Surprise! We went to San Diego Comic-Con last week. Mostly to nerd out, but that’s not all. Despite Comic Con becoming a mecca for all things pop culture, there is a fair amount there to appeal to car nerds too, and we hunted down as much of it as we could find. Who knows, by the end of this you may feel the need to check out San Diego Comic Con for yourself next year.
Hot Wheels Celebrates K-Pop Demon Hunters, Top Gun, and Stranger Things
Naturally, one of our first stops at San Diego Comic-Con is Hot Wheels. It directly connects our love of cars with our nerdy passion for sci-fi, fantasy, and more. For years, Mattel and Hot Wheels have brought exclusive offerings that bring together cars, film, and TV all in die-cast form. This year, Hot Wheels presented three limited-edition die-casts worthy of our collection.
First is the K-Pop Demon Hunters x Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). Love it or not, you are probably aware of the phenomenon that is Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters. As part of Mattel’s new partnership with the IP, Hot Wheels created a limited run of a Porsche 911 GT3 R die-cast with a livery themed after “Derpy,” the mythical (and clumsy) tiger featured in the film. For extra cool points, Mattel brought a real 911 GT3 R with the same livery and styling that fans could take photos with outside of the convention.
Next is the Hot Wheels Stranger Things 10th Anniversary ’83 Chevy Van. In another nod to a Netflix hit, Hot Wheels recreated the famous ET-referencing sequence from Stranger Things when “Eleven” uses her powers to flip a 1983 Chevy van over the heads of her plucky friends as they thrash on their sweet 80s BMX bikes to escape a shadowy government agency.
Finally, to celebrate the 40th (oh dear god I’m old) anniversary of Top Gun, Hot Wheels recreated the iconic “inverted” scene when Tom Cruise’s Maverick trolls a MiG 28 by flying directly over it—while inverted.
Stern Pinball’s Transformers Machine is an 80s Car-Nerd Fantasy
If you are an 80s kid, there is a very good chance your current passion for cars was sparked by Transformers. Cars that transform into robots to fight other robots that also transform into stuff? Come on! There’s a reason why the franchise is still popular today with kids and adults who grew up on the original cartoon, or “G1” as the fans call it.
So, what if you could have an entire arcade-level G1 Transformers-themed pinball machine in your house? That’s what Stern Pinball brought to Comic Con this year, and it was easily the most popular machine in their booth. The Transformers Pinball machine features an animatronic Megatron, complete with a shoulder cannon that can shoot pinballs across the board. There’s an Optimus Prime figure as well, and depending on how you score, the machine will play scenes from the cartoon and exclusive dialogue recorded by the original voice cast specifically for this machine. Think about how awesome this would be in your garage next to your project car?
Sung Kang’s Brings The Cast of Upcoming DRIFTER Film
Most of you may know actor Sung Kang from his role as “Han” in the Fast and Furious film franchise; you might also know that Kang is every bit of a true car culture enthusiast. This man has built wild SEMA project cars and argued the virtues of the Toyota Sienna minivan on podcasts. His love for vehicles can’t be denied. His latest project is a film called DRIFTER, which is the first feature-length film he’s done triple duty on as the star, writer, and director.
Kang chose drifting culture as the backdrop for his story, which centers on his character, Tree, a racetrack janitor who also happens to be a talented drift driver with a tragic past. We were actually invited to speak with Kang at San Diego Comic Con fresh off a panel about his new film. Check out some clips from our conversation on the MotorworldHype YouTube channel.
Bring KITT From Knight Rider Home
At a small blink-and-you’ll-miss-it booth at Comic Con was one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen: a 1/6th scale model of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider. The model is made by Jazzinc Dioramas, and the level of accuracy is stunning. The model is based on the 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am KITT from season one of Knight Rider, as hardcore fans will know that subtle changes were made as the show went on. All the small details are there, including the light bar in the front and all the screens and lights in the cabin.
At Comic Con, the model was on display with a shockingly realistic tiny David Hasselhoff figure, but we don’t think that comes with the model. Which is good or bad depending on who you are. Regardless, this was a pretty cool item to randomly find on the convention floor.
The Actual U.S.S. Enterprise From Star Trek
Okay, this one isn’t a car, but it is still one of the coolest vehicles we saw at Comic Con. Paramount Plus is famous for its Comic Con offsite activation called “The Lodge” for its interactive scenes featuring shows and movies from its streaming service. This year, as part of its Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 premiere, Paramount partnered with Roddenberry Entertainment to bring the actual scale model of the U.S.S. Enterprise used in the original Star Trek series.
The model disappeared under mysterious circumstances decades ago and was only recently recovered by the Roddenberry family, so bringing it out to a massive event like Comic Con is a pretty big deal. Again, this isn’t a car, but Star Trek design has been influential not just in modern tech but in the automotive industry too. Just think about the sleek shape of the ship and sports cars of the early 90s and beyond. It isn’t hard to see the throughline! We actually have some more coming up about the model, so stay tuned.
That about covers most of the standouts we spotted during our week of nerdy celebration at San Diego Comic Con. We’re sure there are things that we missed, but that’s the beauty of such a massive event; it gives us an excuse to go back and hunt for more next year.