HW Celebration Racers | Twin Mill Gen-E

There are seasonal things that don’t appear every single day, it might be Christmas, Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, or even to celebrate a Birthday. But Hot Wheels, a die-cast toy brand, has discovered to celebrate these seasons through their mini collections that are part of their yearly mainline releases. It’s a fun way to get them if you are not narrowly collecting only licensed car brands. With the Chinese New Year, it has been a tradition with Hot Wheels to present this year’s car that would represent the animal sign. For 2025, it is the Year of the Snake, and what more appropriate car to represent that than the Twin Mill Gen-E! An electrified version of the Hot Wheels Original, the Twin Mill!

Hot Wheels has been producing Chinese New Year cars beginning with the Year of the Dragon in 2012, with the Rodziilla (1988-2025). Since then, there have been cars that represented each anima, except 2013 (Year of the Snake) and 2019 (Year of the Pig), where there were no cars presented in those years.

But for the rest, every year there are cars, and in the last five years, Hot Wheels was consistent and even in the last two years, including a car being part of the mini collection called “HW Celebration Racers” that also includes the Valentine's Cars, and other yearly events that are being celebrated.

For 2025, the new card back featuring the car in the artwork is in motion, and at the same time, there will be a tiny badge that says something about the car. It is either celebrating a special day or featuring a licensed vehicle celebrating an anniversary. Hot Wheels just found a way to keep collectors and random fans hooked to what type of vehicle they are getting, and that is how a hobby is celebrated.

The carded version you here is an international release, and it doesn’t say which case assortment was part of. The second year, when Hot Wheels introduced the “HW Celebration Races,” it showed that this featured car has a unique livery that is for this year. There were no Hot Wheels cars that represented the Year of the Snake in 2013, and this is the first car to ever bear that deco/livery.

Twin Mill Gen-E

There have been several variations and representations of the original Twin Mill, which was introduced in 1969, and has been heavily retooled to suit the cost and to fit with modern times. Then, this was followed by a second and third editions, with each representing how a modern Twin Mill would appear, having modern technology and design to fit with the times.

Of course, variations like this year’s Super Twin Mill are something to look forward to, and this version of the Twin Mill Gen-E, which was first introduced in the mainline back in 2019. This version doesn’t have two engines sticking out, but it is an electrified version retaining the signature rear, windshield, and that familiar silhouette will give you an idea that this is a Twin Mill.

Electrified Classic

In the real world, EVs or Electric Vehicles are popular with legacy brands chasing Tesla and Chinese-produced car brands like BYD (Build Your Dreams), to name a few, being recognized globally for producing electric cars that have been seen on the roads all over the world.

It’s no surprise that Hot Wheels would create a version that would represent one of their popular non-licensed cars that has been around since the beginning of the brand. The Twin Mill is a car every kid would own in their childhood collection. But an electrified Twin Mill Gen-E, to be honest, is unlike the original without its two engines sticking out on the side of the car.

Snake Rider

Despite being a neutered version of the original Twin Mill, they haven’t even produced a “Hybrid Version” to slot between the recent model with this version is like having a missing link to its evolution. But with the “Year of the Snake” livery, the graphic works well with its deep green colours, while the base has a red plastic to contrast it. The gold and red accents show “2025” with the “Hot Wheels” logo kind of grows on you when you see it on the car’s bonnet.

The Snake logo can be found on the roof of the car, while the gold trims in the rear and front can be found like it slithers on top of the car. It’s hard to look at it as a “snake car” compared to the Year of the Dragon last year, featuring the Knight Draggin’ in place of the Rodzilla from 2012 that was retired in 2015.

Overall, the aesthetics are not what you’d thought they would be for a car that represented the Year of the Snake. The Twin Mill Gen-E is rarely used in the casting of a car, with the release of the newer Super Twin Mill this year.

But it is a good casting to have until the next regular version that does not represent as a seasonal car or an anniversary car. This is not my first Chinese New Year car, as the one I got was from 2015’s Year of the Goat/Ram featuring the Carbonic.

Still, this Twin Mill Gen-E is something of an addition for its unique look for a Chinese New Year car for 2025!