At International Toy Fair in New York in February, Mattel surprised everyone with the announcement that Hot Wheels was coming to Star Wars, but no more information was given — and we’ve been eagerly anticipating that news ever since. Well, the wait is finally over, and a few weeks ago I was privileged to be the first person to talk to Jean Gomez, vice president of Hot Wheels for Mattel — exclusively for Star Wars Insider— and this interview is in Insider #150

We don’t want to give too much away here — you need to go and buy the magazine for all the details — but Hot Wheels has been around longer than Star Wars. In 1968, the first 16 Hot Wheels cars were introduced. Featuring redline tires, spectraflame paint, working suspension, and a metal collector button, it was also the first time the public saw the GM Custom Corvette — before the actual car was even introduced. Since then the hobby has grown, and now has its own huge collector base which is likely to grow with the addition of vehicles from a galaxy far, far away.

If you’re lucky enough to be attending San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) next month, you’re in for a big treat. Right across the aisle from the Lucasfilm booth is Mattel; they’ll be showing off their first Hot Wheels Star Warsproducts for the first time. You’ll also have a chance to buy the first Hot Wheels Star Wars vehicle, too. This specially designed character car represents one of the most iconic characters from Star Wars and it comes in a special lightsaber display case with lights and sounds — it will be available at the show for $40 (a small quantity will also be available after the show at HotWheelsCollectors.com if you’re unable to make SDCC). If you want a chance to win one of five of these vehicles then there’s another good reason to pick up the 150^th issue of Star Wars Insider — we have five to give away.

Big thanks to everybody at Mattel for being so generous with their time and allowing me to get the scoop on Hot Wheels Star Wars products. Look forward to more reveals in due course — in Star Wars Insider and at StarWars.com.