KDay: Kmart Hot Wheels Collector Days 2/18/17

I've participated in few of these in the past.  I'm sure some show up to mingle with other collectors, or they are just die hard/hardcore collectors who lives & breathes Hot Wheels.  Then there are collectors like myself, who are there just for the cars.  Fresh cars.  Back to freshness in a minute:

I hadn't attended these things in awhile.  There were couple of times when I showed up, because I wanted K-Day exclusive cars.  Like this beautiful blue Datsun 620 pickup truck.  Some go for a shot at $uper Treasure Hunts.  Well, I attended today solely for this:

Free mail-in car: Datsun Bluebird 510, with the purchase of 20 Hot Wheels @ Kmart + $3.50 shipping & handling per Datsun(official rules, order form)

What's unbelievable is that there are sellers who's been taking preorder for this car long before the actual K-Day.  All of the one's I've seen are $60 & up.  Had they been $25 or so, I could've just slept in this morning, like I do religiously every Saturday. lol  At that kind of impossible pricing, it was a easy decision this Saturday to just go get one for myself, and while I was at it, I was going to buy 40 cars for two of these free Datsuns.  One to open, one to keep carded & stash away.  Anywho, back to the super fresh sealed cases:

On a K-Day, most participants will get a chance at a sealed case.  An fresh case of Hot Wheels, still untouched.  This is a rare opportunity!  Most of us are used to tired old cars on beat up cards, hanging on pegs that 100 people went through before you, or dump bins that looks like Godzilla vs King Kong took place in it.  I want to say that in the five or so K-Day event I've attended, I've gotten a fresh case every single time.  First, you have to get a ticket.

They generally call you up by the last three digits.  My number was "771".  I was called up either in the second, or third round.  Lucky..... Wait.  Luckier:

  

I read that $uper Treasure Hunt in these cases are the Acura NSXs, which I kinda wanted.  Not as much as I wanted the Falken Toyota truck you understand, but I still wanted one.  So, good!  Since I needed 40 cars to mail-in cards for 2 Datsuns, I thought I could just grab the whole case(36 cars), but no luck due to the five car limit at this Kmart.  I was forced to stick around for another hour for everybody else to get their turn, then enter a stage of the event called the free-for-all.  Free-for-all is where everybody rushes the remaining cars from the cases & stuff their box, basket, or whatever they got with hot wheels.  No, you don't kill everybody in the room(I'm sorry, CoD4 humor).

What the heck am I gonna do with 40 hot wheel cars I don't want?  Well, I'm going to uncard them first, so I can send the cards in for free Datsuns.  Then some will go to eBay, some will go to my nephews.  That jade Fairlady in the pic, that one ain't going nowhere though.  :D

Hot Wheels 5-Pack '83 Chevy Silverado

Probably a 5-pack exclusive.  This Silverado casting has big following & I'm a fan, too.  I avoid these multi-packs as much as possible, but I broke that rule here & I'm glad I did.  My pictures don't do it justice, but once loose, it's one neat truck!

It was definitely worth five bucks!

CUSTOM: Hot Wheels '68 Shelby GT500 by Joe Kanno/NDZM23

Another custom by Joe aka NDZM23.

Very cool packaging.  Clear bag lets us enjoy the beautiful design of the Hot Wheels GT500 casting & its applied rusted-look treatment.  Love the Japanese style stamp marking the logo.

So stylish.  Link to the Facebook store.

Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt - TV Series Batmobile

I've been after this one.  Batmobile $uper Treasure Hunt.  But with this $TH pushing $40, $50, even $60, how do you score one for $15???

You buy non-mint card lot for $55:

Then:

Difference after shipping, auction fee was roughly $15.

*pats self on back*

GreenLight Country Roads 2016 Jeep Wrangler Black Bear

With the rising prices & really spotty quality, I've slowed down on purchases of GreenLight products.  I ran into this one at Toys R Us, it was still the old price of $5.95(now mostly $6.95), it looked really good, so I picked it up.  Unfortunately, GreenLight quality control has not improved.  More on that at the end of the post.  First, pics:

Removable top is a nice touch.  Unfortunately:

They also botched the paint around the passenger-side headlight.

GreenLight marketing's been on a real roll recently, but unfortunately, product quality stays very, very low.  

Tomica Limited Vintage NEO LV-N91a BMW 318i 2-Door

This has been one of those TLV models I passed on when it was first released.  Big mistake.  I got the black 4-door, but I'm not a fan of the phony metallic paint on that one.  It's been going for about $30 on eBay(w/shipping), but the most I wanted to pay was $25?  Finally pulled the trigger on the Japan Booster auction  on there for $26(free ship).  It was worth it:

What a beauty!!

CUSTOM: Tomica Limited Vintage LV-13a Prince Clipper High Floor by Joe Kanno/NDZM23

Another custom by Joe NDZM23!!

I already have couple of TLVs by this customizer like this Skyline Van(stationwagon), also a Mazda vacuum truck.  It's these "rust", barnyard-find effects that keep on bringing me back.  Some brands already do it on their own, like M2 Machines for example.  Very cool, but there are limitations to mass production on these types of items.  Rust effect customs by a professional artist & a customizer like Joe?  Well, you be the judge:

I'll be honest.  I wasn't the biggest fan of these LV-13 series Prince Clippers by TLV.  Before this, I had just one in my collection.  The very cool looking garbage truck Clipper.  After seeing it in the new light though, thanks to this custom, I'm actually interested in this casting now.  This truck looks good dirty amirite.  Check out more of NDZM23 customs at his store on Facebook.  The work put into these customs are simply amazing.