1/6/20 10/100 Hydroplane

Rounding out the last of this series is the Hydroplane boat, based on real-life racing boats.  These boats are lower, wider, have a rear wing and a cockpit reminiscent of fighter jet places and yes they can fly fast across water to the point of hovering (or worse flipping over) and are a sight to see, though the attraction of the races have waned off pretty quickly.  While parent Hot Wheels did their boat in 1995 Matchbox released theirs in 1999 with a more toonish bloated look while using a typical separate motor and propeller unit found on common fishing boats instead of the jet-engine line unit on the real boats.  The interior showing off the race driver in suit and ready for action is neat, while the base has four military wheels to allow the boat to glide over surfaces.  Nice, but Hot Wheels has a more realistic boat and this one just doesn’t seem to fit in quite right in the line.

Specifications:

· Engine: 500 CID V8, 700 hp. Est.

· Transmission: 3-speed automatic est.

· 0-60 mph: 2.5 sec. est.

· Real vehicle price: #5 million est. 1999

Rating:  1.8 out of 5 stars