Hello Hive members,

After a long time, I’m finally reaching out to you again.
As many of you know, I’ve been a longtime member of the Splinterlands community, and I still absolutely love the game. Something happened about a month ago related to Splinterlands, but more on that in my next post. 😉

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🔧 A New Passion – Hot Wheels Collecting

Today, I’d like to talk about something different.

About a year ago, I started collecting Hot Wheels. My best friend @marjanko, who’s also active here in the Hive Community, introduced me to it. For my birthday, he gave me an Elite 64 Lamborghini, and that’s when my addiction officially began.

At first, I was collecting mostly Lamborghinis and a bunch of mainline cars. Eventually, I started buying almost everything Hot Wheels-related I could find in stores.

But after a few months of collecting like crazy, I realized I was heading for financial ruin 😅
So I decided to be more focused and now only collect:

• 🏎️ JDM
• 🚘 European cars
• 💎 Super Treasure Hunts
• 🔴 Red Line Club (RLC) exclusives
• 🧱 Dioramas
• 🚛 Team Transports

And even just that is quite a collection!

Today, I own over 200+ models, and I’ve built a full wall display to show them off.

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📝 Why This Blog?

Starting today, I’ll begin a series of blog posts where I highlight individual cars from my collection.
Each post will include background info, technical specs, and fun facts.

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🔥 Let’s start with:

1994 Honda NSX – Hot Wheels RLC Ryu Asada’s Edition

This special edition is a highly detailed replica of the personal car owned by Ryu Asada, the legendary Hot Wheels and Matchbox designer known for his deep love for Japanese cars.
This model is based on the actual NSX Ryu owned and modified into a safety car for the Suzuka Circuit.

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✨ Key Features:

• Scale: 1:64
• Color: Suzuka Red
• Material: Full metal body and chassis
• Wheels: Real Riders with rubber tires
• Lighting: Functional front/rear lights and flashing roof lights (activated by pressing the spoiler)
• Packaging: Special round case with Suzuka Circuit graphics

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💎 Special Notes:

This model was released as an RLC member-exclusive, and it quickly became a collector’s gem due to its incredible detailing and emotional significance.
It was designed as a tribute to Ryu Asada, who sadly passed away in 2021.

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💰 Collector Value

• Original price: ~$40 USD
• Current market value: Between $50 and $100+ USD, depending on condition and packaging.

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👤 Who was Ryu Asada?

Ryu Asada was a beloved industrial designer and long-time member of the Hot Wheels and Matchbox teams at Mattel.
He was known for his passion for Japanese sports cars and brought incredible realism and spirit to his castings.

📌 Quick Facts:

• Born: October 16, 1978 (Japan)
• Passed away: March 23, 2021 (aged 42, cancer)
• Education: Industrial Design (USA)
• Profession: Die-cast car designer at Mattel

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🚗 Famous Castings by Ryu Asada

Here are some of the most iconic cars he designed:

• Honda S2000
• Honda Civic EG & EF
• Acura NSX (his own!)
• Datsun 510
• Mazda RX-7
• Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno
• Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32, R33, R34)

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That’s it for today’s blog!
In the next post, I’ll be sharing more about what happened to me in Splinterlands — and of course, another awesome die-cast car from my collection.

Thanks for reading, and if you’re a collector too, feel free to comment and connect!
Let’s share the passion! 🔥