Wal-mart 2017 American Muscle set

Sorry for being late with this one since this was released the first-half of 2017 at Wal-mart, but these few represent another group of 10 vehicles that followed the 2016 Garage series that I praised so much.  However, this set was not as appealing thanks to graphics and some odd-colored wheels ruining an otherwise possible fantastic set.  Some were not worthy for me to show, but the rest are shown here.  Here's a quick look at each of them.

1969 Dodge Charger and 1970 Dodge Charger

Notice that the vehicles I have in this group have sort of a duel within each other (except for the last two Fords).  For the Charger's the 1969 and the "Fast and Furious" style 1970 represent the best of the set.  The 1969 started life in 2004 with an opening hood, then closing it shut in 2009.  Unlike past models with opening hoods the detailed engine bay area is part of the plastic interior piece and not with the metal body.  In fact, the 1969 Daytona shares the same interior tooling which also includes the engine, but like the newer 1969 Charger's the only way to find out is to take apart the vehicle.  I always have a liking for red interior's with silver paint and this one is no exception.  Even the black stripes refuse to break up the sleek color design.  The front-end has a much better design ever since the closed hood improved the front fender tooling.  Out back the taillight design is preserved and even there's a hint or rear rake and larger rear tires.  The interior lacks a proper door panel design and still the lack of an opening hood is a moot point even if the tooling is much-improved.

On the other side was the second Charger, the 1970 version introduced in 2011 and preceded the Fast and Furious movie car line that Hot Wheels would provide a few years later.  Unlike the first few years of the 1969 Charger that was littered with side flame graphics most of the releases on this casting so far are relatively clean.  This one goes for a brown color with white stripes that blend well with the car and set off with gold OH5 wheels.  Even with the supercharger poking out of the hood the rest of the Charger is well-preserved to stock with larger rear wheels, detailed one-piece grille and taillight design that is part of the interior piece.  The interior has better-looking seats than the 1969 and even has a dashboard that has a few key details.  The 1970 also is fun-to-drive and looks impressive compared to the slightly mundane 1969, and even with some white graphics still manages to hold a style of its own.

Custom 1967 Ford Mustang and 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I

On the other side is the Ford Mustang where the custom 1967 coupe reappears alongside the 1970 Mach I.  Both cars do stir up some controversey with me, but in different ways.  The 1967 Mustang coupe still looks good with the proper look of the 1967 Mustang in hardtop fashion with a few custom parts that include a raised hood, side exhaust, and front chin spoiler.  The detailing up front and in the rear is spectacular and still looks good, as does the interior with the four-seat setup and twin-pod dashboard with 3-spoke steering wheel.  A lot of good details all thanks to its first introduction in the Garage series back in 2011.  Unfortunately, there are better designs than this patriotic red, white, and blue design that seems too much for this casting.  Ditto the PR5 wheels.

On the other side I was never a fan of the 1970 Mach I since it was introduced in 1998.  Clearly it was "Hot Wheel-ized" as it has that raked rear look and cartoonish proportions and no where near as stock as the real car.  In fact, I prefer the 1969 Mach I race car over this one.  Still, this 1970 has some charm in it and this one by far may be the best deco that i've seen on this casting.  Simple white with blue graphics that flow along the hood and sides of the car, sitting on 5-spoke wheels.  Very clean and very nice.  Add some details to the front and rear lighting and man does this casting look so much better!  The rear valence panel with tri-taillights, the louvered rear window, and hood scoop with external tachometer are hallmarks to this casting.  Even to the move from plastic to metal rear spoiler the spoiler still looks as slim.  The base has nice drivetrain details, while the interior has about an average design compared to the real Mustang.  Still, the car is small and the front-end is flat-faced (a common problem with the 1970 Mustang bodystyle in small scale diecast for some reason) for me to fully appreciate it.

1966 Ford Fairlane GT and 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber

Wrapping up the set is two Ford vehicles that were passenger cars coverted to muscle cars.  Both are not as stylish as the Mustang or Charger and both have some least-impressive deco's.  The Ford Fairlane GT was one of my favorite castings when it came out in 2009.  A simple car with that forward-sloping grille and GTO-like vertical headlights in teal and metallic reddish-orange (the latter with Wal-mart exclusive redlines) was a charming car.  Every so often this car still has some of the charm, but excessive use of graphics tends to kill the mood.  Red 5-spoke wheels are the icky point as the silver looks good on this car even if the graphics are a bit overkill.  I like how the Fairlane letters are retained on the rear fenders.  On the other side is the Maverick Grabber and unlike other muscle car packages of that period this one utilizes an I-6 instead.  Still, it has that aggressive look in a sleek package that looks good on this Hot Wheels car.  You can sense some style of Mustang and unfortunately the style of the ill-fated Pinto that would arrive shortly after the Maverick.  The interior has a basic layout with detailed dashboard and bench seats, while the exterior has the proper front-end look and flat-faced rear-end.  The blue looks nice on this car, but again the red graphics kill the mood.

This set had potential, but once again it gets lost in the abundance of graphics.  Without them (or realistic lighting and badging in its place) this set would come come out in much better fashion.