While I was out hunting for stuff a few years ago I found a bin packed with the Mars Rover Curiosity. I'm glad it was on a good hunt, because if you've ever waited in line at the ChrisTown Walmart, you know that waiting for a single car - especially on a weeknight - is a long process that will make you reconsider just how badly you want the toy you just found. I've left more than a few behind in hopes of finding it somewhere else later with a lesser wait on more than one evening.
While most cars from Hot Wheels function pretty much the same, this is one of those fun exceptions. It sports six rolling wheels with a rotating ChemCam with a ton of other bits and pieces that don't quite move - but they're present. The die-cast metal chassis is painted white with gold and black and silver trimmings, while each wheel is sort of a little brown or rusty - kind of like the Mars soil.
The paint is good, and it rolls nicely. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting all six wheels to roll well. Mattel's engineers tend to do a great job on these toys, as the bulk of them seem to be designed to work with their various playsets and tracks - wheels on other toys I buy don't always move so well.
The added bonus of the paint job on this figure? NASA tampo up front. Not only is it sharp, it's nice to see a real "space toy" for kids. Sure, we've got Star Wars but this is some real space stuff right here. And somehow, it can also drive real fast. Hey, I'm OK with that.
One of the things I find really exciting about Hot Wheels is how they can find new ways to play with the format. Toy-sized real-world cars make for a fun collectible and a decent toy, but how do you go beyond that? Creature cars, TV cars, and now interplanetary science labs can make for a great toy for a buck, especially since this format's low cost cracks open the door to some low-level experimentation. If you see it cheap, get one. It's neat!
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.
RSS 
