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From their tiny mag wheels to their brightly colored paint designs,
Hot Wheels
cars are a special breed of toy. Their unrestrained
styling and
the tremendous variety of models provide
young and old alike with a complete
world of vehicles
that sparks the imagination like no other. No
other diecast brand has ever come close to
duplicating the Hot Wheels style.
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The Beginning:
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The Design:
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Unlike other diecast cars on the market in 1968,
Hot Wheels cars were based on popular American muscle
cars.
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Five major points guided the design of the Hot
Wheels brand. Hot Wheels had to have a look
reflective of the time, the body had to suggest
powerful engines, details were to include exposed and
chromed components, mag wheels that would set Hot
Wheels apart from all other diecast, and the cars had
to have exciting, candy-color paint
jobs.
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Mattel went with a California look hence, the "California Custom" tag came
to be from the
manner in which the cars were
raised or "raked" in
the back for the "hot rod" look, which was a
popular trend in California at the time.
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All of the models had some additional
customizations, such as side
pipes, custom "power
scoops" on opening hoods, customized engines,
and detailed chassis,
with black vinyl or painted roofs.
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All Hot Wheels cars could be easily recognized by
their stand-out mag wheels which sported chrome hubs
and red lines (reflecting another popular look in
1968). Thus, collectors refer to the early Hot
Wheels cars as "Redlines"
for this reason.
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In 1968, Mattel
entered the miniature car diecast market with an assortment of 16 cars
sold under the name "Hot Wheels" aka California Custom
Miniatures.
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The cars were an instant hit
with not only boys, but girls and adult collectors
alike. They were painted in bright, reflective
colors referred to as Spectraflame
by Mattel.
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In their first full year of
production, Mattel scrambled to meet a surprising and
overwhelming demand for the new toy cars.
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The first vehicles were made at
Mattel's California plant, but by the end of 1968, a
second factory began producing the cars in Hong Kong to
keep up with demand.
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Elliot and Ruth Handler demonstrating Hot Wheels.
Photo courtesy of Bruce Pascal.
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Sources: "The
Ultimate Redline Guide", "Tomart's
Price Guides", "Hot
Wheels Cars".
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United States vs. Hong Kong:
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The sixteen original models were manufactured in both
Hong Kong and the United States.
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The cars were originally listed
in the 1968 catalog as being available in two colors
each. When sales exploded, that quickly
changed. All of the cars in 1968 have been found
in at least nine colors, and for some models, as many as
16 different colors are known to exist. |
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There are discernible
differences between the two castings. Among the
differences, the chassis is probably the major
difference aside from subtle body changes between
models. |
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Another stand out between the
two is the wheel chrome. For the most part, US mag
wheels sport a duller chrome finish than the Hong Kong
counter part. |
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After 1968, cars were
manufactured in both the US and Hong Kong, although most
models were produced in only one country or the other,
but not both. |
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By the end of 1972, production
of all cars was moved to Hong Kong.
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