Saturday mornings are starting to be a time for me to reflect back to my childhood. I think I need to get a life now in my old age! :yes:

I thought this morning about some of my toys & the old Hot Wheels strip track came across my mind. I also had the set that had a gas station or some kind of garage that when my cars came into it, they would come out of there faster. Anyone remember that set-up?

In my hometown, the only place you could get them were K-Mart or Gibson stores.

I had a friend who had the tire car case. I always wanted one of those as it looked so nice. Had several cars, one was a green 1968 Camaro.

Well, if you had anything related to Hot Wheels, share your fond memories.

Rome

I remember my friend getting one of the first Hot wheels set that you clamped the purple clamp to a chair and the winner tripped a checkered flag.They left the match-box cars in the dust with their slow black wheels!I also remember getting the Hot wheels diamond mine.I sure wish I kept the truck,as I understand itwas rare(exclusive to the diamond mine set only).I see on e-bay the truck goes for 400plus bucks!

oh yeah.. those strips were great for having slap fights with against your brother.. Welts from those, and welts from dad after he caught us...

Hi Philo426,

Yea, I remember those sets too, that you would use the clamp to stabilize it for some good fashioned fun.

I wish I had got some sort of chest & put all my stuff as a child in it, the years afterwards & no matter what happened I would always have the stuff to relish the good times.

Wow, that is just too expensive for the truck.

Thanks for the nice sentiment,
Rome

Hi Similost,

Ahhhh, your post brings out the memories. I did not have any fights with my brothers with the strip track, but my dad would surely threaten us with it. It was a sure deterrent to errant behavior. :yes:

Grand sentiment,
Rome

I still have all my Hot Wheels cars and track stored under the basement stairs....my Jackie Stewart AFX set too. Gonna have to dig that stuff out soon and play. My Hot Wheels set has that "u" shaped piece with a lever on either side that when you pull it (timed with the cars entry into the U) it grabs the car and sends it up the track.

I have my dads and uncles old hotwheel stuff. Had a lot of fun with that as a kid. :thmbsp:

I actually have enough track to run the length of our driveway, only problem is about halfway down the cars get going so fast they jump track.

Just great MikeCh,

I wish I had saved my stuff as I had some great toys, including the Hot Wheels sets.
I think that may have been the same type of garage thing I had. It was so much fun & now I am thinking about the fun times I had with my family as a kid.

Dig that stuff right away & if you have kids, give them the time of your life.

Great sentiment,
Rome

Hi X 25,

I can only echo second the great sentiment to you as I did for Mikech.
You can even brag of having some generational Hot Wheels stuff.

Man, that reeks of Greatness in my book. When you get the time, put that track together & like I said to MikeCh, if you have kids, give them something to cherish for a lifetime with your Hot Wheels stuff.

Grand sentiment,
Rome

I was an iconoclast, never cared much for Hot Wheels, preferring their plain-jane Matchbox cousins. I also had/have SOMEWHERE several boxes of Corgi cars, one of which was a big American Ford COE, pulling a "mobile parking lot"...

Hi Sandy,

Nice to hear from you, my friend. Yea, I remember the Matchbox cars as well. I just never got into them like the Hot Wheels. For some reason I thought they always looked a bit small to me, so I ignored them. I wish I had bought & kept some for times like these.

I wonder how much those Corgi cars would bring nowadays?

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Oh man, what memories.......playing in the basement with my Hot wheels and Matchbox cars. I also kinda remember some sort of gas pump thingy that plugged into a 1/8th" jack on a car with a motor to "charge" it up. Was that a Hot Wheels item, or am I crazy?

I do miss my Matchbox white ambulance......I used it to rescue all the drivers after their crashes...

Rob

Hi Rob,
Yes, the memories are just grand. Playing with my stuff in the living room was the best.

I am not sure if the pump thing you are talking about was for Hot Wheels, but it sounds interesting. I don't remmeber anything like that in my neck of the woods.

Maybe someone can shed some light on it & maybe bring back a memory or two.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Oh man, what memories.......playing in the basement with my Hot wheels and Matchbox cars. I also kinda remember some sort of gas pump thingy that plugged into a 1/8th" jack on a car with a motor to "charge" it up. Was that a Hot Wheels item, or am I crazy?

I do miss my Matchbox white ambulance......I used it to rescue all the drivers after their crashes...

Rob


Hi Rob, I remember that electrical device, but like you, can't recall what kind of cars it was used for. :scratch2:

Hi Rob, I remember that electrical device, but like you, can't recall what kind of cars it was used for. :scratch2:

Yeah - I don't know if the cars were Hot Wheels, or some similar sized car - but they were "batmobile" cool looking in funky colors. Their tiny motors (once charged by the 'gas pump') allowed them to go like stink down the orange tracks. I thought the 6-8" gas pump had a Hot Wheels logo on it, though.....

Time to call mom and see whatever became of those toys.....

Rob

- I just googled it and found one. They were called "Sizzlers", and the gas pump was the "Juice Machine"...a MUST have for the "avid Hot Wheels collector".....

Takes me right back......

Rob

I remember the Hot Wheels. I used to have that big black tire to store the cars in... Brings back a lot of memories... They had some great paint jobs on them.... Between all the baseball, football cards, comic books I threw away I would be rich today.....

- I just googled it and found one. They were called "Sizzlers", and the gas pump was the "Juice Machine"...a MUST have for the "avid Hot Wheels collector".....

Takes me right back......

Rob

Yep that was them! Good search :thmbsp: What did those little motors turn, 20,000 rpm? LOL.

Here's a pic....it's 1969 all over again.....

Rob

Indeed a nice search for us Rob,

Rome

Hi Slow Jazz,


Yea, that Hot wheels car case was the true **** in my day. I wish I could have owned one. Like you, I am sad today knowing that I should have kept all my toys for times like this.

Yea, I had some other toys that I know would be worth something today, alas they are long gone.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

I remember playing with the hot wheels near the base of trees at the elementary school. Good times. :) I still have all my old hot wheels and probably all the track I was given by an older neighbor kid (orange track with purple connectors). :) My favorite hot wheel he gave me too -- a 68 Cad Eldorado. Used to set up some hella tall track slopes ... and used to have a "canyon" kind of track system thingy for racing side by side. The ol' Paddy Wagon was usually the fastest... or else the fire truck without the trailer... (btw, these aren't mine, just pics of the interweb :D)

http://www.toycarcollector.com/hot_wheels_redlines_1970/1970_paddy_wagon/rl_0522c_37.JPG

http://www.redlineprotos.com/Prototypes/White-Ladder-Fire-Truck.gif

http://onlineredlineguide.com/Eldorado_Magenta.jpg

Hot wheels gave my son his first lesson in truth in advertising. Bought him the set with the loop the loop one Christmas. No way in hell they would ever do the loop.

Hi X 25,

I can only echo second the great sentiment to you as I did for Mikech.
You can even brag of having some generational Hot Wheels stuff.

Man, that reeks of Greatness in my book. When you get the time, put that track together & like I said to MikeCh, if you have kids, give them something to cherish for a lifetime with your Hot Wheels stuff.

Grand sentiment,
Rome

Lol, I am the kid Rome. 19 and living with my parents now, haven't had the hotwheels out in a while though. Don't worry though. I will keep them for the future. :thmbsp:

Here's a pic....it's 1969 all over again.....

Rob

I think my uncles one of those is still at my grandmothers house. I will have too look. :thmbsp:

Hi Shimniok,

I just had to brush back the tears as I saw the old red stripe tires on those cars. It brings back so many fond memories of the laughter & fun I had playing with my family.

I wish I could hear me dad's voice as he would say, "is that alright son?"
O my!

Yea, the Green 68 Camaro I had would beat any car my brothers had. Glad to see you have your old stuff & if you have any kids I hope you break them out & just have at it.

Great sentiment,
Rome

Hi Merrylander,

Yea, it just took some patience & finessing. Kinda like trying to make those cars stay on track of the figure 8 racing sets.! :yes:

When the cars stayed on track, the loop to loops were something special. I had hours of fun back then.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Hi X 25,

You are close to my son's age as he is 20. He just laughs when I tell him about stuff like this & playing marbles.

Indeed, keep them for future posterity. They will surely bring you some money & hopefully some fun when you break them out to play.

Rome

Had a blast back in the late 60s and early 70s with our hotwheels set. Best time was watching those commercials on Saturday morning with my brother, eating heavily-sugared cereal, and the inevitable slapping each other with the tracks...
Here's some of those commericals on youtube::thmbsp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-H5DZXddbA

Hi Ybaolywa,

I hear on that in watching some great commericals & Saturday cartoons.
This thread has really brought back some memories. I loved watching Fat Albert while I ate Nabisco Graham Crackers with milk.

Thanks for the link.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

I still have most of the original Hot Wheel "Red Lines" all in the black wheel case AND the little metal badges that came with them, as well as several hundred Matchbox "Superfast" and later Hot Wheels. I gave them to my son to play with.

We juiced these suckers up WAY past the voltage they were supposed to be seeing, and launched cars over our garage into the neighbor's pool around the block from us. :yes:

Or, sometimes, you'd just hear, "HRK!" and the car would be wedged inside the little house.

Fun stuff.

je

Hi Justen,

Wow!, it pleases me greatly to see so many of the posts stating they have kept through all these years the Hot Wheels stuff. The red lines on those little cars always made me smile as a kid. When I got my first strip track set one Christmas Day, I was a happy little fellow! :yes:

I see you even have the Matchbox stuff, just great indeed.
Good to see you are giving your son the stuff & I hope he treasures them as you have. :thmbsp:

Great sentiment,
Rome

Hi Fred Sanford,

Well, I have to say, I think we have a winner.
The picture you have there is the garage thing I was talking about.
Man!, that thing would shoot those cars out with authority.

Ahhhhh, this brings back the good times I tell you. I know you had some great fun letting those cars go into the neighbors pool!

I could hear my dad say something like, "if I have to come out here one more time & tell you all to stop shooting those things into that pool."

hehehehehe :yes: :yes: :D

Wonderful JE,
Great Grand Sentiment,
Rome

Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars are how I got started in this hobby. When I first discovered eBay I initially used it to start restoring the car collection that my mom had passed on to my cousins. Then one day I wondered to myself, "I wonder if that old hifi gear that I never could afford is on here too?" From there to here...

I've pretty much restored much of my collection (both) now, and have several wall cases displaying the cleaner examples. Never fails to garner comments when we have friends over.

We used to pool everyone's track at someone's house and build these huge tracks - down the basement steps, over the couch, jump a box or something, loops, banked curves, it was all great. Outside, our street had a slow curve down a long hill that we used to take turns rolling our cars down the curb - we'd each have five or so, and whoever's ended up the farthest down the hill was the winner. You never knew who would win, as a stopped car or a crashed pack of cars could get 're-energized' by a later car's hit and start off back farther down the hill! Virtually every summer day in the early 70s was spent this way.

We also used to have these marathon Monopoly games that would go on for days. We used to also have to pool several game's money to keep it going until someone finally won it all.

Then there were pellet gun wars and GI Joes, but we gotta save something for later to talk about...

Hi CULater,

Having a hobby is such a nice thing. If you can refrain from robbing your piggy bank, you have mastered it!

I bet putting together those tracks with great lengths stirred the emotions like crazy. So nice, your mom passed on some of the stuff.

O my, I remember the Monopoly games, pellet guns, water guns, & get this one.

Anyone remember the old Cap Guns?
I had some that reminded me of a Colt 45.
Nothing smelled like a popped round of caps. PUNGENT! :yes:

Great sentiment,
Rome

Yea, the Green 68 Camaro I had would beat any car my brothers had. Glad to see you have your old stuff & if you have any kids I hope you break them out & just have at it.

Ah yes, definitely!! That and the slot car setup my dad got for us... many fond memories there too. Definitely want to make good memories when we have kids ...

Michael

Hi Shimniok,

The almighty figure 8 slot car sets. They were notorious as were the train sets for not giving the cars/trains bigger magnets to hold them in the grooves. I can see right now my cars just flying across the room when I gave them to gas in the corners! :D

Yea, my son does not even consider Hot Wheels as good time fun like I did. Kids these days are highly technical minded, so you better have an X-Box handy. :yes:

As I got older, my dad would take us to a place next door to a Tom Thumb that had two huge slot car tracks & one drag strip track. The cars used on these tracks were the bigger cars, more like model cars. It was sheer heaven. I had a Lotus & my brother had a 1964 Impala SS. You would rent the controller & time to play on the track. Fond memories Shimniok!

Great sentiment,
Rome

The almighty figure 8 slot car sets. They were notorious as were the train sets for not giving the cars/trains bigger magnets to hold them in the grooves. I can see right now my cars just flying across the room when I gave them to gas in the corners!

Oh ya... Dad and I were 'drifing' twenty years before it caught on! :D

Sad that the kids would rather play xbox. Hardly stimulating for the imagination.

Michael

I had a Wilesco Steam Engine. Actually, 2 of 'em. One was stationary, but the other one was a model tractor & would run up & down the hall. They had these little whitish pellets that you put in this little tray under the boiler & lit, & in about 5 minutes you had steam ! It had a whistle that was ear-piercing, too. Yes, it could & would burn yr fingers, but after it did a time or 2, you learned how NOT to let it burn you... The stationary engine had a dynamo that would power a flashlight bulb-if it felt like it. And despite my behavior & attitude on here, I managed NEVER to burn myself or anything else w/these cute contraptions...

Hot wheels gave my son his first lesson in truth in advertising. Bought him the set with the loop the loop one Christmas. No way in hell they would ever do the loop.

Not true. I remember that you had to get the starting point at the right height and angle. After that they did the loop just about every time. You had to put a pillow or weight of some sort at the end of the track (on top) and pull the track to get the right starting angle. My brothers and I were BIG into the hot wheels thing. While shopping for vintage stereo at The Virginia Bazaar in Ladysmith I visited a booth where the guy showed me a book on how much some of those cars fetch. OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! and I had a lot of them. Those cars could have easily covered my vintage stereo fix for years to come!!

I debated selling mine, but hell, they're toys. And toys are meant to be played with, not hoarded. My son can sell them later if he chooses to.

Hi Sandy,

Now, you had a true vintage item there my friend. I never saw anything like that in my area. I wish you had one of those to post a pic. I see you are a careful kid too!

Rome

Hi Bstable,

Indeed, you could get those cars to do a loop to loop, but it took some patience & a bit of finesse.

Yea, the prices are stunning for those cars. I think someone said he saw one going for $400. Just unreal, but if we had held on to them, we could ask for some of that money as well. I think I would just keep them & pass them on to my kids. Sadly, I think my son would sell them.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

[QUOTE=Rome;2147333]Saturday mornings are starting to be a time for me to reflect back to my childhood. I think I need to get a life now in my old age! :yes:

I thought this morning about some of my toys & the old Hot Wheels strip track came across my mind. I also had the set that had a gas station or some kind of garage that when my cars came into it, they would come out of there faster. Anyone remember that set-up?


My brothers and I got the DELUX hot wheels set-up. It had two of the "power garages" You set 2 ovals side by side so that you could race each other. Unlike the clamped (downhill set-up) these laid flat on the ground. The garages ran on four D cells, and had 2 spinning foam covered wheels inside . The track ran through the garage. The cars would disappear in the garage and get spit out the other side. It would go around the oval and just make it back to get spit out again. As the batteries got week you'd take out a section of track. When the spinning foam wheels lost enough power, the car would just get stuck in them. Would be easy to make one of those garages. I also collected the 1/32 scale slot racers. Still have the track from my brothers 1966 Eldon race set. I added 50 more feet of track from a garage sale, and a set I bought at Western Auto in 1975. I wonder if that fetches anything today. I have bodies from the 60's, and various parts.

Hi Justen,

Indeed, they are toys & are meant to play with & have some fun.

To me, I cherish the sentimental value affixed to some of the childhood stuff I wish I had saved & shown to my son. Kids these days seem uninterested in that kind of stuff, IMO.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

I still have a handful of my Hot Wheels. I even have a few of the originals. I think my favorite is the "Boss Hoss" I got through the mail. The gas pump that plugged in to the cars was for Hot Wheels Sizzlers. I had a few of those too. I remember hitting K-Mart first thing Saturday mornings to see if they got any new Hot Wheels in. They even had a cartoon series on Saturday mornings that went with the cars. Cool Stuff!!! Then I got turned on to Pioneer, Sansui, Marantz, etc..... I still like it all.
As a matter of fact, I picked up an HK 330 on eBay for $40 tonight. No Hot Wheels though. My wife is gracious enough to humor with my love of old stereo equipment; however, a 50 year old guy getting into Hot Wheels again...Not sure about that one. :scratch2:

Ahhhh Bstable,

There is another post that shows that garage & I told him he is winner for the sentiment, but I must now say he has to share that honor with you! :thmbsp:

That brings back some memories of great treasure to me. Watching those cars go around that track, come into the garage & just shoot out the other side was so nice. Just great stuff that kept me happy for a long time. Makes me miss my parents more & more.

Yea, the bigger slot cars were the bomb & when my dad would take us to race, it was heaven on earth for this kid at the time. You could go to the local K-Mart at that time & look at the new slot cars. Man, they were awesome looking. My dad bought me a Green Lotus & I raced the wheels off off that thing at that place. You just plug your controller into the socket by the track & have at it for the allotted time you paid for.

You could check on EBAY to see what some of the stuff you have may be worth, but I would probably keep it for the Grand sentiment it brings.

Just a thought!
Great Grand sentiment,
Rome

Hi MJennens,

Ahhhh man, I remember going to the K-Mart & Gibson's just to look at the Hot Wheels, Matchbox's, though I did not get into them, they had some cool stuff, & the big slot cars. It was such a nice time in my life.

It is great you kept some of the cars, I sure wish I had & some other great toys I had.
I don't remember the sizzler's, I guess I would have to see one to jog my memory.

Yea, I kid sometimes about me being 51 & in my old age, I am not interested in chasing women or getting a fancy race car. I am hooked on this vintage audio stuff.

Nice to you scored a HK 330 for a nice price. I like their styling.

I think your wife would understand if you got into Hot Wheels now, she has already supported in the audio stuff. I think you have a keeper, so surprise her by playing her favorite song on some of your vintage stuff. She will be yours forever!

Great Grand sentiment,
Rome

I had a slew of those old Hot Wheels.I remember for Christmas one year getting the Snake/Mongoose race set with the Don Prudomme(I forget the other guy) cars and a double loop setup.Getting the cars to do the loops was an easy proposition:set up the purple clamp on the edge of a chair or table.That would give you the height you needed.
A few years ago Target was selling reproduction Sizzlers sets with all the accessories,and several of the cars sold seperately.
About the same time,Mattel came out with the tops that you scraped the tip against the sidewalk,and let those puppies go.Whizzers,they were called.I loved those things!
Jimmy

I was a Hot Wheels junkie. One of my favorite accessories was the Super Charger. It looked kind of like a gas station, but the track went through it. It had a battery powered motor that drove two foam wheels that would shoot the car out (similar to a baseball pitching machine). With it you could set up continuous tracks without the down hill plunge or make a really long track with a mid course acceleration.

The Sizzlers were cool too. They usually ran too fast to stay on a Hot Wheels track unless you slowed them down with lots of bank turns and loops. However, the Sizzler Fat Track was the best. It was about 6 inches wide with no lanes or guides and about a 4 foot oval track with high bank turns. Just charge up all your cars at once and let them go. It was like NASCAR on your own floor.

HEY ROME, Thank you for your feedback. Yes, a lot of these posts bring back memories. I know that is a big part of what brought me to the "Vintage thing" and this site. I was always in the "stereo room" first thing when I got into the PX at Fort Belvoir or Quantico. I remember the silver face pioneer of the mid to late 70's sitting on the carpeted shelves, and how I wanted all of them. For some reason I always took good care of my "things" even as a kid. I still have a lot of things from yesteryear and wish I had a lot more. The thing about using the hot wheels track as swords made me laugh...WE DID THAT TOO!!!!... oh did it hurt if you did it right. It is kinda sad that just about everything today is centered around the techno craze. Kids would rather sit in front of a computer or TV and play games. No actual interaction other than pushing buttons. Don't get me wrong it has its place, but it has taken over IMHO. Younger people that see my gear could care less about my older "STEREO" That is a whole different topic. I'm only 45, and some of the toys of yesteryear are just unheard of today. Good for us. How many of the current toys or video games will be fondly remembered 20-30 years from now. Some I'm sure, but most of what survives today will be "Made in China" and nothing like it was ....back in the day.

I had a slew of those old Hot Wheels.I remember for Christmas one year getting the Snake/Mongoose race set with the Don Prudomme(I forget the other guy) cars and a double loop setup.Getting the cars to do the loops was an easy proposition:set up the purple clamp on the edge of a chair or table.That would give you the height you needed.
A few years ago Target was selling reproduction Sizzlers sets with all the accessories,and several of the cars sold seperately.
About the same time,Mattel came out with the tops that you scraped the tip against the sidewalk,and let those puppies go.Whizzers,they were called.I loved those things!
Jimmy

I still have my Whizzers and they work!

HEY ROME, Thank you for your feedback. Yes, a lot of these posts bring back memories. I know that is a big part of what brought me to the "Vintage thing" and this site. I was always in the "stereo room" first thing when I got into the PX at Fort Belvoir or Quantico. I remember the silver face pioneer of the mid to late 70's sitting on the carpeted shelves, and how I wanted all of them. For some reason I always took good care of my "things" even as a kid. I still have a lot of things from yesteryear and wish I had a lot more. The thing about using the hot wheels track as swords made me laugh...WE DID THAT TOO!!!!... oh did it hurt if you did it right. It is kinda sad that just about everything today is centered around the techno craze. Kids would rather sit in front of a computer or TV and play games. No actual interaction other than pushing buttons. Don't get me wrong it has its place, but it has taken over IMHO. Younger people that see my gear could care less about my older "STEREO" That is a whole different topic. I'm only 45, and some of the toys of yesteryear are just unheard of today. Good for us. How many of the current toys or video games will be fondly remembered 20-30 years from now. Some I'm sure, but most of what survives today will be "Made in China" and nothing like it was ....back in the day.

IIRC every Hot Wheel I had when I was a kid said "Made In Hong Kong".I think if the option to manufacture in China had been there then,Im sure they would have.
JImmy

My brothers and I got the DELUX hot wheels set-up. It had two of the "power garages" You set 2 ovals side by side so that you could race each other. Unlike the clamped (downhill set-up) these laid flat on the ground. The garages ran on four D cells...

Or...six D-cells! Or, eight! Or, a big honkin' 12-volt supply with variable output! Woo-hoo! :banana:

je

P.S. favorite car was Monteverdi HAI, low & wide and stable through the loops (yes, the loops worked fine). It was Matchbox, though...

Hi Jimmy,

I got this info from the net:
Don was known for his yellow 1970 Plymouth Barracuda in which he raced rival driver Tom "Mongoose" McEwen in his red 1970 Plymouth Duster. Both drivers gained wider public attention from Mattel's "Hot Wheels" toy versions of the cars that were released in 1970. Hot Wheels celebrated their 35th anniversary in 2005 with a two day event.

For me too, Christmas day was a special family day, not only to celebrate the Lord's birth, but to see my dad laugh & laugh at his children acting like little crazy's over those toys. I hate to always bring them up, but I miss em some awful. By the way I am 51!.

The sizzler's have been mentioned quite a bit, I just don't remember them for some reason.

Still, nice sentiment,
Rome

Hot Wheels do bring back a lot of memories!

I still have some of my old cars as well!

I even still have the tire carrying case that Rome mentioned. :yes:

I collected the Matchbox cars as well.

Also built model cars, had AFX tracks (both slot and the ones that you could
change lanes), and even an American Flyer train set.

But my favorite was the old Verti-bird helicopter!

http://www.nostalgia.condoris.net/images/vertibird.jpg

Scott

Hi Guptonr,

I think you are right, that garage thing was called the Supercharger. Man, I think I will have to say that was my favorite toy of all time as a kid. Nothing kept my attention like playing with those Hot Wheels cars. Yea, the sizzlers seem to have been a great car too.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Yea, Bstable, I just wish I had thought about keeping that stuff. Tonka Trucks, Cap Guns, Water Pistols, Balsa Planes, Marbles & other great stuff like that will never be duplicated, especially in the simple clean fun they generated.

What about flying those kites? :yes:

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Hi JE,

Indeed, that was the stuff & that is a nice looking Matchbox car!

Rome

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Scott,

I think I will have to add you to the list in the sentiment winner's circle! :thmbsp:

That helicopter, though simple in function kept us going & going with laughter. We would take turns playing with it, due to arm failure!!!!!!! :D :D :yes:

We had the kind that you just held in the air with the controller.

Glad to see you took care of & kept your Hot Wheels stuff.
Just great.

Great Grand sentiment,
Rome

Just to add a bit of spice to this thread & it has been a most memorable one for me. Indeed, there are some Great stories told in here.

MikeCh & I said we did not own any of the Cox gas powered stuff due to them being a bit expensive for our parents to purchase, but it was no biggie to me. I was just as happy with the other stuff they bought me & my sibs. I knew that they worked very hard & sacrificed for us. My dad worked in a steel foundry & my mother, an elementary school teacher. My up bringing was modest at best, but I am truly grateful for that life as it has shaped me into the person I am today. I surely have tried to raise my children & grandson with the same character lessons they taught me.

Well, there was one other toy I wish I could have had.
Does anyone remember the Schwinn "Orange Crate" bicycles?
This would be around 1963-64.

Let's carry on with the Hot Wheels sentiments, but sound off if you have something to say about that bike.

Rome

IIRC there is a thread here about members who collect the old Schwinn bikes of the 60's.
I had a buddy that always had the best toys,usually the ones based on anything transportation:Train sets from Europe,Hot Wheels,Johnny Lightnings,etc.My favorite of his was Mattel's version of flying Hot Wheels called Hot Birds.Christmas day when he had them all set up,I thought I was in heaven.I dont remember them selling them for very long.

Great, Duals.

I will probably check that thread out. Those bikes were awesome. I would go down to the bike store on the weekends & walk around until I couldn't take it anymore.

I too had some friends with all the best toys. I did not have my own room, so I'd go over to a friend's house that had his own room with model cars & airplanes all over it. Man, just to much!

Don't remember the Hot birds.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

I still have my Whizzers and they work!

Oh man, thank you for mentioning Whizzers......those were a blast. I'd rev them up on the sidewalk, and then run over to my older sister and let it get all tangled up in her hair. Boy, did I get in trouble for that!

I feel fortunate to have been a kid in the late 60's, early 70's to be able to have had toys like we are remembering in this thread. Good times. I can even now remember the smell of the slot cars going around the track - like a burning smell. It's funny how certain scents stick with you through the years.

My favorite scent was of my very first record player. It was an old Firestone brand suitcase style unit. It had a 'fuzzy' covered turntable that smelled very cool and old. My mom had given me a piece of red velvet to 'clean' each 45 before I played it. My first Discwasher - and I was all of 4 years old.....

And for all these great memories, I gotta say..."THANKS Mom & Dad!!"

Rob

I had an internal spinning motor "Supercharger" AKA the "Supercharger Sprint Set". It was cool, but frankly I preferred my HO Car track (Aurora, AF/X, Tyco & Riggen custom cars) :naughty:

Here's a site I found on Hot Birds.
http://www.hotbirdsplanes.com/Main_Menu.html

Yea Rob,
Those old toys were great from that time era. never to be duplicated or replaced IMO.
Ahhhh, that burning smell coming from that wee wee motor.

Nice tribute to your parents & to all those who raised us.

Great sentiment,
Rome

Hi Wajobu,

Nice toys you had there.
The infamous supercharger will be my all time favorite toy forever.

All I can say is thank you Momma & Daddy for your love.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Thanks so much Duals,

Rome

I had a Johnny Lightning set. And, oh yes, Whizzers and sister's hair.

I also had an SSP Racer ("Super Sonic Power"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X7hdyTPeIY

Thanks for the memories,

Ken

SSP Racers... I remember those... I had the set with the two cars that the doors/hood/trunk would fly off when they hit each other.

Came with ramps and a few other accessories as well.

Scott

I did manage to keep my old slotcars.Here is a pic. http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee54/philo426/2007_1001Spock0096.jpg

I had the set with the two cars that the doors/hood/trunk would fly off when they hit each other.

Smash up Derby:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6a9b9BLyJU

SSP Racers... I remember those... I had the set with the two cars that the doors/hood/trunk would fly off when they hit each other.

Came with ramps and a few other accessories as well.

Scott

Oops,a day late and a dollar short!Sorry for the dual postings:D

Do you guys remember the vertibird helicopter? Man that thing rocked and worked very well!I remember the SSP Demolition derby I got for my Birthday in '74!The '57 Nomad and '57 Ford fairlane were cool when they flew apart but the parts were easy to lose!

Yup, that's the one!

Here's the set that I had... in "ultra-chrome"... ooooooooo ahhhhhhhh! :D

http://www.btinternet.com/~nsinbath/images/ssp1.jpg

Scott

Do you guys remember the vertibird helicopter?

Yup! See my post (#57) earlier in this thread.

Scott

Great thread guys!

Here's another:

Spinwelder in the mid to late seventies. Whoever thought up a handheld device that spun fast enough to melt plastic was a genius! Hours of fun until you ran out of "welding rods".

Vertibird was already mentioned, and man did I dig that spinning contraption. Same with the SSP cars. Can't tell you how many burn-out marks/dents in walls were left around the house with those units. :D

Great thread guys!

Here's another:

Spinwelder in the mid to late seventies. Whoever thought up a handheld device that spun fast enough to melt plastic was a genius! Hours of fun until you ran out of "welding rods".

Vertibird was already mentioned, and man did I dig that spinning contraption. Same with the SSP cars. Can't tell you how many burn-out marks/dents in walls were left around the house with those units. :D

WOW - Spinwelder & Vertibird - so much FUN. All these toys that filled the years between my Spirograph and my Mattel Electronic Football electronic game phase. I still have both in mint condition. When I hear all those little 'beeps' from the football game it's 1977 again. Spirograph was what, 1967? Compared to my Hot Wheels and Sizzlers, Spirograph was BORING!!! Kind of like that Intelligence Game where you tried to drop the heavy chrome ball in the right hole by slowly moving the guide rods apart. (I saw it on "My Name Is Earl" this week!)

Kids nowdays would just laugh probably.....

Rob

Hi Ken,

I remember the SSP racers. They were a lot of fun as well. I guess I was awe struck by Hot Wheels & nothing else mattered. Even the vaunted Matchbox items!

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Hi Philo426,

Man, those look nice & I bet they will hold the corners!

Great sentiment,
Rome

Anyone have the Girder & Panel set?

Just did a search on the sets and believe it or not, they're still being made!

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/images/products/large/BR002.jpg

Scott

This tooooooooo much for my heart guys!
To much fun & memories.

Just to think we grow up with these GREAT TOYS, along with Pedal Cars, Lite Brite, Operation, the Christmas Tree color wheel that I was mesmorized by, steel Roller Skates, Lincoln Logs, Etch-A-Sketch, Big Wheel, Generic Puzzles, Rock em sock em Robots, Cats-Eye & Steelie Marbles, Science Kits, Slip n Slide, Tonka Toys, & anything made by the Wham-O company.
How about the 10 cent bottle of liquid bubbles with that double o-ring?

O my, this has been Great!

Thanks people for all the great stuff.
Rome

Erecto sets

Rome

Ahhhh Scott,

Yea, did not own one, but played with them with friends.

Rome

Anyone have the Girder & Panel set?

Just did a search on the sets and believe it or not, they're still being made!

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/images/products/large/BR002.jpg

Scott

Wow - I never had those. All I had was my dad's hand me down Lincoln Logs & Tinkertoys. Man, the stuff I could build!

Rob

Ahhhh Scott,

Yea, did not own one, but played with them with friends.

Rome

Gave my set to my daughter... she still plays with it to this day (she's ten now).

Scott

One of my favorites was the Strange Change machine,also called the time machine.Youd get these little plastic squares,put them in a heating device,and they would turn into dinosaurs and stuff.Very,very cool.

Smash up Derby:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6a9b9BLyJU

Best toy ever, right'cher!

I want mine back.

je

Great stuff indeed, Duals.

Rome

Just wonderful fatherhood Scott,

Rome

I want my stuff back too JE!

Rome

yesthey do!

Just to add one more.

Remember this one?

http://www.romeroy4u.com/viewmaster.jpg

Ahhhh man, I played with these things like crazy.

Gotta keep the posts about Hot Wheels though I couldn't resist it.

Rome

Ok, one last diversion......

The Star Trek Tracer Gun
http://spandexjustice.com/wp-content/images/startrektracer.jpg

This thing was single handedly responsible for me learning that oh so familiar phrase "It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye!".....

All this talk, now I'm going to have to tear out the basement/stair storage and find those dang HotWheels....

All this talk, now I'm going to have to tear out the basement/stair storage and find those dang HotWheels....

Yes, I had to get out my Mattel Electronic Football game to play it....:banana::banana::banana:

Thanks to Rome for wonderful thread - and to all AK'ers who have helped me with problems over the ;ast few months, and given EXPERT advice - even with the DOW plunging as I write this, I just got a subscription here to help show my gratitude.

Thanks Rome....(and your Davey & Goliath avatar - another blast from my past)

Rob

Yes, I had to get out my Mattel Electronic Football game to play it....:banana::banana::banana:


I picked one of those up when they did the reissues a while back! :yes:

Classic! :thmbsp:


Thanks Rome....(and your Davey & Goliath avatar - another blast from my past)


Agreed! I remember Davey & Goliath from "For Children Only" right along with this guy...

http://www.tvparty.com/bgifs13/JOT2002.jpg

Scott

Oh JOT!!!!!!! I completely forgot about him....

Rob

Any o' youse boys have a Thingmaker ? Or a Vacuumatic? The Thingmaker, you put this goopy plastic "PlastiGoop" into moulds, heated it, & then you had a large & revolting looking springy plastic Bug to torture yr sister forthwith... The Vacuumatic, they had these sheets of thin styrene that you heated up, & then put 'em over impressions of little cars, bugs, other stuff... An' then, when I was about 11-12, my Dad got me a left-handed Browning T-bolt .22...If I'd known how valuable those things were to become, I might have taken better care of it...Prolly would NOT have stuck the end of the barrel in a creek to shoot tadpoles...Seems like I remember skint-up Matchbox cars made pretty good targets when placed on a fencepost from about 15-20 paces away....Mbwahahahaha.....

Hi Sandy,

I have to tell you that you are in a class all by yourself my friend. Those toys you had were quite the items. My dad did not even own a gun, so I have never fired a REAL gun. Pellet guns have been the closest thing for me.

The Matchbox owners seeing your post may have a bit to say about mistreating their beloved cars & such. :D

Take care Sandy,
Rome

Mike, Rob, & Scott,

I just want to say Thank You for taking the time to share so many great things & personal sentiments in this thread. Though I am fairly new to this forum, the people I have so far met have deeply & greatly touched my life. Yea, I liked Davey & Goliath very much.

Rob, thank you so much for the kinds words my friend. I am glad you became a member. I know you will be a fine one indeed. Ahh, the electric football game with it's men scrambling all over the place is pure elation.

Mike took me back with the Cox planes.

Scott, many great sentiments & the JOT icon.

You all have been so kind to me!

Great Great Grand Sentiments coming from Great Grand People,
Rome

Does anyone remember the Johnny Seven One Man Army rifle? I see that they go for big bucks on E-bay and there even is a video on You tube showing the various feartures of this cool toy.I remember my friend had a topper toys M-14 that looked real!Very reaslistic gun.They would never be able to produce such a rifle today!

WOW...Johnny Seven. That was the COOLEST :thmbsp: toy one Christmas way back when. OK, how about Red Ball Jet tennis shoes? Anyone remember that they could make you run faster and.....???? Anyone? Kind of a trivia test here.

How about the Bonanza figures? I got the whole set for Christmas one year and still have some pieces; horses, wagon parts.

Cool stuff.

Mike

Don't forget the Marx Fort Apache play set!Very cool!

Hi Philo426,

Those toys were classics. How about the bag of army men you could get at the five & dime stores?

Ahh, just to much for me!

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Hi Mike,

Indeed, that was a great gun & the plastic made toys like the Bonanza stuff was classic too. Just simple fun & they did not cost that much.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

One year for Christmas along with getting some Hot Wheels stuff, I got a bazooka of some kind. It was pretty big & had a pump lever on top. After pumping it a few times, you pull the trigger & it let out a blast of air. I can remember shooting the gun down into a storm drain at the corner of my street. The echo was deafing & seemingly went on for eternity.

I have not seen one of those things since then.
Maybe someone can start a thread on Great Childhood toys!

Rome

A few more come to mind...
Kenner Rapid Shot Shooting Gallery and the Cape Canaveral play set. How about Rudy the Robot. It's all coming back to me now. I can remember a Mattel set called Vacu-form which you could make things out of a plastic sheet that was heated and sucked onto a mold. It was like Creepy-Crawlers; they both worked on a very hot plate. I had at least one big blister from those toys.
And then we had these awesome chemistry sets back in the day. I have to wonder what could have been done with those, given the world today.
I got a souvineir sword in the early sixties that was made of steel but had a rubber tip about an inch long...for safety reasons. The sword was cool though. It even had a wooden scabbard. I got it on a trip to the Cleveland zoo. I used to get nostalgic looking at the toys my kids grew up with, but this thread really takes me back too.
:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: :yes::yes::yes::yes::yes:

Thanks so much for the kind words Mike.

Let's not also forget the Handheld Pinball machines with the spring loaded trigger. Trying to get that little ball to fall into the hole as you moved the machine back & forth.

Ahhh man,
Rome

Yes the Army men in a bag with a few tanks,planes and a flag!

[QUOTE=Sandy G;2152157]Any o' youse boys have a Thingmaker ? Or a Vacuumatic? The Thingmaker, you put this goopy plastic "PlastiGoop" into moulds, heated it, & then you had a large & revolting looking springy plastic Bug to torture yr sister forthwith..

Yup I remember...I think they were called CREEPY CRAWLERS, and much later incredible edibles. You poured the liquid into the steel molds and put the mold onto a square plug-in oven. Before it set, you could insert a metal ring attachment to wear it like a ring. It was my brothers as I was only 5. Know why I remember it so well?....Because I burned the s**t out of my hand. That oven got as hot as a soldering iron!!!!! Later came the same deal, only the bugs could now be eaten. How did we not burn down the house with those toys of the 60's

Don't forget the Marx Fort Apache play set!Very cool!

Or the Marx shooting gallery. My buddy had the battery powered machine gun gallery. My dad was cheap and bought me the .45 single shot (non battery) pistol. Same gallery different guns.

Shrinky-Dinks.

Great stuff guys!

Rome

An' LEGOS...Who can forget them ? My granmother's brother was an architect in Atlanta, he came to see us one time, & I made a Lego skyscraper taller than I was to try to impress him. (He wasn't.)

Ahhh Sandy,

The Lego sets were great toys as well. A kid could let his/her creative side run wild with building all sorts of things.

I know this thread is about Hot Wheels, but the toys we grew up with just keep on coming. I thought about the Wham-O Superball we use to play with also. I lot of them were never found after hitting them with a baseball bat.

Rome

I had quite a collection of Matchbox cars-My dad got 'em somewheres in his travels-I had a BUNCH of the English cars that most American kids didn't want/knew nothing about...I wonder what happened to 'em all ?

Yea, after seeing so many great people in this thread stating they still had some of their old toys (Hot Wheels), I became saddened & wondered where did my stuff go as well. I sure would like to know where my big slot cars are. That Lotus was fast.

Nice sentiment,
Rome

Ok guys.

After perusing this thread; I went downstairs and got some of my Hot Wheels collection out for a (bad) picture. I LOVE Hot Wheels. As a child of the 70's, and an only-child at that; I had a crapload of toys. But I always took care of my stuff so I think that's why I got more. I wish I hadn't sold them in the late 90's for pennies. :(
Anyways; I collect these days for MOPAR only. Cuz' that's how I roll. ;)

Everything you see is Chrysler. There may be 13 71 RoadRunners; but they all got different paint-jobs baby. :)

I don't ever plan on selling these guys; hence the plethora of opened cars. I open ALL my cars; just have got lazy lately. I want to hold the damn thing in my hand; roll it on the table and see if it's fast or turns in a circle. I could give less a shit if the thing is worth $4000; it's mine. Not that I have any $4000 cars. ;)

I'm currently building a rack/thing to hold the 450+Mopes I have here and there. If I don't die before I finish it; I'll show it to you guys.

And, as a bonus; you get to see my almost-finished-listening room complete with Adcom/Thorens/Pioneer/and KABUKI!!!!!!!!!


Cheers!

Great thread Rome!


Matt

Great collection there, JC!

Yeah, Rome, you've touched nerve with this thread...thanks again.

Not exactly toys, but I collected the Wacky Packages stickers, in addition to the usual Baseball, Football, and NBA cards. Still have all of 'em, Wacky Packages like Ajerks, Crust Toothpaste, Chock Full O' Nuts and Bolts coffee, Beanball cards, etc. still crack me up. How about you?

Ok guys.

After perusing this thread; I went downstairs and got some of my Hot Wheels collection out for a (bad) picture. I LOVE Hot Wheels. As a child of the 70's, and an only-child at that; I had a crapload of toys. But I always took care of my stuff so I think that's why I got more. I wish I hadn't sold them in the late 90's for pennies. :(
Anyways; I collect these days for MOPAR only. Cuz' that's how I roll. ;)

Everything you see is Chrysler. There may be 13 71 RoadRunners; but they all got different paint-jobs baby. :)

I don't ever plan on selling these guys; hence the plethora of opened cars. I open ALL my cars; just have got lazy lately. I want to hold the damn thing in my hand; roll it on the table and see if it's fast or turns in a circle. I could give less a shit if the thing is worth $4000; it's mine. Not that I have any $4000 cars. ;)

I'm currently building a rack/thing to hold the 450+Mopes I have here and there. If I don't die before I finish it; I'll show it to you guys.

And, as a bonus; you get to see my almost-finished-listening room complete with Adcom/Thorens/Pioneer/and KABUKI!!!!!!!!!


Cheers!

Great thread Rome!


Matt

Are those albums stacked on the cart? I am not sure that is a very good way to store them. It might keep them FLAT, but it also might push any dust into the groves.

Thanks for the tip, B.



Matt

Great collection there, JC!

Yeah, Rome, you've touched nerve with this thread...thanks again.

Not exactly toys, but I collected the Wacky Packages stickers, in addition to the usual Baseball, Football, and NBA cards. Still have all of 'em, Wacky Packages like Ajerks, Crust Toothpaste, Chock Full O' Nuts and Bolts coffee, Beanball cards, etc. still crack me up. How about you?

I was a huge collector of the Wacky Packages series - I think I had them all at one point. I remember a promotion where every loaf of Wonder bread had a free pack inside. I'd go down to our local little market every day after school (our family had a charge account there) and 'charge' a loaf of Wonder bread - just to get the Wacky Packages. My mom was always scratching her head and asking, "Why do we have SO much bread around here?" :D

Rob

- I just googled it and found one. They were called "Sizzlers", and the gas pump was the "Juice Machine"...a MUST have for the "avid Hot Wheels collector".....

Takes me right back......

Rob

The gas pump charger was battery-powered. I think you pressed down a bar on top of it to charge the car.

There was also a gadget that, if I remember, looked like a filling station with a big metal knob on the top. You plugged the car into is (it had the plug sticking out the side) and twisted the knob to wind the timer and start charging.

Then at one point there were some cars that also ran on Hot Wheels tracks that were air-powered. You attached them to a pump and they had a valve at the back that would release a blast of air to propel them down the track.

I think they came with these little things you attached to the valve and filled with talcum powder so that it looked like they left a cloud of smoke.

Great collection there, JC!

Yeah, Rome, you've touched nerve with this thread...thanks again.

Not exactly toys, but I collected the Wacky Packages stickers, in addition to the usual Baseball, Football, and NBA cards. Still have all of 'em, Wacky Packages like Ajerks, Crust Toothpaste, Chock Full O' Nuts and Bolts coffee, Beanball cards, etc. still crack me up. How about you?

I never collected the sports cards, but I remember the Wacky Packages cards.

How about Odd Rods? Remember those?

http://www.oddrods.com

I was a huge collector of the Wacky Packages series - I think I had them all at one point. I remember a promotion where every loaf
Rob

This one is very apropos since we were talking about Hot Wheels.

http://www.wackypackages.org/stickers/5th_series/shotwheels_front_small_smaller_images.jpg

[QUOTE=Sandy G;2152157]A

Yup I remember...I think they were called CREEPY CRAWLERS, and much later


I had a lot of fun with Creepy Crawlers. :)

Shrinky-Dinks.

There was one summer when we got those, but that was it.

Anyone remember the Sticky Finger?

http://www.samstoybox.com/toys/StickyFinger.html

I was good at throwing the ball, but really lousy at catching it again. :)

I remember waking up one Christmas morn in the late 70's to find a Hot Wheels track set up in our livingroom. It was the one w/2 pumps to propel the cars around an oval, banked track. Sadly, one of the pumps was defective and my parents took it back to the store and bought me a "crash-em-up" X-shaped track w/launchers and 2 gaudy silver cars. One was a Mustang; the other a Maverick.

I think I may still have the Maverick.


Good memories.


:)


Matt

Thanks so much JC for the nice sentiment!

Your collection is just grand. I just wish I had saved my stuff when I left home. with this thread the memories of my childhood with some of these great toys beinbg mentioned floods my heart.

Take care of your stuff & when its time to pass it on, do so with a heart of gladness.

Great Grand sentiment,
Rome

Hi CUlater,

Thanks for all of your sentiments as well. I don't remember having any of those great toys, but they are wonderful stuff for a child to have.

Great sentiment,
Rome

Thanks StuartK for all of your info as well. That Hot Wheel pic brings back some awesome memories.

Rome

Thanks Rob for all of your nice sentiments as well.

I don't remember the Wacky Packs, but if they made you & others happy as a child, then it gets my vote!

Nice sentiment,
Rome

We juiced these suckers up WAY past the voltage they were supposed to be seeing, and launched cars over our garage into the neighbor's pool around the block from us. :yes:

Or, sometimes, you'd just hear, "HRK!" and the car would be wedged inside the little house.

Fun stuff.

je

I had 6 of those things and one that launched cars out over the top of the roof also lap counters .

Good stuff for sure, G!

Rome

Wow! I had the rare chocklet brown Camero!
I never cared for that brown car so I didn't race it.
I also had the early open spoked Vicky.
and all the first production from 67,68 because my brother brought them home from the gas station he used to work at Hot Wheels where brand new and some of the Atlantic Ritchfeilds carried them from day one.
Mine where all played with but not beat up.

I remember the Vicky. It was a cool car. Wish I still had that stuff.

Rome

The car that seemed to do the best when spit out of the shoot was any color splittin image.I think because it was very low,heavy,wide and arrow dynamic. Some cars would flip around others would shoot off the side of the track but the SI would manage to stick to the track.I think thats why every one had one of those even if they where kinda ugly.

Yea, I never quite warmed up toe the car that had the bed in the back. I think there were surfer boards that came with it. I loved the vintage cars so much. that 68 Camaro I had never touched the ground, just thre track. :D

One thing I truly like about the Hot Wheels strip tracks was that the cars always stayed on course. Not like my many figure 8 train or car sets. Those cars or trains always came off the track when approaching the corners.

Still, it was great fun for a kid like me at that time. Wish we had a 1/32 scale model track to race cars on here in this neck of the woods. We had one in Tyler, TX during my childhood. you can race for a penny a minute. This place had 3 full size tracks that covered the entire store. One was even a Drag track.

Man, I am feeling a bit nostalgic right now! :tears:

Rome