Red Baron

==Description==
Red Baron is a custom hot rod with a cockpit shaped like a Pickelhaube, powered by a six-cylinder warplane engine that's been retrofitted with a turbocharger. The Red Baron is one of the more popular Hot Wheels models released; even featuring in Pixar's Toy Story.
The origin story of the Red Baron is complex. Originally a Monogram model kit, a show car version was commissioned, built in a six month timespan, and unveiled in early 1969. The Hot Wheels version then debuted a year later, in 1970; with added fenders not present in the original. The initial version of the car featured 'Capped' Redline wheels, Spectraflame red paint, and a pointed spike on the helmet; it was packaged with either a metal, or rarer plastic, Collector's Button. Additionally, for a short time Mattel owned Monogram; and the Hot Wheels version of the Red Baron was included as a bonus in some model kit boxes.
Some 1970 Red Barons have been found with a white interior instead of the normal black interior. These are very rare, and only a handful are known to exist. They have been found with a completely blank base, or with the copyright information found on the regular release; it is unknown whether these were a pre-production prototype or a very small production run. Michael Zarnock's "Warman's Hot Wheels Field Guide: 3rd Edition (Values and Identification)", notes this variant as the fifth rarest Hot Wheel to date, with an estimated value of $3,000 or more. So far, no Red Barons with a white interior have been found in the original packaging. (Note: The Red Baron has been re-released with a white interior, and these are NOT worth the above stated value!)
In 1973, the Red Baron's Spectraflame paint was replaced with flat enamel paint, and the front wheels were changed to the newer 'Hole-Through' style Redline. The rear wheels stayed the 'Capped' style Redline wheels, and the pointed helmet spike remained. One year after that, due to safety concerns, the pointed spike was dulled to a small bump; this version was found with the Capped/Hole-Through combination of wheels from the 1973 version, but more commonly with all four Hole-Through wheels. The Red Baron was then produced with Blackwall wheels in the 1977 Flying Colors Series, 1979 Classy Customs Series and the 1983 Mainline series. All of these versions are identical, except for the card. 
In 1993, The Red Baron was re-tooled for the 25th Anniversary Series and has been used many times until 2012. In 2002, it additionally got a smaller, more detailed version closer to the original model and hot rod in appearance as part of the 100% Hot Wheels series, produced once for a 2-Pack before 100% castings were discontinued.
The Red Baron featured as car #31 of the Highway 35 anniversary event, driven by Harrison Lau from the Scorchers team.
== The Real Red Baron ==
Reversing the usual procedure of developing plastic models from full size vehicles, the Red Baron show car was inspired by Tom Daniel's Monogram model kit of the same name; a stylized hot rod incorporating a German helmet and Iron Cross motif on the radiator. Daniel had been inspired by the helmets being worn by social rebels at the time; a notable example being the "Surfer Helmet" Pickelhaubes sold by Ed Roth.
Commissioned to custom car builder Chuck Miller by Bob Larivee, who had seen the kit at a toy fair in 1967, it was unveiled at the Detroit Autorama in January 1969. Converting the design to full scale was much easier to design than build. For instance, Daniel had incorporated a 1914 Mercedes aircraft engine to power his Red Baron; Due to its improper scale (Daniel being an artist, not a car builder), Miller had to improvise; powering his full-size Red Baron with a Pontiac 6-cylinder. One other situation was the custom wheels conceived by Daniel: Miller was forced to replicate these by cutting out sheet metal to resemble the wheels in the model kit, painting it black, and attaching it to chromed steel wheels. The hand-formed, all steel body, equipped with replicated machine guns, sits atop a custom built frame and is topped off with a large fiberglass helmet. Although Daniels' kit featured a chrome plated helmet, Miller was unable to achieve this with his car; as there were no companies at the time that had large enough plating equipment. Miller was forced to settle for a silver metal flake paint job instead.
The enclosed photo and some info sourced from the book "Showtime", by Michael Sheridan and Sam Bushala.
==1970 versions ==
Note: All four Capped Redline wheels,Spectraflame' paint, pointed helmet spike.
The Red Baron has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions: 
Year	Series 	Color 	Tampo 	Base Color/Type	Interior Color	Wheel Type	Toy #	Country 	Notes/Variations 	Photo
1970	Mainline	Spectraflame Red	Black Iron Cross on sides of helmet	Unpainted/Metal	White 	RL 	6400 	Hong Kong	Rare, Only found Loose	
1970	Mainline	Spectraflame Red	Black Iron Cross on sides of helmet	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	RL 	6400 	Hong Kong	 	
==1973 Versions==
Note: Capped rear wheels, Hole-Through front wheels, enamel paint, pointed helmet spike.
The Red Baron has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions: 
Year	Series 	Color 	Tampo	Base Color/Type	Interior Color	Wheel Type	Toy #	Country 	Notes/Variations 	Photo
1973	Mainline	Enamel Red	None 	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	RL 	? 	Hong Kong	Playable in Hot Wheels: Turbo Racing	
==1974-1983 versions==
Note: Enamel Paint, blunt helmet spike. The Red Baron has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions: 
Year	Series 	Color	Tampo	Base Color/Type	Interior Color	Wheel Type	Toy #	Country 	Notes/Variations 	Photo
1974	Flying Colors 	Red 	None 	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	RL 	6964 	Hong Kong	Blunt Spike, Capped Rear Wheels 	
1974	Flying Colors 	Red 	None 	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	RL 	6964 	Hong Kong	Blunt Spike, All Four Hole-Through Wheels	
1976	Flying Colors 	Red 	None 	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	RL 	6964 	Hong Kong	Blunt Spike, All Four Hole-Through Wheels	
1977	Flying Colors 	Red 	None 	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	BW 	6964 	Hong Kong	 	75px
1978	Classy Customs	Red 	None 	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	BW 	6964 	Hong Kong	 	75px
1983	Mainline 	Red 	None 	Unpainted/Metal	Black 	BW 	6964 	Hong Kong	 	75px
==1993 Re-Tooled Versions==
The Red Baron has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions: 
Col #	Year	Series 	Color 	Tampo 	Base Color/Type 	Interior Color	Wheel Type 	Toy #	Country 	Notes/Variations 	Photo
 	1993	Vintage 	Metalflake Red 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	10960	China 	25th Anniversary 8 Pack 	75px
 	1993	Vintage 	Metalflake Pink 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	25th Anniversary 	
 	1993	Vintage 	Metalflake Green 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	25th Anniversary 	
 	1993	Vintage 	Metalflake Olive 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	25th Anniversary 	
 	1993	Vintage 	Metalflake Gold 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	25th Anniversary 	
 	1993	Vintage 	Metalflake Lavender & Pink 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	25th Anniversary 	
 	1993	Vintage 	Metalflake Bright Red 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	25th Anniversary 	
 	1994	Vintage 	Burnt Orange 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Aqua 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Black 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Blue 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	75px
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Burgundy 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Magenta 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	75px
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Pink 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	78x78px
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Silver 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Turquoise 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	75px
 	1994	Vintage 	Metalflake Yellow 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	
 	1994	Vintage 	White 	White 	Unpainted/ Metal	Black 	RL 	5700 	China 	 	
 	1994	FAO Schwarz Gold Series Collection 	Metalflake Blue-Green 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/Metal 	White 	RL Gold 	5700 	China 	Limited to 3000 	75px
 	1995	FAO Schwarz Gold Series Collection II	Gold Chrome 	None 	Unpainted/Metal 	Black 	Gold RL 	13828	China 	Limited to 4000 	
 	1996	Target Retro Wheels Set 	Metalflake Dark Red 	None 	Unpainted/Metal 	White 	RL 	15741	China 	 	
 	1996	Toy Story Super Stunt Set 	Metalflake Red 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/Metal 	White 	RL 	16539	China 	 	75px
 	1999	Big Stunt Buzz board game 	Metalflake Red 	Tiny White Hot Wheels Logo 	Unpainted/Metal 	White 	RL 	41538	China 	Board game is not Hot Wheels product	75px
 	2003	Highway 35 World Race: Scorchers31/35	Orange & black fenders & helmet 	"No. 31", flames, skull on helmet, iron cross on front of engine 	 	Red 	Red rim CM5 	B0897	Thailand	 	75px
 	2008	Since '68: Top 403/40 	Black 	Black skull w/pistons on helmet sides, "Der Rote Baron" on back of helmet	Unpainted/Metal 	Red 	Red Line BW 	L2840	Thailand	Base code(s): 	
 	2008	Classics (Series 4)8/15 	Spectraflame Red 	Black & white iron cross on sides of helmet 	Unpainted/Metal 	Gray 	RL 	M3662	Thailand	Came w/ buttonBase code(s): 	
 	2008	Classics (Series 4)8/15 	Spectraflame Purple 	Black & white iron cross on sides of helmet 	Unpainted/Metal 	Gray 	RL 	M1865	Thailand	Base code(s): 	
 	2008	Classics (Series 4)8/15 	Chrome 	Black & white iron cross on sides of helmet 	Unpainted/Metal 	Gray 	RL5SP 	M1865	Thailand	Base code(s): 	75px
 	2008	Classics (Series 4)8/15 	Spectraflame Green 	Black & white iron cross on sides of helmet 	Unpainted/Metal 	Gray 	RL5SP 	M1865	Thailand	Base code(s): 	
 	2008	Classics (Series 4)8/15 	Spectraflame Pink 	Black & white iron cross on sides of helmet 	Unpainted/Metal 	Gray 	RL5SP 	M1865	Thailand	Base code(s): 	
 	2008	Since '68: Top 40 Set 	Pearl White 	Red skull pistons on helmet sides, "Der Rote Baron" on helmet back 	Unpainted/Metal 	Black 	Red Line BW 	N4608	Thailand	Wal-Mart exclusiveBase code(s): 	
 	2009	Fright Cars 	Metallic Black & Satin Black helmet	White skulls w/orange flames, HW pumpkin logo on sides of helmet 	Unpainted/Metal 	Orange 	Orange Chrome 5SP	N8565	Thailand	Wal-mart ExclusiveBase code(s): 	75px
 	2009	HWC.com Series 8: Neo-Classics2/6 	Spectraflame Red 	Silver painted guns, black & white iron cross on helmet sides 	Chrome/Metal 	Gray 	NCRL 	P9092	China 	7,500 produced 	
 	2009	Falling with Style Toy Story playset 	Enamel Red 	No tampos 	Unpainted/Metal 	Black 	5SP 	P4835	Thailand	Base code(s): C05 	
 	2012	Hot Wheels Boulevard: Show Rods 	Red 	Silver painted guns, black & white iron cross on helmet sides 	Unpainted/Metal 	Grey 	RR 	W4619	Malaysia	Base code(s): E05 	
==See also== 
*Red Baron (100%)
==Gallery==
Patch Card Classy Customs Red Baron Red Hong Kong 6964.jpg|Patch Card Classy Customs Red Baron 6964
Hotwheels Drawings Page 09-9 zpsh4weqbmc.jpg|Sketch powered by ©Bruce Pascal
Red Baron - 09 Halloween.JPG|2009 Halloween version still in package
BaronRLCandRR.jpg|RLC and Boulevard
RedbaronH35WR.png|Red Baron in Highway 35 World Race
A38756.jpg
000 0029.JPG
Rb.JPG
Rb2.JPG
20180521 183127.jpg
20180521 183227.jpg
Redbaronclassicchromec.JPG
Redbaronclassicchromer.JPG
Redbaronsince68side.JPG
WIN 20220128 20 19 24 Panorama.jpg
RLC 2009 Red Baron Red China P9092.jpg|RLC 2009
1976 Red Baron.jpg|1976 Card
1976 Red Baron (2).jpg|back
1973 Red Baron.JPG|1973
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