Having already covered the modification of Hot Wheels cars, we come to customization. Frankly, customization is the easy modding and something we all probably did as kids anyway, I know I did. A bottle of paint and a brush goes a long way for a kid. I still have one of the cars I painted. Of course, now older and with proper tools, giving new life to otherwise lackluster cars is better than ever.

But lets not confuse “better” with “easier.” Safe to say there’s nothing more simple than taking a car out of the box and painting it. But as we experimented with painting the cars, I discovered that one thing makes all the difference - shininess. Yes, Hot Wheels have a nice enamel clear coat that makes than shiny and smooth. When I was little I didn’t have the luxury of a clear coat, but now I do and the difference is awesome. Of course, the only way to get a nice coat of paint that looks even remotely professional is to take the car apart and spray down the body by alone.

The first paint job I kept simple. I took a car that was otherwise boring and just gave a straight coat of paint and a clear coat. And now with a slick skin of black the car looks much cooler and is worthy of being proud to have in a collection. Not to mention, no one else has a car like this anywhere. All you “real” collectors should shut your eyes and turn away as you’ll probably be able to hear any (arbitrary) value of the cars go down with each spray of paint. Well, too bad.

Taking customizing to the next level, designer Aaron Sulser took some water slide model decals and added them to his already modified Matchbox. He found some water slide decal paper that can be run through an inkjet printer, allowing him to make custom decals. So after a new coat of white, a coat of sealer on the decals, and then a good clear coat the car is looking pretty scary - and that’s scary in a good way! Taking his love for horror to the 1/64 scale, Sulser’s “Dead Reckoning” car is a great first overall modified car. And believe it or not, it rolls and races pretty well.

So even if you don’t have the tools, time, or desire to chop shop your cars to create the next speed demon, a bottle of paint from the craft store goes a long way. Just have patience and a bunch of small brushes. And don’t forget that clear coat for that new car showroom shine. But we’re still working on tiny air fresheners for the mirrors…but give us time.