Review – Hot Wheels Carbonator

A few weeks ago, Gina and I joined Justin and Anne-Marie of Fireside Games for dinner one evening where they surprised me with a selection of Hot Wheels toy cars for my birthday. One of the cars was the clear blue and green Hot Wheels Carbonator*, as crazy a design as we can ever hope for from the Hot Wheels team. A soda bottle car? Works for me!

And then last week, while exploring a Fred Meyer store in Seattle, I ran across the green and purple Carbonator* and just had to grab it to go with the other toy. Once the two packaged cars were together it was time to snap pics and start playing; I suspect it was this car design that led to the Hot Wheels Week feature that you’re enjoying right now. Thanks, Carbonator!

Clear Plastics Are Awesome!

Since 2008 the Hot Wheels Carbonator (Amazon.com search*, at southtexasdiecast.com) has been tearing up the tracks and store pegs; Mattel has so far released close to a dozen versions of the design . . . and now I want to find them all! Especially that Happy New Year Carbonator* with the blue and gold colors.

On the two Hot Wheels Carbonator* toy cars shown here the blue and purple colors are metal while the yellow and green soda bottle bodies are translucent plastic. What’s even more incredible is that the blue and yellow version of the car has clear wheels; annoying to photograph, yes, but great to look at. And if you look closely you can see the giant engine hiding inside that translucent soda bottle body; never let if be said that Hot Wheels cars aren’t layered with details!

Glides Smooth

Both of these Hot Wheels Carbonator* toy cars race smoothly across the floor and the surface of my desk, the wheels spinning freely and without anything slowing them down (well, except for the friction of the floor). The metal chassis gives the car some heft and keeps the center of balance quite low, likely helping the car when you slap it down on a Hot Wheels track and let it fly. I need one of those Hot Wheels Wall Tracks* so there’s a convenient place to race cars without the need to put away my toys when I’m done playing.

Closing Thoughts

If you go back and look at the Hot Wheels reviews I’ve posted over the last five years (review listing here) then you’ll see I’m a fan of the stranger cars. With that in mind it’s probably easy to see why I think the Hot Wheels Carbonator* is one of the best Hot Wheels cars I’ve opened in the last few years. Guys, it’s a soda bottle racer with clear plastic parts! How can I not love this design?