# Qustion about the Mattel slot car line.



## fhdavid52 (Sep 7, 2003)

Was T-Rex revenge the only direct knock-off off of a TYCO set.?

If there was something else, what was it?

Also, is Mattel out of the slot car business now?


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## cwbam (Feb 8, 2010)

sorry to answer a ? with ?
but didn't Mattel buy tyco?
I know they were/are selling HPX2 for +-$5.00/ chassis (6 for $30 delivered on some weird
mattel parts website)


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## GoodwrenchIntim (Feb 22, 2005)

hpx2 are $4, parts alone are worth that and more https://store.mattel.com/transition.aspx?cmd=new&transitionid=103


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## brownie374 (Nov 21, 2007)

Who sell bodies for them?


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

brownie374 said:


> Who sell bodies for them?


I've seen the chassis going for $12 - $15 on Epay & dealers sites...
I use 'em 4 replacement chassis on older mattel/tyco I get occasionally..
and great for customs & a lot of diecast 2 slot's...

as far as I know, no "New" bodies are available, on their website anyways..

Bubba 123 :wave:

w/ U want fer $4 ??... vs $12 -$15 - $18 (???)


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

If I'm not mistook, the Mattel chassis are designed for battery operation and have a lower ohm arm, so they're rockets on a transformer. What is it??? 3 ohms vs. 6 ohms?


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## GoodwrenchIntim (Feb 22, 2005)

3-3.5 ohms, and yes they SCREAM on 18 volts


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

.........


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

The mold for the HPX2 is similar to Tyco but not the same. The use a more flexible plastic for the chassis and there is subtle differences. Quality is not even close. Biggest downfall to these chassis are the tires. I have not cracked one like I did Tyco but I have had them flex enough to throw a magnet, brush tube, or pick up spring on a hard impact.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Are the latest round of Mattel tires still "track eaters"?


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

..........


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> The mold for the HPX2 is similar to Tyco but not the same. The use a more flexible plastic for the chassis and there is subtle differences. Quality is not even close. Biggest downfall to these chassis are the tires. I have not cracked one like I did Tyco but I have had them flex enough to throw a magnet, brush tube, or pick up spring on a hard impact.


The first thing we noticed that was different after Mattel bought Tyco was that the magnets rattled in the chassis. Mattel was still using Tyco's stiff black plastic chassis at the time, but the magnets were noticeably weaker and smaller, to the point you could pick up a new chassis and shake it and the magnets would rattle, where a genuine Tyco chassis would not do that. So we figured they were using smaller magnets to cut costs. Seems to me Mattel made a run at putting out some good ideas, but they were discontinued and out of the market before they had a chance to catch on. Their race control computer was only available in one set, the single lane intersection only available in one set, the McGrath set, the Nascar pit set, it goes on and on. If you didn't catch them during one Christmas season at Walmart or TrU you missed it, never offered again. They never had a website like AFX where you could order specialty pieces, or where something would stick around for a while. Mattel just never made sense. Even now they don't. Why is Mattel allowed to sell these flimsy chassis with ceramic magnets and toxic tires when, supposedly, AFX Racemasters was forced by law to do away with their ceramic magnet chassis for child safety reasons? Was it all a smoke screen so AFX could streamline production to one chassis? Just some random thoughts on a Tuesday night.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

brownie374 said:


> Who sell bodies for them?


Honda27


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## KEW1964 (Aug 14, 2003)

slotcardan said:


> Back to OP.
> 
> 
> Mattel bought tyco. They didn't copy anything they kept producing the tyco product line from the old molds but modified the company name on the plastic. They altered packaging to be more in line with the Mattel look. They don't innovate or make new products they are simply milking a cash cow with products from 25 years ago.


Is Mattel still making any cars, chassis, or track?...Really seems to little activity.

Would have thought the body styles could have almost been limitless, especially with all the hot wheels bodies they have done.

I wonder the same with Auto World and their 1:64 die cast cars...Would like to see some of those as slotcars.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

KEW1964 said:


> Would have thought the body styles could have almost been limitless, especially with all the hot wheels bodies they have done.
> 
> I wonder the same with Auto World and their 1:64 die cast cars...Would like to see some of those as slotcars.


This is precisely what we were hoping...
We thought we hit the jackpot when Mattel bought Tyco.
All those brands, all those bodies, what a fortune they were sitting on.
"Man, I can't wait for Mattel to put out all those classic cars on Tyco chassis."
Maybe you lived through the disappointment. You can imagine.
It was worse than finding out Santa wasn't real.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Mattel just never made sense. Even now they don't.
> 
> Why is Mattel allowed to sell these flimsy chassis with ceramic magnets and toxic tires when, supposedly, AFX Racemasters was forced by law to do away with their ceramic magnet chassis for child safety reasons? Was it all a smoke screen so AFX could streamline production to one chassis? Just some random thoughts on a Tuesday night.


Mattel never did make sense. They must have spent a lot of money making molds for parts they only used in one set, and for some really silly parts at that. The Tyco track selection is actually greater than AFX, but Mattel never marketed the track.

And I too have wondered why Racemasters is getting hit with legal issues that the other guys (Lifelike, Mattel and AW) seem to avoid. On another board there was a discussion about AFX spare parts and how Tomy will not supply bulk parts for fear of legal issues. It seemed to come down to being classified as a "toy".

There are plenty of small things a child could eat. The workbench is full of them. Yet we can all buy screws, nails, staples, etc. However, it seems that a strip of metal is fine but if it's bent into a shape resembling a pickup shoe it suddenly becomes illegal to sell? I don't get it.

Joe


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

I remember Tyco had a bunch of diverse stuff in their paper catalog. Did Mattel retain any of that stuff, or did they dump it all? Did they buy Tyco just to eliminate a competitor?

I wrote a letter to Matchbox one time. Months later I got a reply from Mattel. They said that they do not accept any input from their customers. They only listen to their consultant, and they do not expose who that is. (I feel certain that it isn't Tom Hanks.)

Tyco made poor trains and nice slot cars. The other train companies (Life-Like, Bachmann, and Athearn) developed premium lines of trains aimed at the hobby market. The low end trains are for kids, and the high end trains are for adults. Tyco did not do that. Neither did Mattel. It is a shame, because all of the premium lines have been successful.

There is another hobby of 1/87 trucks and cars. This is a companion hobby to model railroading. These detailed vehicles are aimed at modelers, collectors, and model railroaders. Mattel announced that they were going to enter this market. At train shows they bragged how they had done their homework, and the cars would be impressive. They came out with downsized versions of Hot Wheels with oversize wheels and wild paint schemes. It flopped. 

Mattel is a toy company. They make toys for kids. They don't understand how to make toys for adults. I have seen other companies with similar problems. They don't know how to adapt to differences in marketing and distribution. Ertl made some 1/87 tractors. They complained that they didn't sell well in tractor stores. That is because they needed to be sold in train stores. I guess we are lucky Burger King doesn't try to make slot cars. They would be wondering how to fit them on a bun.


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

Attribute it to old age or simply stubbornesss but this whole business of kids versus adult toys aka collectors items eludes me. As a kid there weren't that many toys for adults apart from cars, yachts and those things with silicone blobs in front. The only area were kid and adult stuff overlapped were model trains and the diffrence was established simply by the prize. Toys ere made of a lot of small parts mind you we were keen on them. The more the merryier. If one listens to those seldeclared protectors of children half of my generation must have did in the proces of playing with those toys. 
As hard as I try to remember but no case of choking to death among those kids I knew comes to mind. But route square it leads back to beginning when I mentioned old age or something along those lines.

Mario

If you find a typing error you can keep tem, they are todays freebies.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

foxkilo said:


> Attribute it to old age or simply stubbornesss but this whole business of kids versus adult toys aka collectors items eludes me. As a kid there weren't that many toys for adults apart from cars, yachts and those things with silicone blobs in front. The only area were kid and adult stuff overlapped were model trains and the diffrence was established simply by the prize. Toys ere made of a lot of small parts mind you we were keen on them. The more the merryier. If one listens to those seldeclared protectors of children half of my generation must have did in the proces of playing with those toys.
> As hard as I try to remember but no case of choking to death among those kids I knew comes to mind. But route square it leads back to beginning when I mentioned old age or something along those lines.
> 
> Mario
> ...


Mario,
stop putting those small toy parts in your mouth!!! :drunk:
ooopps... my senility 

Bubba 123 :wave:


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

Shorry I canned anshwer proberly. Shtill 'av my moushfull o' lill' partsh


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

foxkilo said:


> Shorry I canned anshwer proberly. Shtill 'av my moushfull o' lill' partsh




Bubba 123


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

This is a direct result of children who were conceived during the disco era. :tongue: Between them and lawyers convincing politicians that it was the toy manufacturers fault if parents didn't watch their children or raise them with a little common sense.


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

Holy shh---,

now I know what went wrong. I forgot to die!!!!!! Should have died like the rets of my generation but no me being stubborn I refused point blank. And? Here I am still playing with toys and fighting a forlorne war against growing up. 

So at leat I know why and where it went wrong. 

Fortunately the girls grew up which made the whole situation slightly more bearable. But only slightly or as W.C Field put it: Never give a sucker an even break.

Mario

BTW: I finally got the parts out of my mouth and I swollowed only one. New record. Jiippie


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

.......


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Re: Slotcardan's post....... and Before Tyco, Mantua Trains were one of the best in the HO Model Railroading field in the 1950's.


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Re: Slotcardan's post....... and Before Tyco, Mantua Trains were one of the best in the HO Model Railroading field in the 1950's.


Mantua was a player back in the day. When Tyco took over, the trains became less dependable and more toy like. If you rate all the train suppliers, Tyco and Life-Like are at the bottom. If you rate all the slot car providers, Tyco and Aurora are at the top. It seems odd to me that there could be such a difference within Tyco. Life-Like took on slot cars about the same time that they introduced their premium trains. The Life-Like slot cars started poor and got better. Mattel could have taken Tyco trains to the premium level. Their slot cars were already there. Instead they dropped the trains and didn't do much with the slots. Why did Mattel buy Tyco?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I'd guess it was the dolls...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyco_Toys


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

They also got Matchbox. That added another diecast line along with Hot Wheels.


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

Reasons Mattel bought Tyco in my opinion.

1. MATCHBOX, buy out your biggest competitor in diecast.

2. Tyco R/C

3. Sesame Street licensed toys

4. 3rd largest toy manufacturer. 

When you buy out the competition there is less pressure to produce a perfect product. Also getting the lawyers for Mattel to produce a slot car as a kids toy will never happen again. It won't happen as a 10 and up toy even for other manufacturers. 

I received my first slot car set at 5. I bought my nephew his first set at 5. My oldest had hers at 5 (Tokyo Drift race set).


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

blue55conv said:


> They also got Matchbox. That added another diecast line along with Hot Wheels.


hi,
Matchbox has been around since @ least the 1950's...
I know, I had em w/ I w/ a kid...
that's w/ got me into HW ;-)

Bubba 123 :wave:


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

......


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Matchbox is still better quality. Roll better, look better.
Made of different materials. Matchbox all the way, minus the cartoon paint schemes.


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