Hot Wheels Monster Jam Captain America

The Star Spangled Truck With a Plan

  After I got off from Work today I stopped in Kmart on my way home to see if they put out any WWE figures or Monster Jam trucks and came across Captain America. I finally Found Captain America. I refuse to buy these trucks from eBay sellers because they rip you off. So I found the Star Spangled Truck With a Plan. The truck is a First Edition. According to the packaging it says New Deco which doesn't make sense in anyway whatsoever because this is a brand new fresh casting. I almost bought this truck in the Demolition Doubles 2pack with Wolverine but passed since I didn't want a second Wolverine. The truck has a Plastic Shield on the back which can come off so you will have to be careful with it. It also has the helmet wings which can break off if you are not careful with it.  The Crushable car is a red station wagon.

My Hot Wheels Monster Jam Collection

  Today I thought I'd share my Hot Wheels Monster Jam collection. It's quite modest since I basically started from scratch last year around Christmas time. I had a couple of trucks before I started collecting these again such as The Monster Bus which was a ride truck. An oddity of sorts. I used to collect them when the suspension systems were different and the wheels and tires were smaller than today's versions. Let's start shall we?

First up is the Grave Digger family, 52 Ford Truck, Chevy Panel, Current Look, 52 Ford Competition truck, The Legend and Son Uv A Digger

Next Up is Backdraft from Pottsville PA! Driven By Jeremy Slifko. Backdraft is 28.5 miles away from where I live!

Virginia Giant Then and Now

Samson I and Samson

King Krunch Then and Now

Madusa and Metal Mullisha

Newest trucks

Air Force Afterburner and Iron Man. Get the reference?

Batman driven by John Seasock from Frackville PA!

Batman and Grinder Both Driven by John Seasock.

Last but not least my favorite, The Monster Bus Ride Truck

Complete collection... So far.

Monster Jam Then and Now 2 Packs

  One of the things that has gotten me into monster trucks again is the Hot Wheels Monster Jam Then and Now 2packs. These are really cool and interesting. You get 2 Monster Jam trucks for around $7.99. One is it's first incarnation and the second one is it's modern form.
  First off the Then trucks have a a different frame on them and also a different suspension system. Also they have a different body style than the Now truck respectively. So far there are 4 different Then body styles, a 1980s Chevrolet K10, a 1985 Ford F250 and a Early 90s Chevrolet and finally a 1952 Ford F100 for Grave Digger. The Then trucks really steal the show out of the 2 trucks in the pack. So far there has been in series 1 Excaliber, Samson, and King Krunch. Series 2 has King Krunch, Grave Digger and Predator, and Sudden Impact. Series 3 has Virginia Giant and Black Stallion and King Krunch again. I don't know why King Krunch is being in all 3 of the 2packs. It makes me wonder sometimes.
  Most of the trucks that have been featured in the Then and Now 2 Packs are independent trucks, ones that are not owned by Feld Motorsports with the exception of Grave Digger. I like the independent trucks that have been around since the beginning of monster trucks. It shows that Mattel cares alot about them.
  The Now trucks are just the current look of the truck. With the modernized frames, engine layout and suspension system. Basically you don't really give a damn about the Now trucks but you play with it anyway. I do but not as much as the Then trucks. These 2packs are really marketed at the old school monster truck fan in my opinion. Little kids might not care that Grave Digger was originally a 1952 Ford F100 pickup. I hope this line continues because I will be buying them all.

How Hot Wheels Can Improve the Monster Jam Line.

  I love Hot Wheels cars. I even collect the Monster Jam trucks as well. Not all of them but ones that interest me. Now the Monster Jam line has improved a lot since Mattel got the Monster Jam license. They have improved the suspension system in the trucks, by making the wheels more bouncy and the tires bigger and eliminating the realistic 4WD turning mechanism. When you would push one of the first Monster Jam trucks, the axles would turn not making the truck go straight. That used to annoy me when I was little. I'm glad they changed that.
  Now how they can improve the line? Well one way they can do so is to stop making the Hot Wheels Original Designed trucks since they don't compete in Monster Jam. So making a truck of the Hot Wheels car Bone Shaker isn't the brightest idea if it isn't a real monster truck. Another way for improvement is to do away with the Edge Glow variations. Why should they? Well I don't think a glow in the dark monster truck is a good idea. It's just weird that they make trucks like that. Sure it attracts little kids but to an adult collector like myself I just see them as a waste of peg space. Now there is only one Mud Tracks truck I own and it is the Grave Digger pickup truck which is an accurate interpretation of the first Grave Digger made from a 1952 Ford pickup used as a mud bogger.
  Now the Travel Treads trucks are a good Idea to coincide with the haulers that they make but I don't trust a toy with removable wheels. I don't know if it will fall off when I push it. I don't have any and don't plan on owning them so doing away with them will help this line a lot. Another way this line can improve is if the made accessory packs, such as plastic cars to crush. They would be a huge seller.
  Now onto shelfwarmers. Mattel has corrected this issue a few years ago with the ridiculous amount of Grave Diggers that warmed the shelves like crazy. They have learned not to overpack certain trucks in cases. I guess you can call Grave Digger, the John Cena of monster trucks. Recently there has been a special series of Monster Jam Trucks called Then and Now, which is a 2pack of the first incarnation of a monster truck paired with it's current version. This is a cool idea which old school fans can get an original look truck with it's current look.