Pandem Subaru BRZ

The last of the Street Tuners is the Subaru BRZ. But this is not just a BRZ, it is the Pandem Subaru BRZ. Pandem makes crazy body kits for cars and Hot Wheels actually did a good job with this one.

Subaru Pandem BRZ front quarter profile

The car is based on the Scion FR-S, the car better known as the Toyota GT 86. Mechanical siblings, the Toyota GT-86, Subaru BRZ, and Scion FR-S, they all share the Boxer engine from Subaru as a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota. The result is a back-to-basics sports car that is low-cost, easy to maintain, and most importantly, fun and sporty to drive.

Subaru Pandem BRZ side profile

The difference of course is the Pandem body kit on this latest iteration by Mark Jones for Hot Wheels. They nailed the body kit on this casting. Front and rear bumpers, side skirts, canards, front lip, diffusers, wide-body, and the humongous rear wing. This is highlighted in the simple but effective blue paint job on the car. Other highlights include detailed headlights and taillights and a distinct Greddy logo on the rear number plate. No Car Culture casting would be complete without Real Rider wheels, and the Pandem BRZ will not disappoint with those black RR6SPM wheels.

Subaru Pandem BRZ rear quarter profile

The whole Street Tuners series was spectacular. The 180SX could have done better, to be honest, but it was a great addition to the series and really completes that JDM vibe. As with the rest of the cars in the series, the BRZ is a keeper.

Honda S2000

The Honda S2000 is a screaming convertible that was produced by Honda from 1999 to 2009. Under the bonnet was the F20C motor, a 2-liter DOHC-VTEC making about 250 bhp. The motor was in a front-midship configuration with a 9000 rpm redline where the VTEC screams like a banshee. It was one of the highest-rated normally aspirated engines of all time with a 124 HP per liter.

Honda S2000

The Hot Wheels version came out in 2011 and was designed by Ryu Asada. The casting was more of a tuner inspired version rather than an outright scale model of the original. Even by the Club Racer version standards, this Hot Wheels casting takes it to a new level. While there has been no re-tooling of the car since it was released, several versions of it have been going around and what I have for this entry is the Street Tuners version.

Honda S2000 front quarter profile

The Street Tuners was released in 2019 and the S2000 on this series came in a simple silver paint job. However, the casting is an original design that is inclusive of a body kit, a rear wing, front canards, vented hood, and even a front splitter and rear valance. Because of this, the uncluttered look of the plain silver simply accentuates the lines, edges, and bulges of the car. This, together with detailing for the headlights, taillights, emblems, and even the Honda nameplate on the rear, make for a very nice looking car. The black MCRR wheels are also a nice contrast to the rest of the car. This is overall a very nice package for the little Honda.

Honda S2000 rear quarter profile

I do have other versions of this car but this is the best of the bunch so far. A definite keeper, and not just for JDM fans.

Mazda 787B

I reviewed the Mazda 787B before, but that was the TLVN casting of the number 55 car. This Mazda 787B is from Hot Wheels bearing the number 18. Though the number 18 car did not take the 24 Hour of Le Mans trophy, it did finish 6th overall. The number 18 car also did not come in the loud orange Renown livery but a simpler white Mazda livery.

Mazda 787B

Out of all the Circuit Legend cars in this set, the Mazda 787B is probably the one that needs the least introduction. It still holds the record for being the only Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hour of Le Mans and probably will be the only one to win with a rotary engine. While the number 18 car is the lesser-known sibling of the 787B family, this is still a very desirable casting from Hot Wheels. It manages to stay close to the original in terms of livery. Though the rear wing did have an issue of being bent out of shape from the packaging. I managed to fix this by following a suggestion from one of the forums to dip it in hot water and straighten it while it was warm. It worked for me. The only real drawback here is that the wheels may never get the same accuracy as the TLVN versions. This is most likely because Hot Wheels won’t have those wheelsets anytime soon. This car makes do with RRAs in front and RREs at the back. While looking close to the original, it isn’t an actual replica of those wheels.

Mazda 787B

The saving grace though is the removable rear cowl of the car. Doing so will reveal the engine bay which is (sadly) half covered by the strut brace. And there is no detailing on the engine bay here in terms of paint. It is a plain black plastic mold. Again, this isn’t any fault at all for the price that this car is going. While the easiest comparison would be against the TLVN, they are actually on different levels.

Mazda 787B

Make no mistake, this casting is a very good representation of the Mazda 787B. It would be unfair to compare it with the TLVN which costs 8 times as much, but it is actually flattering for the Hot Wheels.