Hot Wheels on the Run

Oh, look, ninety-nine Pesos die-cast cars at Toy Kingdom.

Corvette and Firebird Hot Wheels

The thing with those miniature cars, there's too many of them to choose from, and for someone as indecisive as me, the collection's just overwhelming, especially if I'm buying only two.

So I spent a good one hour in the toy store, picking this and putting down that, and so on and so forth.  I was even torn between the brands Matchbox and Hot Wheels (which is essentially under one big brand: Mattel, makers of Barbie).

Matchbox has the dune buggy and the tractor and the teal blue pickup truck.  There's even an ice cream van and safari car, and if it only were me, I'd go for those kinds of vehicles--totally pragmatic, eccentric, and unpopular--which is great.

But these Matchbox cars (in photo) (yes, they're Hot Wheels, but Matchbox

is the more generic term, right?) are for my two godsons, and I suspect and hope they're the achiever type.  Which is why they're getting a Corvette and a Firebird.  (I'm a cheapskate when it comes to gift-giving, I know.  But, hey, when I was their age, I certainly didn't mind getting a Matchbox.)  Personally, I'm no good driving a car--a life-sized one.  I got lousy nerves on the highway, says my sister.  One blow of the horn from the car tailgating me and I crash the damn thing.

Meanwhile, Hot Wheels' got color-shifting cars now.  You soak them in warm or cold water and they change color accordingly. 

Perfect for criminals on the run. :)