Muncle Mikes · Hot Wheels casting guide
Hot Wheels Dodge Neon / Drag Neon: casting and release guide
The Hot Wheels Dodge Neon / Drag Neon is a long, pro-stock-style race car, distinct from the shorter Dodge Neon (Hardnoze). Use body shape, toy code, series markings, paint, wheels and window tint together: several documented releases share a code or series slot while differing in a visible casting detail.
Casting identity
Hot Wheels catalog references describe this model as a 74 mm metal-bodied pro-stock drag racer with a gray plastic base. Its stretched race-car proportions and rear wing distinguish it from a road-going Neon. The original 2004 First Editions issue carries code C2728 and collector number 065.
Keep this family separate from Dodge Neon (Hardnoze). The Hardnoze uses a different, shorter body and separate tooling; a shared Dodge Neon name does not make the castings interchangeable.
Confirmed release checklist
The checklist below contains seven documented physical configurations. Item code, collector number and series position are listed separately because they identify different things.
| Year / code | Release and series | Body / decoration | Wheels and glazing | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 · C2728 | First Editions · 65/100 · collector 065 | Black and white body with blue, black and white Mopar graphics; Dodge hood marking | 5SP; Black windows; Gray headlights | Malaysia |
| 2004 · C2728 | First Editions · 65/100 · collector 065 | Black and white body with blue, black and white Mopar graphics; Dodge hood marking | 5SP; Black windows; Silver headlights | Malaysia |
| 2006 · K0874 | Energizer battery promotion | Black body with orange hood and side stripes; Energizer on rear window; Dropstars on rear wing | PR5; Black windows; Energizer and Dropstars marks | Malaysia |
| 2011 · T9832 | HW Drag Racers · 5/10 · collector 125 | Pearl-white body with red, black and blue Dodge racing graphics | 5SP; Blue tint windows; Gray plastic base; Dodge and race graphics | Malaysia |
| 2011 · T9832 | HW Drag Racers · 5/10 · collector 125 | Pearl-white body with red, black and blue Dodge racing graphics | 5SP; Black windows; Gray plastic base; Dodge and race graphics | Malaysia |
| 2011 · V5203 | HW Drag Racers · 5/10 · collector 125 | Metalflake light green with yellow, black, purple and orange Dodge racing graphics | 5SP; Black windows; Gray plastic base | Malaysia |
| 2011 · X3366 | Hot Wheels Mystery Models · position 8/24 | Satin-black body with red, white and bronze/gold racing graphics | 5SP; wheel finish not settled in sources; Red tint windows; Mystery Models foil-pack position 8/24 | Malaysia |
Dodge Neon / Drag Neon variation web
Open any confirmed release to compare its identifying details with every other confirmed configuration in this family. The two shared-code pairs are called out by their headlight and window differences.
2004 · C2728
First Editions · C2728 · Gray headlights
This First Editions debut has black-and-white bodywork, Mopar graphics and gray headlights. The same C2728 release is also documented with silver headlights; compare that feature on the actual car.
Series: First Editions · 65/100 · collector 065 · Black and white body with blue, black and white Mopar graphics; Dodge hood marking · 5SP · Black windows
Open release record →2004 · C2728
First Editions · C2728 · Silver headlights
This C2728 subtype has silver headlights. It shares the body graphics, series number and toy code with the gray-headlight record; the headlight finish is the documented visible difference.
Series: First Editions · 65/100 · collector 065 · Black and white body with blue, black and white Mopar graphics; Dodge hood marking · 5SP · Black windows
Open release record →2006 · K0874
Energizer battery promotion · K0874
K0874 is the Energizer battery promotion release. Orange stripes, Energizer rear-window mark and Dropstars wing marking identify it; it is not part of a numbered mainline series.
Series: Energizer battery promotion · Black body with orange hood and side stripes; Energizer on rear window; Dropstars on rear wing · PR5 · Black windows
Open release record →2011 · T9832
HW Drag Racers · T9832 · Blue-tint windows
This pearl-white T9832 has blue-tinted windows. A second T9832 record shares the item code and series position but has black windows, making glazing the visible subtype distinction.
Series: HW Drag Racers · 5/10 · collector 125 · Pearl-white body with red, black and blue Dodge racing graphics · 5SP · Blue tint windows
Open release record →2011 · T9832
HW Drag Racers · T9832 · Black windows
The black-window pearl-white T9832 is the documented counterpart to the blue-tint version. Both share code T9832, series position 5/10 and collector number 125.
Series: HW Drag Racers · 5/10 · collector 125 · Pearl-white body with red, black and blue Dodge racing graphics · 5SP · Black windows
Open release record →2011 · V5203
HW Drag Racers · V5203 · Metalflake light green
V5203 shares the Drag Racers 5/10 slot and collector number 125 with the white T9832, but has its own code and a metalflake light-green finish.
Series: HW Drag Racers · 5/10 · collector 125 · Metalflake light green with yellow, black, purple and orange Dodge racing graphics · 5SP · Black windows
Open release record →2011 · X3366
Mystery Models · X3366 · Satin black
X3366 is the satin-black Dodge Drag Neon in Mystery Models position 8/24. Red-tinted windows and colored racing graphics identify it. References agree on five-spoke wheels but differ on whether a gold wheel finish is a separate detail.
Series: Hot Wheels Mystery Models · position 8/24 · Satin-black body with red, white and bronze/gold racing graphics · 5SP; wheel finish not settled in sources · Red tint windows
Open release record →Physical details that help identify a release
Body, base and country mark
Catalog descriptions give a metal body, gray plastic base and Malaysia production. On a loose car, inspect the underside and country mark directly. Do not infer an individual car’s base or origin from another release’s package record.
Wheels and windows
Five-spoke wheels appear on the cataloged First Editions and 2011 releases; the Energizer promotion is recorded with PR5 wheels. The two T9832 records are separated by blue tint versus black windows. X3366 is recorded with red-tinted windows. Sources differ on whether a gold wheel finish on X3366 is a separate feature, so check the actual car rather than treating that detail as settled.
Paint and graphics
The family spans the black-and-white Mopar First Editions car, a black Energizer promotional model with orange stripes, pearl-white and metalflake light-green Drag Racers releases, and a satin-black Mystery Models car. Mopar/Dodge, Energizer, Dropstars and race graphics help distinguish them; compare the exact placement and color against the release record.
Series and packaging identifiers
The 2004 C2728 debut is First Editions 65/100 and collector 065. The pearl-white T9832 and green V5203 appear in HW Drag Racers 5/10 with collector number 125. X3366 belongs to Mystery Models foil-pack position 8/24; that position is not a mainline collector number. K0874 is identified as an Energizer battery promotion and has no standard mainline collector number documented here.
Keep the toy code, collector number, series position and package format in separate fields. A shared number does not prove that two cars have the same paint, glazing or subtype.
Collector FAQs
Is the Dodge Neon / Drag Neon the same casting as Hardnoze?
No. The pro-stock-style Drag Neon and the shorter Hardnoze are separate bodies and tooling. Use the separate Hardnoze guide when the body shape matches that casting.
How do I distinguish the two 2004 C2728 records?
Check the headlights. The documented versions have gray or silver headlight finishes; both share the C2728 code and collector number 065.
How do I distinguish the pearl-white T9832 records?
Check the window tint: one is blue tinted and one is black. Both are listed as HW Drag Racers 5/10 and collector number 125.
Does Mystery Models 8/24 mean collector number 8?
No. It identifies the X3366 car’s foil-pack position, not a mainline collector number.
Is the glazing-unspecified T9832 a third white version?
The catalog row does not establish that. It remains linked as a traceability record outside the confirmed checklist and variation web.
References and catalog notes
Identification details are cross-checked against Hot Wheels Newsletter’s Dodge Neon / Drag Neon casting catalog and 2011 HW Drag Racers list, plus South Texas Diecast’s release checklist. Those references describe the body, construction, country marking, codes, series positions, paint, wheels and glazing. Source disagreement on X3366’s wheel finish and the undetailed T9832 row is left explicit.
Compare a car with its linked release entry and its underside/package evidence. A model name or shared collector number alone is not enough to settle a subtype.