In the world of toy cars, there are two big names – Hot Wheels and Matchbox. Both of these brands are owned and manufactured by Mattel, but they do sport some notable differences.
Collectors and enthusiasts as well as parents who are looking for toys for their children may wonder if the Hot Wheels and Matchbox tracks are compatible with one another.
Well, good news because they are!
You can use both Hot Wheels and Matchbox brand tracks interchangeably with one another. Since both brands of tracks are made by Mattel then they made it where the tracks will all work together without any difficulty.
That means you can use some of each track brand or simply buy whichever is cheapest at the time and you can rest assured that it will work with the rest of the track that you have.
Read on if you are interested in learning more about these two toy car brands and how their tracks can work with one another.
Are Hot Wheels and Matchbox Tracks Compatible?
The various tracks that Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars feature are a great item to pick up for collectors or parents who are simply on the lookout for new toys for their kids. They allow your collection of cars to zip around miniature speedways, and you can construct large and interesting tracks that truly showcase how cool the toy cars truly are.
One thing that many who collect both brands may wonder is whether or not the tracks of a Hot Wheels set are compatible with that of a Matchbox set. Thankfully, these two brands do tend to have tracks that can fit with each other, meaning that you can mix and match as much as you want.
Both of these brands are owned and operated by Mattel, and while in the past they were not always compatible with one another, nowadays they tend to feature similar aspects and sizes which allow you to connect the tracks and mix and match them to create whatever track you desire.
In the past, the Hot Wheels and Matchbox brands did not mesh as well as they do now, especially when they were first introduced. Both featured differently sized cars and in turn, different sized tracks in order to accommodate for the difference in size.
These days, however, Mattel has changed things to ensure that most Hot Wheels and Matchbox toy cars come in nearly the same size, allowing you to mix and match the cars and the tracks between the two brands however you like.
So, take advantage of this and make some huge tracks mixing your favorite aspects of both brands!
Are Hot Wheels and Matchbox Cars Compatible on the Other’s Tracks?
Of course, the tracks themselves being compatible with one another also means that the cars themselves can be used interchangeably between the two types of tracks however that is only true with newer cars.
If you have a bunch of older Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars you will likely notice a difference in size between the two. So although new Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars will work on the other’s track just fine, older cars might not.
Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars have some notable differences, but these tend to be visual rather than structural on new cars.
As discussed previously, the size difference between Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars was a bit more distinct back when the toy cars were first introduced, meaning that the two cars could not always fit with one another along their respective tracks.
In recent years, however, the two brands of toy cars share much the same size and can fit on either track comfortably. Not only will you be able to use your Hot Wheels and Matchbox tracks with one another and craft a wonderfully unique track for your cars, but you will be able to enjoy any cars you want on that track, whether they be from Matchbox or Hot Wheels.
How do Matchbox and Hot Wheels Differ?
Mattel makes both brands of these toy cars, but each one seems to be focused on a different type of style. Both of these cars are diecast and come in at relatively the same size (around 3 inches in length). The difference between these two brands boils down to the stylistic choices that each brand prefers.
Hot Wheels cars tend to be more fantasy and have a much more stylistic approach to their designs. Most Hot Wheels cars are highly customized and feature very unique models of a car. While the Hot Wheels toy car may be based on a real-life counterpart it may look wildly different from what you would actually see out on the road.
This is apparent in the penchant for decals, over-the-top stickers, and bizarre modifications that the Hot Wheels brand has used for its toy cars. Rather than go for straight realism with their toy cars, Hot Wheels aims to bring forth some fantastic designs and hot-rod-like elements that make their cars unique and interesting.
Matchbox toy cars, on the other hand, forego these more fantastical elements and aim to bring to market much more realistic cars. Rather than having toy cars that feature odd and fascinating decals or very unique (and most likely not street-legal) modifications and attachments, Matchbox cars replicate their real-life counterparts almost perfectly.
This carries over to the types of tracks that each brand produces. Matchbox tracks may not be that realistic (nobody wants to drive their toy cars down a completely straight street as we do in real-life), but the tracks that Matchbox produces are much more realistic and plausible than those which Hot Wheels offers.
Hot Wheels has tracks featuring ghosts, giant sharks, and enormous loop-de-loops. Matchbox does have a few tracks featuring the gravity-defying loop-de-loop, but most other Matchbox sets that you can find include construction sites and parking garages.
The difference between the two brand’s tracks makes for a very exciting and interesting time when you decide to mix the tracks together. You can have the more grounded Matchbox tracks lead into crazy and zany Hot Wheels tracks to give your cars an exciting trip.
Neither brand is better than the other, it simply comes down to preference.
If you enjoy the more fantasy and out-of-this-world approach that Hot Wheels offers then you can choose to buy those. However, if you like the more down-to-earth approach that Matchbox tries to go for then you may prefer them.
Conclusion
Now that you know that Matchbox and Hot Wheels tracks are compatible with one another you can get to work crafting your very own unique and interesting track out of the two brands.
Not only can you mix and match the tracks, but you can enjoy whichever car you want on that track since the two brands share a very similar size (assuming your Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars are newer).