler and releasing it to simulate a toaster popping up a pair of bread loaf on top of its roof.
The difference however is the use of the bread on the latest release has added paint hits that are now brown with slight burnt in them. Usually, the paint budget for unlicensed casting is not as detailed as the ones for the licensed models. This makes an added attraction to this model for those who missed out on the first release in 2017.
Overall, the unique shape and design of the Roller Toaster continue to add a new variation to the ever-growing toasters that were released before. It’s a fun panel van with its gimmick that would add budget to the cost of the model. The only drawback is the ZAMAC base shine fades as seen in the first model.
It is still a fun vibrant and bright colour making it new to the eyes of those who missed out on its previous release. This one is a quick pick-up that has added paint details on the bread that some might not notice making this one quite a toaster to get.
No comments:
Post a Comment