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Tune-Up Tower™
As the
first year of the 21st century winds down, a number of 2002 Hot Wheels products
have hit the store shelves including three Treasure Hunts, about 40% of the new
First Editions castings and a number of repainted cars. Before we look
ahead, we are going to take a brief trip back - to the last century and a previous
era of Hot Wheels accessories, specifically 1970's Tune-Up Tower.
Following up on the immense success realized during the 1968 model year, Mattel
planned an extensive assortment of cars and accessories in 1969 for the following
year. Expanding on the vinyl Pop-Up single-car sets and the vinyl fold-up
Action City, the Tune-Up Tower, a combination garage/service station,
was designed to integrate with the Super Charger sets. The structure
consists of three levels, with parking on the first two levels and the service area
located on the top level. Standard orange track attaches to the Tower
at various points. Cars enter the structure via the front of the ground floor
and the sides of the second floor. Cars leave via the second floor entrances
and the third floor exit ramp. An elevator lifts cars from the ground level
to the other two levels. The ground floor was designed to connect to the main
Super Charger powered track. Ground floor traffic enters the Tower via
a moveable arm able to redirect cars into the elevator bay, and the track from the
third floor exit ramp merges into the main track via a "Y" section.
The Dyno-Meter™ is the main feature of the service area, and is used to tune
Spectraflame-era cars. The device measures car drag and drift via a bay with
moving track surrounded with sensor bars, which are connected to a pair of gauges
behind the bay. A car is backed into the bay, and the track travels rapidly
toward the back of the car to simulate motion. Included is a Tune-Up Wrench
that is used to adjust the thin axles. The Wrench is a highly sought-after
tool by enthusiasts, mostly for its collectability over its functionality. For
those who have wanted one for practical use, many replicas have been available over
the years. Adjacent to the bay is a structure that houses a pair of D batteries,
with the controls for the Dyno-Meter and the elevator on its roof.
The Tune-Up Tower consists of red, orange and white styrene plastic parts and
was sold unassembled. The parts either snap together or are attached with flat
head screws. Decorative stickers with the Tower's name and sponsor logos
are included, along with assembly instructions. The Tower was a popular
item, and was in the product line for the remainder of the Spectraflame-era.
This well-designed product actually served a purpose in the Dyno-Meter, as car drift
was correctable with the wrench most of the time. If car drag was due to wheel
wear or luck-of-the-draw via sub-standard manufacturing, if could not be improved.
Some of the Spectraflames such as the ten-wheeler Heavyweights and the dragsters would
not fit on the elevator or in the Dyno-Meter bay, but the overwhelming majority of the
cars functioned well, as did the four Farbs vehicles.
This classic accessory could be utilized with today's cars and Power Booster sets to
some extent. Car drag and drift can be measured, but not adjusted due to the
thicker axles in use today. Post Spectraflame-era cars that can take advantage
of the Tower's full capabilities are the Hot Ones and Ultra Hots
segments, both manufactured briefly with thin axles in the early 1980s. Mattel
has produced a number of garage-type accessories since 1970, but none have had the
functionality of the Tune-Up Tower. Collectors wanting to acquire one
can find it on the secondary markets for the price of an inexpensive Spectraflame
car. Due to today's quality of manufacture we may never see an accessory as
nicely designed as this one, which is a shame. For those of us who still own
one - it also doubles as a nice display stand for Redlines and other Hot Wheels models.
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