QUICK LINK! Find the Super Treasure Hunt Lamborghini Aventador for sale.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 from the 2018 HW Exotics series (common and super treasure hunt variation)

From there, a new colorway in blue was released a couple months later as a store exclusive for one of the last Kmart Collector Events. All three were a must-have unbeknownst to me. I found myself looking up past releases and noticed that another store exclusive was getting harder (and pricier) to find: the 2012 Kroger exclusive in yellow. It came in a pillow bag as part of the 2012 Super Speeders — a #Kroger Exclusive 12-car Mystery set — that really wasn’t sought out by collectors at the time.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 as various store exclusives: 2012 Kroger (yellow) and 2018 GameStop (blue)

In 2019, I was fortunate to get my hands on a couple of the seemingly rare Gumball 3000 release — direct from the UK. These were later sold on HWC in super limited quantities, and I recall not even being able to get one. The digitally-printed Gumball 3000  camouflage pattern is a rather unique look for any vehicle — let alone an exotic — and it certainly stands out in the collection. What makes this car even cooler is that it is a replica of the 2016 Gumball 3000 winner, a car driven by Dutch DJ, Afrojack.

QUICK LINK! Find the Gumball 3000: Lamborghini Aventador for sale.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 from the 2019 Gumball 3000 Dinner Event

The #Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 appreciation train kept rolling in 2020 as the casting saw its first two premium releases. Earlier in the year, we saw it released in #Replica Entertainment as Bruce Wayne’s Lamborghini from the Dark Knight saga (#Batman). The casting finally received the rear detailing it deserved, but it wasn’t long before it was outdone by the #Fast & Furious release in black. These are the only two releases of the casting in premium (with metal base) thus far. Something tells me there are more premium releases of this casting on the horizon.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Premium Releases: 2020 Fast & Furious (Euro Fast) and 2020 Replica Entertainment (The Dark Knight)

Somewhere in 2020, I committed mentally that I would build a #Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 casting collection. The first logical step was for me to see what prior releases I had, and make a note of which ones I needed to go back and find. I had bought a case of the 2016 Gran Turismo series from a hobby dealer so I knew I had the orange one from that series. Then, I recalled purchasing the black one from the 2017 Lamborghini themed assortment — because it “seemed like a car Batman would drive”. During that time, Hot Wheels released the Police variant as a #Walmart Exclusive, and I knew the “Dubai-style” Aventador was a shoo-in for the collection.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 from various Themed Assortments: 2020 Police (white), 2016 Gran Turismo (orange), and 2017 Lamborghini (black)

From there, it was time to go back and get all the releases of the #Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 that I was missing. The casting was introduced in the #2012 New Models so there was a little bit of backtracking to do. That release came in orange and in silver and what I noticed is that they were starting to rise in demand — like most #First Editions tend to do when affinity for the casting grows.

QUICK LINK! Find the 2012 New Models: Lamborghini Aventador for sale.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 from the 2012 New Models (silver and orange variants)

In 2013, the #Aventador was released in matte white and matte black. Honestly, they were rather forgettable releases at the time, but looking back at them, these “close-to-stock” releases are nice assets to any casting collection. Plus, I always love when Hot Wheels does inverted/complimenting color schemes.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 from the 2013 HW Showroom – HW All Stars series (white and black variants)

Oddly enough, the hardest to track down out of all the variants were the two HW Exotics 5-Pack releases in orange (2016) and lime (2014). 5-Packs are never hard to find — maybe at first, but they all end up warming the pegs at some point. I remember passing by these time and time again because there were no castings I collected in them. Apparently, the same went for other collectors as there aren’t a lot out there to buy. Maybe it’s a 5-Pack thing, as there isn’t much money to be made on them, but interest in these two appears to be accumulating. Finding these loose was a little easier, but the majority seemed to have wear in the form of paint chips, or the wheel color had started coming off. Either way, I paid more than I would have liked but was able to find both nestled in their original packaging so I didn’t have to worry about the condition when they arrived.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 from various HW Exotics 5-Packs: Orange (2016) and Lime (2014)

In all, there have been 16 variants of the #Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 over the last 10 model years. As I alluded to earlier, it seems likely that this one is destined for lots of use in the years to come as it can run at the basic level and in premium lines. It’s one of my favorite #Lamborghinis as it is the only one I collect — for now.

Which release is YOUR favorite?

QUICK LINK! Find missing releases of the Lamborghini Aventador for sale.

Hot Wheels Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Casting Collection (Family Photo February 2021)

Hot Wheels ’50s Chevy Truck from the 20th Annual Collector’s Convention in 2006 (side view).

The #’50s Chevy Truck had all the makings of a Hot Wheels hit. Cool, custom #Truck — designed by Larry Wood — with a rear-tilting truck bed that revealed a rear engine and painted drive shaft. The metal/metal tool was only to be used at premium, and the #Moving Part made it hard not to open.

QUICK LINK! Find releases of the ’50s Chevy Truck on sale now.

This particular release came out at the end of 2006 as part of the 20th Annual Collectors Convention in Garden Grove, California. It was given to convention ticket holders as they walked into the #Finale that Saturday night. I was not at the convention that evening, but I can only imagine the ooohs and aaahs as collectors were wow’d by this sharp-looking custom truck.

Hot Wheels ’50s Chevy Truck from the 20th Annual Collector’s Convention in 2006 (finale/ticket car).

The enamel yellow laid on top of metalflake silver paint has a pretty unique contrast to it as the “flame guy” — Hot Wheels Graphic Designer, Mike McClone — flamed the heck out of this thing. For the most part, the yellow paint mask was done exceptionally well, with the exception of the portion just below the hood, on the sides.

Hot Wheels ’50s Chevy Truck from the 20th Annual Collector’s Convention in 2006 (top view).

As far as the #’50s Chevy Truck casting — well, it was seemingly popular for a short period of time. After being one of the first-grabbed #Ultra Hots off the pegs in 2006, the SDCC and Convention (shown here) releases had collectors clamoring for more. The casting’s sophomore year in 2007 netted a couple more Ultra Hots releases, along with another convention release, and an HWC release in spectraflame root beer brown. The ed.pink releases in the 2010 Slick Rides were among the most popular releases of the casting before the casting was unofficially retired in 2012 after a handful of #Pop Culture releases.

QUICK LINK! Find releases of the ’50s Chevy Truck on sale now.

I reached out to Mattel to see if the casting had any chance of coming back as — chances are — any casting not released over the last 6 years is more than likely retired … just as a rule of thumb. I was told that the casting was to have been released post-2012, but the tooling was no longer usable. Worn tools further wear out after years of sitting idle. This kind of thing happens all the time, unfortunately, in this case, the decision was made to not have the #’50s Chevy Truck come back. There are only several releases of this #Discontinued Casting, and if you’ve never picked one up before and opened it, now would be a great time. The moving bed is fun to position, and there have been some pretty cool releases of it: particularly this 2006 #Convention Vehicle.

Hot Wheels ’50s Chevy Truck from the 20th Annual Collector’s Convention in 2006 (rear view).

That’s what collectors wish they had done 9 years ago as the once easily attainable #Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus has risen in value — across the board. As with any Hot Wheels casting that has releases valued in the triple digits, it’s always fun to see what collectors thought of the casting before it was a flipper’s dream. This orange Reese’s Pieces bus didn’t sit long in those grocery store shippers that held the 2012 Pop Culture / Hershey’s series, but it wasn’t immediately scooped up either. It was a new casting making its debut in the line collector’s have deemed the “Real Riders donor line”, and most of the reason non-VW collectors even looked at the casting was because of the value the #Volkswagen Drag Bus had at the time. Today, the story is much different as the Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus has been rising up the collector charts, as it is slowly becoming a collector-favorite and a golden goose for Mattel.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus from the 2012 Pop Culture / Hershey’s Series (Reese’s Pieces deco)

I have no idea why I haven’t posted any #Collection Updates as of the last 7 months or so, but it isn’t to say I have been completing Hot Wheels casting collections. Rather, the contrary — I ramped up my buying in 2020 and have some really cool collections to share in 2021. One of my larger purchases… the Reese’s Pieces #Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus above.

See the going rate for the Reese’s Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus

At the end of 2019, I found myself really digging this casting despite the fact that all but 4 of its releases have been in #Pop Culture. Having all sorts of brands and characters and bands on the side have not done this casting any favors, but that isn’t to say there aren’t some cool releases. In the eyes of most collectors, the variants could have been better without.

Three early releases that I really like (all Pop Culture) are the Super Mario World, Kermit the Frog, and the Wolfman buses. Released in 2013, 2014, and 2015 these came out at a time when the #Pop Culture line had seemingly better graphics without the more “pixelated” look of today. Plus, the colors tend to really stand out — especially the satin green on the Kermit one, which was actually the last one I received to complete my collection (for now).

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus – Pop Culture – 2015 Super Mario World, 2013 Universal Monsters (The Wolfman), and 2014 Muppets (Kermit the Frog)

Anything #Super Mario & Hot Wheels related, I am essentially buying…. and The Wolfman graphics on the dark blue #Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus is totally rad. I actually remember seeing that it was designed by a contract graphic designer by the name of Jason Goad back in 2013.

Of course, we can’t bring up the early releases of this casting without talking about the #Grateful Dead release from 2014. Hands-down it is one of my favorites. The black & gold color combination is killer and — while I am not a Dead Head — I could easily envision this sitting outside one of their shows. It was a great point in this line when car culture met pop culture. #The Beatles Abbey Road release in 2019 was cool, but it surely does not have the presence the Grateful Dead one has.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus – 2019 Pop Culture / The Beatles & 2014 Pop Culture / Grateful Dead

The first non-#Pop Culture release came in 2017 when Hot Wheels did their first streetwear collab with Illest and Fatlace. To this day, this is probably the most realistic design that’s been done on the #Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus, but I suppose that is because it was modeled after Fatlace founder, Mark Arcenal’s real-life T1. It is certainly underrated as I don’t often hear too many collectors talking about it.

Find the Fatlace Bus for sale today

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus from the 2017 Illest drop (Fatlace deco)

Speaking of cool releases, one that quickly became a favorite of mine is the “Hot Wheels Convention” release which should have been the finale car at the 2020 Collectors Convention in Los Angeles. Neither convention in 2020 ended up happening because of COVID-19, which is disappointing to say the least as we will simply have to imagine the look and reaction collectors would have had walking into the finale event on that Saturday night in October, and receiving this well-designed tribute piece that gives a modern look to the vintage Flying Colors design.

Quick Link! Find the Finale release for sale.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus from the 2020 Hot Wheels Collectors Convention (Finale Car)

I mentioned that only four of the casting’s 19-known releases haven’t been released in #Pop Culture — these are the other two: the #Mooneyes #Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus from 2018’s Car Culture / Cargo Carriers series, and the #Urbaw Outlaw release from 2020 Hot Wheels Boulevard. The Mooneyes bus now has a livery trio as the #Kool Kombi and #Volkswagen Drag Bus have been released since, with the same deco. The Urban Outlaw bus has its own livery army as Hot Wheels has done quite a few Magnus Walker collabs over the last several years.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus – 2018 Car Culture / Cargo Carriers (Mooneyes deco) & 2020 Boulevard (Magnus Walker Urban Outlaw deco)

Some collectors may shrug as we get back into the #Pop Culture releases of the casting, but these are certainly not to be dismissed. The #Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus has been released in two separate DC Comics series, with both releases featuring #Superman. The red one from 2016 features the artwork of comic book artist, Frank Miller, while the seafoam green one features fellow comic artist, Alex Ross.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus – DC Comics / Superman – 2016 & 2018 Pop Culture – Frank Miller & Alex Ross

Unique colors make any casting collection fun to collect as that dates back to the redline days of assembling “rainbows”. With the 2016 Star Trek 50th Anniversary release and the 2018 Disney release, this collection checks off olive green and dark purple. The Snow White design on the Disney release has a really cool roof design and looks great in dark purple on gray turbine real riders. And, on the Star Trek release, the fact that Leonard Nimoy is giving the side-eye makes me laugh.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus – Pop Culture – 2016 Star Trek 50th Anniversary (Leonard McCoy) and 2018 Disney (Snow White)

As with any Hot Wheels casting collection, there tend to be the releases you just don’t like. It’s probably because they are all in the same color and that has adverse effects on the casting collection rainbow. I’m thinking my critique of these may contain a bit of bias. Either way, The Wasp (from Women of Marvel) and Scooby-Doo! were both released in 2017 #Pop Culture so one has to wonder if these were pre-printed in the same color to save money. Of course, that assumption is ludicrous, but that’s what some collectors thought at the time.

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus – Pop Culture – 2017 Women of Marvel (The Wasp), 2020 Rick & Morty, 2017 Scooby-Doo!

The Rick & Morty release was the most recent as it was released at the end of 2020. It is cool to see another fan-base exposed to Hot Wheels collecting, but I don’t think it does much for the Hot Wheels collectors who aren’t fans of the show.

Complete your Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus Collection 

To complete a casting collection, you must collect them all, and there are certainly a good number of great looking releases of the Hot Wheels #Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus. We know of at least two more variants that will be released in 2021 — both Pop Culture, no surprise there — as there will be a Masters of the Universe one, and a Speed Shop Garage one that has a KONI deco. I love that I made the decision to go back and collect this casting as all the variants of it are making for a nice rainbow of a collection. Plus, it is slowly becoming one of my more favorite #VW Hot Wheels castings. What is your favorite release of this casting so far?

Hot Wheels Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus – Group Shot (January 2021)