MINICARS: Roy De Guzman’s Hakosuka Skyline was made into a Hot Wheels

Imagine if your actual car, the one you’ve owned, built, maintained and cleaned for over a decade was immortalized in Hot Wheels form. How would you feel? Roy De Guzman knows exactly how it feels, because it happened to him, and he describes it thusly: “In a word, astonished.” 

Many of you will know Roy’s car as the blue-on-white Hakosuka of the Wild Cards. He bought his car 12 years ago, long before widespread interest in classic Skylines, making him one of the very first American Hako owners. We’ve known Roy for 10 of those years, having met him when we photographed his car for a print feature before it adopted its kaido racer look, and we can say that the Hot Wheels-ization of a real car owned by someone we know couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.

What’s more, Roy bought the car in Japan when he was serving his country as a weapons instructor for the US military — an amazing story in itself that you can read about in the magazine — making him one of the very few individuals who have owned their Skyline, as in having paperwork in their name connected to the car, in both Japan and their home country.

The story begins farther back, though. “As a child, Hot Wheels was always my most cherished toy. My parents didn’t have enough money to buy me Optimus Prime or Voltron,” Roy tells us, still somewhat in disbelief. “Now, my car is a Hot Wheels.”

The genesis of the project started at the JNC booth at JCCS 2015, and it’s taken about a year and a half for it to come to fruition. That’s a typical Hot Wheels development cycle, and there are many steps along the way, from signing a licensor’s contract to approving the graphic design. “Is this really happening?” Roy kept asking himself throughout the process. And about a week ago, when he finally got the finished product in hand, he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

There’s a deeper reason as to why this car is so important to Roy. “I dropped out of college,” Roy explained, “But my major was fine arts with a specialty in advertising. I always look back and wonder why I never finished.” In 2015, Roy decided to put kaido racer graphics on his Hakosuka, a livery he created himself.

“To see something that I designed be accepted by a company like Mattel, and to know that it’s going to be sold globally, that some kid 4,000 miles away is going to be playing with it — that’s pretty awesome,” Roy beamed.

A little over a week ago, the UPS truck brought Roy a brown cardboard box from Malaysia, where Hot Wheels are made. It was a box of miniature versions of his car, a “thank you” from Mattel. “The first time I held the toy in my hand,” Roy says, “It was like an unfulfilled dream had come full circle. It’s truly an honor.” It’s been a wild journey for Roy and his Hako, and we’re sure there is still more to come.

For a complete list of JNC inkan’d Hot Wheels, see the list below.

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15 Responses to MINICARS: Roy De Guzman’s Hakosuka Skyline was made into a Hot Wheels

  1. Toyotageek says:

    *sigh* still waiting for mine to be made… ;P

  2. xs10shl says:

    Fantastic story. Your car is now memorialized for generations of hot wheels collectors to come. And you get the only 1:1 version. Congratulations!

  3. Mike says:

    WAY cool. Great story. Congrats to you, Mr. De Guzman, on the hot wheels model AND on the original design and execution. Ever since seeing an early GT-R at the NOPI Nationals in Atlanta about 16 years ago I have been a big fan. Yours is about the coolest modified example I have seen.

    Mazda, Nissan/Datsun, Toyota, well represented. Where are the Mitsubishis, Subarus, and Hondas?

  4. Toepfer says:

    Now when can we get an X32 or X36 Toyota.

    Lloyd Letherman’s sedan would be super cool in hot wheels form.

    And I’d gladly give up my wagon for a bit to be made into a hot wheels 😉

  5. Big Mike Muniz says:

    Congrats to my fellow Wild Cards crew member Roy! This is a huge achievement brotha!

  6. Samuel Ace says:

    That new Nissan skyline h/t 2000GT-X coming out is awesome. I will be on the hunt for this one thumbs up.

  7. KFD says:

    I’m hoping Jun and the Gang will make an RA40 coupe!!

  8. timmy201 says:

    Is there a word missing here?
    What’s more, Roy bought the car in Japan when he was serving his country as a ???? — an amazing story in itself that you can read about in the magazine — making him one of the very few individuals who have owned their Skyline, as in having paperwork in their name connected to the car, in both Japan and their home country.

  9. Roy James Jr. says:

    Definitely will be on the lookout

  10. LTDScott says:

    I think that kinda happened to me. I built a LeMons racer that’s a replica of Homer Simpson’s dream car. It became a hit on the internet and got me some fame. Shortly after that, Hot Wheels released a model of one, and the number in the series happens to be the same racing number I use. I can’t help but think it’s not a coincidence.

  11. Kiran says:

    Let’s hope I can convince them at the factory here to make a cordia like mine lol(I live relatively near the factory here in Malaysia!)

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