Review – Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 Shatterbolt
I grabbed this at McDonald’s earlier this year and while it’s not a great toy car — standard Hot Wheels toys in stores, though smaller than this, are better pieces — it’s perfectly suitable as a kid’s toy from a fast food place. And it’s a little more than it appears to be . . .
Burnin’ Key Cars
Back in 2009 we chatted about the old Burnin’ Key Cars toy cars from the eighties (first mentioned here), and this Battle Force 5 Shatterbolt has the same basic gimmick. A plastic key plugs into the back of the car and with a squeeze you launch the car. But don’t get too excited, because the car only rolls about a foot when it’s launched. It’s very lame.
All Plastic
It’s sad that there’s no metal in this car, but for the size and price (I paid $1) it’s understandable that it’s all plastic. And it’s a really cool design; massive and obviously over-powered, the Shatterbolt has six wheels and looks like it’s gonna roll over anything in its path. And I’ve got no complaints at all with the toy’s sculpt/design. Everything’s sharp . . . well, as sharp as a plastic toy car for kids will ever be.
Two Parts!
If I had another toy from this run I could show you why this car splits down the center, but all I can do instead is suggest that you imagine taking two toy cars and swapping parts around to “design” new cars. Actually, I can also direct you at this post at Toy Alert where you can learn more about the launch and see photos of the toys.
Wow, after seeing those I realize that at $1/each I should have paid more attention and snagged a couple of other releases. Those are some cool car designs.
Closing Thoughts
Just fine for a fast food toy, but there’s nothing here that makes me think you should rush out and try to track these cars down. The Shatterbolt has a great look, but in the end it’s just a cheap plastic toy car with an underpowered feature.
Philip Reed wishes this was scaled for 3.75-inch action figures. Now that would be an awesome toy car.