2011 was a banner year for Japanese nostalgics in the Hot Wheels lineup with the release of both the hakosuka and kenmeri Nissan Skylines, as well as the BRE Datsun 510 in the Vintage Racing line. We at JNC were proud to have teamed up with Mattel for the hako, and we are very excited to announce that in 2012 this partnership will continue with the Mazda RX-7!
As you can see, this is no ordinary SA22C, but one flared-out in the Hot Wheels spirit of “speed, power and performance” with an aero kit inspired by the IMSA GTU RX-7 race cars.
And of course, we are thrilled to see once again the JNC inkan on it, this time in gold on the B-pillar! To coincide with the release of this car a couple months from now, we will be releasing a limited edition gold version of our classic JNC inkan decal.
Once again, we have to give a huge domo arigato to Hot Wheels designer Jun Imai for this incredible casting. Mr. Imai was also the one responsible for the hako, kenmeri, and AE86 among many others. He is really our advocate at Mattel, pushing for the inclusion of old school Japanese cars in the Hot Wheels lineup. The name on the car, B. Ozaki, belongs to Brandon Ozaki, who works in Mattel’s painting group and owns a widebody RX-7 himself. His son’s initials are also B. Ozaki and was born on the 20th, hence the #20 on the door.
We just received these samples of the RX-7 fresh off the assembly line in Malaysia, which means the car will show up in stores in a couple months. It looks pretty bitchin’ next to the hako, don’t it? Remember, spread the word and buy as many as you see, so the head honchos at Mattel will approve more.
YES YES YES 😀
Thank you for doing this car! I’ll be customizing this with
Paint to match my own rx7! 🙂
I can’t find the Hako or the Ken & Meri, and now I see this.
I too have never seen the hako or kenmeri in the stores…that’s a good sign though =) Hopefully Hot Wheels recognizes the high demand for the two skylines and will plan accordingly for the RX-7 =)
If it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t even find my own cars at any of the stores! And I work here! 😉
I take it as a good thing though!
Found a bunch of Kenmeris at Walgreens, along with lots of red 510s. Right now until Christmas Eve, they are on sale there for 59 cents. I went to a couple WGs and managed to find 6-7 of them, so they’re out there. Since the 59 cent sale is in the WG flyer, you can also take that to another store like Target or Walmart and price match if you decide to hunt for cars there.
BTW, great job Jun! You’re making me regret getting back into collecting with all these awesome cars (hunt or no hunt).
I haven’t seen a single Kenmeri yet, but the Hako’s are reasonably common. I’m waiting for the post-Christmas shipments to go shopping again. Hopefully there will be better selection then. 🙂
i think i can snag a few hakos if anyone really wants one. no markup, only shipping costs. PM me in the forums, same name..
btw, it’s so cool to actually learn the “back stories” to the cars, like why they choose the numbers they do and the names they put on the cars. i will be watching the shelves closely.
awesome
Well the 80’s AE86 was snatched up at every wal mart I went to, but I managed to find 6 or 7 Kenmeris on the rack at each one… And now this. Perfect. Already have the paint scheme figured out too.
there’s a brat coming out next year…. 😀
OMG!!! 😀
A Honda Z600 would be neat too.
Yes, Ive seen both versions of the nissan and picked them up. Havent seen the BRE 510 but i did manage to fine ONE of the red, nickel pated racing ones in my hometown.
FYI I came across a 280z in the christmas lineup. Red with green stripes and a “merry christmas” logo, haha!
NIce! i hope i get to find one in the store but i manage to find the datsun 510 and its RED!, and it was the only one too.
I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU and further more I LOVE YOU hot wheels and Jun Imai!!! The hako was the coolest thing ever, i finally found mine 3 days ago, but A RX7!?!?! I LOVE YOU ive been waiting for an Rx7 all my life (been a collector sense the age of 2) I will literally buy 5-10 of them in each color..
I feel the love in here!
You should check out our Facebook page =)
Oh, yes yes yes. I do hope they release one with the Acropolis Rally paint job!! Can’t wait to see what’s in store. These are so much better than the endless muscle cars.
Oh
My
God.
WANT
Since I read about the Hakosuka and the Kenmeri I have been searching them like crazy, but I haven’t seen a single one of them over here… looks like I’ll have to buy them by eBay.
I hope I can find this RX-7 in the “old way” next year!
Oh, by the way… >GX71 Cresta, Mazda RX-4, Sunny B110, Toyota 2000GT< 😀
Incredible! Thank you Jun, Brandon, and Hot Wheels! I almost love this more than the Kenmeri and “Faster Than Ever” Datsun 510 on my desk right now.
The livery is perfect! Great to see the JNC logo again.
Since I know our voices are being heard by Hot Wheels I have to share this one gripe though. I have noticed some quality issues on Hot Wheels lately. In my enthusiasm when I find a JNC Hot Wheel I often forget to look it over and just put it straight in the cart. I have bought a few now with paint blemishes beyond what I consider normal for a Hot Wheel. Fortunately my 3 year old son does not mind when I add these cars to his collection. For me though I hunt for a near flawless one. 🙂
Whenever I think about that I realize they’re probably producing and shipping each car for about 50 cents. Then I marvel at how much detail and quality is there. 😉
Dam you Hot Wheels! I think i have a slight disorder as i cannot put these ol skool jap cars down. I have 8 Hako’s and 27 Kenmeri’s. Why do i need this many??????? Curse you Jun and Hot Wheels! CURSE YOU! hahahha
very interesting. I’ve searched for the KenMeri a few times. but I can’t find it. I wouldn’t mind owning one of these. My Hakosuka sits proudly on the shelf next to a few other key pieces I’ve picked up over the last 25 years or so since I started proactively collecting them
SOLD!
OMG!! i’m on the hunt for the sa22 rx7 but isnt available on puerto rico until after xmas so i hope to find it very soon!!! thanks for the pictures
You guys didn’t notice or mention the “JDM Legends” logo? That is the coolest thing about this Hot Wheels! Way to go Eric!
OMG I MUST GET IT
Has anyone seen any of these (Hako etc) in Australia?
HOw’d you go finding them in Australia?
It’s a nice ride. Have touched it before…
They’re out right now in the newest case (Case F)
Cool, thanks for the heads up. WIll keep a lookout, but if they’re anything like the hakos in SoCal it’ll be haaard to find!