I have been buying more Hot Wheels than capsule toys lately, mostly because I can more easily find new ones. And I love cars, so there's that.
I especially love funny cars. My Hot Wheels collecting niche is models with movable parts. Hoods that open, parts that come off (purposely or not), and funny cars. They are the best because the whole body lifts up revealing the chassis below. And even this pint size version conjures up the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. Mmmmm.
Drag racing is also amazing, and if you have never experienced it, I highly recommend it. If you are a local, the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) sponsors national Dragster Challenges and you can see one at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 25th.
And if you have never seen a funny car in action, here is a little treat from me to you:
John Force is my favorite drag racer. I had the pleasure of meeting him once, and he is the nicest guy, and seems to love his job. And why shouldn't he?!?
This toy is one that I expertly plucked from a claw machine during an awesome lunch with John at a Chinese Buffet. We had a great time, and on the way out I gleefully jammed my money into the claw machine (as I am prone to do).
I find that I (almost) never want what's in there, I just can't suppress the urge to conquer the machine.
So, this time I won on my second try. I used to be much more skilled and could win multiple toys in one sitting...but now I am out of practice.
I can, however, still tell within one twist of the joystick if the machine is worth playing or not. You've got all kinds of claws...the metal ones are always better than plastic ones. The other two major factors are how loose the prongs of the claw are as well as how tightly the claw will close.
If you can get an acceptably tight claw with a pretty small gap between its closed pinchers...then you can win nearly anything if you persevere. There are also some claw machine subtleties like the circular twisting of some claws as they move down toward the toys. Some are set to be so sensitive that the moment they make contact with the goodies they shoot back up again. These machines aren't worth your time!
Sort of like this toy I won! It is so poorly made! Look at him...he is really quite pitiful. All lop-sided and has no neck, just head and body. His white stitches show through his fur and he has little holes all over him indicating the poor quality of his scratchy, furry fabric.
I did laugh at the "Kuddle Me Toys" tag, though...I told John that it seemed like a Krusty the Clown product...something that should be filled with cheap toxicity...interestingly it probably is!
If you want some more claw machine-playing tips...there are many YouTube videos out there. Here is one, from a guy who could no doubt kick my ass at toy-grabbin'.
I was on a roll there for a while, posting every Sunday, but I let two slip by! So, here I am, back again, this time with a charming anecdote.
These toys were in my Christmas stocking and come with a funny story.
I had stopped in a Dollar Tree next to a now defunct Target on Indy's south side. I know this location was a possible capsule source so I stop in now and then to buy a few. This is the place where I got saddled with those awful monkeys.
Anyway, when I got inside I saw the machine with these squishy little guys. They have holes in the bottom, I assume for a pencil, maybe it is just a manufacturing necessity, but I am officially attributing it to function.
Excitedly I put a quarter in and turned the crank,...nothing. Another quarter,...nothing. In disgust, I left, cursing whomever left the machine in such disrepair.
Then, on Christmas morning, I relayed this story to my parents who had thought to buy these for me...turns out they were the ones who busted the machine. Seems like there is a larger life lesson in there somewhere.
I generally like these toys a lot, and have some others that seem to be from a more "forest-friend" kind of series...more on that later.
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