Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels, with the thousands of variations in tracks kids can make, and crash their cars on, is still one of the most popular ways to get kids involved. And the best thing about Hot Wheels? Not only will kids be occupied for many hours, most likely the parents as well.
How Old Are Hot Wheels?
The little cars first came out in 1966 when Mattel’s co-founder, Elliot Handler, put together a team of actual rocket scientists and car designers. They came up with Hot Wheels. It made Mattel the second-largest toymaker in the world, just behind Lego with over six billion toy cars made.
Many car enthusiasts can trace their love of cars and science when they spend hours with their parents and friends building tracks and trying them out. This is precisely why they are so cool.
Not only do kids get to play with their favorite cars, but they can also drive them off a cliff, do jumps, build tracks over furniture. There isn’t much that is more fun than learning how to make a Hot Wheels jump. The variety only ends when imagination runs out.
These days the variety of cars and tracks is enormous and doesn’t even need to be that expensive. Toyz World even has a Car Pack with 50 different die-cast cars for only £64.99; this includes muscle cars like the 1969 Ford Mustang, the famous Batmobile, and much more.
Designs are available in all shapes and sizes. From the more modern tracks to the old school tracks, there are some things you need to keep in mind when choosing the best track.
Tips For Buying The Best Hot Wheels Track
- Start with a basic track that gives you the things you need. A track design like The Hot Wheels Corkscrew crash set comes with the basics you need like corkscrews, launchers, boosters, and a car. It also connects to other track pieces and is suitable for ages five and up.
- Choose a theme for your Hot Wheels kit! These days there is an incredible number of themes available for tracks. Is your child obsessed with Mario Kart on their gaming console, and you want to get them away from the screen? Look for the Hot Wheels Mario Kart track.
- If you really want the best track and extras, you can get the Hot Wheels garage. This enormous playset has parking for up to 36 cars, two elevators, two ramps, and a classic city scene. This really is an excellent expansion for any existing kit or a great starter kit. Just have a look at the below Youtube video:
Now we just need the right place to build the best Hot Wheels track ever made. What about making a track in a bed shaped like a car? You read that right, this kid’s blow-molded plastic car bed comes with optional working headlights and realistic engine sounds, and you can even add a personalized number plate.
How do they make the cars?
Hot Wheels are smaller versions of actual cars, so to make them, they just shrink the design, and that’s it, right? Before the kids get to crash their Hot Wheels into the newly painted wall, there is a vast amount of Hot Wheels design and fabrication that needs to be done.
The first step is to take the actual original design blueprint and shrink it down. But the real work starts. When you shrink down the car, you lose a lot of detail. That’s why Mattel has a considerable design team that tries to make the die-cast car look like a real car.
Usually, the designers have to make the wheels a lot bigger, make the roof lower, make the car wider, and make a caricature of the original vehicle. The reasons are simple. If the design team didn’t do that, the car wouldn’t roll along at all and would just fall over or crash all the time.
Once the design is ready, a mold is made. The car is made by the die casting method. With this method, an alloy of zinc and aluminum is injected into a mold to produce the vehicle.
FAQ
How old are Hot Wheels?
Hot Wheels was started in 1966 by Elliot Handler. He was the Co-founder of toymaker Mattel. Handler started designing the tracks and cars when he saw his son playing with Matchbox cars and decided to build his own toy cars.
Can the cars get wet?
Yes, they can; although the cars will oxidize over time, the cars are considered waterproof. Even the new Hot Wheels ID cars that have a chip included are waterproof. Hot Wheels tested this by putting a car underwater for five months.
What does Hot Wheels ID Do?
With Hot Wheels ID, Mattel put the little cars into the 21st century. The ID cars are fitted with an NFC chip and come with an app that can be downloaded to any device.
The chip uses wireless radio communications to send data to a supporting mobile device within a few inches. When you download the Hot Wheels id app, you can connect the car to a smartphone or tablet with NFC capabilities. The info is then downloaded from the car to the device.
Now you can see everything about your car you ever wanted to know. Because the car has a unique number or ID, you can track your car’s fastest speed, lap time, how many miles it’s ever driven, and how many races and app games it’s won.
What is the fastest Hot Wheels car ever made?
The fastest car in the Hot Wheels collection is the Hot Wheels Ford GTX1 with High-Speed Racing Wheels 2014.
Do Hot Wheels tracks connect?
Yes, they do. Track pieces are interchangeable and connect freely to each other. A track can be as long or as short as you want it to be. The different tracks can all be connected so you can make the most epic track ever. Include as many corkscrew, loops, boosters, jumps, and cliffs as you can think of! If you know how to build your Hot Wheels track, then you just need the pieces.
Are there Hot Wheels Motorcycles?
Yes, there are. Motorcycles are a unique collection that’s called the Hot Wheels Street Power collection. The collection includes the X-Blade, Fat Ride, Ferenzo, Rolling Thunder Chopper, Twin Flame Cruiser, and the X-Blade Light Frame.
Besides the motorcycles, Hot Wheels make a vast selection of different vehicles. These include Ambulances, Firetrucks, racing cars, and even Hot Wheels rally cars.
How to make a Hot Wheels garage out of cardboard?
Do you feel like doing some DIY fun with the kids? Why not build your own Hot Wheels garage and race track out of cardboard! It is really easy to do, and the only things you need are:
- Cardboard
- Glue
- Tape
If you are really handy, you could even add some boosters with the help of some 6v electric motors and some rubber wheels! Just have a look at the following YouTube video How to make a Hot Wheels garage out of cardboard.
As a parent, it can be hard to get your kids away from the electronics and tablets that dominate kids’ lives these days. Luckily enough, Hot Wheels are still a surefire way to get kids involved in an activity that will keep them occupied for many hours.
