Of all the toy makers out there, none is more of a synonym for “diecast” than is Hot Wheels. In fact, we here at Diecast Toy Cars know that How Wheels toy cars are probably what made the word “diecast” a household word. Until Hot Wheels came along in 1968, nobody used the term “diecast” on a daily basis. Now it’s on the lips of millions of children worldwide as Hot Wheels diecast cars sell everywhere and are as popular as ever.
Made by Mattel, Hot Wheels cars were originally a line to directly compete with Matchbox, owned by Tyco until 1996 when Mattel purchased the rights to the name and designs. Now the two lines of competing diecast toy cars are instead working together.
The gambit of Hot Wheels cars runs pretty wide, starting with the original 1:64 scale diecasts we all know and love (and their bonus track sets to run them on). The larger 1:43 Hot Wheels toy cars are purely for collectors to display, really, being highly detailed and popularizing many real-to-life street models we all love.
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Mattel’s Hot Wheel Cars are manufactured from die cast metal. They made there debut in 1968, and were a huge marketing success. There was an initial 16 car line up that is now refereed to as the “Sweet Sixteen”. These 16 diecast cars came in assorted colors and makes and were originally manufactured in plants located in the United States and Hong Kong.
The production of Hot Wheel Cars is moved fully to Hong Kong in 1972. Between the years 1968 and 1972 every car had it’s own distinctive trait. Early models had there tyres emblazoned with a red line on the tyre walls. These fresh models developed the Redlines as a very effective trademark, and so a new era of die cast cars was born.
Hot Wheels Cars are as much a part of growing up as TV, and if you are in your forty’s you will know what i mean. Early Redlines were copies of popular car models of the era and were thus ingrained into the American culture. In fact 9 of the cars were fashioned after cars of that era, and the other 7 were more like exhibit cars.
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Collecting of die cast toy cars like Hot Wheels and Matchbox grew out of a passion for cars and childhood memories. Until the early 1990′s, collectors were constrained to just a few options: collecting variations and errors, collecting every car in a series or year, and collecting special limited editions not sold in stores. It wasn’t until 1995 that die cast toy car makers started producing cars for sale in stores that were packaged specifically for collecting. It was the introduction of the Treasure Hunt Series from Hot Wheels that started it all.
The series consists of twelve cars, typically hot sellers in the past, which had new paint and graphic styles applied and sport ‘Real Rider’ tires. Real Rider tires are actually rubber and can be removed from the rim like a real tire. Often times the tires had ‘Goodyear’ or ‘Treasure Hunt’ printed in white on the side of the tire. These cars were produced in limited quantities, 10,000 at first, but were released with the regular series each year. This created an interesting aspect to the Treasure Hunt Series since they were also sold for the $1 price of the regular series. The only exception to this is a box set of the entire series sold exclusively at JC Penny stores around the Christmas and holiday season. The series did experience a few variations over the years. One example is the standard practice from the regular series of re-releasing models with a different paint style. In 2005, in honor of the tenth anniversary, the series released the most popular model from each year of the previous ten years. It was also in this year that a thirteenth car was offered through a mail in offer, which required proof of purchasing twenty other cars.
The value of the Treasure Hunt cars typically spiked for a particular model when it came out. Often times a car found on the ‘pegs’ in stores for a dollar could immediately be sold for fifty dollars. The value would then slightly decrease when the next month’s cars were issued and the spotlight moved to the next model in the series. As is common, the cars for the inaugural year are valued highest. The ’67 Camaro released in 1995, for example, is the most treasured model and is worth over $300.
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Collecting Hot Wheels diecast cars can be a rewarding and fun hobby for anyone of any age. Hot Wheels have been around since Mattel released the first one in 1968. Some of the model gain value over time so they can be an investment as well as a hobby. There are so many to choose from, how do you get started?
Think of what are your favorite real cars and then use those to pick out your first Hot Wheels diecast models. If that exotic German or Italian supercar is just out of reach, you can own it in scale model. You can build a garage of exotic or limited edition cars that would rival any billionaire’s collection. The make new, old and concept cars now. If you want to collect cars from the 40′s, 50′s, 60′s or 70′s you are in luck as there models available. You will be able to find models to collect no matter your passion, from monster trucks to modified cars.
Make sure you stay within your budget. Some cars can be $100′s when they are first released. You will find the prices rise quickly the older the model gets. The quality and the features in the model usually determines the price. A plastic fixed wheel car will be the cheapest option but it will not be as nice as a metal car with working wheels. Size is also a factor in determining the size. The standard 1/64 size of the models can be typically fairly cheap. The larger models such as 1:18 are quite large models and can be quite expensive. As the model gets older it gets more expensive. If you find a 30 year old model it is going to be much more expensive than a brand new model on sale today.
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Collecting Hot Wheels cars is an easy and fairly inexpensive hobby. Here are some collecting tips to get you on your way with this ever growing hobby of die-cast cars.
* Keep abreast of upcoming special collector days at your neighborhood K-Mart or Wal-Mart stores in your area.
* Search the online auctions or collector’s web sites for cars you may be missing from your current collection.
* Purchase trade books and magazines to stay on top of the value of each car.
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