You Can Now Build Your Own Hot Wheels

The rise of licensed, build-it-yourself model kits from a certain Danish brick-based toy company in the last few years has been unstoppable, to the point where we don’t know too many car people who don’t have at least one painstakingly assembled Lego model on their shelves.

Evidently, other toy makers are taking note, because Mattel, owner of the Hot Wheels brand, has just launched its Brick Shop, a new line of DIY models, and it’s kicking off with seven licensed Hot Wheels car builds.

The models are split into three distinct lines, kicking off with the Speed Series. Built to 1:32 scale, these are the smallest and least complex of the sets, with three cars available: the Maserati MC20, a custom 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, and Cadillac’s Hypercar racer (although curiously, the latter is recreated in its original Project GTP concept form rather than the final V-Series.R version). These ones cost £19 each in the UK.

Next up are the mid-tier 1:16 scale Elite Series, which get extra swappable parts and metal wheel covers, as opposed to the presumably plastic ones on the Speed Series cars. Again, there are three choices to begin with: a C2 Chevrolet Corvette in Grand Sport racing guise, a slammed 1962 Chevrolet C10 pickup, and a 1990 Acura NSX. The NSX has functioning pop-up headlights and changeable Acura and Honda badges so you can make sure your model is market-appropriate. You frickin’ nerd. Elite Series sets cost £47 in the UK.

Finally, at the top of the tree, there’s the Premium Series, for serious collectors. Aimed at ages 17 and upwards (the lower two tiers are guided at 10+), they’re built to 1:12 scale and feature fancier metal parts. There’s only one in this series so far, the Mercedes 300SL ‘Gullwing’. And yes, the doors work, obviously. It’s yours for £115.

These first seven sets are landing in shops this summer, and as an added sweetener, each one comes with a matching 1:64 scale die-cast Hot Wheels car. While online pre-orders were open on Mattel’s UK website, they’re currently all already listed as sold out.

Also, for whatever reason, the Chevrolet Camaro and C10 don’t seem to be available in the UK yet, leaving us with just the other five models for now. Reckon there’s space on your shelves alongside all those Lego Speed Champions models?