Trucks and cars pull into the Lynnwood Target parking lot around 7:45 a.m. most weekday mornings. Just before the store opens at 8, grown men gather at the door where they share brief chitchat. When the key turns in the lock, they scoot, as if hurrying to the snack bar at a Seattle Seahawks halftime.
Stand back. It’s not the day after Thanksgiving, it’s “Hot Wheels Guys” rushing to the toy aisles.
Forget Beanie Babies or Cabbage Patch Kids, fads that have passed. Some of these men have been on the hunt for particular tiny cars for a decade. They know if there’s a new trailer filled with goods at Toys “R” Us. They know when Kmart gets shipments.
Within five minutes, the shoppers disappear through the checkout counter if they’ve made a find and motor away.
Their morning delight is over.
For Jim Edwards, 68, of Kenmore it’s a retirement hobby. He drops his wife, Kathy, at Alderwood mall to join early walking groups, hits Target, then joins her for a few laps past Victoria’s Secret. Sometimes he buys a $1 die-cast car. Some days his quest is unrewarded.
“I’m up every morning,” Edwards said. “I know guys who retire, go home, lay down and die.”
The Internet is jammed with information about Hot Wheels clubs, where to shop and what’s popular. It was a natural hobby for someone into cars. You could stay home and order from the Internet, but that’s no fun, Edwards said.
The trunk of his Chrysler PT Cruiser is like a showroom with neatly organized rows of Hot Wheels in original packages. At home, he displays the cars, mostly by year. Friends trade models now and then or go to swap meets together.
Edwards raced super-modified stock cars and said he loves to work on cars.
He also shows a 1939 Pontiac four-door sedan at summer events and owns a 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS. The Bothell High School graduate said his first real car was a 1929 Ford Model A.
The day we chatted, he bought a Hot Wheels 1970 Chevy Chevelle convertible.
“I love the old-time hot rods and customs,” Edwards said. “I also collect old license plates.”
To learn more about Hot Wheel collections, there is an informal swap meet at noon every second Sunday at Arlington High School.
According to eBay, die cast 1:64 scale replica cars are one of the most popular collectible toys in history. There are vintage (pre-1980) Hot Wheels, modern (1980-1989), and contemporary (1990-now) classifications.
In 1968, Mattel debuted the first line of 16 Hot Wheels, including a sneak preview of the 1969 Corvette. In 1998, Hot Wheels celebrated its 30th anniversary and produced its 2 billionth car. It’s said one California collector has 30,000 Hot Wheels worth $1.5 million.
Some collectors only want original Hot Wheels in packages. Others prefer them loose so you can play with and admire them up close. An original Hot Wheels from the late 1960s can sell for more than $100 and some rare models can go for $300. Check your attics.
Edwards, who is retired from the Boeing Co., said buying cars online takes a lot of the fun out of the hunt, though some on the lookout may seem to get carried away. Edwards said he knew a guy, who put more than 50 miles a day on his car driving from store to store.
Sometimes Target in Lynnwood has eight or nine early-bird Hot Wheel shoppers, mostly men. Edwards said the store is great for collectors. When he shops, he can refer to a list in his pocket to see what Hot Wheels he needs.
He owns a couple of the collectibles worth $100. He’s been known to stop at thrift stores to take a peek.
There is an overriding reason why the retiree collects Hot Wheels. It’s a fun way to keep busy, he said.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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