BlueRealRiders.com
BRR Club™ Articles
VOICES OF DISSENT
Regarding the
HWC™ Series Eight
Larry Wood 40 Years of Design A-OK™ |
For 40 years, Larry Wood has rocked the collector world with designs that capture the essence of speed, power, and performance— the hallStaffers of the Hot Wheels® brand. We celebrate this unparalleled history with the launch of the all-new HWC™ Series Eight Larry Wood 40 Years of Design line. Kicking it off is the classic A-OK™ car with Real Riders® wheels, redesigned for 2009! This collector favorite has only been released a handful of times over the years. Based on the Ford Model A, the A-OK™ was introduced back in 1978 in green as part of the Flying Colors lineup. In 1981, it reappeared in three variations. It was last seen in 2008, when the casting was re-tooled for the Since '68™ line. All of which brings us to 2009. This updated version is more than just okay, it's truly awesome! Designed by Master Wood himself, it's covered in metal flake aqua paint, wears an Early Times Car Club deco on both sides, and is topped in flat black. Black running boards, VUM grille and engine, and Real Riders® deep-dish wheels with red stripes complete the package. It's features like these that'll make this a must-have for your collection:
A Limited Edition of 7500, the HWC™ Series Eight Larry Wood 40 Years of Design A-OK™ is priced at $14.99 plus S&P (shipping & processing) each. There is a purchase limit of ONE vehicle per RLC™ membership on the first day of availability. |
 |
Posted 03-24-09 |
|
My buddy Ken just stopped by and showed me his HWC A-OK. The base definitely is not polished or chromed, there's still mold flashing from the casting tools, and it has orange peel throughout the base coat. Definitely not on par with HWC standards. Another observation: these are from Thialand, not China, so they are not coming from the normal HWC plants. This could explain a lot about the different assembly standards. 
|
 |
Posted 03-24-09 |
|
Not only is the base/chassis not chrome-plated, but the interior is not painted black (as stated), and the cardboard is really thin and flimsy (regular mainline cardstock). Also, the windshield on mine was not installed properly and is sagging in the car, and the paint on the interior has white spots. Really poor production from HWC-RLC. I hope they step it up for the rest of the Club offerings this year or I truly think they will lose a lot of their faithful members. Charging $14.99 ($21.19 drive home price) for a Since '68/Larry's Garage car is not cool at all. Step it up, HWC-RLC. |
 |
Posted 03-25-09 |
|
Well well well. What a surprise. Lemme see, just off the top of my head while munching a danish at work... Plastic-chassis Patrick's Hiway Hauler. And now, the Ain't-OK Really now, folks... it's nothing to get excited about. The aberration has now become the norm. It's the natural order of things. As long as the $$$$$ still flows in, the $#!*#@**!#$ will continue to flow out. I smell smoke... anyone hear a fiddle? 
|
 |
EMAILED 04-10-09 |
|
Private Message Thread My internal sources confirmed that the A-OK was the worst-selling HWC offering EVER. If the abysmal A-OK sales weren't enough to open their eyes, nothing will. They are going to learn the hard way this year. And that will be a good thing. |
|
EMAILED 04-10-09 |
|
I was told the same thing. I was also told that they may have to revamp a large part of the line because of the lackluster sales. We will see...
|
 |
EMAILED 04-10-09 |
|
But will the 'change' address all of our concerns? That will be something to see. They'll probably just jack up the price (that'll fix everything!). Not really hoping for a lot. I would bet that they're going to have to get hit awfully hard before something changes. |
 |
EMAILED 04-10-09 |
|
One more thing about the A-OK: While they tolerate people posting "I'm not going to buy it", I'm not sure how much longer they'll tolerate people advocating boycotts. That's hitting them in the wallet. Don't get me wrong – I think that was the right thing to do. But it's how you skirt the line. 
|
 |
EMAILED 04-10-09 |
|
Who said anything about a "boycott"? One person said the A-OK looked like an Ultra Hots® and another person agreed and then another and another and another and another... You get the idea. I think someone above has put Roger up to putting out all these fires. Like PLAYINGMANTIS, I won't be posting till everyone is back from moderation, so the RLC side should be a ghost town... Hope they like it. It's also great to see most everyone on here... The core group with brains that's not gonna drink the Kool-aid. 
|
