To most people, Hotwheels diecast cars are nothing but tiny little disposable toys. But for car nuts like us, these inconspicuous toys were beacons of hope, that some day we’ll be able to own the actual car. Ask any car guy, and they’ll happily show you their proud collection.
But while most of us are just mere casual collectors, some people take this hobby a little more seriously, carrying out all sorts of projects on these diecast models, from restorations to custom bodywork. But those are still nothing when compared to people like the Jakarta Diecast Project YouTube channel, turning a Hotwheels model into a fully-functional RC drift car, complete with working shocks.
Starting with a stock Hotwheels BMW E30 M3 model (with the German Polizei livery), the diecast model was completely disassembled, with the baseplate heavily modified with a new suspension set-up and axles – the front axle even gets a custom-built mechanism to turn the wheels!
The rest of the interior is completely stripped to make space for the added electronics, including a small servo to steer the front wheels, a DC motor to drive the rear wheels, batteries, and other radio communication components. There’s even a gyroscopic sensor inside to keep the car in a straight line – when you’re not drifting about, of course.
Completing the Hotwheels RC drift car build is a custom-made miniaturised Pandem bodykit, complemented by a sweet bright orange paint job and on-brand liveries. The whole body shell has also been modified to sit atop the baseplate with magnets, making accessing the innards a little easier.
While we might not have the mechanical skills to make something like this, perhaps ever, watching the Hotwheels RC drift car build video has made us scour the web – again – in search for more toys to tide us over this third Movement Control Order period. Don’t kid yourselves, you’ll probably do the same too after this.
