Hot Wheels: Heritage Real Riders and Redlines

The Hot Wheels Heritage Series was first released in 2015 to replace the short lived Hot Wheels Cool Classics. The castings of the Heritage Series come in two wheel segments: Real Riders and Redlines. Real Riders were typically found at Target, while Redlines were more often found at Walmart. Kroger received both as well. These would be replaced in 2016 with the Car Culture segment, which is still active in 2021. Both Real Riders and Redlines were released in three waves of 6 castings spread through the year. Some of these are highly sought after, and as usual, there are some swing-and-a-miss inclusions (Bubble Gunner, Copper Stopper).

Heritage Real Riders Checklist:

Heritage Redlines Checklist:

Good things:

• Most of these are Metal on Metal, which is always preferred.
• The Majority of the Redlines are castings that don’t come along often, especially Long Gone.
• There is a nice mix of Muscle cars and other styles of cars to appeal to a variety of collectors.

Bad things:

• Some of the heavier castings are hard to find on intact blisters, most of them are cracked or have come loose from the card due to poor glue application and weak blister plastic. Some of these were found already taped in place from Mattel, in a big controversy.
• There’s always something that is a miss: Bubble Gunner and The Greenbrier sports wagon were borderline Peg Warmers for a while.
• This series could have definitely continued into the future, but was replaced by Car Culture.

On Page 2, see my personal favorites in the line.