Head to Head: The Greenlight Motor World 2011 Civic SI vs. the Hot Wheels 2006 Civic SI!

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Head to Head: The Greenlight Motor World 2011 Civic SI vs. the Hot Wheels 2006 Civic SI!

This should be a fun comparison of two 8th Generation Honda Civic SI coupes. The 2006 Hot Wheels casting represents the first model year of 8th gen Civics while the 2011 Greenlight represents the last model year for the 8th gens. Let's talk price. The Greenlight set me back $3 Canadian on clearance while the Hot Wheels was $1.50 Canadian. So the Greenlight is double the price, but both are under $5 and should be affordable for most collectors.

The Greenlight and Hot Wheels both feature metal bodies and plastic bases. The Greenlight gets rubber tires and two piece wheels while the Hot Wheels features basic plastic wheels. The Hot Wheels has headlight and taillight features molded into the casting, but Mattel failed to use tampo work to give them any sort of realism. The Motor World, on the other hand, gets separate headlamp and taillight pieces. On a $3 car!! The Greenlight also gets painted emblems and logos, door trim and black accents. Side mirrors are absent on the Hot Wheels while the Greenlight gets them, and gets silver paint to mimic the glass on real side mirrors. The Greenlight gets a realistically scaled spoiler while the Hot Wheels has a big plastic one.

So how do they stack up? The Greenlight wins easily in terms of scale, detail and quality. The added features, like separate headlamp pieces, make the Greenlight well worth it in terms of collectability. The Hot Wheels wins on the track, as a kids toy and on price at less than half the cost. The Greenlight also suffers from rear wheels that sit too far inside their fenders. Greenlight could've rectified the problem by using a slightly wider axle and slightly larger wheels.

While I'm a huge Greenlight fan, I've never been keen on Motor Worlds. The 2011 Civic, however, offers impressive detail and rolls well at about $3 cheaper than your average Greenlight release. The Hot Wheels casting is a little out dated and chunky. If you're looking for a nice replica to display, go with the Greenlight. If you're looking to complete your Hot Wheels casting or for something to send down the track, buy the Hot Wheels. Enjoy!