Monster trucks are giant trucks with tires that are 6 feet tall. Drivers compete in races and freestyle contests in front of thousands of fans in large stadiums and arenas. These contests are held around the world and are regularly shown on TV.
Kids love imitating the outrageous stunts of their favorite monster trucks by playing with Hot Wheels Monster Trucks. If you are looking to get your kid started with a whole set of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, take a look at the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Ultimate Chaos 12 Pack.
The first monster truck was Bigfoot, a 10-foot-tall pickup truck with enormous tires from a giant tractor. At a state fair, the driver set up a stunt where he drove over parked cars, crushing them, and the crowd went wild. Car-crushing imitators quickly followed and races between these monsters soon followed. The phenomenon really took off when monster truck drivers started doing stunts. The jumps and spins and airborne leaps got more and more outrageous until drivers were doing somersaults in the air with these 12,000 pound vehicles. No wonder Hot Wheels Monster Truck toys are so popular with kids who like to stage their own stunts, spins, flips and crashes.
Hot Wheels has been making toy cars and trucks since 1968. Hot Wheels focused on cars and trucks that had been caricatured into fantasy vehicles that sparked children’s imaginations. Monster trucks were an ideal match, and the Hot Wheels’ Monster Truck line took off among kids everywhere.
Younger kids mix and match the sizes of the monster trucks they play with. Bigger kids have a more developed sense of proportion and like to play with monster trucks that are built to the same scale and thus compatible with each other in a play world. Hot Wheels makes Monster Trucks in 1:24, 1:43 and 1:64 scales. The 1:24 and 1:64 scales are the most popular sizes with the most choices. For ease of conversion, here are three scales and their corresponding length in inches.
Check the Hot Wheels Monster Truck packaging for the recommended age group. As a rule, bigger kids tend to like bigger cars that are more realistic and also tend to favor die-cast metal monster trucks over plastic ones.
Because all Hot Wheels Monster Trucks are made to the same exacting standards for quality and durability, the choice becomes a matter of which monster trucks are your favorites and which sizes to buy.
Kid favorites are Gravedigger, Max-D, Superman, Bad Habit, Ninja Turtles, Captain America, Sonuva Digger, Stars and Stripes, Bone Shaker, Tiger Shark, Twisted Tredz, Mega Wrex, Battle Axe and many more.
At some point kids will want a set that includes stunts and slam launchers that propel their monster trucks up ramps, through loops and across jumps. For more information, take a look at these five Hot Wheels Monster Truck stunt sets:
Prices for Hot Wheels Monster Trucks start at around $10 and go to more than $100. The sweet spot for shoppers is $20-$50, where they will find vehicle packs of up to a dozen monster trucks and sets with stunts and tricks.
A. Many of Hot Wheels’ line of monster trucks are licensed replicas of the ones seen on television. Your child may be a fan of Gravedigger and Max-D, the two biggest stars of the monster truck racing and stunt world.
A. The slam launcher is a mechanism that kids pound on. That thrust propels the monster trucks forward into tricks, stunts and races.
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Ultimate Chaos 12 Pack
What you need to know: Jumpstart your collection with a dozen of Hot Wheels finest Monster Trucks.
What you’ll love: Each of the 12 Monster Trucks in this collection has its own personality, with name, vehicle type, unique crash attack and “motor-vation.” This set comes packaged in a box that converts into a display case. Kids bring these monster trucks’ personalities to life and crush the competition.
What you should consider: This set is made of propylene plastic.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Monster Trucks Launch and Bash 1:64 Play Set
What you need to know: This Boneshaker monster truck goes airborne to crash land into four crushed cars and send them flying.
What you’ll love: Kids use the launcher to aim their monster trucks at the platform landing zone. The monster truck smashes into the trigger spot to send the plastic crushed cars into a car-splosion. This set includes a slam launcher, landing platform, four crushed cars and a monster truck.
What you should consider: This set is made of plastic for safe crashing and stunts.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks 1:24 Bigfoot
What you need to know: Bigfoot is the monster truck that started it all.
What you’ll love: This monster truck from Hot Wheels is made of durable die-cast metal and built to smash and crash everything in sight. The huge oversized wheels are built for climbing over obstacles on sand, dirt and rough terrain. Fun monster truck stats come with every package.
What you should consider: Bigfoot is a piece of Monster Truck history and does not race on TV.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
David Allan Van writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.