Hi I need to know if I should use some of my Hotweels cars for road scenery or should I just buy them from my local hobby store. What do you think I should do.
Sincerely
Ryan LaPlaca
Well, it depends on what scale you are using. If it’s HO scale, then I would advise against it. Most Hot Wheels cars are close to 1:64 scale, and HO scale is 1:87 scale. However, it would work on a S Gauge layout because that’s 1:64 scale. I think the better thing to do would be to buy them from your LHS. That’s just my [2c], though.
-Brandon
I agree with Brandon. Today, you can find “almost” any vehicle you would like to add to your layout and have it be of the correct size or scale. That is very important to make your scene look “right”.
I would buy your auto’s from LHS to the scale you are using.[2c][soapbox]
If its HO scale, try your local WalMart. They have been carrying 1:87 vehicles usually in the $1.70 each range. A lot cheaper than any hobby shop I’ve seen.
Bryan
Also, what year is your layout? Clearly automobiles and trucks of the 1980s or today would not fit in with a 1950s or 1960s style layout (well, of course on a layout set in the 1960s you could have some autos from the 1950s and even 1940s, but they should be fairly rare in number - you should have a fairly low ratio of vehicles 10 years or older to vehicles more closely to your modeled era - one exception: there is a large bulge of 1960s/early 1970s muscle cars out there even today, since they are fairly well liked - however notice that the later 1970s and 1980s vehicle are rather uncommon nowadays).
Ryan, I think it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your layout. HO scale vehicles are readily available, but Walmart aside, the cost can add up quite quickly if you want to add several autos. If realism is really important to you then Hotwheels will look out of place. It is your layout, so if Hotwheels fit your plans, go for it.
Ryan,
I am going to make the assumption you are modeling in HO scale.
IMHO, the regular Hot Wheels are out for two reasons: 1. They’re sized to the package instead of being any specific scale 2. They’re generally not very good models, especially compared to what’s out there. Hot Wheels has made some fairly decent replicas in the past, but they are worth more as collectibles than as model railroad scenery.
Some of the Matchbox trucks that are very close to HO scale and look pretty good though you may want to do something about the wheels.
The Malibu International models at Wal-Mart are very nice models and a real bargain, but the selection is very limited, at least in terms of American vehicles and there likely won’t be any more.
Model Power Minis are about $4.00 and are among the best HO diecast models ever made. The Malibu cars were originally developed for Model Power.
Promotex (www.promotex.ca) has some nice plastic models for about ten bucks and if you get the Walthers mailings, you can usually get a deal on one or more of the Busch models which are really first-rate.
Nice trucks are available from Athearn, Boley, Classic Metal Works and Promotex, among others. Some of the Promotex tractors are less than $7.00 in unpainted form and they are easily disassembled for painting.
There are also many resin and white metal kits.
The good news is that there are more American prototype HO models on the market or in the works than ever before and there are people working on making them affordable, too.
Ryan, again given the assumption you are in HO, check out the 1/87 vehicle website. You have to log in but its free. They have a link to all the HO scale manufacturers you could ever want.
Rick