Are Red Line Club™ Cars Really Redlines?

I find it ironic and shortsighted that the "purists" consider today's Neo-Classics™ (and today's Real Riders™ as well) to not be "true Redlines" or "true RRs" — even though they are manufactured by the same company that did so originally, via the same processes for the most part. None of these purists say that an original Open Fire™ and Funny Money™ are not "real Redlines" even though the manufacturing process for the 1972 models was very different from those of 1968 and there were no more collectors' buttons. They don't complain that 1970 releases are not "true Redlines" even though the lead was taken out of the Spectraflame™ paint and the suspension system was modified. They don't complain that some of the 1969 cars are "not Redlines" because they had water decals instead of vinyl stickers, and one of them actually had *gasp!* tampos. They don't complain that the second wave of cars manufactured in Hong Kong late in 1968 had foil-stamped hubs instead of the original silver-painted hubs of the American-made cars, or that the windows were tinted blue instead of clear, or that the black steering wheel was separate from the interior. But they complain now simply because there was a 30-year gap between the fifth and sixth year that Spectraflame™ Redlines were manufactured? Please.

If Spectraflame™-painted TBS-equipped Hot Wheels™ had been manufactured straight through for the last forty years, do they really think Mattel™ would not have taken advantage of technological advances that improved the paint, or the wheel design, or the plating process? Do they really think, for example, that the heat-embossed redwall on the tires would not have been replaced with a tamped redwall? Tampos have been used on Hot Wheels™ for the last 35 years, and the decorations of today are far more sophisiticated, colorful, crisp, and in-register than those from 1974 — and far more paint colors are used now than were used then — yet no one ever argues that Flying Colors™ are "real Hot Wheels™" and today's releases are not.

I have at least one example of every Spectraflame™-era casting made. I have nearly every casting from the Flying Colors™ redline years. I have Spectraflame™-era prototypes, as well as tough production pieces. Whether that qualifies me as "hard core" is for others to decide, but suffice to say that I know something about the subject. The only distinction between the current Neo-Classics™ and the original Spectraflames is that they were made 40 years apart, nothing more than that.

The whole premise is silly to begin with. Mattel™ made redlines 40 years ago, and they make redlines today.

...give your definition, as you understand the term, as to what a Neo-Classics™ is supposed to be.

Pretend that you're describing one to a non-collector; that might help.

In the old days of the Club, after Neo's were introduced, Neo-Classics™ meant "Torsion-Bar Suspension" (TBS) axles and original bearing-style wheels. That was the standard we could rely on. That did not change until last year when they abandoned the TBS and bearing wheel, rather than fix them.

Because they already had the hollow-core Sizzlers™ wheel in production, it was easier to switch to them than to solve the bearing issue. This led to the use of straight axles on Neo's.

It is not too late to return to the original standards of what a Neo is.

The whole idea behind Neo's was to make cars like they were made in 1968, as if they never stopped— both retooled castings from the past and current mainline cars. And yes, occasionally to see what original redline-era cars might have looked like if they were still in production when Real Riders® were introduced. It was their way of pushing the envelope: "redlining" the castings we knew and making them better than retail offerings. Hand-polished chrome-plated bodies, smoother than an original; casting in metal, a motor that was originally plastic; sometimes adding opening hoods where they were sealed before; constantly pushing them to be better.

Where's that standard today?