I have started using Mattel Hot Wheels on the train bench. I know there not 1/87th scale, but sitting next to true HO scale trucks they don’t look bad. Plus at $1.00 each, way cheaper than real HO cars.
I did a Google search and all I came up with is collector sites, I am not looking for a 1970 Red Line Hot Wheels car for $15.00. I tried the Mattel Site and it was just about as bad. No, I don’t want to play a Hot Wheel game, I want to see a current listing of what is being made and where to buy them. Any links you folks could share?
I did happen to find some Johnny Lighting car’s at Toy’s Are Us, any links for there cars?
Saw a few cars that would work is they did not have Blowers hanging out of the hood. One was a 1950’s tow truck. What would you use to fill in the a fending hole in the hood? I was thinking wood putty, glue plastic to the underside of the hood, then fill. Also any ideas on wheels, I hate wheels over 15" on 60 and 70 muscle cars! [:(!]
I have found that the Matchbox cars may be 1:64 scale but, the trucks are not. It seems that the larger vehicles were designed to fit in the packaging more than to a scale. I use several tractor/trailer from matchbox and fing that they are actually a bit smaller than the 1:87 scale trucks from Athearn etc. As background fillers they work fine. One thing I do to them is change out the wheels to some realistic looking ones I have cast up.
They actually do make a 1:87 hot wheels, problem is they only make maybe a few and no one ever seems to have them. I have 3 or 4 of them I picked up in Wallymart just by chance one day, i am not sure but they may have been a limited run deal
Bingo. Same goes for Hotwheels. The big issue is the rims, their piants could be dulled down a bit, but if it’s a truck, semi, even a few of their boats (HW & MB) are not bad for 1/87. One of them did a speedboat with a waterskier, and I’ll bvedipped if that skier ain’t 1:80th.
Have you tried looking for any at your local flea market? you can usually find someone there who has some for sale and really cheap too. Also yard sales are a good place to look for them as well. I don’t know if this is any good but there is a address on the back of an old Johnny Lightning package I have, here it is Johnny Lightning.com good luck on it. Neil
Thanks for all the extra answers folks. Thanks for the Address Neil. When I got the Johnny Lighting cars home, I threw the cards they where on in the Beer Can Bag. Then a dim light went on that there might be a web address and pulled the beer soaked cards out. Could not read a address.
Only thing I don’t like about the J/L cars they are just a tad smaller than the H/W cars. If you look at the picture where the blue J/L 69 Charger R/T is sitting at the tracks and the orange H/W 71 Charger R/T is going the other direction, the 71 looks a little bigger. They should be a little closer in sizes.
I should like the J/L cars better, closer to scale. But Hot Wheels cars at this point are easier to find.
Time to tale you guys to school. Matchbox is the original. They were originally created to fit inside of, you guessed it, a match box. I guess they still are, but what this means Hotwheels and Matchbox vary in scale. Thats why a HotWheels Viper can be the same size as an F-150. You have to look on the bottom, which can be a problem. I am a Hot Wheels collector and I don’t think any in my 200 or so packaged collection sports the scale on the bottom. Of course now all the Matchbox I’ve seen have had the scale used marked.
My Plum Purple Matchbox 1933 Ford Coupe (with a supercharged engine that is CLEARLY a Chevy big block) is 1:58 but I have also got them at 1:64 scale.
Most of us here seemed to know that, based on the comments about sized to fit.
AS A RULE: Hot Wheels refers to their cars as 1:64th. (check the website I posted earlier) That does not mean they all are. It just makes it easier on them, The same way there are 5 different versions of Gscale.
I’ve not seen Mtchbox marked in scale, but all my cars are out of reach. I have seen Hotwheels mark a few cars from years past, but not as a standard policy.
Well, found a few more that I like. Bought a 1971 Maverick 302 Grabber, 1967 Chevelle 396 SS, 1956 F-100 Panel Van with a Blower and carb’s and a 1940 Ford Pick Up that looks a Pro Stocker.
Guess I am going to turn the factory into a Big Speed Shop with a warehouse. One thing about getting the cars, it will get me working on my road’s and town. Now, if I can just find some none HP cars.
Ken, take a look at the Muscle Machines. They are 1/64ish scale as well. They come tubbed with huge blowers coming out of the hoods. They might look good sitting around your speed shop. You can get them at Walmart and Toys R Us. I’ve also seen Vegas, Pinto’s and a few others in the 1/64 scale at Walmart, I think they are in the Fresh Cherrys line.
TA I did see the Muscle Machines, and but them right back down when I saw the price! If I am going to spend $20.00 for something that will go on the layout, it going to be turnouts right now.
They did look good, I would have loved to had the 70 Cuda Convertible, put just not in the budget.
I know guys, I use a few of them as well. Fire trucks and the odd delivery van as well as cement trucks are easy ones to get away with as they vary a great deal in size in 1:1. However be sure to keep in mind that 1/64 scale vehicles are really “S” scale.
You also can use them in the fore ground for some forced perspective, but be very selective in doing so, the wrong vehicles can really botch up a scene.
I think matchbox cars make your layout look like a toy. Its Ok if that’s what you want. Many do. That way your kids can play with their cars while you run trains [:)]
Well Hector, you are sort of right. But I am not a rivet counter and bottom line they are toys! Some just want a more of a prototypical looking toy, hum Train Layout. If I could find true HO scale cars for under $3.00 each I would have went that way. Be side I have never seen a 1969 Charger sitting next to a F-3 engine so I don’t see it being out of scale. Trains layouts are for having fun, and I am having fun with the H/W and Johnny Lighting cars.
I did find a on line store that I like, here is a link.
I am going to need a much bigger parking lot.[:-^] Just picked up the following. They are Johnny Lighting cars.
1963 Corvette split window $3.99
1969 Camaro $3.49
1968 Cougar $2.99
1968 Shelby GT 500 $3.99
1958 Corvette $4.99
1969 Coronet R/T Convertible $3.99
1970 Super Bee $3.99
1969 Coronet R/T Convertible $3.99 (yes I bought 2 of them, different colors)
Before shipping $31.42, with shipping $39.97. I would have paid $2.20 in sale taxes and spent $4.00 in gas then looking threw all the stuff I did not want at Toys are US and the Marts.
That is one of the nice things about the Johnny Lighting cars SS Guy. Ones I picked do not have the big goofy looking wheels and tires and look stock. And the J/L cars are a little smaller than the H/W cars.
