Toy automobile Hot Wheels scale?

I have a couple of great looking Hot Wheels cars on the MRR I get for 99 cents..Anyone know if they are OK for HO ? Their wheels will ride directly on top of HO rails (gauge same) making them seem right. But I think they're a tad too large, no ? How close to 1:87 might they be?

 

Mark - there is no good rule of thumb for gauging HotWheels/Matchbox/etc. cars for scale correctness, not even the HO track gauge. Problem is their proportions are usually all out of whack. The best advice is to acquire a good 1/87 scale vehicle and use it for comparison. Or even use a scale HO figure and see how it matches up. I have gone to yard sales and seen vehicles on the rack new at WalMart and thought they would be a great low-cost addition to my layout, only to take it home and find it doesn't work at all. Very easy to misread the scale on these things unless you have something reliable to compare it to.
That said, I have found the rare Hot Wheels/Matchbox vehicle that works, although they usually come in such bizarre paint jobs that they need to be repainted.

 

Yeah, I suspected they are usually too large..I have this one which is a lowered and chopped, maybe 50s gold painted Chrysler coupe hot rod I love to park at the switchman's shantey as kind of a paradox to the funky scene..guess i'll take 'er away...Boo hoo hoo !!!

 

But never forget it is YOUR WORLD LOL. If something works for you, use it.

 

If your modeling modern day era you might be able to get away with it due to the various size rims and tire combos used today

 

I am definitely not a prototype modeller or a rivet counter, but I bite the economic bullet and, for the most part, buy HO scale vehicles and kits for my layout.

Most of the kits are simple to build, and can be modified to fit circumstances.

And they do look really nice next to trains and buildings.

I must admit that I do plan to use one Hot Wheels model of a quarry truck. It is large enough that I appears to fit in with the other vehicles.

Jim

 

Yes, it is too bad that alot of model cars which appear to be HO in scale are not. Personally I do not plan to buy any model cars which are not 1/87 (HO) scale for HO layout purposes or installing on an open auto rack such as the Accurail racks.

First of all the 1/64 scale cars simply wouldn't fit on the autoracks so that takes care of that. But mainly it bothers me to see things that don't look right. I realize that is different for different people so if you aren't a "rivit counter" or it doesn't bother you to use over sized cars on an HO layout, by all means ... you know the saying - "it's my layout and what I say goes". You could pull an Amtrak Superliner with a 1920's steam engine for regular service if you want. It all depends on what floats your boat - what has always floated my boat was model RR scenes which mimic real life as closely as possible, but that seems to be the minority based on alot of forum posts. No worries.

 

My personal rule in modeling is this: Can I buy into it? Can I look at it and accept that the scene I'm focusing on is "real"? Kind of like watching a movie with a lot of special effects. Maybe you can take it frame by frame and critique it to death, but as you watch it does the look and story all blend together to the point where it just works?
I apply this concept to my vehicles. Some are not exact 1/87, but they can't be so off that they rate a second glance either - from me or anyone else.

 

The Hot Wheels/Matchbox big rigs are close to HO scale. With a few minor modifications, they can be a great substitute.

 

Good point jnxt - from a scene perspective, often things which aren't to scale are used. The classic example would be the "forced perspective" situation where people say would use N-scale buildings in the back ground of an HO scene to add detail but make it appear to be farther away using smaller scale items. For me that would make more sense than large than scale, but perhaps in the forground you could use that in the opposite sense.

 

A British friend sent me this bus. It's a bit too big because it's in OO scale but I found if you put it in the right place it fits right in.

 

Yep, that's what I'm talking about. Not exactly HO scale but still works in that scene. Looks good!

 

I didn't want to create a new thread on the topic of Hot Wheels. This is vaguely related. I never knew Hot Wheels made a train set.

https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_Wheels_Railroad

 

Cool! I didn't know this either. But I was in the height of my girl chasing years then. I didn't notice much of anything else back then!

 

The actual scale of Hot Wheels and similar toy cars is larger than HO, at circa 1:72.

When I started from 1973 I really didn't care what scale they were, they were cars and they were part of my layout

But later, I ended up in the same kind of "pursuits" ... and still didn't care.

Now I'm a more mature "gentleman" and I'm a bit more fussy about such things. But still pursuing. Just slower.

 

I couldn't afford those Hot Wheels back then and after being out of the army I went into the real things. Didn't know they had railroads so will have to look into that - after the holiday rush and porch thefts.

 

She's a sharp one!

But she's at least partly right on the basis of Model Railroading Rule #1 - it's your railroad. If you're OK with something, it's OK period. Toys, anachronisms, inconsistencies... the real world is full of them.

Merry Christmas!