Truth be told, this was a pleasant surprise. I had never imagined a Hot Wheels casting for the Mazda RX-3 since it wasn’t as popular as the RX-7s and even RX-8s. So when I heard the news about it, I was ecstatic. Then I found out that Hot Wheels was debuting the Mazda RX-3 via the Car Culture series. I almost fainted. Two major things to note here, the Car Culture series and the Mazda RX-3. One is a series that employs Real Rider wheels and the other is a motorsport icon that is overshadowed by it’s younger brothers. And they have been released by Hot Wheels into the wild.
A Pair of 3s
I wasn’t able to collect the entire “Japan Historics” series, but I didn’t really have to. What’s important is that I was able to get the Mazda RX-3s.
From Japan Historics
From Japan Historics 2
The casting itself isn’t based on your normal Mazda Savanna (as it was called in Japan). This particular casting is a race-car inspired model. It has a modest boot lid spoiler and a large front air dam. It has ultra-wide, flared wheel arches and a roll cage. It’s a cartoonish looking car, but a mean-looking cartoon car. The thing that really hits me is the Real Rider wheels that were used on these two “Historics” releases. Hot Wheels calls them C4SPRR on the purple car and CBRR8SP on the orange car. But seriously, these could be your Work Equip 01s and Watanabe RKRs in 1:64 scale. In short, these are awesome wheelsets and are pretty much spot on for these classic cars. The paint on the purple car is good and the livery gets it to play the part of a classic racer. No details on the headlights and taillights though which is a shame because they look good on the orange car. The orange car looks more of a weekend track car built by an enthusiast than a full-blown race car. But both cars look fantastic.
These are awesome cars. I don’t know why they haven’t made it to the mainline but I think it’s not really a big issue since they may actually be better off in the Car Culture series.
Toy Box Garage 