The
Hyper Mite is an interesting little vehicle, an offbeat design that challenges
Mo' Scoot for the wildest design in this year's group of First Editions.
But unlike the Scoot, this Mite is far from being a lesser light in the lineup.
The realization of this Mark Jones design is a greater success than that of his Mo'
Scoot concept. While the scooter looks good yet doesn't perform well, the
Hyper Mite is eye pleasing in motion and standing still. The final version
has some minor differences from the conceptual drawing on the poster, but for other than
the decorations is very faithful to the final design. The die-cast body is painted
in the apple green metallic paint that first appeared on Ms-T Suzuka. The
twin angled cone-shaped exhausts surprisingly are also metal and zinc plated, making them
extremely sturdy.
The busy four-cycle motor is chromed plastic, and sits over the rear axle and between
the large rear slicks. Wheelie "safety loops" extend below and behind the motor.
The chassis is black plastic and is inset into the body, which hides it from view.
The bubble shaped canopy is translucent magenta plastic, and the chrome interior can be seen
inside. Accents on the body such as the front grill and headlights are chromed plastic
and probably part of the interior component. In addition to the huge five-spoke rear
slicks, the Mite rides on micro wheels up front. The model is manufactured in
Malaysia.
Hyper Mite matches Speed-a-Saurus for the smallest wheelbase of all First
Editions, and possibly of any Hot Wheels vehicle. It is not the smallest First Editions
vehicle overall; that distinction still belongs to Go Kart, and probably will for a while.
The Mite already has two tampo variations. When first released, the model sported
a pale metallic pink stylized checkered flag pattern over a white serif numeral two outlined in
red. The metallic pink squares are difficult to see on the metallic light green paint,
so the color was changed in a short period to standard dark blue, which visually is much better.
A small flame logo is tamped in red on a lower panel between the wheel wells. An
interesting note for those who do not open their blisterpacks is that the tampo on the left side
is entirely different from the right, with the name "Nessy" tamped in white on a solid dark blue
field, which takes up the majority of the side under the window. The field is outlined
with a thin white line. A small blue flame logo occupies the lower panel on this side.
Like the Go Kart and Speed-a-Saurus, the have been many reports that Hyper
Mite travels quickly on the track. One surprising note is that the center of gravity
is relatively low, considering all the metal in the upper areas of the model. I didn't
think I'd like this one when I saw the drawing, but seeing the final product has won me over.
The kiddies will love Hyper Mite; it looks funky and is an excellent performer.
The
Hyper Mite is an interesting little vehicle, an offbeat design that challenges
Mo' Scoot for the wildest design in this year's group of First Editions.
But unlike the Scoot, this Mite is far from being a lesser light in the lineup.
The realization of this Mark Jones design is a greater success than that of his Mo'
Scoot concept. While the scooter looks good yet doesn't perform well, the
Hyper Mite is eye pleasing in motion and standing still. The final version
has some minor differences from the conceptual drawing on the poster, but for other than
the decorations is very faithful to the final design. The die-cast body is painted
in the apple green metallic paint that first appeared on Ms-T Suzuka. The
twin angled cone-shaped exhausts surprisingly are also metal and zinc plated, making them
extremely sturdy.
The busy four-cycle motor is chromed plastic, and sits over the rear axle and between
the large rear slicks. Wheelie "safety loops" extend below and behind the motor.
The chassis is black plastic and is inset into the body, which hides it from view.
The bubble shaped canopy is translucent magenta plastic, and the chrome interior can be seen
inside. Accents on the body such as the front grill and headlights are chromed plastic
and probably part of the interior component. In addition to the huge five-spoke rear
slicks, the Mite rides on micro wheels up front. The model is manufactured in
Malaysia.
Hyper Mite matches Speed-a-Saurus for the smallest wheelbase of all First
Editions, and possibly of any Hot Wheels vehicle. It is not the smallest First Editions
vehicle overall; that distinction still belongs to Go Kart, and probably will for a while.
The Mite already has two tampo variations. When first released, the model sported
a pale metallic pink stylized checkered flag pattern over a white serif numeral two outlined in
red. The metallic pink squares are difficult to see on the metallic light green paint,
so the color was changed in a short period to standard dark blue, which visually is much better.
A small flame logo is tamped in red on a lower panel between the wheel wells. An
interesting note for those who do not open their blisterpacks is that the tampo on the left side
is entirely different from the right, with the name "Nessy" tamped in white on a solid dark blue
field, which takes up the majority of the side under the window. The field is outlined
with a thin white line. A small blue flame logo occupies the lower panel on this side.
Like the Go Kart and Speed-a-Saurus, the have been many reports that Hyper
Mite travels quickly on the track. One surprising note is that the center of gravity
is relatively low, considering all the metal in the upper areas of the model. I didn't
think I'd like this one when I saw the drawing, but seeing the final product has won me over.
The kiddies will love Hyper Mite; it looks funky and is an excellent performer.
