The diecast scene in India is on a growing trajectory. This time last year, I wrote the reasons why getting Hot Wheels is hard. Does it still hold? Well, that’s a talking point and deserves its own separate post.
However, the post is about Hamleys’ 2nd Unboxing event, which is taking place in several cities across India. Their 1st Unboxing event was a success, which changed Hamleys’ outlook among collectors across India. I think Hamleys succeeded, and that makes it easier for Hamleys to bring back the unboxing event for the 2nd time.
In this guide, I’ll help you with tips to get the most out of the Hamleys event. The tips and tricks will help both new event attendees and those who have already attended the 1st event.
So, let’s get started.
Hamleys 2nd Unboxing Event’s Location and Time
The Hamleys 2nd unboxing event is going to take place across 11 cities in India. These include:
- Mumbai: R-CITY Mall | Infiniti Mall, Malad
- Bengaluru: Forum South Bengaluru | Phoenix Marketcity
- Chennai: Express Avenue | Phoenix Marketcity
- Hyderabad: Nexus Sujana Mall | Sarath City Capital Mall
- Delhi NCR: Ambience Mall, Gurugram | DLF Mall of India, Noida
- Pune: Nexus Pavilion Mall | KOPA Mall
- Ahmedabad: Nexus Alpha One Mall
- Chandigarh: Elante Mall
- Kolkata: South City Mall
- Lucknow: Phoenix Pallasio
- Hubballi: Inorbit Mall
Unlike Hamleys’ 1st event, the timing has been shifted to 10 AM to 1 AM instead of 11 AM to 1 AM.
This gives organizers more time to manage and serve the collectors.
Cars, Limitations and Queue System
According to Hamleys’ Instagram post, there will be cars to buy, including:
- Car Culture, including Aero styles, Road Trip series, and Vintage racing
- Circuit Legends
- Fast and Furious (Either Dodge Charger R/T or Supra set).
- Boulevard (Enzo Ferrari set)
- Vintage Club (can be any of the last two released sets)
- Formula 1 Premium (Latest F1 premium set with Ferrari F1 premium)
- Legends Tour (Doubt!)
- Ferrari (mainlines, 5-packs, premiums)
- Silver Series (vintage club, F&F, exotics, Pantone and performance trucks)
- Pearl and Chrome
- Color Shifters
That’s a lot of stock and variety.
However, the catch is that you’re allowed to buy a maximum of 2 Hot Wheels products.
Note: A 5-pack is counted as 1 product.
So, you can buy a combination of:
- 1 5-pack + 1 mainline
- 2 mainlines
- 1 premium + 1 mainline
- 2 premiums
And so on.
To help organize the event, there will be a queue system. It’s first come, first served.
Hamleys management will give 5 customers five minutes to go through the whole stock. So, be quick and get the cars that you want.
Tips to get the most out of the Hamleys Event
Alright, you learned about the event’s basic rules. Now, it’s time to get the most out of what’s available.
1. Reach 2 hours before the event starts
There are no guesses on this tip. It’s first come, first served, so if you go first, you increase your chance of getting the casting that you want, be it a chase or STH or even a simple mainline.
Don’t be surprised if you see people already ahead of you. Hot Wheels is hyped beyond imagination, and it attracts various types of collectors, resellers, and scalpers (huh, no surprise!).
2. Prioritize Chases or STH, Ferraris, and Circuit Legends
At the Hamleys event, you get the chance to grab chases or STH. As Hamleys is an official distributor, they get the whole box with no tampering.
In the first Hamleys event, many people grabbed the FNF Dodge Charger R/T chase.
To get it, you need to be the first one to enter the event. My advice is to reach the venue at least 2 hours in advance to have a chance of getting the chase. This time, the FNF chase that you can get is the Supra chase. It’s a highly sought-after casting, and collectors want it in their collection!
Yup, it’s beautiful. And if you’re a Fast & Furious fan, then the casting becomes irresistible.
Now, coming to mainline chases, you have a chance to grab chases from the last 2-3 cases, depending on what Hamleys puts in stock. This can be a K, L, M, or N case.
Note: Not everyone is behind chases or STH. It’s perfectly okay to go for something that you want and be happy with it. After all, a hobby like diecast collection is very unique to each collector and their liking.
The 2nd in line in terms of demand and rarity are the Ferraris. These should be your next target.
In Boulevard, you get the chance to get the Enzo Ferrari premium car. It is the first Boulevard Ferrari car – a car based on the founder of Ferrari, and hence carrying a lot of history and value for collectors.
You may also want to have a chance to get a Ferrari 5-pack. However, they’re easily available now via Amazon, Flipkart, and other quick e-commerce platforms.
Surprisingly, Hamleys have mentioned “Circuit Legends” in their Instagram promotion. Even though I highly doubt that there will be any. But there is internal news that I received one month ago that Hamleys kept a good stock of Circuit Legends with them after it was launched. (They were also the only distributor in India to get the Circuit Legends stock).
3. Take full advantage of the five minutes you get
Each person gets 5 minutes, which might not be enough to go through all the stock.
So, prioritize what you like and pick those first. During the entrance, create a mind map of the items located in the aisles and only visit the aisles that interest you.
4. Matchbox will also be there
Matchbox will also be part of the stock. So, don’t miss out on them. They were present in the 1st Hamleys Hot Wheels Unboxing event. As they are not so marketable, they’re not mentioned in the
Collect What You Want
Hot Wheels has become a hobby of the hype. It’s lately been promoted as the coolest thing to do (of course it is), and most people want to get the best models out there (obvious, duh!).
However, not every collector is the same. Some people like trucks, vans, fantasies, or even other brands. It’s totally fine to go and participate in the event and grab what you find worthy at that moment!
Enjoy the hobby and the event. Best of luck!
