I bought a diecast model today of a vehicle I really don’t much care for. I found a Tesla Cybertruck from Hot Wheels on the pegs at my grocery store and couldn’t put it down. Well, I did put it down… in my basket, and for the duration of my shopping and the walk to my car and the drive home, I kept asking myself, “Why did I buy that?”
Without getting too picky or political, there are several reasons I am not a fan of the real-life Cybertruck. Among them…
• It’s kind of huge and ridiculous in real life.
• This is not the inexpensive, sensible electric vehicle Tesla (and the entire automotive world) has been promising.
• It has had myriad engineering and performance failures resulting in multiple recalls and embarrassing YouTube videos.
• The name sounds like something futuristic… from 1996.
• The company’s CEO has become, shall we say, problematic in recent years.
So what struck me about the 1/64 version?
• Raw, unpainted ZAMAC. That always looks fantastic in diecast.
• If this were a concept car that had led to a more sensible production truck, it would be fabulous.
• If this were the fever dream of some Hot Wheels designer, it would be bonkers crazy and cool.
• Like with the real thing, I was startled when I saw it for the first time, even as a toy.
I mean, I’ve bought a few models of cars I thought were dorky or silly, but was also fascinated that these things actually got some small-scale love. I have even bought some such cars ironically.
The Cybertruck does not fit that category. And yet here I am zooming it around on my desk making silent EV noises, bouncing it off other vehicles. Let’s be clear… I don’t begrudge Hot Wheels for offering a model of a groundbreaking, popular, unique vehicle. Hey, they got me to buy one.
In fact, there were three of them set aside when I found it. Like, someone else was contemplating buying multiples of it and also realized that might be silly. I almost grabbed all three. But that would have been an entirely different question about irrational collecting.
Have you ever made an irrational purchase of a model vehicle despite not really digging the real thing for whatever reason? Tell us about it in the comments.
Ron Ruelle is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator who also writes about model cars. You can see his work at www.ronruelle.com
Certainly more reliable and a better investment than the real thing.
I’m not in to vans all that much, but I came across this one and had to pick it up. ZAMAC, black wheels, black base, black interior, dark tinted windshield… but what really made it a must was that it had my first initial “N” prominently positioned on the side (also in black). Otherwise, it wouldn’t be one I’d ever pickup.