Not wanting Lego to have all the money, er, fun, Mattel introduced its own line of build-it-yourself model cars last year. Mattel is well acquainted with the world of automotive scale models, as one of the company's co-founders invented Hot Wheels cars. Now, the Mattel Brick Shop released two new 1:32-scale kits in its Honda Series: a custom 1990 Honda Civic EF,and a 2007 Honda S2000, both of which look remarkably accurate to their full-scale inspirations.
The Civic and S2000 kits are sold separately, but each kit includes everything you need to snap together your very own 1:32-scale model, with hinged doors, decals for customization, a metal signature plate, and two sets of wheel covers, as well as a matching Hot Wheels version of the same car. The kits cost $22, and these two models join the preexisting lineup that includes an Audi RS2 Avant, a Maserati MC20, a custom '68 Chevrolet Camaro, a custom '62 Chevy Pickup, a 1990 Acura NSX, and a few race cars. Mattel also sells larger 1:16-scale and 1:12-scale kits of cars like the Audi R8 LMS and Mercedes-Benz 300SL.
It's no secret that the Mattel Brick Shop's Speed Series line is aimed at the Lego Speed Champions line of buildable scale models, but Mattel's kits have two advantages: their price, and the bonus matching Hot Wheels car. Lego Technic models are notoriously intricate, complex, and expensive, with some kits reaching as much as $450, while Lego Speed Champions models are more comparable to the Mattel Brick Shop Speed Series cars, though the Lego kits still cost between $2 and $4 more.
The Mattel Brick Shop Speed Series line is recommended for folks ages 10 and up. The S2000 kit includes 257 pieces, while the Civic EF kit has 248 pieces. The Civic EF kit is meant to pay homage to '90s tuner culture, thus it has flared wheel arches, a mean stance, and two sets of wheel designs, one of which looks like bronze TE37s. The S2000 kit includes a windshield and spoiler, decals, and two different wheel designs, too. The Honda Series kits are on sale now at different stores, and online.
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