Hot Wheels: Are they worth collecting?
If you are among the hot wheels collector, chances are you have collected few classic hot wheel cars. Those hot wheels in your collection are worth a lot more than you can think. You may have done the collection for fun, but today those hot wheels cars are in demand, and the price is increasing every day. Here, we are going to answer are hot wheels worth collecting?
Hot Wheels are worth collecting if they are made from materials made from rubber and metals. These types of Hot Wheels are usually low in production level thus, their demand is high. Furthermore, old hot wheel models made in the 90s below are now very expensive and collection-worthy.
If you are also wondering if you should start collecting the hot wheels cars, go ahead and start because, in some years to come, those cars will be worth more than they are today. It is one of the financial benefit hobbies you can venture into if you are a car enthusiast.
Collecting hot wheels cars is a good investment. Even if you collect old hot wheels and repaint them, you can sell them at a high price and make a considerable profit. There are those on the hunt for hot wheel cars, so finding a buyer is easier than getting hold of the car.
If you get to collect the rare hot wheels car, you can be rich within minutes. Usually, the rare hot wheel car’s demand is high so is the buying price. If you have one of those cards in your collection, you can check their price in different car events to be certain of their worth. They are rare dream hot wheel car hot wheel collectors who can add them to their collection.
Conclusively, it is worthy of collecting hot wheel cars as their value is high and will increase in the future. You can start collecting the hot wheel cars and sell them later when the price increases.
Are Hot Wheels worth collecting?
Hot Wheels that are made from rubber and metal are worth collecting for their value. The reason for this is that these types of hot wheels are now becoming rare. Furthermore, older and hot wheels with a low production level will also be very worth collecting.
Hot Wheel cars models are worth collecting because they are valuable and expensive cars. If you are a collector then collecting hot wheels is one of the brands which should be in your collection.
Furthermore, you can turn your collection into a business because these hot wheels cars are in demand. You get to collect old hot wheel cars, repaint them to their original color and sell them. It is a profitable business because the market is already in place. You will make a huge profit out of your passion for collecting hot wheel cars.
You need to be careful on hot wheels because some will just be cheap because of their materials. If you are interested in why Hot Wheels became cheap, then you can check my other article discussing why hot wheels became cheap, it will help you as a collector to know why and take note of these when buying: Why are hot wheels so cheap?
Furthermore, if you’re really serious, I also recommend AutoArt for collectors, I’ve made a good guide for AutoArt car models here: Why is AutoArt so Expensive
Which hot wheels are worth collecting?
If you are looking for the best hot wheels that are very worth collecting, then here is the list:
- Pink rear-loading Beach Bomb 1969
- Over Chrome Mustang 1968
- Over Chrome Camaro 1968
- Mad Maverick Base on Mighty Maverick 1969
- Brown Custom Charger 1969
They are currently very rare and expensive, if you can get your hands on one of these, then you are lucky.
It is also important to understand not all hot wheels are worth collecting. Ideally, the hot wheels which were manufactured in the 1960s are the ones that are worthy of collecting. Below are some of the highly valuable hot wheels to start collecting.
The ones manufactured on the 1990s – 1970s are also quite expensive, but not as much as the ones in the 1960s
1. Pink rear-loading Beach Bomb 1969
At the top list of the hot wheels, worthy collecting is a pink rear-loading beach bomb manufactured in 1969. It is one of the most searched rare hot wheel cars, and it is believed the Person in possession of this hot wheel car is a Mattel employee.
The reason why this car is a highly valued and worthy collection is one of how the car was manufactured. It was uniquely designed, featuring a rear window. The top was heavy yet narrow. The design was later changed, featuring side-mounted surfboards and the sunroof made of plastic.
There was a production limit and distribution of this hot wheel before the design was changed, but only two pink painted rear-loading Beach Bomb were manufactured. That is another reason why the pink rear-loading Beach Bomb is worth collecting.
2. Over Chrome Mustang 1968
There is the story behind the chrome mustang hot wheel car, which was manufactured in 1968. It is now known how the car got too personal and worthy of the collection even though it was manufactured to serve advert purposes.
The car was last seen when it was sold during an estate sale following the owner’s death.
The car was among the collection of the owner who lived in a trailer park. The company never sold the car, and it was among the two cars manufactured for advert purposes.
It remains a story to be told how it got out of Mattel’s hands and to a personal collection. If you get to collect this rare hot wheel car, you can sell it for a lot of money.
3. Over Chrome Camaro 1968
The over chrome Camaro manufactured in 1968 is another car manufactured for advertising purposes. Even though there are several antifreeze hot wheels, this one is rare.
The over-chrome Camaro was manufactured during Christmas Eve as an ornament.
Today, this hot wheel car is highly valued and has been showing up in a commercial. They only exist 20 over chrome Camaro, and they are worthy hot wheel for collecting.
4. Mad Maverick Base on Mighty Maverick 1969
It is easy to find the mad maverick hot wheel car, but it is rare to find the mad maverick with the original name, and it has to be cast into the baseplate.
If you love collecting cars, you may have come across a mad maverick, but finding one with the above description is not easy.
The production of the original mad maverick came about due to copyright issues after problems with competitor John lightning has it had issues with mad maverick.
It is the original mad maverick car on demand, and they are worth collecting.
5. Brown Custom Charger 1969
Custom Charger hot wheel car was manufactured from 1969 to 1971.
It is a well-known hot wheel car model. However, the brown custom charge is rare as only a few exist.
It is one of the custom charger hot wheel cars, which is considered a prototype by the collectors and is worth collecting hot wheel car.
There are lots of expensive Hot Wheels and these 5 are only examples of the ones that are worth collecting. But how would you know if what you have is also valuable? Well, that’s what we will discuss in the next section.
How do I know if my Hot Wheels are valuable?
To know if your Hot Wheels are valuable, you can check out its logo design. Most valuable hot wheels have a logo or graffiti on their door or spoiler. Furthermore, you can also check out if your hot wheels’ material. Valuable Hot Wheels are made with rubber and metal, not plastics.
If you have been collecting hot wheel cars and wondering if they are valuable, you’ll learn how to know valuable hot wheel cars in this section.
First, it is easy to tell if you have valuable how to wheel by how the car looks. Valuable hot wheel cars have a logo, and they can be located on a door or spoiler. Some cars don’t have the log but have colorful graffiti. The logo can also be located behind the die-cast car model on the blister box.
Also, you can tell if the hot wheel is valuable if the production was limited. It means if you have a hot wheel car and the production number was small, then you have a valuable hot wheel car.
The other way to know you have valuable hot wheels is if the wheels are made of rubber and not plastics, additionally if the car has redlines in the tires and TH letters on the car body.
Recommended Read: I made a separate post talking about the things to look for in Hot Wheels with photographs of the logos from the Treasure Hunt, Super Treasure Hunt, Redline, etc. If you are interested, you may check this post: What to look for in Hot Wheels?
“Only the things I love”
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So, here are the things I love when taking care of my Diecast Models.
Cleaning the Models
The first we are going to talk about is cleaning the models.
Removing Dust
- Air Brush – For me, this is the best since it not just removes dust but you can use it in painting/clear coating.
- Air Duster – This is a good alternative to Airbrush
- Normal Brush – If you are short on budget, you can use a normal brush. However, make sure that the brush has soft bristles because there are some hard brushes than can cause scratches. That’s why I recommended a good brush that can do the job properly.
Cleaning and Shining Hacks
Well, here are some of my cleaning hacks for removing scratches, oxidation, and so much more.
- Removing Decal Adhesive – Use Goo Gone on those hard-to-remove decal adhesives. It works fast and works like charm!
- Waxing and Polishing – Here is something a lot of people don’t know. Waxing protects the clear coat and paint while polishing shines the model. Instead of buying it separately, use a 2 in 1 to save money. Get this instead.
- Beginner Wax – The wax I recommended earlier is good and provides the best results based on my experience. But a beginner might have a problem especially if they’re not good at applying wax. Solid wax reaching hard to reach surface can be hard to remove. You have two choices here. One is to use a qtips to reach those surfaces, another is to use a liquid wax I recommended.
- Cleaning Wheels, Rubber, Plastic – Do not forget that rubber and plastic surface are quite different, especially in the cleaning process. Just wiping it down won’t do the job. That’s why I use Meguiar’s Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner and Conditioner. Works like charm!
- Make the Wheels Shine! – Making our models look good won’t be complete without tiny details such as shiny wheels! Do not forget this because however small this is, the difference can be as big as night and day.
- Remove Scratches Easily – Tiny scratches are not the end for your model. Here is a simple trick I’ve been using to make my models look scratch-free even without repainting. Use T-Cut.
Painting the Models
Painting Tools
Make sure when you paint models, have these ready.
- Tape – A tape is important if you are painting a straight line. Furthermore, it will prevent your paint to scatter on other parts. I recommend Tamiya Tape since it is really made for models. Furthermore, they stick really well preventing paint splatters.
- Brush (Beginner) – Find a good set of brushes to paint your models. Of course, you can opt for an airbrush but it’s quite expensive.
- Airbrush (Intermediate/Expert) – This will yield a significantly better result than an ordinary brush because you can easily spray the paint evenly. I recommend this if you know what you’re doing.
- Stand(Optional) – Stands are good because it can be hard to manually hold the models while painting. It is optional but in my opinion, the price is well worth it for the comfort it gives.
- Drop Cloths – Drop Cloths will protect your surroundings from the paint.
- Primer – The most common beginner mistake I see is painting models without any Primer. A primer will prevent imperfections such as bubbles or paint not sticking to your models. It is a small price to pay for quality results.
- Clear Coat – A clear coat will protect the paint of your models. This will make the paint last longer. Also, it is the one responsible for making your models shine.
Paints
Of course, you can’t do painting properly without paint. So here are the ones I recommend.
- Acrylic Paint – Good for beginners because it dries quickly. However, it doesn’t produce results as good as enamel paint.
- Enamel Paint – Provides a good quality finish and longer-lasting paint. However, it takes longer to dry and requires expertise to use.
Model Maintenance
Model Storage
- Simple Wood Cabinet – While it doesn’t let you display your models, wooden cabinets are good storage for these models. For one, they are not heat conductors which means that the temperature inside will remain constant and remain cool. Furthermore, they prevent light from reaching the models which can cause oxidation.
- Clear Cabinet with Lock – If you want to display your models, then I recommend this. It closes so dust won’t easily get to your models. I also recommend you don’t put more than 1 model in each compartment since metals are good conductors of heat.
Model Photography
So you want to show off your models to others? Well, I got you covered.
Here is my beginner-friendly model photography tutorial that teaches everything from taking pictures to the editing process.
You will also see me doing hands-on photography in that tutorial.
Here is the link: How to Take Pictures of a Diecast Model or Model Kit | Helpful Illustrated and Video Guide
