Hot Wheels Re-Issues the Tesla Roadster as a Hat Tip to its Falcon Heavy Launch

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By Kirby Garlitos

Published Oct 31, 2018

Excellent use of cross-promotion on the part of Hot Wheels, Tesla, and SpaceX

Hot Wheels is reissuing the Tesla Roadster to commemorate the launch of Elon Musk’s Falcon Heavy rocket earlier this year. The 1:64 scale die-cast comes in a Metallic Dark Red paint, drawing similarities to Elon Musk’s own Roadster, which made the trip to space inside Falcon Heavy. Unfortunately, neither “Starman” nor a 1:4096 miniature Roadster on the dashboard are included in 1:64 scale Roadster

There aren’t a lot of things in this world that are cooler than Hot Wheels. The die-cast toy car maker is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and what better way to mark this milestone than by re-issuing a 1:64 scale die-cast of a car that was part of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket launch in more ways than one.

We all know that Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster made the trip to space inside Falcon Heavy. We also know about the “Starman” dummy sitting in the driver’s seat of the Roadster. But not many people know that a Hot Wheels Tesla Roadster also made the trip to space in the comfort of the actual Roadster’s dashboard.

The branding logo on the top left corner of the packaging highlights the exclusive touch of this particular die-cast, as does the postcard image of the actual Tesla Roadster, as seen during the original live stream of the launch. Quotes like “Greetings from SPACE!” and “1st car to orbit the sun!” complete the exclusive packaging in the front while a number of fun facts are found in the back of the packaging. The unique packaging should bode well for Hot Wheels collectors, provided that the toy maker releases it in limited quantities.

For better or worse, the re-issued Tesla Roadster carries a darker shade of red compared to the original production version. Whether that appeals to collectors more is a different story of its own.

You don’t need to be a Hot Wheels collector to appreciate the partnership between Hot Wheels, Tesla, and SpaceX. It’s all fun and games here. It’s also a fitting way for Hot Wheels to close out its 50th anniversary. It started the year by having one of its original die-cast Tesla Roadsters make the trip to space. Now, it’s ending the year by celebrating that milestone in the most Hot Wheels way imaginable.

Here’s to hoping that this toy isn’t marked as an exclusive. Otherwise, good luck trying to get one.

Click the buy now button below to buy the one we found on amazon:

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