Photo: Mattel
I'm shocked at the sheer number of Car Meets happening recently. Everyone is into organizing these, but sadly, there's no essence in them most of the time. Still, I'll give my local countryside meet a chance in a few days.
That's because the guy who invited seems to love cars genuinely, and he mentioned everyone else coming feels the same way. He apologized that there wouldn't be any other JDM machines or special vehicles. But I don't mind; I just want more people to see how cool RX-7s are. This way, maybe all the smack talk revolving around rotary engines will fade away into oblivion.
I am well aware my buddy's FD would have a much bigger impact on them, as more people have seen The Fast and the Furious than Initial D. Still, I smile whenever someone points at the car and says, "Paint it white so you can be like Ryosuke Takahashi." Although I love my FC, deep down, I wish I lived like Keisuke Takahashi. Having a yellow FD is my next garage priority, but it may take a few years to reach that point. In the meantime, I am content with collecting tiny diecast replicas of Mazda's masterpiece.
My Tomica model is the highlight of my small collection, and I have yet to purchase any Hot Wheels model that could be equally as good. Jun Imai's FD casting is not that bad if you consider the Premium variations, but it's still a mostly stock RX-7 if you think about it. Phil Riehlman's '95 Mazda RX-7 Drift is much nicer, but only two variations are available on the market (the iD being the superior one).
The older 24/Seven could be an alternative, but most adult collectors will probably skip it. Mattel has now developed a Red Line Club exclusive version of the 1993 RX-7 series R1. At first glance, it doesn't look much different from Jun Imai's design. But it does have an opening hood to spice things up a bit. The Spectraflame Bright Red finish is a bonus, and the Real Riders 5-spoke silver-painted wheels are perfect for the job.
But it doesn't look like this is a limited-edition/numbered model. The limit is set at one unit per customer, and if you do manage to place an order, you'll have to wait until around August to have it delivered. With a price tag of $25, it's much more expensive than any Matchbox Moving Parts item offering a similar experience.
And I know that the Ignition Models RX-7 doesn't have an opening hood, but it's a replica of a highly-tuned RE-Amemiya machine. And yes, it costs $10 more, but I'm willing to bet that there are far fewer units coming out of that company's factory than Mattel is doing. I'm not here to advise you to buy or ignore this new RLC release; that's up to you to decide. But I don't mind skipping it when it comes out on June 27, 2024, at 9 AM PT.
I am well aware my buddy's FD would have a much bigger impact on them, as more people have seen The Fast and the Furious than Initial D. Still, I smile whenever someone points at the car and says, "Paint it white so you can be like Ryosuke Takahashi." Although I love my FC, deep down, I wish I lived like Keisuke Takahashi. Having a yellow FD is my next garage priority, but it may take a few years to reach that point. In the meantime, I am content with collecting tiny diecast replicas of Mazda's masterpiece.
My Tomica model is the highlight of my small collection, and I have yet to purchase any Hot Wheels model that could be equally as good. Jun Imai's FD casting is not that bad if you consider the Premium variations, but it's still a mostly stock RX-7 if you think about it. Phil Riehlman's '95 Mazda RX-7 Drift is much nicer, but only two variations are available on the market (the iD being the superior one).
The older 24/Seven could be an alternative, but most adult collectors will probably skip it. Mattel has now developed a Red Line Club exclusive version of the 1993 RX-7 series R1. At first glance, it doesn't look much different from Jun Imai's design. But it does have an opening hood to spice things up a bit. The Spectraflame Bright Red finish is a bonus, and the Real Riders 5-spoke silver-painted wheels are perfect for the job.
But it doesn't look like this is a limited-edition/numbered model. The limit is set at one unit per customer, and if you do manage to place an order, you'll have to wait until around August to have it delivered. With a price tag of $25, it's much more expensive than any Matchbox Moving Parts item offering a similar experience.
And I know that the Ignition Models RX-7 doesn't have an opening hood, but it's a replica of a highly-tuned RE-Amemiya machine. And yes, it costs $10 more, but I'm willing to bet that there are far fewer units coming out of that company's factory than Mattel is doing. I'm not here to advise you to buy or ignore this new RLC release; that's up to you to decide. But I don't mind skipping it when it comes out on June 27, 2024, at 9 AM PT.
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