Speed, considered a bit on the young side to drive the family car, was the only choice since his older brother Rex Racer exiled himself from the family to become the mysterious masked racer, Racer-X. Reluctantly Pops, the head of the family business, lets Speed race the car, while his girlfriend, Trixie, advises from a helicopter in the air. And, of course, many madcap adventures follow.

The show has never faded from the public consciousness. With merchandising that rivals any science-fiction license, from lunch tins to videogames to toys, Speed Racer has almost never been off of shop shelves.

There have been many, many models of the famous cars from the series. Each has had its pluses and minuses. The latest group to take up the mantle is Art Asylum. Their most recent entry is two bubble-carded die-cast and plastic vehicles which come packed with die-cast and plastic figures of Speed Racer and his car, the Mach 5, and Racer-X and his car, the Shooting Star.

Each comes on a bubble-card with anime-style figures depicted on the card, though the figures themselves are accurate depictions of the original cartoon series characters.

The Mach 5 and the Shooting Star have die-cast bodies with plastic interiors, undersides and windshields. The wheels are plastic on freerolling axles, like most die-cast cars. They measure nearly 3.75 inches in length, a little larger in scale than Hot Wheels.

The figures (not to scale with the cars) measure just under 3.5 inches and are made up of die-cast metal lower bodies with plastic upper-bodies.

A speedy pair crosses the finish line

Judging these on their own merit, they are fairly accurate, not deformed in any way (some past models have been exaggerated) and are nice, elegant toys. But this is what they are. These are not the finest models that can be obtained, but they are nice toys for fans young and old.

The Mach 5 is a sleek, multi-pointed white car with a blood-red interior which is detailed enough to show the twin seats and a very low-detail dashboard and wheel. Etched into the body are the various hatches that would (but don't) open on the Mach 5 (the periscope, the doors, the probe-launching hatch and the trunk). The single side-mirror is there, as are the spiked rear fins and the stylish red "M" that adorns the hood and the famed number 5 on the doors. The familiar round windshield is nicely modeled.

The Shooting Star is very similarly modeled, with etched lines for the engine cover, the doors, and the mirrors. The unusually shaped windshield is also nicely modeled. Silver painted exhaust pipes adorn the rear hood. It, too, has its stylish fins (this was the '60s) and paint, including the blue "9"s on the doors and hood. The beige interior is very low-detail.

The figures were a little better than I had anticipated. Hefty things, their legs are made of die-cast metal, nicely painted, and at the waist they become plastic, which can pivot on their axes. The paint on Speed in particular, is quite detailed and well-executed. The "G" on Speed's chest (his original Japanese name was Go Mifune) is molded on and painted.

The one thing that lowers the play value of these cars for me is that the wheels are a hard plastic. I would have preferred rubber wheels over plastic or metal hubs. As they are, they roll fine, but don't have any traction to any play surface. Not a big problem for most, I'm sure.