Hot Wheels X Kenny Scharf Collection Was a Solid Flip

Signed cars sell for major profit

News

By RC Staff

16 June 2025

Key Points

Kenny Scharf produced a Karbombz!-themed collection for Hot Wheels
Standard cars were available for $35, signed for $300
Everything is reselling for around double retail prices

Children of all ages had the opportunity to pick up something special this week. Hot Wheels tapped Kenny Scharf to produce a limited collection based on his Karbombz! art. From diecast cars to clothes to signatures from the artist, this collection was very popular with collectors. Now we’re seeing many of the items reappear on eBay and resellers doubling their money with every sale.

Kenny Scharf Hot Wheels T-Bird

First, just who is Kenny Scharf? An artist with a career spanning multiple decades and media, Scharf’s work is recognized as a breakaway from the elitist confines of traditional fine art and focusing on what everyday people will appreciate.

One of his better-known series is Karbombz!, bombastic custom paintjobs that feature alien faces, bright colors, and rough, rattle-canned lines. Scharf describes Karbombz! as “tattoos for your car” and complains that most cars are “the same grayish boring dullsville.”

Kenny Scharf Karbombz Hot Wheels Reseller

In truth, modern cars are pretty damn boring. Between the increasing market share of electric/hybrid powertrains and automakers obsession with the aesthetically-offensive crossover blob chassis, we’re a far cry from the excitement of past generations.

And he’s got a point when it comes to color. Did you know that almost all cars manufactured today are some variant of black, white, or gray? Add “monochrome highways” to the long list of American crises.

But this isn’t a car blog (yet). We’re a scalper’s resource, and Scharf picked up some new fans among resellers this week. He was tapped by Mattel to produce a special Karbombz!-themed collection for Hot Wheels.

These were based on the “Custom T-Bird”, one of Hot Wheels coveted Original 16. The cars are decked out in Scharf’s recognizable Karbombz! artwork. Scharf even painted a 1:1 1967 Thunderbird to match his Hot Wheels replicas.

Kenny Scharf’s Hot Wheels T-Birds were available through Mattel Creations for $35 and limited to two per customer. Additionally, 100 autographed versions were sold for $300 each. The collection went live on June 9 and sold out fast.

Kenny Scharf Hot Wheels Resell

As is usually the case, a quick sell-out translated to quick sales on eBay. There was a lot of hype around this drop, and it didn’t take long at all to the cars begin reselling.

Right now, Kenny Scharf Hot Wheels Custom T-Birds are reselling for $60 to $70, just about double what they retailed for. Meanwhile, signed Kenny Scharf Hot Wheels cars are flipping for up to $600.

Overall, a reseller could expect to double their money on this drop. If you snagged two standard cars and a signed car, you would have made more than $350 in profit. We’ll take that any day of the week.

Make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter if you want to learn more about reselling. We like to cover the weirder flips out there that many resellers miss, with these Hot Wheels just the latest example in a long list.