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Stock #28766 |
CB's Die Cast Review: July 16, 2001 |
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2001 First Editions™ #33
After a
three-month-long Hot Wheels drought in the northeast quadrant of the United
States, new castings and paint schemes finally are trickling out onto the
pegs. Costco has released across the country a number of 20-car
assortments that contain newer releases. Target and Wal-Mart also
have begun to display fresh stock. In addition, the local quarterly
die-cast show yesterday influenced the appearance of all of the current
First Editions and repaints appearing elsewhere in the country. It
gives me an opportunity to get caught up, and more importantly, thanks to
George Lusick's generosity at the die-cast
show, I have a topical review to write on this year's oddball casting,
Mo' Scoot.
Mo' Scoot is pretty to look at. There are many more variations to come,
including a tentatively scheduled appearance as a Treasure Hunt next year.
But all you can do with this model is leave it parked on the curb in your
Action City, leaning against the wall of your Super Charger, or
standing in a parking space on the second deck of your Tune-Up Tower.
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After jumping into the craze with full-sized functional scooters a couple of
years ago, Mattel decided to offer a customized scooter model in its regular
line. Mo' Scoot is the final result, with a single stroke blown
motor on the side and a huge exaggerated exhaust. The model consists of
all-new components, including the wheels. The chassis is zinc-plated
die-cast metal, as well as the handlebars / front-fork component. The
top deck is translucent orange plastic, which allows you to see through to the
chassis below. The engine / exhaust component is gray unpainted plastic,
and is held in place by a tab sandwiched between the deck and the chassis.
The two wheels, one large and one small, are translucent yellow plastic.
The small wheel is up front and attached in the same manner as on the First
Editions motorcycles. The rear wheel is impaled with a large-head pin that
is threaded through a hole in the left side of the deck. The handlebars /
front-fork assembly is attached to the deck by a hinge, which allows the arm to
either fold down to the rear wheel or lock into an upright position. The
scooter is packaged in the blister with the arm upright. The model currently
is manufactured in Malaysia.
Well, Mattel gets and "A" for originality, but that is the only high grade I give
this model. The wheels look great, but they are poorly designed -- the Mo'
Scoot barely can stay upright, and does not roll freely at all. The fact
that the handlebars are metal puts the center of gravity high above the model, which
doesn't help. While there is a bump on either side of the hinge to "lock"
the arm in an upright state, there is no "stop" to prevent the handlebars from being
bent forward. The lower neck of the exhaust pipe is narrow enough to easily
snap off, yet there is no choking-hazard notice on the front of the blister card.
If the model was designed as a finger-toy, it barely merits a passing grade, but as
a functioning Hot Wheels car, it doesn't meet expectations. It would have
taken very few design changes to make this an operating model. Making the motor
die-cast and the handlebars plastic to lower the center of gravity. Making
the rear wheel similar to those on the First Editions motorcycles. Having a
full rear axle for more stability, or less play in the axle mounting hole.
