Here’s something to blow away the January blues if you’re a fan of 1990s and 2000s Hondas. I know ‘if’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. I mean, you are a fan of ’90s and ’00s Hondas, aren’t you?
Mattel has added Honda to its Mattel Brick Shop Speed Series, launching two 1:32 scale buildable sets under the Hot Wheels banner: the Custom ’90 Honda Civic EF and the ’07 Honda S2000. Both are aimed squarely at adult collectors, nostalgic car nerds and anyone who still thinks peak performance culture involved revs, VTEC and tasteful wheel choices.
Let’s start with the Civic. The EF is one of those cars that feels permanently baked into tuning culture, whether you lived through it first time or absorbed it second-hand via magazines, the internet and Gran Turismo. In brick form, the Civic EF gets opening doors, proper window pieces, headlights, a decal sheet and two sets of wheel covers. There are 248 pieces in total, plus a matching 1:64 scale metal car and a small Hot Wheels metal plate for display duties.
Then there’s the S2000, specifically the later AP2 car. The Brick Shop version again features opening doors, along with what Mattel calls ‘an authentic windscreen and spoiler’, plus custom decals and alternative wheel covers. It’s marginally more complex than the Civic at 257 pieces, but otherwise follows the same formula. Mattel actually said ‘windshield’, but this is a UK car blog, so windscreen it is.
Both kits cost £21.99 and are designed to be ‘frustration-free’, using smooth resin bricks with clear instructions. Which is good news, because nobody wants a modelling meltdown when all they’re trying to do is relive their formative years via a noughties roadster.
I can vouch for the frustration-free element, too. We had great fun building the ’68 Custom Camaro over Christmas, while reader Daniel T won one in a Club Petrolblog prize draw and commented on both the quality of the product and the downtime he enjoyed while building it.
Mattel made a bit of a song and dance about unveiling the models next to full-size cars to show how accurate they are. Honestly, you don’t need much persuading: the shapes are right, the proportions look spot-on and, well, they’re Hondas. On first viewing, the Civic’s shape appears to translate to brick form better than the S2000, but Petrolblog will reserve judgement until it has seen the real things.
UK buyers will find them at familiar places like Amazon, Smyths and The Entertainer – and, no doubt, perched on Civic and S2000 dashboards at cars and coffee events across the country.
Personally, these would have been ideal Christmas presents. Never mind, it’s my birthday next week. Subtle hints have already been dropped. Repeatedly.
And Mattel, if you’re reading this: could you add the Honda Accord Aerodeck, Beat and CRX to the Brick Shop Speed Series collection, please? Ta.
