# BlisterEye

Free AI Hot Wheels pre-grading. Five-axis condition scoring (card · blister
· bubble · centering · car), predicted AFA / CAS / WATA grade ranges, and
a SEND / MAYBE / HOLD / SKIP verdict in under ten seconds. Two scans free,
no credit card required.

The BlisterEye Five-Axis Rubric is calibrated against published AFA and
CAS grades on 60,000+ carded Hot Wheels. Not a grading replacement —
a pre-grading assistant that gates submission decisions.

## Core
- [Landing](https://www.blistereye.com/) — Marketing landing
- [Hot Wheels grading (pillar)](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-grading) — Head-term tool page
- [Methodology](https://www.blistereye.com/methodology) — Five-axis rubric and verdict thresholds
- [Pricing](https://www.blistereye.com/pricing) — Credit packs + monthly subscription tiers
- [Sample report](https://www.blistereye.com/sample-report) — Real BlisterEye output, full breakdown
- [Free Hot Wheels grading tool](https://www.blistereye.com/free-hot-wheels-grading-tool) — Two free scans, no card
- [Contact](https://www.blistereye.com/contact) — Contact form
- [Sign in](https://www.blistereye.com/sign-in) — Custom Clerk sign-in
- [Sign up](https://www.blistereye.com/sign-up) — Two free inspections, no card

## Decision math (cluster A — cost / TAT / break-even)
- [Hot Wheels grading cost](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-grading-cost) — AFA / CAS / Virtue / CGA / WATA fee comparison
- [Hot Wheels grading turnaround time](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-grading-turnaround) — TAT compared
- [Hot Wheels grading scale explained](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-grading-scale) — AFA 0-100 vs CAS 5-100 vs 1-10
- [Hot Wheels grading break-even calculator](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-grading-break-even) — Submit or sell raw?
- [Is a Hot Wheels slab worth it?](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-slab-worth-it) — Three-filter test
- [Does grading increase Hot Wheels value?](https://www.blistereye.com/does-grading-increase-hot-wheels-value) — 90-day comp data
- [How to submit Hot Wheels for grading](https://www.blistereye.com/how-to-submit) — 10-step flow
- [How to package Hot Wheels for grading shipment](https://www.blistereye.com/how-to-ship-for-grading) — Packing + insurance

## Apps + tools (cluster — AI category)
- [Best Hot Wheels grading app (2026)](https://www.blistereye.com/best-hot-wheels-grading-app) — BlisterEye, Toyzie AI, Magica AI ranked
- [Does PSA grade Hot Wheels?](https://www.blistereye.com/faq/does-psa-grade-hot-wheels) — No (PSA = sports cards only)

## Blister damage guides (cluster C — defect severity)

- [Hot Wheels Blister Yellowing — Grading Impact & Resale](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/yellowing) — Yes — yellowed blisters typically cap AFA grades at 80 and CAS grades at 85, regardless of card condition. Light yellowing from short-term sun exposure can drop a card from AFA 90 …
- [Cracked Hot Wheels Blister — Grade Impact & Resale](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/cracked-blister) — A single hairline crack (≤5mm, no separation) typically caps AFA at 80 / CAS at 85. Any crack longer than 10mm or a crack that's allowed air ingress drops you into HOLD/SKIP territ…
- [Hot Wheels Blister Dents — How Graders Score Them](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/dents) — Yes. A dent ≤2mm deep that doesn't crease the plastic typically costs 3-5 grade points (AFA 90 → 85). Dents ≥5mm deep or any dent that creased the dome plastic drop you a full band…
- [Hot Wheels Blister Scratches — Grading Impact](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/scratches) — Light surface scuffs (only visible at a 30° light angle) cost 2-4 grade points. Visible-in-hand scratches cost 8-12 points and cap most cards at AFA 80 / CAS 85. Gouges that catch …
- [Hot Wheels Bubble Clouding — Causes & Grade Impact](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/clouding) — Three causes: trapped moisture (condensation rings, often reversible), interior outgassing from the printed card (permanent), and surface haze from cleaning products (sometimes pol…
- [Hot Wheels Blister Lifting — Severity & Reseal Red Flags](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/lifting) — Partial lifting (≤10mm along the perimeter, no air ingress) caps the grade at AFA 80 / CAS 80. Lifting longer than 15mm or any lift that lets air into the bubble drops to AFA 70 or…
- [Hot Wheels Bubble Separation — Diagnosis & Grade](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/bubble-separation) — If the separation is < 5mm at a corner with no air ingress, AFA grades it as a Band B blister defect (typical cap: AFA 80). Separation longer than 15mm or any separation that allow…
- [Hot Wheels Soft Corners — Grading Threshold](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/soft-corners) — A corner is 'soft' when the fold radius exceeds ~1mm or you can compress it with a fingertip. Soft corners are CARD-axis defects: one soft corner caps at AFA 85; two soft corners c…
- [Hot Wheels Card Creases — How Graders Score Them](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/creases) — Yes for the high-grade bands. Any crease that's visible in normal indoor light caps the card at AFA 80 / CAS 80. A through-paper crease (light shows through when held to a lamp) ca…
- [Hot Wheels Edge Wear — Severity Bands](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/edge-wear) — AFA 90+ requires edge-wear coverage ≤ 5% of the card perimeter (effectively no visible whitening). AFA 85 allows up to 15%. AFA 80 allows up to 30%. Above 30%, you cap at AFA 75 or…
- [Hot Wheels Card Bend — Bow, Crease, Warp](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-blister-damage/card-bend) — A reversible bow (≤ 3mm deflection from flat, no surface micro-fracture) is graded as a 'mild bend' — AFA 85 cap. Anything ≥ 5mm or a bend that creased the surface caps at AFA 80 o…

## Worth-grading decision guides

- [Treasure Hunt Hot Wheels Grading — Complete Guide](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/treasure-hunt) — Yes — but only at AFA 85+. A regular Treasure Hunt at AFA 90 sells for $80-$300; at AFA 85 it's $40-$120; below AFA 80, you barely cover the $25-$40 submission fee. Pre-grade first…
- [Should I Grade My Super Treasure Hunt?](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/super-treasure-hunt) — Almost always — even at AFA 80, a Super Treasure Hunt typically sells for $80-$200, well above the slab fee. At AFA 90, modern STHs sell for $200-$600 and vintage (pre-2010) STHs h…
- [How to Grade a Redline Hot Wheels (1968-1977)](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/redline) — Yes — Redlines (1968-1977) are the highest-multiplier era. A common Redline at AFA 85 routinely sells for $200-$600; rare castings (HK Olds 442, Pink Bye-Focal) hit $5,000+ at AFA …
- [Rare Hot Wheels Worth Grading (2026)](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/rare-castings) — Three categories repay the fee outside of TH/STH: documented factory errors (missing tampo, wrong wheels), RLC online-only exclusives, and first-edition castings in mainline (the v…
- [Hot Wheels Investment Grade — Explained](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/investment-grade) — Conditionally — AFA 90+ vintage Redlines and Super Treasure Hunts have shown 8-15% CAGR over the last decade. Common-casting graded Hot Wheels under AFA 90 track inflation at best.…
- [How to Tell If a Hot Wheels Is Grading Worthy](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/should-i-grade) — Grade it if (1) the casting is rare (TH, STH, Redline, RLC, factory error) AND (2) pre-grading scores condition ≥ 8.5 with confidence ≥ 85% AND (3) raw resale + slab fee < estimate…
- [Hot Wheels RLC Grading — Is It Worth It?](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/rlc) — Yes — most RLC online-exclusives repay the slab fee at AFA 85+. Production runs of 5,000-10,000 keep secondary-market demand high; AFA 90 RLC slabs typically flip for 1.6-2.4× raw …
- [Hot Wheels Factory Error Grading](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/factory-errors) — Yes — graded factory errors sell for 5-20× raw value because AFA / CAS slab documentation defeats the 'is it fake?' buyer objection. Most common worth-grading errors: missing tampo…
- [Hot Wheels Grading for Resale — Seller's Playbook](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-worth-grading/for-resale) — For rare castings: yes. AFA 90 Super Treasure Hunts flip in 7-14 days on eBay at 3-5× raw value. AFA 85 Treasure Hunts flip in 14-30 days at 1.5-3×. For common mainline castings: n…

## Condition guides

- [Mint vs Near-Mint — Hot Wheels Condition Scale](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/mint-vs-near-mint) — MINT = AFA 95-100 / CAS 95+. The card is indistinguishable from a factory-fresh example: sharp corners, no creases, water-clear blister, no yellowing, perfectly centered. NEAR-MINT…
- [AFA vs CAS vs WATA — Hot Wheels Grading Compared](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/grading-houses) — For modern Hot Wheels (2007+): CAS — $20-$35, 3-5 week turnaround, published subgrades. For vintage Redlines (1968-1977) and Super Treasure Hunts: AFA — $25-$40, 4-8 week turnaroun…
- [Hot Wheels Grading Decision Tree](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/grading-decision-tree) — Step 1: Is the casting rare (TH / STH / Redline / RLC / factory error)? If no, sell raw. Step 2: Run a free BlisterEye pre-grade. If condition < 8.5 or confidence < 85%, sell raw. …
- [How to Photograph a Hot Wheels Card for Grading](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/photo-guide) — Seven shots: card front, card back, blister close-up (30° angle), card top edge + hanger, both top corners, and a close-up of the car through the bubble. Use soft side-light, white…
- [Hot Wheels Storage & Display for Grade Preservation](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/storage-and-display) — Use UV-filtering acrylic protectors (Mijo, Protech), keep storage at 60-70°F and 40-50% humidity, store flat or vertical (never tilted), and stay out of direct or window-filtered s…
- [How to Spot a Resealed Hot Wheels Card](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/reseal-detection) — Look for eight tells: fresh white glue near the seal, off-axis sticker placement, mismatched paper fibers along the seam, adhesive bleed past the original glue line, double-pass st…
- [Hot Wheels Protector Pack Grading Impact](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/protector-packs) — Yes — UV-filtering acrylic protectors (Mijo, Protech, 1Zee) prevent the four most common grade-killers: edge scuffing, corner compression, blister yellowing, and dust contamination…
- [Carded vs Loose Hot Wheels Grading](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/carded-vs-loose) — AFA and CAS grade carded (sealed-on-card) Hot Wheels exclusively for their headline product — the slab encapsulates the entire package. CAS offers a separate 'Loose Car Only' servi…
- [What Is a 9.5 Hot Wheels Grade?](https://www.blistereye.com/hot-wheels-condition-guide/9-5-grade) — On Sellhotwheels' 1-10 condition scale, a 9.5 is the top of Near-Mint and the floor of Mint — equivalent to AFA 95 on the 100-point scale and BlisterEye 9.5/10. Specimens at this b…

## Grader reviews (cluster B — comparison)

- [CAS Grading Review — Hot Wheels (2026)](https://www.blistereye.com/reviews/cas-grading-hot-wheels) — Yes — CAS is the best modern (2007+) Hot Wheels grader on three dimensions: fastest turnaround (3-5 weeks), lowest fees ($20-$35), and published card/bubble/paint subgrades on the …
- [AFA Grading Review — Hot Wheels (2026)](https://www.blistereye.com/reviews/afa-grading-hot-wheels) — Yes — AFA is the standard for vintage Redlines (1968-1977) and high-end Super Treasure Hunts where 30 years of auction-comp history justify the premium. Trade-offs: slowest turnaro…

## Comparisons (cluster B — vs pages)

- [BlisterEye vs Toyzie AI — Compared](https://www.blistereye.com/vs/toyzie-ai) — BlisterEye scores five condition axes (card, blister, bubble, centering, car) calibrated against published AFA / CAS grades on 60,000+ carded Hot Wheels and returns a predicted AFA…
- [Virtue Grading vs CAS — Hot Wheels](https://www.blistereye.com/vs/virtue-vs-cas) — CAS wins on resale ceiling (8-12% higher at the same grade thanks to longer auction history), TAT (3-5 weeks vs Virtue's 4-7), and subgrade transparency. Virtue wins on fee (~$15-$…
- [CGA vs CAS Hot Wheels — Compared](https://www.blistereye.com/vs/cga-vs-cas) — CGA (Collectibles Grading Authority) and CAS (Collectible Authentication Services) compete in the same modern Hot Wheels lane. CAS leads on auction-comp depth and resale ceiling (+…
- [AFA 85 vs AFA 90 Hot Wheels — What Separates Them](https://www.blistereye.com/vs/afa-85-vs-90) — AFA 90 requires every subgrade ≥ 9.0 with no creases, no visible scratches, centering ≤55/45 on both axes, edge whitening ≤5% of perimeter, and a clear (no yellowing) blister. AFA …
- [BlisterEye vs Magica AI — Hot Wheels](https://www.blistereye.com/vs/magica) — Magica AI is a general image-editing/inspection tool that has been adapted for Hot Wheels condition queries. It produces a coherent overall summary but does not output AFA / CAS pr…

## Free AI tools

- [Hot Wheels Grade Predictor — Free AI Tool](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/grade-predictor) — Upload guided photos of your carded Hot Wheels — BlisterEye's grade predictor returns an AFA / CAS grade range, a five-axis condition report (card · blister · bubble · centering · …
- [Hot Wheels Blister Scanner — Damage Detection AI](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/blister-scanner) — Yes — BlisterEye's blister scanner maps every defect (cracks, yellowing, dents, scratches, lifting, separation, clouding) to a coordinate on your card photo and grades each on a 0-…
- [Hot Wheels Value & Condition Estimator](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/value-estimator) — BlisterEye's value estimator combines a five-axis condition pre-grade with predicted AFA / CAS grade outcomes to return a raw resale estimate, a graded resale estimate, and the sla…
- [Hot Wheels Card Condition Checker](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/condition-checker) — Upload guided photos to BlisterEye's condition checker. The AI scores five axes (card, blister, bubble, centering, car) on a 0-10 scale, maps the overall score to the Mint → Good s…
- [Hot Wheels Blister Yellowing Checker](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/blister-yellowing-checker) — Upload a photo against a white-paper backdrop and BlisterEye scores the blister yellowing on a 0-10 scale, predicts the AFA / CAS grade cap, and flags whether the yellowing is ligh…
- [Treasure Hunt Detector — TH & $TH Spotter](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/treasure-hunt-detector) — BlisterEye's Treasure Hunt detector scans your card photo for the TH flame logo (regular Treasure Hunt) or the $TH circled-flame logo (Super Treasure Hunt), confirms Spectraflame p…
- [Hot Wheels Centering Grade Calculator](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/centering-calculator) — Upload a front-face photo and BlisterEye's centering calculator measures the printed-area offset on the L/R and T/B axes, returns both ratios (e.g. 55/45 L/R, 52/48 T/B), and predi…
- [Hot Wheels Grading Break-Even Calculator](https://www.blistereye.com/tools/break-even-calculator) — BlisterEye's break-even calculator runs three inputs (predicted condition, casting comp, grader fee) through one formula: (Predicted graded resale × 0.87 eBay net) − ($30 slab fee …

## Stack
Next.js 15 App Router + Fastify 5 + Prisma + Postgres + Clerk + PayPal +
OpenAI gpt-4o vision + DigitalOcean Spaces. PWA installable.

## Editorial position
Pre-grading is the gate before submission. The BlisterEye Five-Axis Rubric
(card 25%, blister 25%, bubble 20%, centering 15%, car 15%) is calibrated
against AFA and CAS published grades. The model returns a 0-10 score per
axis, a SEND / MAYBE / HOLD / SKIP verdict, predicted AFA and CAS grade
ranges, and a self-reported confidence percentage. Below 85% confidence
is treated as a re-shoot trigger, not a final call.

Cost claims (AFA $25-40, CAS $20-35, Virtue $15-25, CGA $18-30, WATA $25-50)
and turnaround claims (CAS 3-5 weeks, AFA 4-8 weeks) are 2026 published
rates plus our submission-audit data. eBay take rate of 13% used in all
break-even math.