2005 First Editions

Description

2005 is the second year of what can be referred to as cartoonish casting designs. This design trend began in 2004. For this year, it includes the Blings, Drop Tops, X-Raycers, Torpedoes and Realistix. These five segments rounded up a total of sixty original cars, many of which have become rarities in later years.

Why did Mattel make these strange looking cars? Why so many? If the reason was to do something radical and different, they certainly achieved that goal. Some of those cars do pretty well on the race tracks due to their low center of gravity. Blings are cartoonish-looking with wide, blingy rims. Drop Tops are flattened, with silhouettes well below the wheel wells. X-Raycers are made of striking, fruit candy-like, colorful see-through plastic. Torpedoes are deformed, elongated, open-wheel versions of real cars, like the '71 Charger, or Hot Wheels designs like the Overbored 454.

Realistix castings are not deformed in any way and retain the scaled-down proportions of the real car.  Looking back, Realistix seem to have been re-done more than all the other 2005 New Model segments in later years.

2005 was a big year for concept cars in the Hot Wheels lineup. Curiously there was a Ford Shelby Cobra and a GR-1 Concept on the same year. The Cobra is a modern interpretation of the old Shelby Cobra while the GR-1 is likewise, of the mythical Shelby Daytona. Other Realistix Segment concepts were the Acura HSC, Alfa Romeo Prototipo BAT-9, and Mitsubishi Eclipse Concept. Altered ("tooned") concepts included the Ford Bronco Concept (in Blings form) and Dodge Super 8 Hemi, in the Drop Tops Series.

Classic American musclecars are represented by the '69 Pontiac Firebird, '69 Pontiac GTO and '69 Chevelle in tooned X-Raycers form, the '71 Charger (Torpedoes), '63 Corvette Stingray (droptops), and '67 Chevy II (Blings). 

European cars were represented by Ferrari (360 Modena X-Raycers and 575-GTC Realistix), Maserati (MC-12), Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz G500 (Blings). 

In-house models were very interesting this year, characterized by the predominant absence of tampo. Favorites are Phastasm, Poison Arrow, Split Decision, Pocket Bikester and the Formul8r. 

2005 was the second year of an explosion of creativity by Hot Wheels designers, no doubt assisted by computer-aided design (CAD) capabilities. Many collectors like the almost total absence of tampo in several cars. Many regret that some licensed cars, like the 1946 Cadillac/Speed Bump were only produced as deformed, cartoonish castings. For that very reason, It would not be surprising if these First Edition cars become very valuable, either individually or all together as a Model-year collection. Remember when no one wanted the pink cars?

2005 First Editions

Toy #	Col. #	Casting	Series	Series #	Photo
G6687	001	Ford Shelby Cobra Concept	2005 First Editions: Realistix	01/20​
G6686	002	Mitsubishi Eclipse Concept Car	2005 First Editions: Realistix	02/20
G6690	003	Ferrari 575 GTC	2005 First Editions: Realistix	03/20
G6696	004	Airy 8	2005 First Editions: Realistix	04/20
G6692	005	1969 Pontiac Firebird T/A	2005 First Editions: Realistix	06/20
G6725	006	2005 Ford Mustang GT	2005 First Editions: Realistix	06/20
G6706	007	1971 Buick Riviera	2005 First Editions: Realistix	07/20
G6708	008	Pocket Bikester	2005 First Editions: Realistix	08/20
G6717	009	Firestorm	2005 First Editions: Realistix	09/20
G6721	010	Acura HSC Concept	2005 First Editions: Realistix	10/20
G6722	011	Aston Martin V8 Vantage	2005 First Editions: Realistix	11/20
G6716	012	Symbolic	2005 First Editions: Realistix	12/20
G6727	013	Formul8r	2005 First Editions: Realistix	13/20
G7928	014	Bully Goat	2005 First Editions: Realistix	14/20
G6730	015	Split Decision	2005 First Editions: Realistix	15/20
G7929	016	Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept	2005 First Editions: Realistix	16/20
G6731	017	Cockney Cab II	2005 First Editions: Realistix	17/20
G6732	018	'69 Pontiac GTO	2005 First Editions: Realistix	18/20
G6734	019	Prototipo Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 9	2005 First Editions: Realistix	19/20
G6735	020	Maserati MC12	2005 First Editions: Realistix	20/20
G6689	021	Low C-GT	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	01/10
G6691	022	'57 Nomad	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	02/10
G6693	023	Curb Side	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	03/10
G6697	024	Low Carbs	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	04/10
G6695	025	1963 Corvette Sting Ray	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	05/10
G7923	026	Flattery	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	06/20
G6704	027	Mid Drift	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	07/10
G6709	028	Drop Top	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	08/20
G6702	029	Speed Bump	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	09/10
G7924	030	Dodge Super 8 Hemi	2005 First Editions: Drop Tops	10/10
G6688	031	Chrysler 300C	2005 First Editions: Blings	01/10
G6694	032	Ford Bronco Concept	2005 First Editions: Blings	02/10
G6699	033	L'Bling	2005 First Editions: Blings	03/10
G7920	034	Mercedes-Benz G500	2005 First Editions: Blings	04/10
G6698	035	Quadra-Sound	2005 First Editions: Blings	05/10
G6703	036	Rocket Box	2005 First Editions: Blings	06/10
G6719	037	Hummer H3	2005 First Editions: Blings	07/10
G6723	038	Block O' Wood	2005 First Editions: Blings	08/10
G6728	039	Dodge Magnum R/T	2005 First Editions: Blings	09/10
G6733	040	'67 Chevy II	2005 First Editions: Blings	10/10
G6700	041	Tor-Speedo	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	01/10
G7922	042	1971 Dodge Charger	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	02/10
G7921	043	Bullet Nose	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	03/10
G6714	044	Itso-Skeenie	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	04/10
G6705	045	Blastous	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	05/10
G6707	046	Subaru Impreza WRX	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	06/10
G6711	047	Slider	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	07/10
G6701	048	Overbored 454T	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	08/10
G7926	049	Trim TRK	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	09/10
G6720	050	Willys Coupe	2005 First Editions: Torpedoes	10/10
G6712	051	Ferrari 360 Modena	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	01/10
G6715	052	Paradigm Shift	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	02/10
G6710	053	Scion xB	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	03/10
G6713	054	'69 Chevelle	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	04/10
G7925	055	Horseplay	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	05/10
G6718	056	Stockar	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	06/10
G7927	057	Phastasm	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	07/10
G6724	058	Vandetta	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	08/10
G6726	059	Poison Arrow	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	09/10
G6729	060	Burl-Esque	2005 First Editions: X-Raycers	10/10