Designed - I think - for Mega Bloks figures, the Tankinator is a pretty awesome toy. It has rolling wheels like any car from Hot Wheels, but adds a jointed turret with 3mm rails for figures to grab and an opening to fit other figures inside. It's too narrow for LEGO men, but you can fit in Bit Figs or small, skinny toys without much of a hassle.
While I have no particular predisposition toward tank toys, this one grabbed me. The idea of fitting toys inside a Hot Wheels car appeals to me, mostly because the format is such a staple of a child's toy diet one might have to wonder how you can mix it up. Over the last few years, Mattel's crew invented a few clever ideas to carry mini-figures around such as the Minecart [FOTD #1,532] and Fig Rig [FOTD #670], plus others. So many others. While the original Fig Rig was clearly engineered with LEGO men in mind, subsequent cars are more geared toward the Mattel ecosystem.
Two versions of this car are out already, and this is a tan version with camo on the sides. A green one was sold earlier. The rotating turret has several places for a brick figure to grip on, and surprisingly it actually rotates. The wheels spin freely and the tank works just fine on most tracks. Several of the details on a typical tank are here - treads, little boxes, a giant gun - in addition to some elements of the cartoonish hot rods of old. It's fairly heavy, and feels sturdy.
It's a nice little toy. It's not a perfect tank, and it can't fit your LEGO men, but the Tankinator is a clever new design for Hot Wheels that lets the toy car be more than a toy car. Moving parts and added play features mean a lot to me, because I'm not a "car guy." Realistic replicas of models I can actually drive don't interest me nearly as much as licensed cars from games, comics, TV, and the movies - and these original toy ideas are usually a good time, too. If you collect a lot of mini-figures, the Tankinator is one of those things you shouldn't miss. It's a dollar. It's fun. Get one. If you hate it, you probably know a kid or a co-worker to dump it on when you're done.
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