PIXAR “Tribute” Cars

Wow, ok, I have been sitting on these for a while, so it’s high time to bust ’em out, snap some photos, and give you fine folks the skinny on this small set of celebratory cars with regards to some of Pixar’s biggest films.

• 1 / 5 – Toy Story – Combat Medic
• 2 / 5 – Monsters, Inc. – Altered Ego
• 3 / 5 – Finding Nemo – Path Beater
• 4 / 5 – The Incredibles – Fish’d & Chip’d
• 5 / 5 – Cars – Hiway Hauler

It seems a little strange to get these in the wake of so many Disney Character Cars, but it’s all good. The artwork on some of these is very much worth taking a gander at.

And so we first land on the Combat Medic, a staple of these celebratory sets due to all that blank space on the sides, just begging for some clear, uninterrupted artwork. Paying homage to the Toy Story franchise, one side is filled with Buzz Lightyear and a stark, modern background. The other side shows us Woody & Jessie with the “Woody’s Roundup” title card. They’re riding atop BullsEye with a big, layered sunset in the background.

Altered Ego is a very strange car, and I guess it’s appropriate enough for Mike & Sulley from Monsters, Inc. The metalflake gray is a nice look, and both sides feature Mike & Sulley fresh out of a closet door.

The Path Beater looks to be a rough and tumble 4WD pickup truck. It’s a bit basic and “everyman,” much like Nemo’s fairly ordinary father who beat extraordinary odds to find his kid.

I hate to say it, but I just don’t know anything much about The Incredibles. The Fish’d & Chip’d’s classic design leads to a lot of horizontal space to show off artwork of the family and it’s a very nice red color…

And bringing up the rear we have the eye-catchingly large but surprisingly lightweight Hiway Hauler, lending its space to the one and only Cars. The chrome windows are a very cool choice we don’t see too often. Other than that we’ve just got a big ol’ money shot of Lightning McQueen himself on the trailer. The artwork, instead of having the sort of CG-gloss we’re all used to when it comes to Cars, has that sort of retro-look to it, like what you’d see on a vintage lunchbox or something.

That’ll do it when it comes to this small Pixar collection. The subject matter may not be completely in my wheelhouse but it is nice to see some artwork on some cars again – it feels like the trend all but died over the course of 2019 and 2020. Stick around, ‘cuz we got at least 2 more of these “tribute” sets to cover in this giant backlog…!

STREET FIGHTER V: Hot Wheels Real Riders

This was a pleasant surprise on the shelves of my closest Walmart a few days ago! I love video games so when you start slapping video game shit on tiny little cars my brain kinda stalls out for a moment while my eyes take it in.

These aren’t just an “average” subset; they’re actual Real Riders with lots of metal, high quality and superbly detailed graphics, and rubber tires. They also run like $5.47 a pop but that’s ok. Street Fighter V was an interesting property to choose, especially since it was at it’s peak of popularity a couple of years (more?) ago. But like any good kid born on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y, Street Fighter as a cultural phenomenon was a firm part of my middle to late childhood. We had Street Fighter II and all of its permutations throughout the early 90’s, the live action film in ’94 (underrated and criticized with undue harshness; one of Raul Julia’s best roles (R.I.P.)), and then there was all the Street Fighter Alpha stuff that continued trickling down over the years.

I do want to insert a quick tangent here about how convoluted the SF chronology is, partially as a defense for me being more than a little confused about where our characters stand. In order, we have Street Fighter (the original 1-player game, sometimes known as Fighting Street), the Alpha series, SF 2, SF 4, SF 5, and then SF 3. Just imagine trying to keep up with this as they were released over the years: “Ok, 2 follows the original, no problem…now there’s Street Fighter Alpha (known as Street Fighter Zero in Japan) which takes place between SF and SF 2. That’s not so bad. Then SF 3 rolls around with an almost entirely new roster, clearly taking place sometime after SF 2. Makes sense. So where does SF 4 come in? Between SF 2 and SF 3. Alright alright, and SF 5? Oh, that happens between SF 4 and SF 3! (At least 5 stands as a direct sequel to 4, which helps cut down on that jarring effect of games past.)” (Please correct me if I got any of that shit wrong.)

I kinda get it though…Capcom wants to move on with new characters but then fans are like “waaaah we want Chun-Li back” so the development team backpedals and at least the story directors try to justify it all. Mortal Kombat – a series I am much more familiar with in all regards – was plagued by similar issues, with writers having to insert various time-shifting, death-defying, dimension-breaching plot devices to keep fan favorites (and eventually everybody) in the game, regardless of where their story arcs had taken them and regardless of newly introduced characters intended to fill the conceptual holes left by the departed. Anyway, let me get off this caveat before I write a 17 page essay on “The Pinnacles and Pitfalls of Mortal Kombat Through the Years.”

I think all but the most diehard fans were a bit bogged down by the constant adjustments and rebalancing touted as “new” games by the time SF3 should’ve been gaining steam, but by then the series had left an indelible impact on gaming. Did you know that: Super Street Fighter II Turbo (the fourth and final revision of SF2 until the anniversary release) is the oldest game for which official competitions are still held? That’s pretty cool…

Now why do I keep harping on about Street Fighter II and not Street Fighter V? For some strange reason, all of the characters featured throughout these 5 vehicles – 2 per car – can be traced back to Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (the third update and fourth overall version of SF2). And if it weren’t for Cammy, they can be traced back to the original Street Fighter II, back before the “grandmasters” (bosses) were on the playable roster. Still, the Street Fighter V logos are more than obvious and the artwork for all of the characters is taken straight from SF 5 as well.

With all that squared away, let’s get up close and personal with these vehicles. Oh and like pretty much all of the Real Riders, I want to take a second to draw attention to these amazing cards. Everything from the thicker paper to the smooth finish and the vivid use colors turn each card into a miniature work of art.

• 1 / 5 – Ryu & Ken – Ford Transit Supervan
• 2 / 5 – M. Bison & Guile – ’88 Mercedes Unimog U1300
• 3 / 5 – Vega & Chun-Li – Bread Box
• 4 / 5 – Zangief & Cammy – Hiway Hauler
• 5 / 5 – Blanka & Dhalsim – Honda Odyssey

The artwork is handled in a novel way; one character is on one side of the vehicle and the other character is on the other. (Sorry, I couldn’t think of a more eloquent way to get that out.) I’m not sure if these are supposed to represent rivalries or what. My knowledge of SF lore is a bit lacking, but some of them I have a hard time placing (like Blanka and Dhalsim). That’s not to say that there weren’t developments between SF 2 and SF 5 or even within SF 5 but like I said, I’m a little on the outside.

Ryu

Ken

First up is a Real Riders favorite, the Ford Transit Supervan. We’ve got Ken and Ryu plastered on the sides, and while I’m aware of a friendly rivalry between the 2 at times, I can’t imagine them being full blown enemies. The artwork is taken straight from the game and looks great, and I really like the choice of a gold backdrop for the van.

Guile

M. Bison

Next up is something I haven’t yet seen – an ’88 Mercedes Unimog U1300. This is kind of a beast in its own transport-y way. Is it a military-type vehicle? Has to be. The size is impressive and perfectly suited to the magnitude of this pairing, the legendary beef between Colonel Guile and M. Bison. You’ve got the epitome of American patriotism vs. a foreign warlord who fashions himself a god…good stuff. Furthermore the truck has a dark gray backdrop with red splatter all over it, lending an increasingly dark feel to the graphics.

Chun-Li

Vega

Coming up next is another Real Riders staple, the Bread Box. It’s not a bad choice, and I guess the big bare sides make for easy pickings, it’s just that it’s distinct enough to instantly recognize and it feels a bit overused. The artwork is great as expected and I really dig the shot of Vega unmasked. Was there some seriously bad blood between Chun-Li and Vega…? I keep trying to sift through what I know about Street Fighter but I think that what I think I know is my brain drawing from the various relationships in the 1994 film which I know weren’t 100% faithful to the game’s story.

Cammy

Zangief>

We’ve got another big one rolling in: the Hiway Hauler. (And yes, this is another common sight in the Real Riders pantheon.) As usual, the massive sides make for a great place to display detailed graphics. Zangief is as huge as ever and rightfully fills up roughly a third of one side. Cammy, on the other hand, is one of the slimmer characters in the series, so it’s interesting that she’d be pitted against the bulkiest character of the SF 2 era. The pink splashes on the black background really pop, and create an interesting juxtaposition between Zangief’s hypermasculinity and Cammy’s idyllic femininity. (Seriously, Cammy is a major object of cosplay and fetishization.)

Blanka

Dhalsim

Last we get kind of a cool, hip car, certainly one with more modern flair than what amounts to 4 previous transport vehicles. It’s a medium-purple Honda Odyssey, and while space isn’t necessarily at a premium, I’m glad to see a different shape. Blanka, the Hyde-like electric mutant guy thing adorns one side, looking a bit less vicious and animalistic than he did in his earlier years (appearances). Is he being pitted against Dhalsim, or is there a more positive connection between them? Hot Wheels didn’t give themselves much room to work with on the Odyssey, but I do sortta dig the updated hatchback look.

I guess I should apologize for not being able to offer more commentary. It’s kinda funny that as ingrained as these characters are in my memory I don’t really know that much about them…except maybe their nationality from when the announcer would be all like, “Japan!” or “U S S R!” I looked over the Street Fighter 5 roster (made all the more confusing by the progressive addition of characters over 5 seasons (also, I own SF 5 and have yet to play it because the HDD of my PS4 is full)) and with all of the unfamiliar characters it seems fairly deliberate of Hot Wheels to choose from among them characters that have already been around for 20+ years. (Of course that then begs the question, “Why didn’t they just pay homage to an appropriate version of SF 2?) But hey I ain’t complaining! This set would have a much harder time piquing my interest were it filled with the likes of Necalli, Rashid, and Zeku.

Now if we could just get Hot Wheels to turn their attention to Mortal Kombat…