HW Ride-Ons | Boom Car

05.07.2018 – Hot Wheels is not a toyline that is associated with a building toy or construction toy brand, but more of a diecast car brand owned by Mattel. It is until it acquired MEGA Brands that produced Mega Bloks in March 2014 when Mattel finally announced that they’re acquiring the toy brand. The idea of having a Hot Wheels car being produced with studs parts to have minifigures ride them goes back to 2013 when they introduced the Fig Rig.

The succeeding versions prior to parent company Mattel acquiring the MEGA Brands has focused to incorporrate the Mega Bloks micro figures to coexist with Hot Wheels. Fast forward to 2018, there have been variations of Hot Wheels cars that lets a LEGO® minifigure or a Mega Construx micro figure ride them to the point the diecast brand have consolidated a “Mini Collection” or a subtheme within the mainline beginning in 2016 dubbed “HW Ride-Ons” or simply “Ride-Ons” featuring five cars that would allow a minifigure to drive them.

For the 2018 Ride-Ons subtheme it introduces a new casting with the Boom Car. Basically an original Hot Wheels casting designed as a racecar made of a cannon with wheels. The casting was designed by Tyler Charest describing it as an aggressive speed machine, sleek, low, fast-proportioned, and functional.

Cannon Ball Run

At first glance it doesn’t look like a “traditional Hot Wheels car” as Charest designed it to look unconventional “motorless car,” but more of a cannon that allows a LEGO® Minifigure or a Mega Construx micro figure to ride it or become the ‘human cannonball” by ‘flicking’ the intended rider off as the ‘cannon’ part has an open back.

The card back packaging shows the details and the introductory year, and this is a rare version of the packaging that is usually sold commonly in the US and Canada as most Hot Wheels card backs don’t have descriptions of the featured Hot Wheels car that only explains its intended function through the tiny image on the top right corner of the back card of its packaging.

Green and Yellow

This is the second color variation of the Boom Car having the first release featuring red, white, and blue that reminisce the late great legendary stunt performer Evel Knievel wears whenever he steps out and perform his dangerous stunts. This version is more of a circus themed colours that certainly pairs up with the Party Clown from LEGO® Minifigures Series 18 (71021) as featured rider in this review.

The design of this Boom Car certainly works more with a LEGO® Minifigure than the Mega Construx micro figure due to having a wide body compared to skinny articulated micro figure from its competing brand. This shows how the Ride-Ons made by Hot Wheels designers works well with LEGO® minifigures as compared to their Mega Construx product sibling also owned by Mattel.

Overall design of the Boom Car is more intended to be made for LEGO® Minifigures like it’s previous cars like the Fig Rig, Pedal Driver, and Let’s Go that has been quite popular for most who are into the LEGO® brand and other construction toys. But it also works with the Mega Construx brand sibling also by Mattel. It is a fun casting for a specific minifigure or micro figure tailor-made for it surely would look better just like the party clown who is ready to flick off from its cannon barrel.

“Boom Car” car is 1 out 5 as part of the 2017 Ride-On's Mini-Collection subtheme from the Hot Wheels mainline basic cars from Mattel designated overall 163 out of 365 acquired at Big W in Westfield Marion for $2.00 AUD (₱ 75.90 Pesos | $ 1.38 USD) distributed by Mattel Australia.

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