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Less poker, more Hot Wheels

29 October 2007 13 Comments

From what I can tell, I’ve been collecting Hot Wheels cars since 2001. I’ve been playing with Hot Wheels since I was knee-high, of course, but I’ve been spending my own cash on them for over six years. I enjoy looking at them and playing with them, but there’s always something more I’ve wanted to do and at the same time try to share the joy with others. Because, in fact, I believe all guys have an attachment to Hot Wheels that hits them to the core, much like LEGOs or army men.

I’ve been exploring what can be done to add a little more “adult” fun to Hot Wheels. While exploring and doing some Hot Wheels searching I had a thought. Actually, I’m just trying to adapt an idea I saw being used for children’s parties: drag racing.

Think pinewood derby but with Hot Wheels.

All in all that doesn’t sound so exciting, but what if we made it “interesting” with wagers and cash prizes?

I’ve always shunned poker parties because it requires too much thought, too much skill, can cost a lot, and takes way to long. I need a betting game that is fast and requires more sheer luck or simple decisions that mental warfare or bluff tactics. For one, I’m not good at it, and for two I think it’s silly. Of course, betting on Hot Wheels is probably the silliest thing I’ve ever heard of…but I think it’s worth a shot.

The first trick is of course the race track. It needs to be long enough to provide some chance in picking the right Hot Wheels car, and that requires track. And boy, you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get your hands on some Hot Wheels plastic race track - you know, the track you had as a kid that you connected together with the little plastic popsicle sticks that you lost. It seems they don’t sell just track anymore, it only comes in new playsets with loops, shooters, jumps, and car washes. I just want straight track that I can line up and let it fly.

My first stop was eBay. There are seemingly always a few auctions up where someone is selling a lot of straight track. Unfortunately, it can get pretty expensive for not a lot of track, like $30 for 20-feet. I found one auction that had a good length of used track but I got out bid at the last second by samsmom1125… damn you! Of course, I’m not a good eBayer at all.

Next I searched the net looking for unofficial Hot Wheels track. I found a few places that make their own track, but they don’t seem to sell it retail. They just make it for themselves. Good for them, but share the fun, ey?

So while I’m still trying to figure out the race track situation, I have thought a bit about the rules for such an event…and these are all up for debate…

People playing can race by either buying their own stock mainline Hot Wheels car at a store, or they can choose one from the house collection. Entering a car in the race costs $1.00 which goes into the pot.

Match-ups are chosen randomly and the person that wins best 2 out of 3 races moves on. Loser is out.

You keep having races until one person is left as the winner. The 2nd place finish gets their entry fee back, the winner gets whatever is left in the pot. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, there are other more detailed rules that would have to be made, like maximum allowance to spend on a car. Cars can’t be altered…stuff like that, just to keep everyone on the level. Any person can actually enter more than one car too, each costs $1, it just depends on how much they want to stack the deck.

The best part is Hot Wheels racing is entirely simple and easy to play. You don’t need to know if two aces are better than three kings and you get to play in every round, none of this folding crap or blinds where you pay but don’t play. And in the end, you get a Hot Wheels car…or maybe you’ll start looking at Hot Wheels a little differently next time you’re in Target…now you’ll be looking for what could be a fast car.

And of course, it’s cheap. Basic Hot Wheels cost a $1 at most and with a simple $1 entry fee, the most you spend is $2. Of course, if you win the pay out is a little smaller, but that’s why you race more than once. A full set of races could probably be wrapped up within a half hour, whereas in cards you’ll be playing for hours upon hours, and lord help you if you’re out early and have to find something to do while the others continue to play. With racing, even if you lose you’ll be back in playing in no time.

Cards are too involved for me. I guess I’m just too simple for cards. They’re no fun and take too long. I think everyone can get into the simple racing of Hot Wheels cars. It’s more like pool than cards. Low entry barrier that makes it easy to start, but you can make it as complicated as you want without too much effort or overhead otherwise.

Now if I can just come up with a good idea for a simple, portable, and affordable drag strip.

13 Comments »

Chris said:

You could also race for pink slips. After seeing all of this baseball cheating nonsense, I think some “juiced” cars may pop up on the racing circuit. Graphite on the drive shafts, extra weight added to the front end, and of course sabatoge to the other racers cars. You may be creating a dirty world of racing, so be prepared!

# 30 October 2007 at 10:43 pm

Brian said:

Custom cars is a different class entirely. We’ll have to keep an eye on dirty players like Sulser. He’d certainly try to tweak his car to win…big baby.

# 31 October 2007 at 9:32 pm

Big G said:

This looks like an opportunity to design and build an electronic timing device to determine the times on each run. Could be fun!

G+

# 1 November 2007 at 1:21 pm

Brian (author) said:

Hey, if you want to build gizmos for the finish line and launch, go for it. I still need to figure out how to build a decent track. If not from actual racetrack then with wood and whatever else I can find. A trip to Home Depot is certainly in order.

If anyone has any ideas to constructing a decent track, let me know or use the Forum.

# 1 November 2007 at 4:16 pm

Big G said:

I think they’re just a piece of plywood for the base of the track, with a strip of trim, maybe 2″ wide by 1/4″ high to keep the cars in a straight line glued to it. it wouldn’t be hard to make sections that interlock so that the track can be disassembled and stored easily.

If we can get the regulations for the cars, it’ll help us figure out how to build the track.

G+

# 2 November 2007 at 11:59 am

Brian said:

They’re Hot Wheels cars…so they’re like an inch and a half wide, if that. Check the link the story, it’ll go to racegrooves.com and you can see how the tracks fit to the cars.

My concern is the bending of the wood to make a nice slope. I agree, I think some smooth plywood or panel would work great, but I wonder about the rails to keep it straight…how would those bend?

One thought I has was tube. Use plywood for the base, then get some small diameter plastic hose so it is flexible and glue it to the plywood.

# 3 November 2007 at 11:41 am

Big G said:

If we used something thin, like 1/4″ underlayment, it would be flexible enough to bend. We could use two layers of that so that we would get the strength of thicker wood, with the flexibility to make a nice curve.

G+

# 3 November 2007 at 5:39 pm

andrew said:

excellent topic!

Nice to see some ‘adult’ hotwheels interest out there.

I have been trying to get my hands on some track with little success.PLEASE share with me if you guys come up with a suitable alternative. cheers.

# 9 November 2007 at 5:29 pm

Brian said:

After quick spotting from Thee, I think I found a good start to the drag track problem. The V-Drop Track (http://tinyurl.com/2xn4fp) which can be found at Target for $18 comes with probably a good 9 or 10 feet of straight track.

It comes with spacer connectors so it keeps the track parallel and also has a launcher and finish line flag.

The launcher is an elevator dohickey because the toy is made to hang over the top of a door. However, the track itself is just normal track. The elevator is about 4-feet tall, so it can be used on lower edges, like chairs or counter tops. It works pretty well.

I’m still trying to find out a way to build some sort of structure to support the elevator/launcher - maybe PVC pipe?? And if I can get a solid plan out of that I might by another set with another 10″ of track and just add it to the first. What will result is a 2-lane drag strip that could be 15-20″ long — perfect for what I’m suggesting in the article.

I may need some help engineering the scaffold structure, so stay tuned or keep an eye on the forum.

# 18 November 2007 at 2:05 pm

Brian said:

After all I just said about PVC pipe, I see this picture - http://tinyurl.com/2egje4 - and think simple is the way to go. Silly me. A cheap step ladder, some thin planks, and maybe some hinges for folding storage is all I need.

# 18 November 2007 at 2:35 pm

Brian said:

The track quest is over! A stop at Wal-Mart for some donuts led to finding packs of track. Yes, just a pack of track sections, 5-feet total per pack. Better yet, only $2.00 — so I got all the packs they had, about 20-feet total.

Now my ideas for a big boy’s Hot Wheels track are easier than ever, and I didn’t have to piece together expensive track sets. Thanks, Hot Wheels, for listening to our demands!

# 2 February 2008 at 12:51 am

ESTHER said:

Hi there, was wondering if the picture on the article was your final race track! Cool!!! My sons 7th birthday is coming up and he loves hot wheels, he has the “Hot wheels 4 lane race way” which opens up to a 6’ of track, featuring a fair-start trigger and automatic flags to determine 1st through 4th place. Its actually preaty cool! I just need to make it longer. You can actually connect track sections at the end, but Im trying to keep the trigger from the beginning and the automatic flag at the end. Any suggestions on how to make a longer track? Did you make any youtube video of your track? Should I just go ahead and make it all out of the orange sections, did you try the 2 LANE V DROP SET, 6 Long gravity drop with, winner gets a checked flag at the end! REALLY OPEN TO ANY COMMENTS, Thanks! Esther

# 2 November 2009 at 12:56 pm

Brian (author) said:

@Esther - Actually, the race track above isn’t my track at it, but it was my inspiration. You can see my final race track here - http://bit.ly/3JDyfR - I just took some planks, hinged them together and then lay orange track on it. It’s about 15-feet long and folds up nicely so I can store it in my garage. Really easy DIY weekend project.

If you have a Hot Wheels brand playset and want to extend it, the orange track is about the only way to do it. I went to Toys R Us and found individual track pieces for sale for a dollar, so I bought a ton. My race track project started with the V-Drop set like you mentioned. It came with the finish line and plenty of track to get started.

I don’t have any video of my final track racing…but I should, so I’ll be doing that!

I run a site dedicated to Hot Wheels racing over at RedlineDerby.com where I have lots of ideas and tips for building race tracks and racing cars. It’s a little hardcore in some areas, but it will hopefully give you some ideas for projects for your son.

# 2 November 2009 at 2:44 pm