Volume 4 of the Speed Racer DVD series, which debuts in stores on March 14 and has a suggested retail price of $22.98, will come with a die-cast model of the Mach 5 racer.  But while the first three Speed Racer DVDs each included twelve episodes, the fourth volume in this series will contain only eight.  Since the entire Speed Racer series contains 52 episodes, fans will have to wait for an 8-episode Volume 5 to complete their collection.  Lions Gate, which has released the Speed Racer DVD series in the U.S., has been long on gimmicky packaging (the first volume had a rubber tire tread, the second button-operated headlights, and the third a steering wheel shape), but short on extras.

Because of its long-term exposure on American TV, Speed Racer, which was produced in the 1960s by Tatsunoko Productions (Battle of the Planets, Gatchaman), is an anime series with a wide appeal beyond the core anime audience.  Seven Seas is publishing a Speed Racer comic book series (see 'Seven Seas Launching Speed Racer Comic'), Art Asylum has a license to create new Speed Racer toys, and there is a live action Speed Racer movie in the works (see 'Speed Racer Movie on Track').