16bit.com Figure of the Day Review: Mattel Hot Wheels Fire Eater Die-Cast Metal Vehicle

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Mattel Hot Wheels Fire Eater Mattel, 1984

Day #2,871: June 11, 2025

Fire Eater either 1982 or 1984 - Basic Cars Hot Wheels 1984 Basic Cars, Probably Item No.: Asst. ??? No. 9640 Manufacturer: Mattel Includes: n/a Action Feature: n/a Retail: $1.25 Availability: 1984? Other: In rotation from 1977 to 2021
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This Fire Eater was something I thought I sold at a garage sale when I was a kid! I think I got it from a neighbor second-hand. It somehow survived in one of my many boxes of toys, and you can see it's a little rough in spots. I don't remember it being rough when I last saw it, but given it's been jostled around between at least six addresses across over forty years without any protections? I'd say it's a pretty durable toy. Sure, it's got a couple of gashes. Look as good at 41, you will not.

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I had a very small number of Hot Wheels cars as a kid - maybe 20, give or take. The reddish pink is incredibly bright, with hints of texture. On top of that you can see painted details, knobs, and dials. There's a 51 on either side and an ABC on the passenger's side. You even have a little decorative door marked "flares." Given the bulk of early cars in this line were generally one color, it's a real step up to see these little tiny painted details that we take for granted in 2025. Even more amazing, they're still present and haven't rubbed off.

The wheels look good, with chrome paint holding up mostly well - but there's more. A clear blue plastic piece sits in front for the windshield, with dark blue parts for numerous tools on board as well as the light bar. The chassis is metal, with a vac-metal silver plastic base that is in generally good shape considering the abuse and neglect this toy experienced in my custody.

If my memory is right and this fire engine was owned by (at least) two kids in the 1980s, it's a pretty remarkable specimen and an example of the kind of durability that goes in to these things. The wheels don't roll nearly as well as modern toys - the axles are a little longer and it's more wobbly - but it still displays nicely. You can get this one - or one very much like it - for under $10 delivered to your door, which seems pretty decent. Granted you can also just get a new fire truck at the store for a buck and change, but if you had this one as a kid it's good to know that it is cheap enough that buying it back won't hurt as much as buying some modern toys will at the current prices. It's heavier than many modern cars, and I can't really fault it for being a perfectly nice toy that Mattel ran unchanged for several years. If I didn't find it in a box, I'd have happily bought another one for ten bones.

--Adam Pawlus

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