Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is a toy car brand that was introduced by toy manufacturer Mattel in 1968 , initially as "Mattel Hot Wheels". Special features were the very low-friction axles as well as the unusual and sometimes bizarre shapes and designs, which distinguishes Hot Wheels from the realistic Matchbox models to this day . The Hot Wheels cars are about six inches long and generally 1:64 in scale.
To date, Mattel estimates that more than three billion vehicles have been produced. On average, every boy between the ages of three and ten owns 50 vehicles. The Hot Wheels collector scene is particularly well established in the USA. The highest price paid to date for a Hot Wheels model was approximately $ 72,000, which was paid for a 1969 VW Beach Bomb . In the 1990s, the brand was promoted by singer and actor David Hasselhoff .
The Hot Wheels range also includes a large number of racetracks and playsets for the vehicles. With the first racetracks, the vehicles were simply accelerated on an inclined plane. Today, many of the sets are equipped with battery-operated accelerators.
The Hot Wheels brand also includes collector's models of cars, sports cars and Formula 1 racing cars from various teams in 1:18 and 1:43 scale.
There are also special 1:64 scale models that are only produced for the US, Australian and Canadian markets. They are sold as Hot Wheels 100% in transparent display cases (~ $ 10), have a higher level of detail (lettering, paintwork), better quality, wheels and tires; they are more collectible than toys and are used by companies as advertising media. Another series of Hot Wheels were the Real Riders with wide real rubber tires (some with side printing), different profiles and also as redline wheels. Because of the high production costs, they were only on the US market for a few years (1983–1989).
In the 1980s and Hot Wheels were introduced, their color thanks to thermochromic coatings (Engl. Thermal color change paint) (<18 ° C) change on contact with warm (> 30 ° C) or cold water, so-called Color Shifters (color changer) .
The initial models (1968 to 1977) are also called “Redlines” or, as an abbreviation, “RL” because of the red rings around the rims. Then came a modified form of the Redline wheels. The rims looked different; but they are still called redlines (1973 to 1977). Then for a long time (1977 to the 1990s) came the “Basic Wheels” or “Blackwheels”. These corresponded to the modified redline wheels, but without the red ring around them. The Hot Wheels from this era are therefore called "BW's". From the 1990s onwards, there were many different wheel shapes, so there is no more precise name for the Hot Wheels from this time on. To this day, more and more wheel shapes are created.
particularities
A series of four mini models of the Rasti modular system has been available in Argentina since summer 2012 under the Hot Wheels brand. The idea for these building blocks originally developed in Germany was revived in South America in 2005. In 2011, the company responsible for this, Dimare, entered into a cooperation with Mattel.
Since 2015 there has been a special series with vehicles from the James Bond film series.
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Hot Wheels, Chevrolet launched the special model Hot Wheels Edition of the Camaro in 2018 .
Web links
- HotWheels.de Official website of Hot Wheels Germany
- Hot Wheels Wiki Wiki with extensive information for collectors
- American site with Hot Wheels 100% models
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chris Tonn: 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS Hot Wheels Review - The Pony Car Die Is Cast - The Truth About Cars. In: thetruthaboutcars.com. August 24, 2018, accessed on September 16, 2018 .